Maxwell's House

Peter Maxwell Mystery #1

by M.J. Trow

Two men had the job of tracing seventeen-year-old Jenny Hyde's killer. One was Chief Inspector Henry Hall, an elitist cop of the old school, who was driving in one direction only - to the top. It was his job. His territory. The other was Peter Maxwell - "Mad Max" - widower, film buff, golden-hearted cynic, and bow-tied, eccentric teacher under suspension and suspicion. Maxwell didn't have to become involved at all. But he was so involved he didn't know how to get out. Jenny had been one of his students. Peter Maxwell was mad enough and determined to find her killer.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Cozy, Adult, Cozy Mystery, Audiobook

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Meirion James Trow is a full-time teacher of history who has been doubling as a crime writer for seventeen years. Originally from Ferndale, Rhondda in South Wales he now lives on the Isle of Wight. His interests include collecting militaria, film, the supernatural and true crime.

Reviews

[Bettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read by................. Peter Wickham
Total Runtime........... 8 hours 44 mins

Description: Two men had the job of tracing seventeen-year-old Jenny Hyde's killer. One was Chief Inspector Henry Hall, an elitist cop of the old school, who was driving in one direction only - to the top. It was his job. His territory. The other was Peter Maxwell - "Mad Max" - widower, film buff, golden-hearted cynic, and bow-tied, eccentric teacher under suspension and suspicion. Maxwell didn't have to become involved at all. But he was so involved he didn't know how to get out. Jenny had been one of his students. Peter Maxwell was mad enough and determined to find her killer.



I am totally smitten with Maxwell, the fifty-two year old history teacher who wears pork-pie hat, bowtie and be-whiskered cheeks. The murder is mild, think Midsomer Murders. Ooopins of cultural references to make the reader feel well-read; throw in some staff-room politics, Trow's penmanship and witty turn of phrase, and I have the prospect of a delightful new crime series.

This is the one with maximun moral turpitude.

4* Maxwell's House

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. A very enjoyable read about a Head of Sixth Form (sorry, Years 12 and 13) History teacher playing at being a sleuth. I adored the humour and old celebrity mimics (sometimes a bit obscure!) and the plot was nicely twisted. Half a mark taken off for a few sexist comments that I found a little suspicious and not funny.

Despite that, Peter Maxwell (nicknamed "Mad Max", widower, film buff, golden-hearted cynic, and bow-tied, eccentric teacher) is a charming character whom I shall follow with pleasure in the next novel. To add to the pleasure, the audiobook has a great narrator, Peter Wickham.

Thoroughly recommended.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read some of the later Maxwell books, I made a determined effort to get to the beginning of how it all began and am glad I did.

'Mad Max' Maxwell history teacher, amateur sleuth, film buff and champion of fair play is a hero for all seasons. His animosity for red tape and jobsworths makes him so likeable and you feel yourself cheering for every victory he scores.

Also an excellent plot, if you are looking for something different give this ago.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too naive

I cannot believe a fifty-something man, a teacher for 30 years, could be so SO very naive. So stupidly naive. Fine, if he wants to “investigate” his student’s murder, how many amateur-sleuth stories do we read a month? But, 90% of the trouble -and pain- he got into, he got himself into. I cannot believe, with all the minor child sex crimes in the news, Maxwell was so naive as to not even perceive how his interest could be misconstrued. Or, is he just that egotistical? To me, so many of his actions were just stupid. And for it all, we were never provided any real clues, evidence, or plot to follow that we could have used to solve the mystery on our own or even along side. We were just passengers reading a book with a very stupid Maxwell character.

[Katy Cameron · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I picked this up I thought it might be a fun trip back to my own school days (as this was published when I was in Year 10) however, it just reminded me of all the things that we used to tolerate 30 years ago that, thankfully, are no longer a thing. I had to DNF about 60 pages in.

[Kim Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Odd, distinctly odd.

I simply cannot make my mind up about this book. The way it reads is odd and I probably should read another to try and see if it reads any better. The problem is, I'm not sure I even want to. Oh well I'll leave it a few days then I'll see.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great first book in a murder mystery series.

The first book in a new to me series finds a British teacher, Max, drawn into a complex case when one of his students is murdered. Is he innocent and just trying to help solve the murder or is he actually a suspect? There are twists and turns in the story and more bodies but Max is determined to get to the bottom of the deaths. I loved the witty and sarcastic characters, especially Max, and the author has done a great job of plotting the crimes and the solution. I can’t wait to read the next book in this riveting, quirky and interesting series.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dripping with cynicism and a Thatcher hangover; twisty, witty, and dated in its attitudes. Great characters.

