Riding Shotgun

Pryor Chesterfield Deyhle Blackwood, Cig for short. Widowed mother of teens Hunter and Laura, selling real estate to make ends meet. Her tru passion is fox hunting - or rather chasing as they don't kill the foxes. She is Master of the Hounds for the Jefferson Hunt in Virginia. A titled position that has no pay but it does have prestige in the horse world.

During a hunt a strange fog appeared on the course. It was thick enough for Cig to have the riders stop the hunt, rather than risk injury to the horses. Some of the hounds are still out in the field and Cig goes in search of them. While out, Fattail the big red fox appears and seems to temp Cig to chase him. She can't resist. Following him deeper into the woods and the fog, she notices show more strange happenings to her surroundings. When she breaks out of the fog she finds that she has gone back in time to 1699.

She can't understand how or why this has happened. Also she has appeared as Pryor Chesterfield Deyhle, the person she is named for within her family tree! She meets her twin brother Tom and his wife Margaret. It seems she has been over in London and is just returned. The people of this era are not aware Cig is from another time, but accept her as who they think she is.

Life in this time is much different than where Cig is from. There are less distractions and more attention to people and relationships. Things like infidelity, motherhood, and relationships are different yet there can be similarities. As her time goes by, Cig starts to get a different perspective on life, maybe a better one.

I am used to reading the Mrs. Murphy mysteries by Rita Mae Brown and her co-author, Sneaky Pie. This was a very different book. I wasn't sure I'd like it once I started reading, but I did! She writes good dialogue between her characters and peppers it with bits of humour. She also hits on some serious topics and gives the reader something to think about. Yup, a good read. show less

Rita Mae Brown hashas spun a charming yarn about sibling rivalry,second chances, and "getting it right finally". Cig Blackwood, the heroine, loves her family and fox hunting not necessarily in that order. She is a young widow who knows her husband cheated on her and thought she could accept it.Until she learns her sister slept with him. Chasing Fattail, a wily old fox, Cig gets lost in a fog and drifts back many centuris to a time when her family lived in the 1600s. Except for missing her two children she is ready to give up 20th century living for a kinder, simpler life. Just as she starts to adjust she is transported back to the present and must confront her sister and technology.
Funny and witty as usual, Ms. Brown weaves past and show more present allowing the reader to decide which life iswas better and tells a good deal about the sport of fox hunting. Quirky characters keep the narrative going and I found this to be a grand departure from herSneaky Pie Brown novels. show less

A delightful book. No other way to describe it. The wit, the story as a whole, characters- all combine to make this story-telling at its best. Never even knew there was something called "fox hunting" where the fox is in on the game. Delightful.