M. J. Trow Explained

M.J. Trow
Birth Name:	Meiron James Trow
Birth Date:	1949 10, df=yes
Birth Place:	Ferndale, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Wales
Occupation:	Author
Genre:	Mystery fiction

Meirion James Trow (born 16 October 1949)^[1] is a Welsh author of crime fiction, who writes under the name M. J. Trow.^[2] 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.^[3] On 14 July 1973^[4] 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. Trow is a member of the Society of Authors and of the Crime Writers' Association.

Trow is also known in some circles for his work in theatre and dramas, organising and participating in many performances.

Earlier 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, in three main series.

'Inspector Lestrade' books, based on the character from the Sherlock Holmes stories.

Publication order	Title	Set in
	The Adventures of Inspector Lestrade^[5]	1891
	Brigade: Further Adventures of Inspector Lestrade	1894
	Lestrade and the Hallowed House	1901
	Lestrade and the Leviathan	1910
	Lestrade and the Brother of Death	1912
	Lestrade and the Ripper	1888
	Lestrade and the Deadly Game^[6]	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^[7]	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', featuring a teacher and amateur sleuth.

1. Maxwell's House (1994)
2. Maxwell's Flame (1995)
3. Maxwell's Movie (1997)
4. Maxwell's War (1999)
5. Maxwell's Ride (2000)
6. Maxwell's Curse (2000)
7. Maxwell's Reunion (2001)
8. Maxwell's Match (2002)
9. Maxwell's Inspection (2003)
10. Maxwell's Grave (2004)
11. Maxwell's Mask (2005)
12. Maxwell's Point (2007)
13. Maxwell's Chain (2008)
14. Maxwell's Revenge (2009)
15. Maxwell's Retirement (2010)
16. Maxwell's Island (2011)
17. Maxwell's Crossing (2012)
18. Maxwell's Return (2014)
19. Maxwell's Academy (2015)
20. Maxwell's Summer (2020)
21. Maxwell's Zoom (2022)

'Kit Marlowe', featuring the playwright and poet as detective.

1. Dark Entry (2011)
2. Silent Court (2011)^[8]
3. Witch Hammer (2012)
4. Scorpions's Nest (2012)
5. Crimson Rose (2013)
6. Traitor's Storm (2014)
7. Secret World (2015)
8. Eleventh Hour (2017)
9. Queen's Progress (2018)
10. Black Death (2019)
11. The Reckoning (2020)

The Kit Marlowe series is published by Severn House.

‘Margaret Murray’, featuring a great feminist.

1. Four Thousand Days (2021)

Other work

'Britannia' (co-written with Richard Denham), set in Sub-Roman Britain.

1. Part I: The Wall (2014)
2. Part II: The Watchmen (2014)
3. Part III: The Warlords (2016)
4. 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)^[9]
• Ripper Hunter: Abberline and the Whitechapel Murders (2012)
• A Brief History of Cleopatra (2013)^[10]
• The Hagley Wood Murder: Nazi Spies and Witchcraft in Wartime Britain (2023)

External links

• Britannia series official website
• M. J. Trow at Fantastic Fiction
• T Squared Books official website

Notes and References

1. Web site: Trow, M.J. 1949– Encyclopedia.com.
2. Web site: Jack The Ripper – Quest for a Killer: MJ Trow. Edge. Simon. 6 November 2009. Daily Express. 27 May 2016.
3. Web site: Trow, M.J. 1949– Encyclopedia.com.
4. Web site: Trow, M.J. 1949– Encyclopedia.com.
5. Web site: Fiction Book Review: The Adventures of Inspector Lestrade by M. J. Trow. Publishers Weekly. 27 May 2016.
6. Web site: LESTRADE AND THE DEADLY GAME by M.J. Trow. Kirkus Reviews. 27 May 2016.
7. Web site: LESTRADE AND THE MIRROR OF MURDER by M.J. Trow. Kirkus Reviews. 27 May 2016.
8. Web site: SILENT COURT by M.J. Trow. Kirkus Reviews. 27 May 2016.
9. Web site: Book Review: M. J. Trow. A Brief History of Vampires.. Do. Myha. Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy. 27 May 2016.
10. Web site: A BRIEF HISTORY OF CLEOPATRA by M.J. Trow. Kirkus Reviews. 27 May 2016.