Britannia Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| The Wall | 2014 | Buy |
| The Watchmen | 2014 | Buy |
| The Warlords | 2016 | Buy |
| World of Britannia | 2016 | Buy |
Calidus Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| The Year of the Snake: Murder in the Senate | 2018 | N/A |
| The Year of the Snake | 2018 | Buy |
| The Year of the Flame | 2019 | Buy |
Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in and Around Bradford | 2005 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths In & Around Scunthorpe | 2005 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in Liverpool | 2006 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in Ealing | 2006 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in Guernsey | 2006 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in Grimsby & Cleethorpes | 2007 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in Barking, Dagenham & Chadwell Heath | 2007 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths Around Rochdale | 2007 | N/A |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths In & Around Southend-on-Sea | 2007 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in Dublin | 2008 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in Suffolk | 2008 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in Jersey | 2008 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in Shrewsbury and Around Shropshire | 2008 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths Around Uxbridge | 2008 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in Glasgow | 2009 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in the Isle of Wight | 2009 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths Around Swansea | 2009 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths around Northampton | 2017 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in & Around Halifax | 2004 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in Bolton | 2005 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in Lewisham & Deptford | 2007 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in Cardiff | 2009 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in Doncaster | 2010 | Buy |
| Foul Deeds in Richmond and Kingston | 2010 | Buy |
Geoffrey Chaucer Mystery Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| The Knight’s Tale | 2021 | Buy |
| The Yeoman’s Tale | 2022 | Buy |
Grand & Batchelor Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| The Blue and the Grey | 2014 | Buy |
| The Circle | 2016 | Buy |
| The Angel | 2016 | Buy |
| The Island | 2017 | Buy |
| The Ring | 2018 | Buy |
| The Black Hills | 2020 | Buy |
| Last Nocturne | 2021 | Buy |
Kit Marlowe Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Dark Entry | 2011 | Buy |
| Silent Court | 2012 | Buy |
| Witch Hammer | 2012 | Buy |
| Scorpions’ Nest | 2012 | Buy |
| Crimson Rose | 2013 | Buy |
| Traitor’s Storm | 2014 | Buy |
| Secret World | 2015 | Buy |
| All Hallows’ Eve | 2015 | Buy |
| Eleventh Hour | 2017 | Buy |
| Queen’s Progress | 2018 | Buy |
| Black Death | 2019 | Buy |
| The Reckoning | 2020 | Buy |
Lestrade Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| The Supreme Adventure of Inspector Lestrade | 1985 | Buy |
| Brigade | 1986 | Buy |
| Lestrade and the Hallowed House | 1987 | Buy |
| Lestrade and the Leviathan | 1987 | Buy |
| Lestrade and the Brother of Death / Lestrade and the Brigade | 1988 | Buy |
| Lestrade and the Ripper | 1988 | Buy |
| Lestrade and the Deadly Game | 1990 | Buy |
| Lestrade and the Guardian Angel | 1990 | Buy |
| Lestrade and the Gift of the Prince | 1991 | Buy |
| Lestrade and the Magpie | 1991 | Buy |
| Lestrade and the Dead Man’s Hand | 1992 | Buy |
| Lestrade and the Sign of Nine | 1992 | Buy |
| Lestrade and the Sawdust Ring | 1993 | Buy |
| Lestrade and the Mirror of Murder | 1993 | Buy |
| Lestrade and the Kiss of Horus | 1995 | Buy |
| Lestrade and the Devil’s Own | 1996 | Buy |
| Lestrade and the Giant Rat of Sumatra | 2014 | Buy |
| The World of Inspector Lestrade | 2019 | Buy |
Margaret Murray Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Four Thousand Days | 2022 | Buy |
| Breaking the Circle | 2023 | Buy |
Non-Fiction
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Let Him Have It, Chris | 1990 | Buy |
| The Wigwam Murder | 1994 | Buy |
| The Many Faces of Jack the Ripper | 1998 | Buy |
| Who Killed Kit Marlowe? | 2001 | Buy |
| Vlad the Impaler | 2003 | Buy |
| Boudicca | 2003 | Buy |
| Cnut | 2005 | Buy |
| Spartacus | 2006 | Buy |
| The Pocket Hercules | 2006 | Buy |
| El Cid | 2007 | Buy |
| War Crimes | 2008 | Buy |
| Jack the Ripper: Quest for a Killer | 2009 | Buy |
| A Brief History of Vampires | 2010 | Buy |
| A Brief History of Cleopatra | 2010 | Buy |
| Enemies of the State | 2010 | Buy |
| The Adventures of Sir Samuel White Baker | 2011 | Buy |
| The Thames Torso Murders | 2011 | Buy |
| Murder by Mistake | 2012 | Buy |
| Ripper Hunter | 2012 | Buy |
| Swearing Like a Trooper | 2013 | Buy |
| The Last Gentleman of the SAS | 2014 | Buy |
| The Black Book | 2018 | Buy |
| Interpreting the Ripper Letters | 2019 | Buy |
| Richard III in the North | 2020 | Buy |
| The Killer of the Princes in the Tower | 2021 | Buy |
| The Charge of the Heavy Brigade: Scarlett’s 300 in the Crimea | 2021 | Buy |
| The Hagley Wood Murder | 2023 | Buy |
Peter Maxwell Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Maxwell’s House | 1994 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Flame | 1995 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Movie | 1998 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s War | 1999 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Curse | 2000 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Ride | 2000 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Reunion | 2001 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Match | 2002 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Inspection | 2003 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Grave | 2005 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Mask | 2005 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Point | 2007 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Chain | 2008 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Revenge | 2009 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Retirement | 2010 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Island | 2011 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Crossing | 2012 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Return | 2014 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Academy | 2015 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Summer | 2020 | Buy |
Peter Maxwell / Schoolmaster Murder Mysteries Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Maxwell’s House | 1994 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Flame | 1995 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Ride | 2000 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Curse | 2000 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Reunion | 2001 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Match | 2002 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Inspection | 2003 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Grave | 2004 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Mask | 2005 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Movie | 1998 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Point | 2007 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s War | 1999 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Chain | 2008 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Revenge | 2009 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Retirement | 2010 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Island | 2011 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Crossing / Maxwell’s Christmas | 2012 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Return | 2014 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Academy | 2015 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Summer | 2025 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Zoom | 2025 | Buy |
