Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy Published by Pushkin Vertigo on February 21, 2023
Genres: LGBTQ+, Murder, Mystery, Thriller
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Sister Holiday, a chain-smoking, heavily tattooed, queer nun, puts her amateur sleuthing skills to the test in this debut crime novel.
When Saint Sebastian's School becomes the target of a shocking arson spree, the Sisters of the Sublime Blood and their surrounding community are thrust into chaos. Unsatisfied with the officials' response, sardonic and headstrong Sister Holiday becomes determined to unveil the mysterious attacker herself and return her home and sanctuary to its former peace. Her investigation leads down a twisty path of suspicion and secrets in the sticky, oppressive New Orleans heat, turning her against colleagues, students, and even fellow Sisters along the way.
Sister Holiday is more faithful than most, but she's no saint. To piece together the clues of this high-stakes mystery, she must first reckon with the sins of her checkered past-and neither task will be easy.
An exciting start to Margot Douaihy's bold series for Gillian Flynn Books that breathes new life into the hard-boiled genre, Scorched Grace is a fast-paced and punchy whodunnit that will keep readers guessing until the very end.
Okay so I did a terrble thing, I judged a book by it’s cover and not realising quite was this book has instore. It took me by complete surprise but what’s more is that I haven’t been able to put it down over the weekend either. This book was the perfect welcome disraction, I love mixing up what I read but whilst I am a YA reader, adult mysteries are the perfect in-between books.
Scorched Grace is anything but a typical crime thriller. This is a queer Sister Act (who doesn’t love those films) with a unsaintly nun who has a thrill for the chase, for the heat and for incrinating herself. The premise of this debut novel is most definiely unique. Mix it toegther with an unorthdox writing style that I haven’t read before and I was intrigued.
In a way the characters themselves are had to grasp, to connect with. The MC, Sister Holiday is far from saintly and I loved that about her, tattooted, chain-smooking lesibian nun who is passionate about playing the guitar and completely unapolgetic to who she is. She sells confidence in everything she does. The Convent and Sisters of Blood saved her but she doesn’t help herself either, she rash and badass, and most defieniely a hot head when it comes to solving mysteries.
Whilst the novel isn’t perfect by thriller and mysteries I’ve read in the past, Scorched Grace has many layers to the book, about faith, love and what I enjoyed was the atmosphere of back drop of the novel. You very rarely get a book set in New Orleans or that of Nunery/Convent. Everything about Scorched Grace is vivid, bright which makes for a very addictive and energitic ride of a book.
Thank you to Pushkin Vertigo for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
