After the traumatic events chronicled in Margot Douaihy’s debut novel Scorched Grace, our heroine Sister Holiday is settling back into her life as the youngest servant with the Sisters of the Sublime Blood in New Orleans. Only six months away from taking permanent vows, she and Sister Honor – the only other nun in her convent and by default the Acting Mother Superior – rattle around Saint Sebastian’s, getting on each other’s nerves. Sister Holiday, at least, has plenty of things to keep her busy:

QUOTE
Besides being a nun, I was a music teacher at Saint Sebastian’s, a part-time private eye, and a full-time pain in the ass for PI Magnolia Riveaux, the hellcat who ran Redemption Detective Agency[.] She could have been my blood sister with the ways we protected and irritated and appreciated and disappointed each other. Riveaux was the brains, I was the bear trap. Metal teeth and all. One I latched on, you’d have to gnaw off your own leg to get rid of me. But we understood each other. Not that we were always sunshine and unicorns. More like hailstorms and cobras.
END QUOTE

Sister Holiday might be lukewarm about getting along with other people, but she’s wholly enthusiastic about apprenticing as a PI under Riveaux’s tutelage. When they’re contacted by a vengeful wife looking for dirt on her cheating spouse, they’re thrilled to go out on their very first case, meeting their new client at Pier 11 on the waterfront. They’re thus shocked to find, instead of an unhappy spouse, the mutilated corpse of the priest who tends to St Sebastian’s.

Father Reese had not been Sister Holiday’s favorite person, but even he deserved better than to be murdered and dumped into the Mississippi River’s rising waters. Things get murkier when Sister Holiday returns to the convent and discovers that their newest priest, Father Nathan, has also disappeared. Was he taken and harmed as well, or is something even more sinister afoot?

QUOTE
Could he have been the victim of a hate crime? Bigots despise progress. And those bastards would be especially offended by Father Nathan, a leader, a Black man rising through the ranks, maybe steering an old ship in a new direction. I was getting ahead of myself. A workplace hazard as a PI apprentice nun.

He didn’t seem upset yesterday. But everyone was masking something–what was his secret?

Did our new priest murder the old priest, then flee? It was as far-fetched as any grainy mystery on PBS, but it’s a stunning miracle we can trust anyone. We don’t tell ourselves core truths, let alone one another. People we are closest to will tell the biggest lies. Trust is the greatest suspension of disbelief. I should know.
END QUOTE

As the rains pour down on the city, Sister Holiday and Riveaux will have to navigate flooded streets and a tangled web of deceit in order to figure out what happened to St Sebastian’s priests, in a desperate race to save the lives of the innocent. But what will they do when their own lives are on the line, in the face of massive institutional wrongdoing?

Ms Douaihy does another exceptional job of examining the meaning of faith in the life of perhaps the world’s unlikeliest nun. Sister Holiday struggles not only with the concept of justice, both earthly and divine, but also with her own personal desires as a lesbian and addict. Her difficult relationships with her family and loved ones certainly don’t help, as a figure from her past unexpectedly shows up to force her to reckon with it.

The author’s background as a poet is readily apparent not only in the occasional exquisite turn of phrase but also in the oft-repeated imagery of water as both cleanser and curse. I do feel that the prose does occasionally stagger from one set piece to the next with little interest in the connective tissue of other people’s observed reactions, but this is of a piece with the narrator’s general absorption in her own thoughts and feelings. Perhaps Sister Holiday’s powers of observation will improve with her detecting skills as the series progresses. These books are certainly a necessary critique of entrenched power, as well as a reminder of the power of love and faith even when up against overwhelming odds.

I LOVED Scorched Grace, so when I was approved for the arc of Blessed Water I was ecstatic. I’m obsessed with Sister Holiday- a bad ass nun. Margot Douaihy’s writing is so descriptive and filled with dark humor which I absolutely enjoy. If you like mysteries, this is a refreshingly unique story that will keep you guessing and you’ll love the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review! Pub date 3-11-2024

Wow! When they say this book has a ticking clock element, they are not kidding -- and boy, does it work here!

