A USA Today Bestseller · A New York Times , Apple Books, and The Guardian Best Crime Novel of the Year · An Indie Next Pick · Winner of the Pinckley Prize for Crime Fiction and the Saints & Sinners LGBTQ+ Festival Emerging Writer Award · Longlisted for the Mass Book Award · A Finalist for the ITW Thrillerfest, New England Book, Left Coast Crime “Lefty”, and Anthony Awards · Best Author by Boston Magazine Sister Holiday, a chain-smoking, heavily tattooed, queer nun, puts her amateur sleuthing skills to the test in this “unique and confident” debut crime novel (Gillian Flynn). 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. A USA Today Bestseller Indie Next Pick A New York Times Best Crime Novel of the Year A New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice A Guardian Best Crime and Thriller Novel of the Year One of Apple's Best Books of 2023 Boston Magazine ’s Best Author of 2023 An Amazon Editors’ Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Winner of the 2023 Pinckley Prize for Crime Fiction A 2024 ITW Thriller Award Finalist for Best First Novel 2023 New England Book Award Finalist A Left Coast Crime 2024 "Lefty" Award Nominee for Best Debut Mystery Novel Longlisted for the 2024 Mass Book Awards A 2024 Anthony Award Finalist for Best First Novel One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2023 Goodreads • Barnes & Noble • Electric Lit • LGBTQ Reads • Book Riot • CrimeReads • BookPage • Novel Suspects • Autostraddle “Sister Holiday, the protagonist of Margot Douaihy’s showstopper of a series debut Scorched Grace isn’t what you’d imagine a nun to be like, even in laissez-faire New Orleans . . . I cannot wait to read the sister’s next investigation, of mysteries and of her own self.” ―Sarah Weinman, New York Times “A whodunnit with an unforgettable mystery solver . . . Sister Holiday isn’t your average nun: She’s a headstrong, thoroughly-tattooed chain smoker who sets off on a one-woman investigation through New Orleans to find out who is behind an arson attack at her school.” ―Jillian Ortiz, TODAY “The prose really sings . . . Such lyricism in the service of setting the scene betrays the author’s background as an established poet.” ―Jim Ruland, Los Angeles Times “The book critiqued institutions, foregrounded sexuality and retained some lyricism, without losing the compulsive page-turning playfulness of a breezy read . . . its prose would set Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade or Robert B. Parker’s Spenser at ease.” ―Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune “Within five pages, I was in love with this novel. The voice is unique and confident, the sense of place deeply present, and the plotting completely assured: every time I was about to ask a question about Sister Holiday, her background, her drive, the mystery―the answer magically appeared. Sister Holiday is simply a joy of a narrator―and definitely my kind of character: flawed, dark, buoyant, and often laugh-out-loud funny. I feel like she and Camille Preaker from Sharp Objects should go on a road trip together. This novel is so much more than a mystery (which is my favorite kind of mystery), it's an exploration of faith, love, and the worthy struggle to be a better human. I just loved it!" ―Gillian Flynn, Gillian Flynn Books “A badass, brilliant queer nun solving a murder mystery in New Orleans? How could I not fall in love with this book? You will, too!” ―Mara Wilson “Margot Douaihy’s bold entry into the hard-boiled genre revitalizes it for our times. Skillfully plotted, propulsive, and deeply engaged with the communities it represents, Scorched Grace is one of the best crime fiction debuts I’ve come across in a long while.” ―Don Winslow, #1 internationally bestselling author of The Power of the Dog and City on Fire “One chapter into Margot Douaihy’s Scorched Grace and you’ll be ready to follow Sister Holiday wherever her instincts take her. Vibrant, crackling and deliciously insubordinate, it’s a mystery full of trapdoors and surprises but with a keen