This is a highly entertaining time-travel series by a British writer.  The premise is that there is St. Mary's Institute of Historical Research where the resident historians actually time travel in order to accurately record historical events.  But that cold and boring little sentence, in no way, properly conveys the actual madness and insanity that accompanies those little trips.  While time itself has certain safeguards to prevent messing with the timeline; St. Mary's also has rules in place about what can and cannot be done.  Having said that, you just know there will be villains who do want to mess with the timeline for their own agenda and profit.  So, in addition, to safely recording key events (and returning in one piece), now the historians also have to police the time terrorists…and hope to be back in time for tea.  The Institute is funded by the University of Thirsk who usually end up giving them their assignments; although from time to time, the Institute deems a particular mission to be…critical.

New recruit, Madeleine Maxwell is a bit of a square peg going into a round hole when she signs on to St. Mary's.  While a capable historian, her temperament renders her mostly incapable of following rules and procedures much to the frustration of the Director. But her unorthodox approaches might be just what is needed.

In the first book, we are introduced to Max and the host of current characters inhabiting St. Mary's.  Max and other new recruits finish a training program while Max learns more about the yummy Chief Farrell, the bitch Barclay and the inimitable Mrs. Partridge - or maybe not Mrs. Partridge; no one really knows her.  After a series of small events - but large in Max's experience because historians actually died - their ranks are diminished.  Max and another new recruit, Sussman, get assigned to WWI where they are to determine the reason that a hospital burned.  They don't get a definitive answer when the whole team has to run for their lives; but the incident will come back to haunt Max later.

Next, Max and her partner, Sussman, are assigned to the Cretaceous Period to do some simple mapping of flora, fauna, geology, climate and the stars.  What could go wrong?  But it very seriously does…go wrong, and sideways, and backwards and every other wrong way.  And this is where they get the first indication that St. Mary's is not the only time traveling organization.

The book is really a madcap traveling circus with no particularly clear plot line.  We follow Maxwell as she careens about time and the Institute campus, either loving or hating her coworkers, and gradually working her way to discovering who's a good guy and who's a time terrorist.  The plot is a bit slapdash but the characters are great fun and there are some unsolved mysteries.  At one point, Max even has to rescue the entire Institute and give them new purpose.  And, really, the only purpose is reading this frenetic episodic craziness is to enjoy the really deep levels of snarkiness that pervade every chapter.  That's it…the snarkiness.  And maybe tea. ~~  Catherine Book

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