Maxwell's War

Peter Maxwell Mystery #4

by M.J. Trow, Christopher Thomas Scott (Narrator)

During the Whitsun half-term, Peter Maxwell agrees to act as historical adviser to a film company making a bodice-ripper on the south coast. Maxwell has a week to give the cast the vaguest resemblance to the troops ranged against Napoleon's planned invasion of 1804. Unfortunately, the director is shot dead during a skirmish on the beach. The gun that did the killing fired by one of Maxwell's ex-sixth formers earning a few bob as an extra, but it was Maxwell who gave the order to fire. 'Mad Max' must hone that razor mind of his to clear the name of his boy recruit and bring the real killer to book.

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Cozy

10 pages, Audio Cassette

First published January 1, 1999

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 3 out of 5]

Read by................. Christopher Scott
Total Runtime.......... 8 hours 8 mins

Description: The Whitsun half term is usually a time for history teacher Peter Maxwell to put his feet up, drop his guard and oil his bicycle chain. But not this time. Maxwell's brief idyll is cut short by a desperate call for help from an old school friend, Cambridge lecturer John Irving, who is acting as historical advisor to a film company making a bodice-ripper. They need military know-how and Irving hasn't a clue. Filming is interrupted when the director is shot dead during a staged skirmish on the beach. The gun that did the killing was fired by one of Maxwell's 6th formers earning a few bob as an extra, and Maxwell himself had given the order to fire!



Uh-oh, change or narrator is rarely a good thing when listening to a series back to back, however Scott was good.

This is the one with Sparrow, war games on the beach, a continuance of both Woman Police Carpenter, and School Nurse. The author of the romance hist-fic is accused of anachronisms and historical masturbation, and she retorts with fury at the distortions inherent in turning read into film. Thoroughly enjoyable series this, but it's not without its flaws.


4* Maxwell's House
3.5* Maxwell's Flame
4* Maxwell's Movie
3.5* Maxwell's War

[Plum-crazy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this Mad Max series & can't believe how few people have come across him.

As always, a good murder mystery with some cracking lines from Mad Max, his dry wit & sarcasm are a joy-if you enjoy the Frost novels than you're sure to love this.

[Alison C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter Maxwell is asked to serve as a military history advisor for a new television mini-series being made, set in the late 18th Century. He is happy to do so, since he was asked by an old friend of his who is now a Cambridge don, but the extras who are hired to play soldiers need a lot of whipping into shape to be in the least bit believable. However, he does his job and all is going well, until a replica gun, meant to fire blanks, is shot as part of a volley and the director, a very unpleasant person, is killed. The police are quick to blame the person who fired the gun, a rather gormless student of Max’s, but of course Max knows that it cannot be that simple….This is the fourth in a series of books written in the 1990s and 2000s featuring high school teacher Peter Maxwell, who loves quoting movie lines and investigating crimes in very unorthodox ways to the chagrin (and worse) of the police. There are some attitudes from that era that do not play well today (in particular, his relationship with his old college friend who is Black and who refers to Max as “bwana,” meant to be a joking relationship between the two longtime friends but coming across as quite cringy today, as well as some very sexist attitudes toward women in general), but if you can put up with such attitudes, the books themselves are quite entertaining; mildly recommended.

[JJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

When an old friend, helping with historical data on a film set, asks Peter Maxwell to add his input about the Napoleonic soldiery, Mad Max accepts with alacrity. However, it proves a poisoned chalice when someone ends up shot dead. One of the rifles had been tampered with and the young boy firing it is arrested. But why would he have shot this relative stranger?
The story has a lot of questions and very few answers. Mad Max is still getting on the polices collective nerves. Except of course for ‘woman policeman Carpenter’ who is told to keep away from Max but finds herself drawn to him for all sorts of reasons.
Max, mad on films and able to quote from many, mad on history (his subject at Leighford High School) and various historical battles, always ready with a burst of sarcasm,irony and/or humour, is kind, is very keen on justice, inspiring loyalty, annoyance and/or love in those who know him.
I very much enjoy these stories which are funny and yet a bit gruesome too as far as the crimes are concerned. I’d happily recommend them.

[Barbara Deeprose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved It!

I am really getting into this series now. Peter Maxwell is a teacher and film buff. When he is asked to advise on an historical film being filmed he is delighted, until the producer is shot dead on set. Even worse, a student of Peter's was holding the gun which should have been loaded with blank cartidges. Peter gets dragged into the investigation when it seems the police are not getting very far, they seem happy to believe they had the right person in custody, the student holding the gun. I love his attitude to his pupils and his dry wit. I also hope there might be a little romance blossoming between himself and a certain female detective wh may also feel the same way. I do hope it works out for them.

[Debby Kean · Rating 2 out of 5]

What is it with writers who think they're better than they are?
Such a foul-mouthed not-funny-but-he-thinks-he-is mess can't be bothered with. 😕 sorry, it stinks on ice!

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good Maxwell book. I'm definitely enjoying this series the longer it goes on

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1977 gay 61 year old Tom Sparrow is found dead. In 1998 Maxwell is historical consultant to a film company, when during filming a death occurs, then another in a hotel room.
An entertaining mystery

[John Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a very long time since I have enjoyed a series enough to read four on the trot.
It is also a long time since I've enjoyed a novel enough to finish it in a single day.. OK, I acknowledge that being retired helps and that being ill gives me an excuse not to do other things, but It shows how much I enjoy this series.

Peter Maxwell aka Mad Max to the pupils at the school of which he is Head of Sixth Form is the sort of teacher that us of a certain age would have appreciated.

History is his passion and when an old University friend asks for his help in the recrecreation of a battle scene for a film being shot locally, he jumps at the chance.

If you have read the first three book in this series you could guess that a death on set would have some connection with Maxwell that necessitated  his involvement.

My wife's overview of the series that it gets better, is certainly correct. The plot is more complex, there is a feel good factor in it, the Max type of humour is certainly still there,  for example "They ordered a meal at the Weathervane. Mercifully it wasn't one of those plastic places where children are allowed to run riot, that most damnable of twentieth-century inventions, 'The Family Pub'. "(And this was written over 25 years ago, we never learnt! )

I totally missed the guilty parties but I wasn't bothered. The story was enough.

For the first time that I can remember, its on to number five next.

28 March 25

[Tria · Rating 4 out of 5]

TBReviewed later.