Peter Maxwell Books In Order

Publication Order of Peter Maxwell / Schoolmaster Murder Mysteries Books

Author M. J. Trow pens the “Peter Maxwell” series of mystery novels. The series began publication in the year 1994, when “Maxwell’s House” was released.

Peter Maxwell, who is the star of the series, is a golden-hearted cynic and a widowed teacher, in England. He is known as “Mad Max”; Peter is a film buff, eccentric, and wears bow ties. The series is set in modern times.

M. J. Trow uses his experiences as a high school teacher to pen the series of books.

“Maxwell’s House” is the first novel in the “Peter Maxwell” series, which was released in the year 1994. Two guys were given the job of finding out who killed a seventeen year old named Jenny Hyde. One was Peter Maxwell who is under suspicion and under suspension. The other is Chief Inspector Henry Hall, who is an elitist cop from the old school. He was moving in just one direction, and one only. To the top. This was his territory and his job.

Maxwell was not required to get involved at all. He was involved so much he did not know how he could get out. Jenny was one of his students. Peter was just mad enough and determined enough to find out who killed her.

This book has an excellent plot to it, and has been loaded with character. The intrigue and humor were mixed cleverly to make the read that much more interesting.

“Maxwell’s Flame” is the second novel in the “Peter Maxwell” series, which was released in the year 1995. Peter might be one crazy enigma to his students, and a dinosaur to his colleagues. He was young once and is slightly disturbed and thrilled to meet up with his first serious love back from his Cambridge days when he is forced to go to a training course.

True love was never something that ran smoothly, and here is no exception either. Delegates to the conference center are spread all over three different counties, so working out who hated which persons and just why is nothing easy. Peter is without the usual links with the Leighford Police for him to call on. It stumps him, but not for long.

Each of these books is well written with a droll sense of humor. Here is another superb book from this series, and Maxwell’s characterization, as the eccentric history teacher is dead on.

“Maxwell’s Movie” is the third novel in the “Peter Maxwell” series, which was released in the year 1998. Go ahead and ask any teacher what they dread the most and they will say, no matter what, school trips, man or woman. Oddly, Peter is looking forward to going on this one, with good reason, too. As it is his to the Museum of the Moving Image, his spiritual home. The flu virus does not respect anyone and he has to stay back in Leighford, laid terribly low.

The coach comes back, with two less people than it left with, and so the hunt is on. Quickly, a body is found. A missing student has still yet to be found, as well as a killer brought to book, so Maxwell shakes the shivers off and is working the case. It is not just the flu virus that that has got him hot and bothered, his relationship with DC Jacquie Carpenter begins to simmer.

These are extremely witty mysteries that are highly engaging, and solved by a charming school master. As always, there is sparkling wit that spices the story up and keeps it moving right along.

“Maxwell’s War” is the fourth novel in the “Peter Maxwell” series, which was released in the year 1999. Peter Maxwell is delighted after he is asked by an old friend from college to be the historical adviser for a film that is shooting on the coast close to Leighford. His dreams of being the next Spielberg are wrecked when he finds the film world is like the education world, filled with incompetents and backstabbers. Still, the whole thing is out in the open air without any heavy lifting, so he sets out with his usual enthusiasm.

Shooting becomes far too literal, unfortunately, after the director takes a musket ball right to the head. One of his students is implicated, there is another that is off on a jealous rant, and just about everyone is out to get everybody else. Maxwell soon finds that telling fiction from the truth to be tougher than he first thought it could be.

There is a ton of witty dialogue in these books, which is especially wonderful for anyone who loves film. This accompanies a plausible plot with quite a bit of adventure and more than typical for the mystery genre. The characters here leap right off of the page, and the Maxwell books have something for everybody.

“Maxwell’s Ride” is the fifth novel in the “Peter Maxwell” series, which was released in the year 2000. Maxwell is stuck watching his nieces for a holiday, and in his desperation, he takes them to a theme park. The theme, to their horror, is murder, as while they ride on the Wild Water, a man is murdered in the float right ahead.

Max and the girls are witnesses to a killing. The corpses start to multiply while Maxwell gets to the end of his search to find out the truth. He is involved, as there are links to Leighford High. Max is even more involved after one of his nieces becomes kidnapped.

“Maxwell’s Curse” is the sixth novel in the “Peter Maxwell” series, which was released in the year 2001. Maxwell is about to celebrate the millennium, December 2000, the historically and mathematically correct one.

He finds a frozen corpse on his doorstep. She is just one in a line of elderly people that have died from a mysterious illness that health authorities are unable to explain.

As he starts to investigate, he gets caught up in a spot of witchcraft, something any rational soul would believe to have been buried in the past.