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. ( )

I couldn't resist the description of the main character of this mystery as a chain-smoking queer nun, and she didn't disappoint. Sister Holiday is as irreverent as I'd hoped, and a hard-boiled detective to boot. Her small enclave of nuns in New Orleans is threatened by arson in their abbey and school, and Sister Holiday is impatient with the progress the police are making. As she delves deeper into the crimes she puts herself in danger and at risk of being accused of arson herself. The complexity of the characters, the uncovering of their secrets, and the dialog all make this an entertaining read, and we can hope that the series is quickly on the way. ( )

Quirky characters, a dog, New Orleans, black sheep nun, secrets and plenty of red herrings. ( )