This is a great series with only the occasional blip. This is definitely not a blip, the author is on fire throughout, a mix of humour, characterisation, thrills and, of course, history.

Max is doing what might be called bounty work, catching those abusing Time and handing them over to the Time Police for reward. Everything seems to be going well until she starts suffering from time sickness and the fact that someone is trying very hard to kill her.
Everything you could hope for is here, madcap adventure and a supporting cast of many people you will recognise. The author writes with ease and wit and her characters leap off the page (and then probably land in nettles or water, it’s that kind of book).
Thoroughly enjoyable fun.

Another wonderful, action-packed trip through history with the crew of St. Mary's, a group of historians who "study historical events in contemporary time." DO NOT call it time travel. This is Book 13, and Max, while still working as a "recovery agent" along with Markham, finds herself with a new office job. She is also fighting strange symptoms that have started to happen whenever she does a time jump. This is not a standalone and the reader will benefit from beginning with Book 1, Just One Damned Thing After Another, and reading the series in order.

Whenever another St. Mary's book is available, I drop everything to read it. The cast of characters is fun-loving, witty, and smart, and they go through events that are sometimes hilarious, often dangerous, and occasionally tragic. And there are always fascinating history lessons. In this installment, we learn about the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 and the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. History comes to vivid life, and our historians throw themselves right in the middle of it. Filled with humor, heartache, and history, this is a series that will leave you craving more. Fans will rejoice at this newest installment that heavily features Markham, a fan favorite. New readers of this series should take a time jump to book 1 and start an adventure they will never forget. Whether it's a laugh, a learning moment, or a punch in the gut, this series has everything.

I happily received a free copy of this book from Headline via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

[Some spoilers for previous Chronicles of St Mary’s novels are included below.]

Once again, Jodi Taylor has delivered a brilliant time-travelling adventure. (With my apologies to Dr Bairstow for just having used the word time-travel!) This is the 13th instalment in the Chronicles of St Mary’s and it just doesn’t get boring. On the contrary, it felt to me as if the stakes were raised once again - the danger and threat felt real and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what happened to Max.

Previously, we had witnessed the end of Clive Ronan and the last novel seemed to set up everything for a new master villain - a sinister organisation operating in the shadows of history. In this novel, we learn more about this organisation (no, it is not the British Museum, in case you were wondering). Trips to the past this time include the signing of the Magna Carta and the Gunpowder Plot.

And if this all sounds very serious, of course there is lots of Jodi Taylor’s trademark humour as well - after all, this is a novel about the disaster magnets of St Mary’s.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for the digital reading copy.

I just love this series. It's so much fun and so interesting, and it's amazing how the author keeps everything fresh and reinvents in ways that are surprising and so engaging. This is my favorite time travel trope in general (historians going back in the past), and I just hope this series keeps going and going. Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC. It made my week! :)

Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I can't begin to describe how much fun Jodi Taylor's books are. I adore both St. Mary's and the Time Police spinoff, and they're absolutely highlights of my reading each year.

This one didn't fail to meet that qualification. Yet again, smashing success!

We pick up where we left off - with Max and Markham on the outs from St. Mary's, working with Smallhope and Pennyroyal as time bounty hunters. Only this time, someone invades their home base. Consequences abound! Shenanigans ensue!

We roll through a bunch of important moments in history, per the usual, this time focusing on trying to figure out this shady organization's plans. On top of all that, Max is starting to experience the side effects of all her time hopping and things are getting... weird.

I can't say more, as I don't want to spoil anything... but I am a little annoyed that now I have an extra few weeks to wait before the followup would come out next year, since I had an ARC. I am so excited to see more of this new shady group and what their goals are.

If you haven't read the Chronicles of St. Mary's, then you should definitely start at the beginning. Also, what's wrong with you? Go read them! They're amazing.

HIGHLY recommended.

How does Jodi Taylor do it ? I have read every book and short story about Max and still it seems fresh and funny. I am the sort of person who loses interest quickly after the first few book but not in this case. The characters are so engaging and the humour seems so natural. Can I work at St. Marys please ?

