PREMIERE: Margot Douaihy shares chapter from Scorched Grace on 'My Reading Of It'

Sister Holiday, a chain-smoking, heavily tattooed nun puts her amateur sleuthing skills to the test in this “dark, sneaky thriller” and “freight train of a murder mystery," as Margot Douaihy champion and publisher Gillian Flynn said of Scorched Grace.

Luckily for you, Hot Press scored some time with the Pennsylvania author, lecturer and poet - who penned the debut novel and has since seen the television rights acquired by Stone Village Television, the production team behind Station Eleven for HBO Max - for an episode of 'My Reading Of It'. The queer book takes readers on a rollercoaster journey, and marks the first offering from Pushkin Press, an imprint of Zando Books.

"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," the Scorched Grace blurb reads. "Unsatisfied with the officials' response, sardonic and headstrong Sister Holiday becomes determined to unveil the mysterious attacker herself and return her new home and sanctuary to its former peace."

Gillian Flynn.

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. Early fans include fellow thriller authors Don Winslow, Karin Slaughter and Megan Abbott.

“I drew inspiration from the sensibility of the riot girl, post punk aesthetic. Characters who aren’t afraid to be messy, loud, fulsome and inhabit spaces that are not necessarily meant for them,” Margot Douaihy tells Hot Press. “Part of this mystery trilogy is about queer fictitious reconciliation. If I were to tell my 15-year-old self that the author of Gone Girl, the global phenomenon, would be publishing my first crime book, I would never in a trillion years comprehend that statement, let alone believe it. Sometimes it may not be the timeline we want, but perhaps there is some divine timing."

Watch Margot Douaihy's contribution to our 'My Reading Of It' series below – premiering today at 3pm:

Read the full interview with Margot Douaihy in the new issue of Hot Press, out now.