Doing Time

Doing Time

By Jodi Taylor

Published by Headline, 17 October 2019



I have been a huge fan of Jodi Taylor's glorious "The Chronicles Of St Mary's" almost from its inception, so what a delight to be able to read and review the very first book in the new Time Police series!

The Time Police. Feared, mistrusted, mocked, even hated.  A necessary evil to maintain the timeline from the ravages of those who would make unauthorised jumps to change history for their own personal reasons or for political, cultural or religious reasons.  Who in their right minds would join such an organisation?

Well, Jane, Luke and Matthew for a start, and all for very different personal reasons. They are regarded as misfits by their peers in the Time Police, but those in authority are watching them closely and with keen interest. The new recruits gradually start to gel as a team once they finish their basic training and start their "grunt work" before becoming fully fledged officers, but the arrival of a new officer to lead their team, who quickly charms Matthew, seduces Luke and sidelines the quiet and shy Jane, causes absolute mayhem and the three friends begin to drift apart.  

I loved Jane from the very first line and laughed uproariously over Matthew's parents' reactions to his decision to join the Time Police. I was fully prepared to despise Luke the playboy but quickly grew to like him a great deal as the youngsters rampage up and down history, leaving mayhem in their wake.  When they met up with St Mary's, I was on tenterhooks... but I won't spoil the story for anyone.

Jodi has a deft and sure touch with her historical depictions and is a keen observer of current social and political trends as we find when the trio go on their very first foray after an unauthorised time traveller who intends to get winning Lottery numbers. The methods used by Jane, Luke and Matthew are initially chaotic, often unconventional, bend rather a lot of rules, but are ultimately effective and the team are quick learners. They need to be, or their lives, let alone their careers, will reach an abrupt end as the Time Police is also being torn by factions with very different aims and agendas.

I never thought I would be sympathetic towards the Time Police as an organisation after so much of what happened in their interactions with St Mary's in previous books, but it is a tribute to Jodi's writing that this book is such fun and an utterly absorbing read with characters that I quickly grew to love. I am SO looking forward to seeing what happens next!


Thanks to the publisher for allowing me a free digital copy of the book via NetGalley in return for my honest opinion and review.

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