I loved being back with Sister Holiday, even if I only read the first book a few weeks ago. She's just so freaking funny and real and easy to love and root for. Not that she's without her faults, mind you, but it's just written in such a way that I want to be friends with her and help her out. It's an experience I don't often have with a character, and it's such a treat when it happens.

Sister Holiday aside, I was completely invested in this mystery, in getting to meet her brother and figuring out what was going on with him, in the dynamic between Sister Holiday and Riveaux. It's such a fun read while still having a lot to say that I definitely vibe with. I especially recommend it to folks who like mysteries but not the copaganda elements, because those can be hard to come by and this does it in a great way.

So excited for the next installment! And it definitely helps to know that it's officially ending at 4 books. I just can't do a seemingly never-ending series, you know?

A very different sort of cozy (or is it a cozy) featuring a very different sort of nun. I missed the first book so this was my introduction to Sister Holiday who has styled herself as a nun who solves crimes alongside her partner Maggie Riveaux. A priest has been found killed, another is missing, and it's raining. The New Orleans setting and atmospherics amp up the feels. Sister Holiday says what she thinks and doesn't hold back on the words as some nuns might. The mystery is not so complex but the characters are. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Blessed Water by Margot Douaihy #nineteenthbookof2024 #arc

CW: death, murder, discussion of rape and previous sexual abuse

Sister Holiday is back! Our favorite nontraditional nun is now a PI apprentice (in addition to her teacher responsibilities) and happens finds a body in the river while on her way to meet a new client. Unfortunately it’s the body of a colleague and her discovery sets off a series of events that rock the convent over Easter weekend.

While I enjoyed this novel, I’d forgotten a lot of the nuances of the first book. You don’t need them, but it might have aided my enjoyment if I’d remembered more of the specifics. As in the first book, there is a lot of self reflection and discussion of faith.

There wasn’t as much setting description as in the first book, but the pace was quick. A lot of action happened in three days. I am always up for more Prince and BonTon antics and I hope they continue to appear in future installments. Plus, the cover is a ton of fun.

Thank you to @netgalley and @zandoprojects for the advance copy. (Pub date 3/12/24)

#sisterholiday #nundetective #blessedwater #booktwo #neworleansbooks

For first-time readers, I include some information from my review of Scorched Grace about Sister Holiday, a unique apprentice private detective with a strong religious faith.

The former Holiday Walsh (no relation) from NY is now Sister Holiday of the Sisters of Sublime Blood in sweltery New Orleans, where she teaches music in the adjacent Catholic school, St. Sebastian. In her past, she lived a riotous life of sex, drugs and rock and roll. She identifies as a lesbian, and the great love of her life is a woman who is now married. She has had past hookups with a male bartender and other men. She was a member of a punk band. As Sister Holiday dresses from head to foot in black to cover her many tattoos, her bleached blond hair shows its dark roots, and she has a gold tooth that resulted from a bar fight. Her conversations are littered with curse words, and even her prayers include swearing. Others on the staff tolerate and encourage Sister Holiday in her quest for grace and salvation. She maintains her chain-smoking habit by confiscating cigarettes and occasional liquor from unruly students and smoking in a nearby alleyway. She is devout in her own way, refers to God as They, and mentions she only prays to female saints.

I have been hoping to learn how she reconciled her feminist and religious beliefs with the Roman Catholic religion and the misogynist members of the Diocese who run the school.

The author, Margot Duoaihy, is a poet, and her lovely, lyrical language comes through in this gritty novel with a clever choice of words and unique and captivating expressions.

Blessed Water is set in New Orleans during a torrential rain storm with flooding over a Good Friday and into Easter Sunday. The vivid description of the watery atmosphere transports the reader, immersing them in the place. The blessed water also refers to the rites of baptism and holy water used in ceremonies.
Sister Holiday has a curious and rebellious nature. In the previous book, she fancied herself a detective from watching TV crime shows and reading a Raymond Chandler book. Now, she is well on her way to becoming a full-fledged private investigator, being trained at the Redemption Detective Agency by former fire inspector Riveaux. She works diligently and with determination to solve any mystery she encounters. She is also committed to taking permanent vows with the Sisters of Sublime Blood.

