Scorched Grace by Margot DouaihyMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Mixed feelings on this one.
Always glad to see a queer protagonist, and I love the idea of a smoking, cursing nun who solves mysteries. Unfortunately, the concept feels forced and overdone at times, as if the author is trying too hard.
Sister Holiday, our tattooed, lesbian, former band member protagonist, joins the only "progressive" convent that will take her after a series of horrible life events. Because of this acceptance, she feels extra protective of Saint Sebastian's School and her order, the Sisters of the Sublime Blood, particularly their Mother Superior (and principal), Sister Augustine.
When there's a fire at the school--clearly arson--which kills the janitor, Sister Holiday is upset, even though she's lauded for rescuing two students in the fire. For some reason (it's never fully explained why), she deems herself an "amateur sleuth," but this mostly seems to translate into her nosing around where she shouldn't (hiding evidence) and pontificating about various things. We're supposed to believe that because nuns have less access to digital devices and material items, Sister Holiday is more attuned to notice things and hence detect clues? It's odd.
SCORCHED GRACE is filled with lovely prose and lyrical descriptions. Its portrayal of New Orleans brings the smoldering summer heat and lingering fire to life. But, often, it's too much. Again, it feels overdone at times. Even the smoking/cursing/gay nun trope gets overworked from time to time. All of this would be fine if the mystery was not so obvious--the culprit is telegraphed from the beginning, making the "big reveal" seem anything but.
Still, there's a lot of potential in Sister Holiday, and we're introduced to a troubled fire investigator who looks like she may appear in the second book. There's enough to like that I will likely try book #2 (it's already on my bookshelves, of course, since I seem to run my own personal home library).
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