Pat Montella, living a dreary life as a single cubicle worker in New Jersey (or is it Pennsylvania? it's dreary, anyway), receives a mysterious invitation to an old house in Virginia which may someday be hers. She enjoys meeting the house's owner, an elderly lady who wants to leave the house and grounds to Pat in her will. Some of the neighbors are not so friendly, and developers are eager to get her to promise in advance to sell the land to them. And, Pat begins having some very strange feelings -- visions? hallucinations? -- as if she is back in Civil War days on this same land. The reasons for all this eventually become clear and there is a thrilling climax. This book reminded me of some of Barbara Michaels' work, which is high praise indeed. I'm glad there are more books in this series. Recommended for those who like history, genealogy, and, while it's not strictly time travel, it's good for time travel aficionados as well. ( )

Pat Montella can inherit a Virginia estate if she spends the first week of May there, a period that coincides with a Civil War battle that Pat is able to "see." ( )