Jodi Taylor books in order
Sometimes searched as 'Jodie Taylor books', these are the novels and stories by Jodi Taylor.
Start with a suggested St Mary’s reading order, or switch to publication year to see how the connected series developed; short stories and bonus scenes can be included or set aside as you prefer.
Coming next
- Who’s There? · 29 October 2026 · Time Police. Publisher-listed date; may change. Source
- Twelfth Night · 25 December 2026 · St Mary’s. Publisher-listed date; may change. Source
- Short on Time · 20 May 2027 · Standalone & collections. Publisher-listed date; may change. Source
- Well, That Could Have Gone Better · 12 August 2027 · St Mary’s. Publisher-listed date; may change. Source
short stories in order · Free online stories · Christmas stories
First-timer’s reading checklist
Start with St Mary’s, or choose a separate series. Tick titles as you finish them; shorter stories are optional.
Use “Print checklist” above, or your browser’s Print command. The print layout contains this checklist.
The Jodi Taylor Bookshelf · travelacrosstime.com/reading-order/
St Mary’s
Time Police
Smallhope & Pennyroyal
Elizabeth Cage · optional separate reading
Frogmorton Farm · optional separate reading
Standalone & collections · optional separate reading
St Mary’s · Short story · 2017
St Mary’s · Short story · 2017
St Mary’s · Short story · 2019
St Mary’s · Bonus scene · 2023
St Mary’s · Short story · 2025
St Mary’s · Short story · Coming December 2026
St Mary’s · Novel · Coming August 2027
Time Police · Short story · Coming October 2026
Optional: Elizabeth Cage
A separate supernatural suspense series.
- 1. White Silence · Novel · 2017
- 2. Dark Light · Novel · 2018
- 3. Long Shadows · Novel · 2021
- 4. Bad Moon · Novel · 2025
Optional: Frogmorton Farm
Follow its novels with the shorter stories in this bookshelf’s suggested sequence.
- 1. The Nothing Girl · Novel · 2014
- 1.5. Little Donkey · Short story · 2015
- 2. The Something Girl · Novel · 2017
- 3. Joy to the World · Short story · 2020
- 3.5. Storm Christopher · Short story · 2024
Standalones and collections
- A Bachelor Establishment · Novel · 2015
- The Long and the Short of It · Collection · 2017
- Long Story Short · Collection · 2019
- The Most Wonderful Time of the Year · Collection · 2023
- Short on Time · Collection · Coming May 2027
The Chronicles of St Mary’s
The Chronicles of St Mary’s is the central sequence for readers who want historians, their institute and its growing circle of colleagues at the heart of the adventure. Start with Just One Damned Thing After Another and continue through the numbered novels in order. The books build relationships and recurring threads as Max and the team undertake historical research, so the sequence offers the fullest sense of how the Institute changes over time. The tone combines history-minded curiosity, workplace comedy and genuine peril. Each novel brings its own setting and immediate challenge, but the accumulated life of the team is part of the reward. Short stories and bonus scenes sit between some novels in the suggested guide. They add colour and character moments, yet they are optional: someone who reads only the novels can follow the main sequence. If you enjoy the world and want to explore beyond the central run, the small stories can be folded in on a reread or read in their own collection editions.
The Time Police
The Time Police follows its own team within the shared time-travel world. Doing Time is its first novel and the best place to meet the team before the later books develop their cases and relationships. Readers do not need to finish St Mary’s before starting this series; the Time Police novels have their own opening and cast. Reading the St Mary’s books first can make some shared-world references more familiar, particularly as the series continue, but it is a bonus rather than a prerequisite. For a first visit, follow the Time Police novels by their numbered sequence. The connected reading list below places the series together as a low-spoiler route; switching to publication year shows how titles appeared across the connected books.
Smallhope & Pennyroyal
Smallhope & Pennyroyal brings a different style of partnership to the wider time-travel setting. Begin with The Ballad of Smallhope and Pennyroyal, then read A Family Affair. The novels are a short sequence, and following them in order keeps the partnership’s development clear. Their tone blends historical fantasy, danger and dry humour, with the contrast between the two leads doing much of the work. Connections to the other time-travel books are best treated as extra context: the story can be enjoyed on its own terms, and the combined guide helps readers see where the books sit without requiring a complicated crossover checklist. This makes Smallhope and Pennyroyal an easy addition after St Mary’s or the Time Police, but not a series that must be read in order to understand either.
