Maxwell's Match

History teacher Peter (Mad Max) Maxwell, a bit of a maverick, is sent on a short-term swap with another teacher at a nearby private school, Grimonds.

Here, amongst the gowns and debating societies, Mad Max stumbles on an unnatural death. It's the start of a complicated mystery that succeeds admirably in combining laughs with edge-of-the-seat excitement. One of the housemasters falls from the roof - Maxwell believes he was pushed. Then another is found floating in a lake. And what's with all the gay p**n?

As Maxwell unravels the intricate web, suspicion falls on more and more of the eccentric cast of teachers, though some of the pupils also have motives.

Trow has a deft touch, and highlights some of the idiocies and fears of boarding school life, while never letting it get in the way of the pace of the story.