Booklog 75/2020: Jodi Taylor: Doing Time - Time Police #1 Audiobook

[jacey]

This is the first book in Jodi Taylor's Time Police series which is a spin off from her popular Chronicles of St Mary's and as you might expect there's some crossover. One of the three main characters is Matthew, son of Max and Leon from St Mary's. Matthew had a troubled childhood, spending his first eight years (after being kidnapped) dodging around the timeline being sold into squalid jobs and finally becoming a climbing boy for a cruel chimney sweep. Eventually rescued, he took a long time to adjust and spent part of his formative years at school with the Time Police, so maybe it was to be expected that eventually he'd join up. He's teamed up with mild, timid Jane who joined the time police to get away from her dragon of a grandmother, and rich playboy, Luke, who was delivered to the time police by his father's secretary to teach him a lesson. The Time Police were formed a long time ago in the future, their job was to protect the timeline from rogue time travellers trying to kill Hitler or save Richard III at Bosworth. You can't change history because history has a way of striking back. They spent many years shooting first and asking questions later, but times are changing. Most of the recruits fit the bullish pattern, but Matthew, Jane and Luke do things their own way. Eventually they bond to become 'Team Weird.' Like the St Mary's books this is narrated by Zara Ramm. She's an excellent reader for Ms Taylor's work, her reading bringing out the dry wit of the author's voice. Expect some of the St Mary's characters to pop up in the story.