4 / 5 ⭐️‘s

“Scorched Grace" by Margot Douaihy

I was worried at first that this one would be too much about religion and God for me. I mean its about a nun, so of course its going to cover some religion and does throw out a few bible verses but it wasn’t the main focus.

I found the concept to be unique and fun. I mean how can you go wrong with a chain-smoking, crime solving queer nun!

The ending provided a good twist and it was ( )

Truly dreadful. Not a mystery. Not Catholic. Lousy writing. Nothing that should entice you to read this book. ( )

Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy is an unusual mystery because the sleuthing nun protaganist is a tattooed lesbia who loves using four letter words. Otherwise this is standard mystery writing with the usual red herrings and a predictable ending. ( )

This debut mystery starring a lesbian punk nun didn’t live up to its promise (nor justify its long spot on my hold list). Read my full review here. ( )

If nun mysteries are a sub-genre, then queer-ex-punkrocker-nun mysteries must be a sub-subgenre. And we are better for it. Margot Douaihy's Sister Holiday is as engaging a sleuth as you will ever meet--she has a dark past like Luther (the cop, not the monk-turned-Protestant icon), the chutzpah of Vera, and some certain original je ne sais quoi that made this a very enjoyable read.

Douaihy, who has published several collections of poetry, has jumped into the genre with welcome audacity. Set in New Orleans, at a Catholic school run by a small cadre of Sisters of the Sublime Blood, the book is brimming with humidity, sweat, music, smoke, and all the distinctive sounds and smells of New Orleans. The characters are bold, although there were times I felt Sister Honor and Rosemary Flynn were overwritten. Most intriguing is Detective Riveaux who tangos with Sister Holiday as equal parts protagonist and antagonist, depending on the context. Douaihy's gift of language sets this apart from a lot of offerings in the genre, and sometimes descriptive language pours forth like an exploding geyser when you least expect it. But it makes for amazing multi-sensory grit.

She slowly reveals just enough of Sister Holiday's secrets to make us want the next installment. Where the rhythm became a bit too rushed is at the end. When we finally learn who has set the fires and committed the murders there's too much that doesn't get explained. I could offer more nuance in that critique, but I'd have to post spoilers and I'd rather not.

This is a fresh and unique heroine--extremely flawed, but heroic all the same. I hope we get a series because there's a lot to unpack in this character, and Douaihy writes a great mystery. ( )