[Lexie Conyngham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A knowing, brisk beginning with a dead girl in a murky, deserted house. The descriptions of schools and their management are amusing, but bitter, and the constant mimicry of actors and comedians is a little overdone. I preferred his Kit Marlowe series. But this has its interest, too, and when the teacher who is trying to take responsibility and find out more about the murders of his pupils is at risk of arrest for those murders, the plot becomes more sinister. Can the police, with their curiously dull senior officer, actually be trusted? Can the teacher? Or is that senior officer sharper than he seems?

[David Highton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in 1993, this is the first in a series featuring Peter Maxwell, Head of Sixth Form and History master at a Sussex school where a sixth form girl is found murdered. The Maxwell character is well developed - stubborn, determined and living alone with his cat. The cultural references in the book are largely from the golden age of film and quite entertaining.

[Susana Sambade · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the first Maxwell books ive read. He's a history teacher who ends up being an amateur sleuth. Metrinich his cat is like the embodiment of his names sake. He calls his bicycle after a white battle horse. Maxwell books are full of character.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a minor public school (i.e. private school) in England, schoolteacher Maxwell seeks a student's murderer. Good characterization is a plus in this academic mystery.

[Kelly (smeets_books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very easy to read. As a teacher I enjoyed the references to daily teaching life and the politics of the staff room.

[Ruth Morales]

Unusual read

You would have to manage England's cryptic verse for this one. I managed t h e first two chapters, and gave up for the l last.

[Alison C · Rating 3 out of 5]

History teacher Peter Maxwell is quite upset when one of his young students is found dead in an abandoned house; while he was off vacationing in Cornwall, she was being murdered. There are few clues in the case, and the local police are interviewing everybody who knew the girl, including all her teachers. Max (as he is known) feels a responsibility to the dead girl because she was one of his students, so he decides to look into the crime on his own, a decision that soon leads to him becoming the prime suspect himself, at least in the eyes of some unsavory police officers…. This is the first in a series of mysteries set in contemporary England; the book was published in 1994 and there is a disclaimer at the beginning of the volume noting that the books were published in the 1990s and 2000s “when social attitudes were different,” which strikes me as unnecessary given that anyone reading for pleasure probably is aware that books written in earlier times have different attitudes. Yes, there’s a fair amount of sexism here, and a bit of homophobia, but the reader can probably deal with it (or stop reading). That said, this is a solidly constructed mystery and the ending came as a complete surprise to me (a good thing for a mystery); my main quibble with the book was that I couldn’t decide if I liked Max or not. Still, I bought this in an “omnibus” e-edition, the first 8 books for about $1, so what’s not to like? And I’ve already started book 2; so, a mild recommendation - as long as you can handle “different attitudes”!

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I bought this book (as part of an omnibus edition and solely because it was cheap!) I hadn’t realised that it had been written over 30 years ago.

And so, reading this period piece was a strange but interesting experience. It’s not bad, but it’s pretty jarring at times. There are some attitudes in evidence that probably wouldn’t be in a novel written today about a man in his 50’s. But in 1993, a man in his 50’s was a Boomer, with all the baggage that brings with it.

The mystery itself is fine, and was chugging along acceptably (no idea why other reviewers call it slow) until the denouement, which felt like it was written with one eye on an impending deadline.

There’s a bit of a sense of a low-rent Morse about things. A jaded, sarcastic, caustic, Oxbridge educated, middle aged protagonist, who despite being the kind of “old” 50-something you’d expect in the 1990’s, is somehow a bit of a hit with the ladies.

I’ve bought 8 of these things so I’m going to give a few more of them a go, out of curiosity about whether the character evolves over time as much as anything else.

[Janet Mahlum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hate reading books where our innocent hero/heroine is unjustly accused of murder, and the police are only concerned with wrapping up the case, not finding the true murderer. In this case poor Maxwell is accused of murdering one of his students, a 17-year-old girl who had run away just prior to her death. The case against him? He doesn't have an alibi for the time of death because although he claims he wax on a train at the time of the death, it's now 3 weeks later an no witnesses remember him on the train. Duh! Also he is a single, middle-aged man, so obviously he is a pervert. And a bike was seen at the scene of the crime, and he rides a bike. So he's hauled in for questioning. When he and his inquisitor return to Maxwell's house several hours later, they discover the house has been trashed. The police conclude Maxwell trashed his own house, despite the fact he's been in custody the whole time, to divert attention away from him. Give me a break!

[Karalee Coleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty good cozy mystery, volume 1 of a long series which I shall certainly pursue. The mystery itself was nicely mysterious (I absolutely didn’t predict whodunnit) and the writing was humourous, which in today’s climate is a big plus. And I liked the characters – ALL of the characters. The coffee references seem odd for an English book – don’t they usually run on tea? Do they have Maxwell House in Britain? I thought most countries across the pond use Nescafe.

With an ebook reader, I annotate my texts. Some of the snarky bits I’ve highlighted in this one:

“Smith chuckled … ‘why haven’t I been shortlisted for the Booker again this year?’
“‘Because you never write anything, Geoffrey,’ Maxwell told him.
“‘That’s never stopped Salman Rushdie.’”