The dark, complex, and disturbing mystery begins when Sister Holiday pulls a dead man out of the river. It is learned that he did not drown but was stabbed to death. The body is identified as Father Reese. On the same day, Father Nathan disappears. He was a young priest whom Sister Holiday admired and considered a friend. He is now among the murder suspects, along with one of her troubled students who rarely attends school and walks around with his pit bull. Her brother Moose has returned from the army, where he was a medic. He is mysterious and reluctant to explain why he was discharged from the military and came to New Orleans. Is he somehow involved in the murder?

During the investigation, Sister Holiday keys the car belonging to the bishop and members of the Diocese. She is alarmed as some unknown person leaves photos of Father Nathan, showing him captured and under threat to his life. This adds to the urgency of solving the mystery of Father Reese's murder and saving the priest. There are twists and turns in the plot with secrets and coverups of abuse within the church. Her investigation into the crimes interferes with the ongoing police case and displeases them.

The narrative is told from Sister Holiday's point of view in the form of an inner monologue and a stream of consciousness and, of course, peppered with profanity. Most of the characters are well-rounded and sympathetic.
I was delighted to receive the ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. I definitely want to read the third book in the series. Blessed Water is due to be published on March 12th.

I wanted to love this, but the snazziness and the witty lines went a bit overboard and I ended up not feeling it. So much so that it took me out of the mysteries and it's solution. It kinda put me in a slump.

addictive-series, unputdownable, apprentice PI, suspense, snarky, verbal-humor, LGBT, investigations, NOLA, tattoos, twisty, thriller, murder, mystery, catholic-nun, queer, convent, private-investigators, detective-fiction, riveting, ex-cop, flooding, hard-reality, teamwork, series, missing-persons, siblings, mental-health-issues, mental-health-awareness*****

Complex believable characters and a demanding plot make this a totally addictive series. I'll have to get an audio when available so that I can fully enjoy it as it is Not TTS enabled for visually impaired.
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Zando, Gillian Flynn Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
Pub Date 12 Mar 2024
A Sister Holiday Mystery (#2)
Not TTS enabled for visually impaired

Scorched Grace was one of my favorite books of last year and Blessed Water was a brilliant follow up.

I am really liking this series. The characters are unique, including a fully tattooed queer punk rock nun with a gold tooth who is apprenticing as a PI with a disgraced former cop turned PI.

This book felt heavier and darker than the first in the series as New Orleans was deluged with rain and a storm sequent flood with a shocking (to me, at least) outcome separate from the murder and kidnapping Sister Holiday and Maggie Riveaux were working to solve.

As with the previous book, Sister Holiday grapples with heavy issues and the difficulties of being human in a harsh world. This really adds something to the books in my opinion— they are not light and fluffy.

Unlike other series, there is very little re-capping of the first book and key aspects of the main characters’ backgrounds, which I liked on the one hand, but also struggled to remember key details about Sister Holiday’s mother’s death and her subsequent shame, along with her history with Moose and Nina.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. I can’t wait to see where this unique series goes.

2SLGBTQIA+ Mystery in which a tattooed nun and her PI partner as they investigate two cases; a priest found floating dead in NOLA's Mississippi river and another priest who's gone missing.

4/5 stars: This is the second entry in Douaihy's Sister Holiday Mystery series, which is a 2SLGBTQIA+ Mystery that takes place in New Orleans, Louisiana and features a very unique nun. She's tattooed, sports a gold tooth, smokes and is an apprentice PI all without missing a beat in her holy duties and the music classes she teaches. With plenty of twists and turns, Douaihy has crafted a well balanced mystery that will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Additionally, Douaihy's writing and character work is stellar; the characters are diverse, well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. It's great to catch up with the Sisters of the Sublime Blood, the teachers and students of St Sebastian's and her investigative partner former fire inspector Magnolia Riveaux. Douaihy tackles some very sensitive topics, so take care and check the CWs. While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll gain so much more by reading this series from the beginning; so be sure to pick up book one, Scorched Grace.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Zando, Gillian Flynn Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Sister Holiday is an interesting detective, with obvious flaws and strengths that make her unique. While I wasn't crazy about the mystery and its solution, I did enjoy how the weather and location had so much personality in the story

Glad I got to read the second book in this series early. Very exciting and well written. Think I liked it better than the first. Now I need the next one. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

"Sister Holiday is back with a newly minted PI apprentice certificate, a twisty mystery to solve, and something to prove in this fast-paced, blistering follow-up to Scorched Grace.

