Doing Time (The Time Police, #1)
By: Jodi Taylor
My Rating: Four out of five Stars
Best For: 16 and up

Doing Time: Sci-Fi Comedy, Time Travel Shenanigans, and an Inside Joke I Missed!

Okay, I think I read this book in the wrong order. Jodi Taylor is best known for her 14-book series, The Chronicles of St. Mary’s—which I’d heard of but never read (and still haven’t). I saw The Time Police, thought it sounded like a blast, and dove right in. But I didn’t connect the dots until I was about halfway through: The Time Police is a follow-up series to The Chronicles of St. Mary’s! While I was definitely able to enjoy the story, I constantly felt like I was standing on the outside of an inside joke. I suspect I would have enjoyed this so much more if I had tackled St. Mary’s first!

What’s it about?

After rogue time travel triggers global chaos and a brutal Time War, the newly reorganized, militaristic Time Police step in with a strict mission: keep history from unraveling. Enter Team 236—an unlikely trio of misfit recruits thrown together during basic training. There’s Jane, running from an abusive past; Luke, the rebellious son of a billionaire; and Matthew, the brilliant, slightly feral son of two St. Mary’s legends. As this ragtag team tries to survive training and each other, they stumble into a dangerous conspiracy. A faction of old-school, hardline traditionalists inside the Time Police is determined to sabotage the agency’s new direction, and our rookie trio suddenly finds themselves directly in the crosshairs.

What did I think?

Science fiction comedy? Yes, please! Whenever I think of great sci-fi comedy, John Scalzi immediately comes to mind, and I’m always looking for more books that can hit that sweet spot. Doing Time definitely scratched that itch. Jodi Taylor has a fantastic sense of humor, sharp pacing, great sarcasm, and a knack for sudden shifts from laugh-out-loud moments to genuine emotional stakes. I loved the core misfit trio and watching their found-family dynamic develop through the chaos.

The catch? There is an entire host of secondary characters and institutional references that clearly have rich, detailed backstories that flew right over my head. It’s like walking into season five of a great TV show: the episodes are fun and the banter is great, but you know you’re missing half the depth.

Will I read the next one? Yes—but only after I go back and read The Chronicles of St. Mary’s. Though it might be a while, considering that series is 14 books long!

Sensitive Content:

Moderate profanity and swearing scattered throughout.
Mild-to-moderate sci-fi action, peril, and references to shoot-to-kill enforcement policies.
Mild sexual references and romantic tension (no explicit scenes).

Should you read it?

If you’re already a fan of The Chronicles of St. Mary’s, this is an absolute must-read. If you’re coming in fresh like I did, you’ll still get a fun, witty time-travel caper, but do yourself a favor and consider starting at St. Mary’s first so you get the full experience. This dad says Doing Time is best for 16 and up.

Happy Reading!