Synopsis: “They say that History is just one damned thing after another. Welcome to St Mary’s Institute of Historical Research – where damned things happen every day.

When Dr Madeleine ‘Max’ Maxwell is recruited by St Mary’s, she finds their methods to be somewhat unorthodox. They don’t just study the past – they actually visit it, carefully observing historical events as they unfold in real time.

And not dying. This last part is important.

The whole of History now lies before Max and her new colleagues, but, as she will discover, time travel is never straightforward. Because History doesn’t like to be messed with, and danger lurks in every century…

Fast-paced, witty and delightfully unconventional, Just One Damned Thing After Another is the first in Jodi Taylor’s beloved and bestselling Chronicles of St Mary’s series.“

My Review

When Yvonne @ It’s All About Books started reading this series I knew I would read it again sometime, and so when Joanne @Portobello Book Blog recently said she’d reserved some Jodi Taylor books at the library it was my prompt to start a re-read, even though I was in the middle of another book.

This is the book that started all the adventures with the St. Mary’s Institute of Historical Research aka The Chronicles of St. Mary’s. It’s when Dr. Madeleine Maxwell joins St. Mary’s and her life is never the same again.

Without giving much too away, it’s a brilliant first book that goes from one historical disaster to another, as Max and the team from St. Mary’s visit different events in history to make reports on the actual events as they are happening, aka time travel. What Max doesn’t know when she completes her training and goes on her first mission, is that History doesn’t like to be interfered with, and sometimes takes revenge with serious, sometimes even fatal things happening around her!

In this book Max and St. Mary’s visit London in the 11th century to witness the building of Westminster Abbey, France during the Battle of The Somme in 1917, somewhere in the Cretaceous Period (67 million years ago), and Egypt before the library at Alexandria burns down. I enjoyed all the trips, but especially the London trip as it’s where a running joke throughout the whole series starts between Max and another character.

I really enjoyed this re-read, and will definitely carry on as I think I’ve got most of the books in various formats.

As most of you know I love this series, and definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a series full of history, adventure, humour, time-travel and sometimes a bit of romance!

Book 11 of 20 Books of Summer 2026