Where the short stories fit
The short stories are optional companion pieces, not mandatory chapters. Their decimal sequence numbers indicate suggested placement beside the novels: for example, a story marked 4.5 belongs after book four and before book five in this bookshelf’s recommended route. The reading-order controls let you include or hide the short works, so you can choose a clean novel-only route or a more detailed itinerary. Several stories are also gathered in collections. Because collections can duplicate stories available individually, compare the contents list before buying or listening if you are trying to avoid repeats. Some stories do not have a separately listed audiobook runtime in this book; when a collection edition is listed, its recording may group multiple pieces together. The individual story page gives its placement and any runtime matched to a listed recording.
Recommended order and publication order
The recommended order on this page groups each connected series into a straightforward first-time route and includes short stories when that option is selected. It is designed to protect the main character arcs and keep related books easy to follow. Publication-year order instead sorts by the year recorded in the books, using series and sequence as tie-breakers when books share a year. Neither arrangement is an official combined reading order. The author’s own series guidance and confirmed short-story placements inform this fan-made map; the site labels its editorial recommendation clearly so readers can choose the approach that suits them. If you want the least complicated start, read the first novel in the series that catches your eye, then continue its main sequence before adding cross-series connections.
Listening through the series
Audiobook listeners can use the same recommended sequence as print and ebook readers. The St Mary’s unabridged recordings are narrated by Zara Ramm, and the linked audio guide lists narrators and runtimes for the other families. The first St Mary’s novel also has a separate full-cast Audible Original adaptation; it is a dramatised production rather than the unabridged single-narrator recording. Choose one format for that first story, then continue with the numbered unabridged recordings if you want a consistent series route. Short stories may appear as standalone recordings or within collections, so check both the page runtime and collection contents before setting a listening plan. The audiobook guide totals the individual editions by series; those figures are planning aids and may include overlap where a collection repeats a story.
Find your next Jodi Taylor series.
Question 1 of 3
What kind of trouble sounds most fun?
Find a different kind of story
Elizabeth Cage Nothing is quite as it seems.
Frogmorton Farm A little everyday magic.
Standalone & Collections A different kind of adventure.
Frequently asked questions
Should I read in publication or chronological order?
For a first read, follow each series’ numbered novels and add short stories at the recommended placements. Publication order shows how the books originally appeared; story chronology can put a prequel before characters have been properly introduced. The official chronology therefore saves The Very First Damned Thing until you know the series.
Author’s chronologyIs there an official Jodi Taylor chronology?
Yes. The official Jodi Taylor Shop publishes the Jodi Taylor Chronology and identifies its St Mary’s sequence as the author’s preferred chronology. It covers several series and places the prequel after No Time Like the Past. Credit belongs to that official guide; the combined controls on this page are this bookshelf’s own reading aid.
Author’s chronologyWhat order should I read Jodi Taylor’s books in?
Start with Just One Damned Thing After Another for St Mary’s, Doing Time for the Time Police, or the first novel of another series that appeals to you. Follow that series in numbered order, adding optional short stories at the decimal placements shown here. The combined route is this site’s recommendation.
How many Jodi Taylor books are there?
This bookshelf contains 63 entries: 29 published novels, 26 published short stories, 3 published collections and 1 bonus scene, plus 1 announced novel, 2 announced short stories and 1 announced collection. Collections repeat some individually listed stories; these are entries in this bookshelf, not a count of unique stories or every edition.
Should I read The Very First Damned Thing first?
Save it until you have read some St Mary’s novels. The author’s preferred chronology explains that this prequel makes more sense once you know the series, and places it after No Time Like the Past for a first read.
Author’s chronologyDo I need to read St Mary’s before the Time Police?
No. Doing Time introduces the Time Police cast and their own story. Reading St Mary’s first can make shared-world references more familiar, but it is not required.
Where do the short stories go?
Their decimal sequence positions place them around the numbered novels. Use the include-shorts control for the full suggested route, or read the novels alone and return to the stories later.
What order should I listen to the audiobooks in?
Follow the same series sequence as the books. For Just One Damned Thing After Another, choose either the Zara Ramm unabridged recording or the separate full-cast adaptation, then continue with the unabridged series recordings.
Is there an official combined reading order?
The author provides series guidance and story placements, but this combined route across St Mary’s, Time Police and Smallhope & Pennyroyal is a fan-made guide.
Which Jodi Taylor series should I start with?
Choose by mood: St Mary’s for historical team adventure, Time Police for timeline cases, Smallhope & Pennyroyal for an unusual partnership, Elizabeth Cage for supernatural suspense, or Frogmorton Farm for gentler rural magic.
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