The Chronicles of St. Mary's Series 10 Books Collection Set by Jodi Taylor (Hope for the Best, What Could Possibly Go Wrong?, Second Chance, Symphony of Echoes & MORE)

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Once again, the indomitable disaster magnet that is Dr Maxwell is careering up and down the timeline even though, as with so many things when you get older, it hurts more these days. Along with the faithfully protective and often surprising (not always in a good way) Markham, will she finally manage to avert the early onset of the Time Wars without getting herself shot by… well, just about anyone with whom she crosses paths? Thank you, Netgalley and Headline Publishing, for providing me with one of the advance reader copies to read, evaluate and give my honest opinion. Zara Ramm is a generally good reader. But even in an error ridden field like audio narration, Ramm makes an unusually large number of mistakes.

I think part of the reason this series is still working so well is because the characters age. They go through different life stages, have children who also age and take on trainees who grow into their roles. Most of the short stories in the Chronicles of St. Mary’s series have been collected in two volumes:Max ping pongs around the timeline putting out fires, (and sometimes engulfed in them), trying to be one step ahead of them while appearing to be a respectful, (yes we are talking about Max), new trainee on her first timeline missions. She pulls these off with aplomb, or not! The story takes place sometime in the future. The secret of time travel became available to all. Chaos ensued as people sought to take advantage. Long Story Short was published in 2019 and collects “Christmas Past; The Battersea Barricades,”“The Steam-Pump Jump,”“And Now For Something Completely Different,”“When Did You Last See Your Father?,”“Desiccated Water,”“Markham and the Anal Probing,” and “Little Donkey.” Working undercover at Insight, a historical research organisation, Max is put on a rapid promotional path and soon learns about the darker side of the organisation, something she was sent to find out. Desperately trying to save some innocents and prevent the premature start of the Time Wars, Max must do all she can to stay alive, help bring down the baddies and ensure history is not corrupted. First off, this is book 14 in a series. These books are not standalone. I barely can keep up and I've read all 14 books. Do not start here. There will be spoilers for earlier books.

With all Jodi Taylor's trademark humour, this was a great book in the series, even Clive Ronan makes a brief re-appearance. Could it be the end? Who knows.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

No Equal-Opportunity Time Travel: Frequently raised as an issue for the female members of the St. Mary's team, who in some eras need a male figure to be able to interact with the locals. The Chronicles of St. Mary's is a series of novels and short stories by author Jodi Taylor, based around the adventures of Madeleine Maxwell ("Max" to pretty much everybody) and the other staff at St. Mary's Institute of Historical Research. indicates a digital only Short story - these are also available in print in the anthologies The Long and Short of It and Long Story Short.