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R.L. Syme

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Penance on the Prairies (The Vangie Vale Mysteries Book 1) Kindle Edition

by R.L. Syme (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.3 831 ratings

Book 1 of 6: The Vangie Vale Mysteries

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One part Vicar of Dibley, one part amateur sleuth who loves pastries, set in the mountains of Montana where no one’s business is her own…

Between the police scanners, the coffee ladies, and the senior center, no secret is safe for long. But Vangie Vale wants nothing more than to stay under the radar...especially the police radar. So when her new business is linked to a murder investigation, nothing will stop the gossip mill from connecting her to the dead body.

Can't have that.

In order to clear her good name and keep her face off the front page, this part-time-baker-part-time-pastor becomes extra nosy...with a little side of breaking-and-entering. But when she comes face-to-face with the Sheriff, Vangie can't ignore the fact that one of her macarons was involved in a murder. She has to find the real murderer.

Penance on the Prairies is the first book in the Vangie Vale Mysteries--a western-set female sleuth mystery. It used to be called "Vangie Vale and the Murdered Macaron." (This is the second edition.)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I loved Vangie Vale and the Murdered Macaron. Vangie's wry witandpeople skills make her the ideal amateur sleuth. And then there arethemacarons...yum! R.L. Syme is a fresh voice in the cozy mystery genre. Ican't wait to see what she and Vangie get up to next."
-Zara Keane, USA Today bestselling author of the Movie Club Mysteries

"An intricate web of lies and deceit, with so many twists and turns thatshe had me guessing until the very end. Usually, I can figure outwhodunitpretty dadgum quickly, so if Ms. Syme can keep me guessing,then it'sdefinitely a well-written mystery!"
-Teresa Watson, mystery author of the Lizzie Crenshaw Mysteries

"A new to me author and a book that will keep you turning the pages as fast as you can to see what happens."
- Texas Book-aholic blog

"What I wouldn't give to be in this story. It was fun, imaginative and full of yummy treats."
Babs Book Bistro

"I can't wait to discover more characters and more delicacies from Vangie!"
Bibliophile Reviews

"It might have been the book cover that drew me in. But it was the storyand plot that kept me and lured me all the way to the end."
Varietats blog

"Vangie Vale is not your typical character in a cozy book. She is onecomplexwoman in a small town in the beautiful setting of Montana."
My Reading Journeys blog

"This series is off to a tasty start."
Dolycas Review blog

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B073ZLKBZT
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hummingbird Books (July 21, 2017)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 21, 2017
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2102 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 372 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,317 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #77 in Cozy Mystery
- #125 in Women Sleuths (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.3 831 ratings

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R.L. Syme

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R.L. Syme is a USA Today bestselling author of cozy mysteries that take place in Montana with a spunky amateur sleuth who owns a small bakery in a tourist town near a national park. R.L. was born and raised in the Last Best Place, Montana—the intersection of creativity, outdoor recreation, and contemporary rural living. She grew up reading Nancy Drew mysteries passed on by her grandmother. True to her Montana roots, RL’s heart will always be on the farm.

To keep up with the latest news, get free books, giveaways, and get in on the fun, sign up for her newsletter.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

831 global ratings

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Deana

Macarons Can Be Deadly

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2017

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I am so glad I got the chance to read this book. It is a refreshing book with wonderful characters that make the story so good. Vangie Vale is not your typical character in a cozy book. She is one complex woman in a small town in the beautiful setting of Montana. I have been to Montana before and it is easy to fall in love with the state. The landscape alone takes your breath away. The people are friendly and always helpful. It's the perfect place for Vangie to start over. She owns a bakery that has a quirky gimmick. I did have to laugh at how clever it was . Tourists couldn't resist stopping in at the bakery for fresh baked goods matched up especially for them. What I really liked about Angie was her other job as pastor of the small town. As you get further into the story, you will discover some background on her that will explain why she landed in Saint Agnes, Montana.

Vangie has several goals in mind. She wants to help people and stay out of the limelight. Oh if only that could happen her life would be carefree. But it is not to be when a famous actor shows up in her bakery. I liked how Vangie wasn't that impressed about who he was which I'm sure must have hurt his ego. The mystery is subtle, and leaves behind secrets, blackmail and bodies. The best part of the entire book is that I couldn't figure out who the killer was. I had in my head who I thought it was, but with the twists the author delivers I quickly went to another suspect. The book is well written and I liked how the author touched on religion in a way that was not preachy. Along the way I found myself so engrossed in the book I forgot about everything going on around me.

I loved the ending and how the author left us with questions as to where Vangie finds herself next. This is sure to be a series to follow and don't forgot to try the recipe at the end of the book. Thank you for a clean mystery that deals with forgiveness, redemption and family.

