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While over the last 50 years there has been a 76% decline in the number of nuns in the U.S., it does not feel like there has been the same decline of fictional nuns in pop culture. The nuns I still remember from my childhood were in The Flying Nun, Blues Brothers, Sister Act, and The Sound of Music. Recently, there’s my absolute love for Siobhán McSweeney in Derry Girls, I really enjoyed the Peacock series Mrs. Davis, and it seems Sister Act 3 will actually happen. So, I thought I’d do a little dive into three recent mystery series with a nun. First, as the lead investigator, then a friend who joins the investigations, and finally, the actual victim.
Scorched Grace (Sister Holiday Mystery #1) by Margot Douaihy
The first book in this series was also the first book published by Gillian Flynn’s imprint at Zando, Gillian Flynn Books. The amateur sleuth is a nun, Sister Holiday, who doesn’t follow the stereotype: she’s a punk rock lesbian (former band guitarist), who is tatted up, chain-smokes, curses, and is prone to mess up. She’s also decided to add amateur sleuthing to her life after a series of arsons happen at the Catholic school she teaches at…and murder. The sequel, Blessed Water, came out earlier this year, and this time around, Sister Holiday is back as a professional sleuth, now armed with a PI apprentice certificate!
Broken Places (Cass Raines #1) by Tracy Clark
This is a great PI series set in Chicago, which follows Cass Raines, who leaves the police department and starts her own PI firm. Her current case is incredibly personal: the priest who helped raise her has been murdered. Raines has her old partner as a friend, a childhood friend, and nun Barb to help her on cases and in her personal life. Throughout the series, Barb’s awesome character provides witty dialogue and then gets a prominent story in the fourth book, Runner, as she helps out Cass on a case via her bus that helps her serve unhoused people. There’s a lot to love about this series, from the investigations to the relationships, including when Barb pops into Raines’ life.
Glory Be (Glory Broussard Mystery #1) by Danielle Arceneaux
In this amateur sleuth series, set in the Louisiana bayou, the nun is the victim and the sleuth’s friend. Church-going Glory uses her time after Sunday mass as a bookie at a coffee shop. That’s where she finds out that her close friend, Sister Amity, a nun loved in her community, has been found dead in her apartment. When the police rule it a suicide, Glory knows she has to step in and investigate herself, which also includes roping in her corporate lawyer daughter’s assistance! What could Sister Amity have been up to that someone would want to murder her and make it look like a suicide? Reach for this one when you’re in the mood to be deeply sunk into a setting and follow an older sleuth!
Browse the books recommended in Unusual Suspects’ previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2024 releases and mysteries from 2023. Check out this Unusual Suspects Pinterest board and get Tailored Book Recommendations! Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Goodreads, Instagram, and Litsy.
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