Jane Reads: Vangie Vale And The Corpseless Custard by R.L. Syme

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Vangie Vale And The Corpseless Custard by R.L. Syme | Review

The Blurb

What could be wrong with attending a Bunco group with a friend, in a nearby town, and making a few custards for the guest of honor?

Nothing at all... except that guest of honor never shows up. And when her body is discovered, everyone at the Bunco group is a murder suspect. Vangie has to work overtime to fulfill all her responsibilities back in Saint Agnes, and also keep herself out of the murder-spotlight.

Vangie Vale finds herself in another predicament, trying to solve a murder in a neighboring small town before her mugshot shows up in the local anonymous gossip blog. And just when she hoped her Sherlocking days were done. No rest for the wicked… or the clergy.

Pick up your second book in The Matchbaker Mysteries today. The Corpseless Custard is a clean, cozy, crazy romp with twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end. You’ll never guess whodunit.

“R.L. Syme is a fresh voice in the cozy mystery genre.”

-Zara Keane, USA Today bestselling author of the Movie Club Mysteries series

RECIPE INCLUDED: The Corpseless Custard

Vangie Vale And The Corpseless Custard by R.L. Syme
Series: A Matchbaker Mystery, #2

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Culinary Mystery

Publication Date: September 18, 2017
Publisher: Hummingbird Books
Paperback: 364 pages
ISBN-10: 1977524664
ISBN-13: 978-1977524669
e-Book File Size: 4967 KB
ASIN: B074RP5CHZ
Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Links for Author R.L. Syme

The Review

I just read an amazing book, y'all — Vangie Vale And The Corpseless Custard by R.L. Syme, Book Two in the Matchbaker Mysteries. Let me tell you a little about it.

The Corpseless Custard is wonderful — even better than The Murdered Macaron! You may be asking yourself, "What in the world is a corpseless custard?" For the answer, let's look to the book, as Vangie offers Sheriff Malcolm Dean a custard.

"Custards?" He examined the box, rounding a dark brow.

"Yes. Little custard tarts." As I pointed to the open plastic window on top, I had a strange flashback to the afternoon Malcolm had brought a similar box to me at the bakery. That crumpled box of macarons had been found on a dead body. This one was corpseless.

The mystery in The Corpseless Custard is very intriguing. Not only was the custard corpseless, for a while, the apparent murder was corpseless. Then, after the body was discovered, it's not obvious who committed the murder. Author R.L. Syme has included subtle clues to the perp's identity, plus several red herrings. This caused me to be flabbergasted when I learned whodunit.

I also really enjoyed the chick-lit aspect — an inherent part of any good cozy mystery series — of The Corpseless Custard. Reading Book Two in the Matchbaker Mysteries was like having a nice visit in Saint Agnes, Montana. I enjoy reading about my "old friends" Vangie, Emma, Derek, and Nadine, with or without a mystery in the book.

Here's a fun passage from The Corpseless Custard.

"You want a coffee?" I asked, as we pulled past my favorite coffee shop on the edge of Madison Falls.

....

The baristas called out a hello on our way in, and one of them actually knew my name. Emma shot me a look, as if to say, How often are you in here. But it was just a friendly place.

I swear.

I do not have a coffee problem.

And now for my favorite line in the book. (Be on the lookout for it!)

"Sorry, I guess I come from the show-don't-tell school," ....

I can't give you any details without revealing spoilers — who said it, to whom, what's being shown, what's not being told — but it's a great scene. I think you'll like it, and I think you'll like Vangie Vale And The Corpseless Custard.

I recommend Vangie Vale And The Corpseless Custard to all cozy mystery fans, especially those who are also bunco buffs, wearers of white gloves, fans of Becca Boyd's books, and fans of R.L. Syme's other books. I totally enjoyed Vangie Vale And The Corpseless Custard by R.L. Syme, and hereby grant it our highest rating of Five Kitties!

Five out of five kitties