Hard Time

Jodi Taylor

O.R.S.

The adventures of the B squad of The Time Police, an organisation dedicated to patrolling the highways of time travel ensuring that things don’t get snarled. Kind of endearingly British–not unlike Slough House meets Jasper Fforde’s nursery rhyme crime books. Told through multiple third person perspectives.

How much did you like it overall?

I really enjoyed Hard Time, even though it felt as if I was joining in the middle of a long-running TV series, with Major Nouns mentioned and dropped without much in the way of exposition. Jodi Taylor is clearly a seasoned writer, and I felt comfortably buoyed by the bad news bears squad of Time Police misfits who finally get their act together to save the day.

What did you like most?

The quippy yet sweet nature of the characters–stock as they might be–were funny and disarming and felt, for lack of a better term, like a scratchy sweater that smelled of humidity but you loved anyway. Very British. A little twee. But with just enough spiciness to keep it from Lady Detective Agency territory.

What did you not like about it?

There wasn’t much in the way of plot in this book–subplots emerge and get resolved periodically through the book that seem only tenuously tied together. And in review, appear to mostly be designed to move the characters along. This felt like the bits of a movie trilogy where characters take a break and drink tea.

Any favorite moments?

Getting to see Jane, one of the trio of misfits, get her bearings and become a hero, was great fun. Luke, the spoiled brat, is just charming enough to want to see do well. Matthew, who I gather is the son of characters from the main series, The Chronicles of Saint Mary’s, is a bit of the Beautiful Mind of the bunch, and least well rendered for me.

Where do I put it on The Shelf?

Middle-low? I think if I had read the other Saint Mary’s books, I might have greater affection for Hard Time–but standalone, perhaps this wasn’t the best entry point

Any closing thoughts?

Reading this book makes me realise how easy a depth experience and talent makes writing a book like this, long but without clear plot–Jodi Taylor may not be aiming for Connie Wills tightness in time travel intricacy, but she delivers a very enjoyable journey nonetheless.

544p