At some time in the future, the secret of time-travel became available to all. Chaos ensued as people sought to take advantage. Because there will always be nutters who want to change history…

And so the Time Police were formed. Internationally sanctioned thugs whose task it was to keep the timeline straight by any and all means possible. And they succeeded. The Time Wars are over. The Time Police won. But who will win the peace?

Doing Time follows three hapless new Time Police recruits – Jane, Luke and Matthew – as they try to navigate their first year on the beat. It’s all going to be fine. Obviously.

An utterly hilarious Sci-Fi adventure from author of the St Mary’s series. At some time in the future Time Travel was invented. Everyone from the rich to the poor tried to go back in time and change historical events, win the lottery etc. So the Time Police were formed. An elite force, who travelled through time ensuring the continuation of history, making sure Hitler doesn’t get killed as a baby and the like. Previously known to shoot first and ask questions later, their new Commander realises that as times are changing, so must the time police. There are fewer instances of ‘high crime’ and more and more lesser criminals hoping for a quick buck. Fighting against the ‘old boy’ mentality, she wants people to respect the Time Police, not fear them. And little does she know that her latest team, a band of unruly misfits, might just make that change a little easier.

The book is written from three main perspectives – Jane, Luke & Matthew. Jane is a no-body, meek and mild, she joined the Time Police as a last resort to escape from the clutches of her Grandmother. More likely to jump at her own shadow than take down a criminal, she needs to realise that her weaknesses might actually make her stronger. Luke is a playboy, spending his life living off Daddy’s money, his life comes to an abrupt halt when his fathers secretary informs him that he is cut off & must join the Time Police, hoping that it will fix his attitude. With a humongous chip on his shoulder & a lady’s man to boot, he needs to realise that there is no I in team & shouting at his fellow team mates might not be the way to bond. Matthew is an oddball, raised between St Mary’s and the Time Police his one dream in life has been working with the Time Map. A man of few words, he would do anything for his team, including getting shot.

This book had me in absolute hysterics! If you ever want to read a book so true to British culture then this is the one for you. I found the premise intriguing and the book did not let me down. Taylor manages to take you from our current generation to ancient Egypt, the colonisation of Australia, Ancient Rome and the future with relative ease and wit. If you go into this experiencing a serious look into the effects of time travel, I’m afraid you will be sorely disappointed. However if you’re looking for an easy read, with some truly believable and endearing characters, and a slightly chaotic if not satisfactory ending that leave’s room for further novels then pick this one up asap!

There are plenty of twists and turns throughout this book. We follow the story of our very own Team Weird, but there is another plot line in the background. One slightly more sinister that you spend nearly the entire book trying to figure out. A perfect combination of light and dark, humour and adventure, friendship and individuality. There were some parts of the book I thought went on a pretty wild tangent, but most of the strings were tied together at the end, you just have to stick with it and trust in the author that it is indeed relevant.

I would definitely pick up any further books in the series, and will be picking up her St Mary’s series as soon as possible. An easy 4/5 read, and original and intriguing plot with just the right amount of humour and adventure to make you fly through the pages.