As the third book in this series, I get to love Sister Holiday more and more. The last book and this one really make her personality come alive. She is one bad-ass nun, and together with Magnolia Riveaux, a PI, they are solving a more personal case. One of Sister Holiday's students is dead from a Fentanyl overdose. This is such an amazing character, and I absolutely loved her even more in this book.

Divine Ruin by Margot Douaihy is a gritty, soulful mystery that dives deep into the underbelly of New Orleans while never losing sight of its beating heart. Sister Holiday, the city’s tattooed, punk-rock nun turned PI, faces her most personal and harrowing case yet when a favorite student dies of a fentanyl overdose. As she and partner Magnolia Riveaux hunt the dealers responsible, the investigation pulls her into a dangerous world of drug trafficking, grief, and temptation, forcing her to confront her own history with addiction. Douaihy’s sharp, compassionate prose blends raw grit with moments of grace, crafting a story that is as riveting as it is deeply human. This latest installment cements Sister Holiday as one of crime fiction’s most original, unforgettable sleuths.

First off, I absolutely adore Sister Holiday and will sell her series to anyone I meet. Okay, that being said….New Orleans punk-rock nun-detective Sister Holiday is chasing fentanyl dealers after a student overdoses, navigating addiction, faith, and danger in equal measure. It’s gritty, sacred, burns with poetic noir, and will haunt you in the best way.

The language in this book is consistently engaging-- it is so unique & perfectly captures Sister Holiday & the beautiful New Orleans. I feel like Holiday & Riveaux are better than ever in this installment, it feels like their dynamic makes more sense and they have a better working relationship. I am so glad this continues to be a series but it is definitely something to chew on, rather than devour.

The cover caught my eye, the premise sounded wild, and I didn’t even bother checking if it was part of a series (spoiler: it is — this is book three). I went in blind, thinking it was a standalone, and while I could follow along, I definitely felt like I was missing some context.

The main character is super sarcastic and funny, and the mystery itself was actually pretty entertaining and interesting. Buuuut I gotta say, there were a few things that bugged me, and overall it’s just not really my book personally.

That said, I would def recommend starting with book one tho — I think it’d all make more sense and be more interesting.

Thank you NetGalley and Zando Projects for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion! Needless to say, as always, all thoughts are my own and I have not been influenced in any way.

This third book really lets Sister Holiday shine. Her sarcasm is sharp, her contradictions are fascinating, and the setup, going undercover to protect her students, is full of tension. The mystery unfolds slowly, with gritty charm and some great lines along the way. That said, the ending took a turn I didn’t love. It wrapped up one of the more layered conflicts too quickly and leaned into a trope that felt out of step with the rest of the book. Still, I’d recommend it for the voice, the vibes, and the chaos of a queer, tattooed nun on a mission.

Thank you NetGalley and Gillian Flynn Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The cover caught my eye and then I saw lesbian, tattooed, nun and I was ready! I haven't read the first two in the series (I've since bought them) I think this can be read as a standalone. I love her sarcasm and one liners. I enjoyed the mystery aspect as well.

Third in series may have been the best. So sad. Ready for the next one. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

This series improves with each title. Unfortunately it has not been a hit with our patrons. I, however, will definitely buy a personal copy when it comes out.

This is book two in a series, I haven’t read the first instalment and I definitely feel like I missed something.
You could go ahead and read this one without having read the first book, like I did, but I recommend reading book 1 first.i feel like that will give you information you need on the origins of these characters.

A tatted up lesbian nun? I mean, what’s not to like? Maybe all the religious stuff and the “nunning”, but that’s personal.
I feel like there is a lot of repetition in this story, mostly when it comes to describing a character, not about how they look, but what they do. Business partners and friends are frequently described with the same adjectives as used not 2 or 3 pages before, sometimes even a couple lines before. That’s the kinda stuff that irks me.
Other than that it’s a decent story, I enjoyed the PI stuff and the friendships. Must say I didn’t guess the bad guy right, which is great.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC. 

I picked this book up because it had a really beautiful cover without knowing much else about it. I didn't read the previous two books in the series, but this worked as a standalone. 

I really enjoyed the writing in this, Sister Holiday had such a fresh, unique voice. I really loved how different this was from other mysteries I've read. 

The mystery was also really interesting, but I'd mainly recommend this book because of the main character.

First of all, let's talk about this cover -- perfection!

I am glad I kept going back to this series after being disappointed in the first one because third book in and I really feel like we've found Sister Holiday's voice. Her jaded sarcasm & witty one-liners are so funny and brilliant that it more than made up for the parts where the plot itself seemed to drag.

In this third installment, our badass nun must go undercover to try and track down a fentanyl dealer that has infiltrated her school and is causing harm to her students. Her character is filled with so many wonderful contradictions that it makes for a fun ride!

This was gearing up to be my favorite installment in the series. Great writing, great character work, great read. But something incredibly disappointing happens near the end that kind of ruined the whole thing for me. Not only did it play into what I consider to be a harmful trope, but narratively, it was a quick and definitive end to what was a complex and interesting character dilemma, one that I had hoped would continue further into the series. Four stars for 90% of the book, two stars for the last 10, so I’m splitting the difference.