Tattooed from her neck to her toes and sporting a gold tooth as sharp as her wisecracks, Sister Holiday struggles to stay on the righteous path. Never one to make things easy for herself, she's committed to taking her permanent vows with the Sisters of the Sublime Blood and joining former fire inspector Magnolia Riveaux's latest venture, Redemption Detective Agency - both in service of satisfying her eternal quest for answers.

When Sister Holiday and Riveaux set out to bust a philandering husband, they instead find the body of a priest floating in the swollen Mississippi River, and with it, Redemption's next case. It's significantly more gruesome than their original mission, but Sister Holiday feels called on by God to hunt down the murderer and keep her community safe.

As a torrential rainstorm drowns New Orleans for three harrowing days over Easter weekend, Sister Holiday and Riveaux follow the clues. With the stakes rising alongside the relentless floodwaters, our favorite punk nun-sleuth throws herself into the deep end yet again.

A lacerating and lyrical plunge into obsession, deception, and the questions that hold us captive, Blessed Water is a lights-out mystery that will leave you breathless."

Called by God to hunt down the murderer! Preach it!

I was super excited about this book. I loved the first one and while this one was fine, it felt a lot flatter. We learned virtually nothing new about the Sister even though her brother Moose shows up and is a major character. Who are these people? Can we get more than a tiny drip about their lives and personalities? It felt very opaque to me. I loved seeing Prince again but I didn't think it was a great or new feeling mystery and I was left feeling adrift. I had hoped she'd take the second book to flesh out the characters more after setting them up in book one but I felt like we learned even less than we did then. It's hard to stay invested in a series when you don't know the main players. I still love the setting and the idea but this felt unfinished.

I will read anything that Margot puts out and was so excited to get the opportunity to read this piece of work early (thank you NetGalley). Including this book, I appreciate sequels that do not spoon feed the reader with plot points from the previous installment and is able to move the story along effectively with minor callbacks. This book was captivating and surprisingly witty with a strong multi-faceted character. The tone of the this installment felt similar to the previous and overall I really like Sister Holiday, her story and enjoyed the other supporting characters in this series.

I actually found this book quite a lot stronger than Scorches Grace (which I gave a 3.5 to). The characters felt more real, the mystery felt more modern, and I felt as though I knew the chars more. Thanks for the arc

Sister Holiday is back with a newly minted PI apprentice certificate, a twisty mystery to solve, and something to prove in this fast-paced, blistering follow-up to Margot Douaihy's debut novel, Scorched Grace.

Blessed Water, just like its predecessor, is an intriguing mystery novel where nuns and priests are basically never safe, they lie and sin and do illegal things (!), which is always fun to read. I enjoyed the plot, even though it was a bit predictable, but I liked the focus on the main two relationships Sister Holiday has: with her brother and with her work partner. Unfortunately, the only thing I wanted from this book, which is the chance to know Sister Holiday more, especially her past, her family and the reasons why her life (and her brother's) are so messed up, was not really present here. We only get bits and pieces here and there, and I simply wanted... more. I like Sister Holiday, but I still feel like I don't really know her. Fingers crossed for book 3 then!

* I'd like to thank Margot Douaihy, Zando Projects, Gillian Flynn and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review. * Blessed Water is out on March 12th 2024.

The description of the book seemed interesting, so I wanted to check the story out. Unfortunately, I have since lost my initial interest in the story. I may try and find a physical copy to add the my library when it is released, though, because I think my readers could like it!

The Sister Holliday series is addicting and beautiful. I cannot put down these books, finishing them in a day flat because I want answers. The characters feel palpable and interesting, each complex human beings we cannot understand fully. It's refreshing to see a character who openly does not fit within the stereotype of religion feeling as strongly about religion as she does– she knows that her God has her back, tattoos, gold tooth, private investigating, and all. While I did prefer the first in the series, the sequel delivers on promises made in the first book, and provides a tense, gripping mystery with quite the body count.

A gripping, beautiful novel. As beautiful as it is engaging. Douaihy does a spectacular job painting nuance, complex characters that you root for BECAUSE of their flaws.