| Maxwell’s Reality | 2025 | Buy |
Your Towns and Cities In The Great War Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Carmarthen in the Great War | 2014 | Buy |
| Hove and Portslade in the Great War | 2014 | Buy |
| Billericay in the Great War | 2014 | Buy |
| Bristol in the Great War | 2014 | Buy |
| Carlisle in the Great War | 2014 | Buy |
| Rotherham In The Great War | 2014 | Buy |
| Liverpool in the Great War | 2014 | Buy |
| Plymouth in the Great War | 2014 | Buy |
| Southampton in The Great War | 2014 | Buy |
| Southend-on-Sea in the Great War | 2014 | Buy |
| Sunderland in the Great War | 2014 | Buy |
| Chester in the Great War | 2014 | Buy |
| Washington in the Great War | 2014 | Buy |
| Dumfriesshire in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Cardiff & The Valleys In The Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Swansea in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Huddersfield in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Shrewsbury in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Dorking in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| York in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Oxford in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Crewe in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Laindon in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Isle of Wight in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Chelmsford in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Torquay in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Exeter in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Castle Point in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Aldershot in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Nottingham in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Glossop in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Barrow-in-Furness in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Ashton-under-Lyne in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Graysin the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Bath in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Watford & South West Herts in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Weymouth, Dorchester & Portland in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Whitehaven in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Sheffield in the Great War and Beyond: 1916 - 1918 | 2015 | Buy |
| Halifax in the Great War | 2015 | Buy |
| Kidderminster in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Cambridge In The Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Leatherhead in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Brighton in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Hull in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Dartford in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Grimsby in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Lancaster in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Stockport in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Pontefract and Castleford in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Salisbury in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Oswestry and Whitchurch in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Winchester in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Newport in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Tynedale in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Norwich in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Coventry in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| City of London in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Isle of Man in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Lincoln in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Leeds in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Glasgow in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Romford in the Great War | 2016 | Buy |
| Bury St Edmunds in the Great War | 2017 | Buy |
| Chatham in the Great War | 2017 | Buy |
| Aberdeen in the Great War | 2017 | Buy |
| Edinburgh in the Great War | 2017 | Buy |
| Chichester in the Great War | 2017 | Buy |
| Wellington in the Great War | 2017 | Buy |
| Dover in the Great War | 2017 | Buy |
| Durham City in the Great War | 2017 | Buy |
| Birmingham in the Great War: Mobilisation and Recruitment: The First Eighteen Months of the War | 2017 | Buy |
| Folkestone in the Great War | 2017 | Buy |
| Warwick in the Great War | 2017 | Buy |
| Colchester in the Great War | 2017 | Buy |
| Windermere & Grasmere in the Great War | 2017 | Buy |
| Stafford in the Great War: Towns And Cities | 2017 | Buy |
| Maidstone in the Great War | 2017 | Buy |
| Barnsley in the Great War | 2017 | Buy |
| City of Manchester in the Great War | 2017 | Buy |
| Wakefield in the Great War | 2017 | Buy |
| Norfolk Coast in the Great War | 2017 | Buy |
| Isles of Sheppey in the Great War | 2017 | Buy |
| Isle of Thanet in the Great War | 2018 | Buy |
| Clacton-on-Sea and the Surrounding Coastline in the Great War | 2018 | Buy |
| Bostonin the Great War | 2018 | Buy |
| Scarborough in the Great War | 2018 | Buy |
| Yateley in the Great War | 2018 | Buy |
| Ironbridge in the Great War | 2018 | Buy |
| Hartlepool in the Great War | 2018 | Buy |
| Newtownards in the Great War | 2019 | Buy |
| Hythe in the Great War | 2019 | Buy |
| Peterborough in the Great War | 2019 | Buy |
| Barking and Dagenham in the Great War | 2019 | Buy |
| Poole in the Great War | 2019 | Buy |
| Ludlow in the Great War | 2021 | Buy |
M.J. Trow spent years as a history teacher before turning to writing full time, and that background runs through everything he produces. His fiction draws on specific historical periods with evident research: the Lestrade series is set in the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, the Kit Marlowe series is steeped in Elizabethan court politics, and the Britannia series reconstructs Roman-era Britain. Even his cozy mystery series featuring history teacher Peter Maxwell uses the protagonist’s professional knowledge as a recurring source of both humor and plot.
His output across non-fiction is equally grounded in historical research. He has written multiple books on Jack the Ripper, biographies of historical figures from Boudicca to Vlad the Impaler, and 98 volumes in the Your Towns and Cities in the Great War series — a project that examined the home front experience of the First World War at a granular local level, town by town. That series, running from 2014 to 2021, represents one of the most sustained acts of local history publishing in British popular non-fiction.
Trow’s fiction tends to be dryly comic, particularly the Lestrade and Peter Maxwell books, which share a tone of wry observation about the institutions their protagonists move through. The Lestrade series in particular takes the joke of making Holmes’s sidekick the real detective and carries it across eighteen books with genuine affection for the character.