And:

“After all, he knew his collective nouns; an arsehole of teachers.”

Unfortunately, the author peppers his narrative with (presumably) real-life people and events which may be well known to readers about the same age as himself and living in England, but which are completely opaque to readers from other generations and/or cultures. This makes a lot of his references to be infuriating wastes of space, and probably means his stories will not endure. Good thing I have wi-fi access to Wikipedia on my Kobo.

[Panda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Maxwell or "Mad Max" is a public school history teacher in his 50s. He is a movie buff, a lover of the classics and a bit of an eccentric rebel.

One of his students, a 17 year old Jenny Hyde, is found murdered with signs of sexual assault. Feeling responsible for the kid Mad Max is on the trail... doesn't help his case that he's the number one suspect either!

Published in 1994 this book is a cut above the rest. The mystery is decent and everything is carried out in a logical manner. The writing style is slightly eccentric with an overload of characters but nothing extreme.

Overall a good read and an encouraging start to this series.

[Lisa reads alot Hamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cosy murder mystery, lots of fun and perfect for reading all cost under a blanket on the sofa 😃

It kept me guessing until the end which is great also this is book 22 but having not read any of the others I found no problem following the characters.

The main character Peter Maxwell or ‘mad max’ is head of 6th form and is a real eccentric, really good descriptive writing make the characters come alive.

Funny and very entertaining, a series of book I will definitely reading more off

Thank you @zooloosbooktours @joffebooks for a copy of the ebook

#zooloosbooktours #joffeebooks #mjtrow #maxwellsreality #bookstagram #ebookreview #freebookreview

[Barbara Deeprose · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Start To A New Series

Confession Time, I have read book 22 in the series and enjoyed it so much I decided to start at the beginning. Peter Maxwell is a teacher, and when one of his students is murdered and the police don't seem to be getting anywhere, he decides to start an investigation of his own, which almost resulted in him being arrested! I enjoyed the book although I found the constant literary references a bit irritating, the ending took me by surprise. I know I will get more into the series as I read the next few books.

[Eirlys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvelous Max moves the murder magic

I have read most of the last ten books, but I have now started reading from book one. I enjoyed picking up the early traits which make Mad Max the fascinating character that he is. While he is on holiday, one of his pupils is murdered. He worries about whether he had missed some chance of helping her, and perhaps preventing her murder. I liked how the twists led Max, and myself, off the trail, and instead threw Max into the police suspect line.

[Mindysue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow I never heard of this series, but apparently there are 20+ books, this was #1. Once I got into the movie quotes and sarcasm voice of the character (first 3 chapters) then I got into the flow and it was really good. Not a cozy but not hard boiled either. Hard to describe. I’ll definitely check out more in the series,

[Kirsty]

As another reviewer said, a bit odd. It did get more readable as it went, but I still found it hard to keep interested. So I skipped a few chunks (well the middle half of the book, I suspect - including a murder) and read the last three chapters. Told me whodunnit, and whydunnit, but I didn't agree with the ending, which difn't help me like it. And it seemed out of character for them both.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A treat to read

This has made me quite sure that I will be reading more about the schoolmaster murder mysteries. This was an exciting introduction to a new series and new author to me. Well written, lots of twists and turns with an ending, I did not expect, but an ending that held together with the explanation provided.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Maxwell is a widower, a film buff, a cynic, and an eccentric teacher. He is perfectly happy with his lot until one of his students, Jennifer Hyde, is strangled and murdered, her body discovered in a derelict building called The Red House.

Enjoyable. I'll certainly read more of Max's adventures.

[Michaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different voice

I was confused at first about the perspective but o I'mnce I caught on it was enjoyable. The many, many literary and pop culture references were not always understood. Definitely helps to know British history and idioms.

I would recommend to anyone who has familiarity with British culture.

[Anne]

Not my style

I just didn't like the book. It is clever , but I hated Maxwell. I couldn't buy into all the old references when he was only 52. I didn't relate to Maxwell's style or his feelings about the girl . He is torn between being a guardian of his students and a cynical has been. The author has to decide. It was not thrilling. It was tedious.

[Les · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witty without being silly. It took a while to get used to the English colloquialisms. If you are under the age of 50, you probably won't get 90% of the movie or TV references. If you are over 50 but aren't British (like me), you probably won't get 40% of those references, but you can guess based on context.

[Darci Maxwell · Rating 1 out of 5]

pretty slow in the beginning but it picks up

From the US reading a book written by a UK author, I thought I’d fare alright, but I most certainly did not. While there is a glossary in the back, it’s not very useful. This book took a lot of turns that I couldn’t follow, due to local slang and such. This was almost a DNF.
I will not be reading more of the series.