A Catalogue of Catastrophe is the thirteenth book in the Chronicles of St. Marys series by Jodi Taylor.
We find the Pros and Cons, Max and Markham still separated from friends, family, and St. Marys working as recovery agents for Lady Amelia Smallhope and her butler Pennyroyal.

Leaping around the timeline as usual Max and Markham set out to bring down a sinister organisation founded in the future with a suspicious focus on the past. But all this jumping around time is starting to have an impact on Max- is she going mad? Or are the ghosts of the past finally catching up with her?

As you would expect from Jodi Taylor this book is not stop action romping through history from page one as we follow Max and Markham in their quest. I really love the way that the characters have developed over the course of the series with their work and personal lives changing and adapting as they go.

Despite the action these stories never feel rushed and the historical elements are well researched and always have me looking up more information after reading about them. This is a go to series for me and I cannot wait to see where (and when) it goes next.

The St Mary's world is like no other. If you enjoy time travel, history or just funny stories with great characters give these a look. Most highly suggest reading in order, or you will be lost. Glad to see more books coming!!

You never know what the St. Mary's books are going to throw at you. Book number 13 in the series has the usual ingredients: Max on fine form, history, time travel. However, it's also very different from previous books in the series, proving that it's just as fresh as ever. This is a real page turner, heart in your mouth at times, part adventure and part thriller as Max is faced with some very different, and difficult, challenges. The plotting is intricate, the writing wonderful, the humour brilliant. 13 may be unlucky for some, but not for fans of St. Mary's. A five star read.
Review on Goodreads. Full review to follow on Brontë Babe Blog.

This is book 13 in the 'Chronicles of St Mary's' series, so it is probably best not to read this one unless you have at least read 'Another Time, Another Place'.
Well, I've now got whiplash from following this wild, careering adventure which crosses several timelines. It's a manic journey set in beautifully realised snapshots of different points in a historical and future England.
Max (Dr Maxwell) is, as always, our witty, breathless -sometimes annoying- narrator. She is suffering from time travel sickness which won't come as a surprise to anyone but herself.
No longer working for St Mary's, Max has got a desk job, at a seemingly rather staid organisation in the future, to uncover a plot to change the course of history.
With Markham as her wife ( I know!) and helped by Lady Amelia and Pennyroyal they set about to stop the plans. Back and forth through history, with typical chaotic results.
I love Jodi Taylor's meticulous research, which sets the scene in each historical period, whilst never being intrusive and taking over from the narrative. Moreover, the historical detail is both fun and informative, including a timely reminder about the origin and importance of our parliament which will outlast the sometimes dubious politicians acting within its remit.
I also enjoyed the silver birch forests floating above a futuristic London - a ray of hope in an otherwise fairly grim future.
I don't want to spoil the plot or annalyse the logistics; treat it like an adventure and just hang on for the ride. The author's love for her characters and their predicaments is infectious. Just don't let Max cook for you. Ever.
The ending will, at least partially satisfy long-term St Mary fans whilst leaving a number of loose ends for the next book.
Meanwhile, I'm off for a quiet lie-down with a cup of tea while nursing a big book hangover.
There will be another book? Won't there? Yes? Please?

Another amazing addition to The Chronicles of St. Mary's! I was a little sad at the beginning since Max was not at St. Mary's but Markham is a pretty good substitute! I love when they are together! I really liked the plot of this one as it was very different from any of the others and it had me thinking the whole time. I like the set up for the next book. The scene where Max tries to cook soup had me cracking up. Jodi Taylor's writing is so comforting to me and hold a special place in my heart. I always want more Leon and Matthew.

Books don’t get better than Jodi Taylor’s. Never has a series so sucked me in. You always know there is some catastrophe or twelve just around the corner but it never gets old and Jodi finds a way to utterly surprise you EVERY TIME. Another great book, I hope the series never ends.

