MAXWELL'S RETIREMENT

Peter Wickham’s educated, playful tone is well matched to Trow’s wryly told fifteenth novel about schoolteacher “Mad Max” Maxwell. Wickham is effective even when his voice is forced into the higher registers to depict Maxwell’s wife, a detective; their young son; and Maxwell’s teenage students, who have been receiving lewd anonymous text messages. Wickham adapts well, just as the character of Maxwell does when the plot reveals that the texting seems to be connected to a murder. Trow’s writing manages to blend the wit and turn of phrase of Wodehouse with the dark innocence of Grimm into a modern tale of an unlikely hero. It’s clear from Wickham’s reading that he admires the lovable British schoolteacher-sleuth and appreciates Trow’s sardonically clever style. S.E.S. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2012]