I received a copy of this book from The Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours. The review is my own opinion.

9 people found this helpful

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Dawn Alexander

A Clean Cozy Mystery with an Intriguing Plot

Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2018

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Vangie Vale and the Murdered Macaron is a clean, cozy mystery that has kind of a Murder, She Wrote vibe. I mean that in the best possible way. I really enjoyed Vangie as a character. She is a pastor, but that doesn't make her unrelatable. She still lashes out in anger, makes mistakes, and has a physical attraction to men.

Vangie has a great wit and hilarious inner dialogue that sometimes becomes outer dialogue which gets her into trouble. I feel that on a soul-mate level. I hate it when my filter fails.

R.L. Syme's conversational style of writing feels like you're just snuggled in on a cold day, listening to her tell you how this all happened.

I loved that most of Vangie's snooping isn't without consequence. She finds herself facing off with the sheriff, the church board, and the town gossips.

She also has a cast of secondary characters that draw you into the small town of Saint Agnes. It starts to feel like a place you'd go visit a great aunt who'd sit on her floral print sofa and tell you stories about all the people she knew until you were both giggling.

I would definitely recommend Vangie to my friends who like cozies. It is very clean. There is no foul language, very little violence, and references to sex, but they are extremely mild and not described in detail at all.

What it does have is fun characters and an intriguing puzzle of a plot that keeps you (and Vangie) guessing.

One person found this helpful

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Necklace

Penance on the Prairies - Vangie Vale Mysteries #1

Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2024

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Vangie Vale starts a new bakery business and becomes a part time pastor in Saint Agnes, Montana. Claire Hobson a local is found dead and Vangie and her friend Henry Savage a Hollywood celebrity become suspects in the murder. Vangie tries to clear her name by trying find out how and why Claire was killed. There is a delicious recipe included in the book. I really enjoyed this wonderful cozy mystery novel.

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2021

Verified Purchase

There are positives to this book, mostly some of the quirky characters. However, it is also characterization that is problematic. The town sheriff is generally portrayed as a threatening Neanderthal who is willing to ruin a pastor's life because she stands a foot on his property to get cell service. It's hard to take this seriously when he is simultaneously supposed to be seen as a competent and trustworthy law officer.
The major problem is taking Vangie seriously as a pastor. As another reviewer pointed out, she can't tell the difference between Moses and Abraham in one of the most familiar stories of the Bible, but she has other pastoral problems. She never prays with anyone, never mentions God, and only once mentions the name of Jesus when she is in danger from her third breaking and entering in as many days. She blasphemes at one point saying "Crap on a Communion wafer" I can't imagine a pastor saying that. Her total idea of giving spiritual comfort is putting her hand on someone's shoulder. She prides herself on her ability to read people as she misreads nearly every character in the book.
The plot is fine and twisty. I just don't think any regular church goer can take Vangie seriously as a pastor. She is definitely better in a baker's persona.

18 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

S. Watkins

Excellent and Superb

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 8, 2023

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This was an excellent and superb story, which was very well written. It had plenty of twists and turns, which kept you guessing right up until the end. It was unputdownable. It was good to get into the world of small town America. Several different strands of the story were woven together very well.

Kindle Customer

new culinary cozy mystery that will definitely deliever!

Reviewed in Canada on August 21, 2017

Verified Purchase

Vangie Vale, pastor and owner of the Matchbaker bakery is a transplant to rural Montana. She has strict instructions to keep out of trouble if she wants to continue to be a member of the clergy. When a gorgeous man and his rude personal assistant walk in to her bakery a moment of unchristian like behaviour will alter many lives in town. After a body is found by the gas station in the neighbouring town the top suspect is that gorgeous man/movie star. But did he do it?

Syme introduces a dynamic cast of individuals throughout this well written cozy mystery. These characters are all unique in voice and all add depth to the setting of this story. Throughout the entire novel I was left guessing just as much as Vangie was as the story unfolded. Syme paints an amazing picture not only in setting in character but through her storytelling. It takes a lot of skill to keep the momentum going in a cozy mystery, and this one moves well. She also left a lot of loose threads regarding the personal life of our protagonist Vangie Vale, and I am hooked! I will definitely continue to more books in this series as they are released.

2 people found this helpful

Philip Snelling

Good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2023

Verified Purchase

Story keeps you interested all the way through..

Claudine Delacour-Jarrett

Great book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 23, 2023

Verified Purchase

Great read

c woodhall

Best murder mystery I've read for a while.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2017

Verified Purchase

Awesome book the best murder mystery I've read for a while. Really well written.
Great characters which the author tells you abit about their background. I was hooked from the first page and couldn't put it down. Lots of twists and turns so you think you know who has commited the murders but then another Twist in the story happens and your back guessing.
A must read.