Another Stab at Life (Volstead Manor Series #1) (Heartsong Presents Mysteries #9) [Mass Market Paperback]

Anita Higman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 29, 2008

She has nowhere to go, except the dilapidated mansion she's just inherited from her Granny Minna. Unfortunately, Bailey discovers the house has a history as shadowy as its hidden passages and finds the neighborhood overflowing with some rather quirky folks. Bailey suddenly feels like she's trapped inside the pages of a gothic novel - but with a comedic twist. In order to honor her grandmother's wishes and stay at Volstead Manor Bailey must unravel a string of mysteries and secrets, which all seem determined to stay happily ever buried.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc (February 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597895164
• ISBN-13: 978-1597895163
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #960,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Award-winning author, Anita Higman, has twenty-five books published (several coauthored) for adults and children, and she has been honored as a Barnes & Noble Author of the Month for Houston. Anita has a BA degree, combining communication, psychology, and art. Her favorite things include exotic teas, movies, and all things Jane Austen. To contact Anita or enter her monthly contest for a free signed book please visit her website at www.anitahigman.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Stab at Life Review by: Annette O'Hare, April 17, 2009

By 

Annette Ohare (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Another Stab at Life (Volstead Manor Series #1) (Heartsong Presents Mysteries #9) (Mass Market Paperback)

My very first sampling of gothic romance came in the form of "Another Stab at Life" by Anita Higman. This is the first book in the Volstead Manor Series from Heartsong Presents Mysteries.

Bailey Walker discovers that the dilapidated mansion she's inherited from her granny Minna has a very colorful history. She falls for a guy her deceased grandma hired to watch out for her and deals with a handfull of oddball neighbors, all the while, trying to solve one mystery after another that she uncovers within her new home.

The book is a real page turner and really keeps you guessing who or what is behind the treachery going on inside Volstead Manor. On the other hand, I still had some questions after the book ended. Perhaps those questions will be answered in book two, "Another Hour To Kill." I can't wait to read that one.

The book was very interesting to me since it took place in Houston, Texas where I grew up. It also intrigued me that the book is loosely based on the Volstead Act of 1920, also known as "The National Prohibition Act."

I loved the book and would recommend it to anyone who likes a good gothic mystery. I guarantee you will fall in love with the main character, Bailey Walker.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars --The title really fits the story and the mystery kept me up reading late into the night---, February 1, 2012

By 

Judith Miller (Bluemont, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Another Stab at Life (Volstead Manor Series #1) (Heartsong Presents Mysteries #9) (Mass Market Paperback)

Bailey Marie Walker is a very independent young woman. She's attractive, witty, but still single at the age of 30. This story begins with Bailey coming to live at a house she just inherited from her dear grandmother. The house is on a street called Midnight Falls which she thinks fits the place. The house was probably beautiful years ago, now, Bailey sees it as " a ghoulish looking mansion." Her Granny owned the place, but had not lived in it and Bailey had never seen it before.

She plunges ahead and is trying to see the best in the situation because she's recently lost her job and is very short on money. She really has no where else to go. Her first view of her new home is with the moon illuminating a Gothic house with a third floor belfry tower. The house is scary. The doors don't shut properly. The floors are rotten and in some areas, there are broken window panes. Bottom line, it's down right spooky. She arrives late in the evening which is not the best of times to view a house that's not been lived in for quite some time. As she walks through the house, she discovers a box with a pretty bow on it. The sight of a gift cheers Bailey up! However, she opens it to find a dead cat. Someone doesn't want her there!

She meets two of her neighbors, a cheerful woman who wants to make friends and an attractive man who was her grandmother's realtor. She likes them, but doesn't know who she can trust. She's very much a loner with more than a few personal issues that worry her.

The author displays a lot of imagination with this story! It has a everything going for it, a scary old house, romance and intrigue.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Stab at Life, September 16, 2008

By 

Shari L. Van Baale (Newton, Iowa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

'Another Stab at Life' by Anita Higman
Review by Shari Van Baale

Who wouldn't love to inherit a mansion? But what if there were a lot more to the gift than that - some strings, of sorts, attached to it? That is what our main character is about to uncover when she moves from Oklahoma to Texas to investigate this unanticipated prize. The inheritance is from her dear Granny, whom the main character refers to as a 'sweet riot', and 'full of angel stuffings', a woman of great faith and love for her granddaughter. The 'monstrous' mansion, as it turns out, however, is pretty creepy, and in need of some major repair. And there is a man attached to it in some way (hmmm...). As the action rises, the main character embarks upon a very strange journey, wherein lie several opportunities of meeting either friend or foe. Granny also had a few very cool surprises in store for her granddaughter - if she chose to stay. There were several moments when I thought I had figured out various mysteries embedded within the story, only to find out that I was mistaken. This story is not only a great mystery, but also a story of how God can provide for us if we choose to trust Him, as was the case with our main character. It is an intriguing story of unforseen twists and sudden turns, but also one of hope for provision during our journeys as well. My only disappointment was that what seemed to me to be the major climax of the story occurred at the end of the book, and the story seemed to drop off very suddenly from there. I would, however, very much encourage anyone, mystery buff or not, to journey through the pages of this book. I'm sure all who take the time to 'wander' through this strange mansion will be glad that they took the trip. This author has previously written 19 other novels, and has a cyber book cafe at [...], which she encourages readers to 'visit'.