Read This Book…

Sister Holiday has been a nun for about a year, and she’s not your typical Catholic nun — she’s queer, in her early thirties, heavily tattooed, and she chain smokes and often has a hard time not swearing. But she’s really trying her best to fit in at the New Orleans convent, where she also teaches at St. Sebastian’s Catholic School. But one night, she’s sneaking a smoke out back when the school catches on fire, and a man dies in the flames. Deeply suspicious about who could have committed the arson, Sister Holiday begins to conduct her own investigation. And when other Catholic institutions also go up in flames, she and the New Orleans fire investigator become certain that an arson spree has just begun, and there’s no saying when it’ll stop — or who they’ll burn along the way.

I have to say, I think all I need to say to sell this book is “queer, chain-smoking, tattooed nun solves crimes,” and who wouldn’t want to read that? But I’ll go on, in case you need more prompting. I really loved Sister Holiday’s character. It’s evident from the beginning of the book that she has Gone Through Some Things before becoming a nun, and the author doles out information about her previous life in small doses, weaving it between the present day drama. But this isn’t a Sister Act situation where Holiday is running from a sad or scary past — she truly has faith. She also struggles with her faith. As someone who was brought up in a heavily Christian environment (I even went to a parochial school, what!) I really appreciated that aspect of Margot’s character and her struggle. She has a hard time with people who seem to trust easily in God, and she sometimes lashes out, struggles with patience and frustration, and lets her emotions and her thoughts get the better of her. She also has a healthy dose of contempt for Catholic leadership that rolls in driving expensive cars and makes indiscriminate budget cuts to the convent and the school without understanding their needs (a contempt I also share, Sister Holiday!). But at the end of the day, she also knows that she wants to be a force for good in her community, and she knows that she can be that force for good by serving…and by finding that arsonist.

As for the mystery element, I think it was done well. It’s not an especially twisty mystery — there are very few suspects — but what Douaihy does well is get at the essentials of character. There are so many interesting, unexpected, contradictory people in this book! I found myself reading as much for the characters as I did for the whodunnit, and the New Orleans setting felt compelling and real. The mystery concludes with a satisfying wrap-up, but Douaihy leaves it open for more Sister Holiday mysteries, and I’m happy to report that a sequel is hitting shelves in the first half of 2024: Blessed Water!

Tl;dr: Pick up this book if you like a little irreverent humor and unlikely sleuths!