Maxwell's Mask

An absolutely gripping cozy murder mystery with a touch of wry English humour.
‘Cleverly conceived and amusingly executed.’ The Sunday Times
Meet Peter Maxwell: widower, film buff, golden-hearted cynic, bow-tied eccentric teacher . . . and reluctant amateur sleuth.
Lifting the mask on a killer.
Peter Maxwell prides himself on his cultural mastery. So, he is unimpressed to be forced to supervise a Leighford High production of Little Shop of Horrors.
A horror it will be. But not just for Maxwell.
Ex-student Deena Harrison was one of Leighford High’s most notorious students — setting fire to the toilet block and throwing boys down the stairs — but she had the voice of an angel.
After graduating from university, Deena returns to Leighford for a visit and is surprised when she’s asked to help her old drama department with their production. A keen actress herself, Deena immediately agrees.
And then people start dying.
The police think the deaths are accidents — loose cables, carelessly placed ladders; simple health and safety issues . . . But Maxwell is not convinced.
One victim had his skull crushed and the other managed to wrap themselves in a blanket after death!
The police are dragging their heels. But the play must go on, so Maxwell dives head first into his own investigation.
But in going off script, Maxwell has been thrust into the spotlight — and directly into the sights of a killer . . .
If you love Faith Martin, Richard Osman, Ian Moore, Rob Rinder, Sarah Yarwood-Lovett, Janice Hallett, M.C. Beaton or Simon Brett, prepare to be hooked by this character-driven thrilling mystery!
Praise for Maxwell’s Mask:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Excellent plot, witty, sensitive and M.J. Trow at his superb best . . . If you read anything read this!’
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Five stars.’
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Excellent.’
Meet Peter Maxwell
Peter Maxwell is a history teacher at Leighford High School. He’s loved by his students and known as ‘Mad Max’ to his friends because of his love of quoting movies. His eccentricities make him a well-known figure in the small seaside town, cycling everywhere on his bike called White Surrey — after Richard III’s horse. When not teaching history, he is building a diorama of the Charge of the Light Brigade in his attic and talking to his cat, Count Metternich, his sounding board and boss, and solves crimes the police are unable to crack.
The Setting
Leighford is a small seaside town on the South Coast. Its population trebles in the summer as tourists flock to holiday there. Unfortunately for Peter Maxwell some of these characters will end up dead!