# M. J. Trow

Meirion James Trow (born 16 October 1949) is a Welsh author of crime fiction, who writes under the name M. J. Trow. He has written mysteries featuring Inspector Lestrade, Peter Maxwell, Kit Marlowe and Margaret Murray.

## Biography

Trow was born in Ferndale, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Wales. He went to Warwick School from 1961 to 1968. In 1968 he went to King's College London to read history. After graduation he spent a year at Jesus College, Cambridge. From 1972 he was a history teacher in Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire. On 14 July 1973 he married Carol Mary Long, and in 1976 moved to the Isle of Wight where he worked as a teacher of History and Politics at Ryde High School. He is a member of the Society of Authors and of the Crime Writers' Association.
Trow is also known for his work in theatre and dramas, organising and participating in many performances.
In 2008 he appeared on the Channel 4 show Richard & Judy talking about his book Spartacus: The Myth and the Man.

## Works
### Fiction

Trow has written over 50 fiction books, principally in three series.

#### "Inspector Lestrade" series

Featuring the character from the Sherlock Holmes stories.
| Publication order | Title | Set in |
| 1 | The Adventures of Inspector Lestrade | 1891 |
| 2 | Brigade: Further Adventures of Inspector Lestrade | 1894 |
| 3 | Lestrade and the Hallowed House | 1901 |
| 4 | Lestrade and the Leviathan | 1910 |
| 5 | Lestrade and the Brother of Death | 1912 |
| 6 | Lestrade and the Ripper | 1888 |
| 7 | Lestrade and the Deadly Game | 1908 |
| 8 | Lestrade and the Guardian Angel | 1897 |
| 9 | Lestrade and the Gift of the Prince | 1903 |
| 10 | Lestrade and the Magpie | 1920 |
| 11 | Lestrade and the Dead Man's Hand | 1895 |
| 12 | Lestrade and the Sign of Nine | 1886 |
| 13 | Lestrade and the Sawdust Ring | 1879 |
| 14 | Lestrade and the Mirror of Murder | 1906 |
| 15 | Lestrade and the Kiss of Horus | 1923 |
| 16 | Lestrade and the Devil's Own | 1913 |
| 17 | Lestrade and the Giant Rat of Sumatra | 1905 |

#### "Peter Maxwell" series

Featuring a teacher and amateur sleuth.
* Maxwell's House (1994)
* Maxwell's Flame (1995)
* Maxwell's Movie (1997)
* Maxwell's War (1999)
* Maxwell's Ride (2000)
* Maxwell's Curse (2000)
* Maxwell's Reunion (2001)
* Maxwell's Match (2002)
* Maxwell's Inspection (2003)
* Maxwell's Grave (2004)
* Maxwell's Mask (2005)
* Maxwell's Point (2007)
* Maxwell's Chain (2008)
* Maxwell's Revenge (2009)
* Maxwell's Retirement (2010)
* Maxwell's Island (2011)
* Maxwell's Crossing (2012)
* Maxwell's Return (2014)
* Maxwell's Academy (2015)
* Maxwell's Summer (2020)
* Maxwell's Zoom (2022)

#### "Kit Marlowe" series

Featuring the 16th-century playwright and poet as detective.
* Dark Entry (2011)
* Silent Court (2011)
* Witch Hammer (2012)
* Scorpions's Nest (2012)
* Crimson Rose (2013)
* Traitor's Storm (2014)
* Secret World (2015)
* Eleventh Hour (2017)
* Queen's Progress (2018)
* Black Death (2019)
* The Reckoning (2020)
* The Moon Rising (2024)
The Kit Marlowe series is published by Severn House.

#### "Margaret Murray"

Featuring the 19th/20th-century archaeologist and feminist.
* Four Thousand Days (2021)

#### "Britannia" series

Co-written with Richard Denham, and set in Sub-Roman Britain.
* Part I: The Wall (2014)
* Part II: The Watchmen (2014)
* Part III: The Warlords (2016)
* World of Britannia: Historical Companion to the Britannia Series (2016)

### Non-fiction

* Let Him Have It, Chris (1990), on which the film Let Him Have It (1991) was based
* The Wigwam Murder, based on the August Sangret case. (1994, republished by T Squared Books in 2016)
* The Many Faces of Jack the Ripper (1997)
* Who Killed Kit Marlowe?: a Contract to Murder in Elizabethan England (2001)
* Vlad the Impaler: in Search of the Real Dracula (2003)
* Boudicca (2004)
* Cnut: Emperor of the North (2005)
* Spartacus: the Myth and the Man (2006)
* The Pocket Hercules (2006)
* El Cid: the Making of a Legend (2007)
* War Crimes: Underworld Britain in the Second World War (2008)
* A Brief History of Vampires (2010)
* Ripper Hunter: Abberline and the Whitechapel Murders (2012)
* A Brief History of Cleopatra (2013)
* The Hagley Wood Murder: Nazi Spies and Witchcraft in Wartime Britain (2023)