Peter 'Mad Max' Maxwell is a very busy man; as Head of Sixth Form at Leighford High he does his best to resist Ofsted imperatives and mark GCSE coursework, whilst trying to cram as much History as possible into the reluctant heads of Nine Eff Gee and their like. Despite this, Max still finds time for some amateur sleuthing, even though his policewoman 'Significant Other', DS Jacquie Carpenter, has decided that this time he's leaving any murder investigations to her. But how can he refuse when the terminally nervous school photographer asks for his help after accidentally photographing a murder on the beach? Their discovery of a body buried in the sand dunes sets in motion a chain of events that only the redoubtable Mad Max can break, but one thing is certain; life in Leighford will never be the same again.