Penance on the Prairies

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.)

RECIPE INCLUDED: The Murdered Macaron

"I loved Vangie Vale and the Murdered Macaron. Vangie's wry wit and people skills make her the ideal amateur sleuth. And then there are the macarons...yum! R.L. Syme is a fresh voice in the cozy mystery genre. I can'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 that she had me guessing until the very end. Usually, I can figure out whodunit pretty dadgum quickly, so if Ms. Syme can keep me guessing, then it's definitely a well-written mystery!"

- Teresa Watson, 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 story and 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 one complex woman 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