As an avid reader of the Chronicles of St. Mary's, I was sure at some point, Jodi Taylor must run out of stories to tell, but these just keep going strong! The kitchen scene - you'll know it when you get to it - had me laughing so hard I was quite literally crying. It's a good thing I was home alone or my sanity may have been questioned (though with me and books, possibly not!)

Max and Markham are still hiding out as Recovery Agents ('Pros and Cons' as Markham likes to call their team) with a new mission, to bring down a sinister organization operating out of the future but whose focus is on destroying key targets in the past.

But all the hopping around timelines finally piles up on Max and she starts seeing multiple events occurring simultaneously. Is she hallucinating, or are the ghosts of her past (sometimes of her future) actually out to get her?

I seriously hope this series never ends!

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC. This book comes out on April 14, 2022.

This is the 13th book in the Chronicles of StMary but what I particularly enjoy about this series is that you can jump in randomly at any book and quickly pick up on what is happening. I haven’t read all the books in this series but have read a couple of books out of synch.

The book is told from the first-person point of view from the time-travelling fugitive historian who is struggling physically and mentally from all the travelling to the past and future ( sometimes in one day) and to add to her woe, a team from the future is trying to kill her.

The book is hilarious with plenty of action and twists. The world-building both in the past and the future is fascinating. I particularly love the idea of people walking to generate credits for their energy bills in the future (which I could see happening at some point). As always there are interesting nuggets about important historical events.

So, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves fun-filled books with plenty of action.

Perfect for Fans of

The Rise and Fall of DODO and Master of The Revels ( review here) by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland.

Having read the complete series about 4 times I was really looking forward to this one.
And I was not disappointed, yet again we have not stop action mixed in with usual mishaps and mayhem that we can only expect from St Mary’s .
5 star would highly recommend.
Looking forward to the next one

This was a fun read. It had just enough history for time and place but didn't focus on it enough to detract. It's the first St Mary's book I've ever read, so I suspect I'll need to go back to the first to really get a sense of where this fit, but I was still able to follow the story with no issue. That said, from the cover design I thought I'd requested middle-grade fiction, and the blurb gave absolutely no indication of the character's ages. I assumed St Mary's was a school, so I went in thinking I was going to read a very, very different book from what I did. It definitely affected my enjoyment.

Phew, what a ride!

I have to confess I've missed a few books in the St Mary's series as I found the interactions between Clive Ronin (boo, hiss) and Max to fall into the heroine TSTL category - it was like she was every stupid heroine in every horror film ever, insisting on going off alone and walking into a trap EVERY TIME. So I skipped a few books here and there. Which is a long-winded way of saying I don't know how Max and Markham started working as Recovery Agents with Smallhope and Pennyroyal but I like it, the break from St Mary's has allowed Jodi Taylor to cease and desist with the every-growing checklist of quirks and in-jokes that were threatening to overwhelm the plot (according to my own review of book 11 (Plan for the Worst).

Anyway, Max and Markham are recovering criminals and other miscreants who are misusing (try just using) time to escape punishment for their crimes. They then hand the criminals over to justice and get paid a small fortune in return.

Then one day the house is rudely awakened by an attack from forces unknown, although one of them seems to know Max, which leads to Max taking a job undercover to investigate what appears to be a harmless historical research organisation.

There's lots of lovely great historical moments, from the signing (although you will learn that King John didn't actually sign it) of the Magna Carta to the Gunpowder Plot. But more seriously, all of Max's to-ing and fro-ing in time is starting to catch up with her, so every jump may be her last.

This has breathed a new life into the series for me. High-octane drama, familiar characters and jokes, great historical insight, and that special je ne said quoi which is all Jodi Taylor. Now I'm going back to read book 12.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I was so excited to see the latest Jodi Taylor in my list of NetGalley ARCs. I have EVERYTHING Jodi has written, and have yet to find something I don't like.
This one didn't disappoint either. Max's with my very favourite character, Markham, and the action runs away from us as it always does with she and Markham get together. Perfect cuddled on the sofa with a warm fire burning reading.