Margot Douaihy

Margot Douaihy
Margot Douaihy at the New Orleans Saints & Sinners LGBTQ+ Literary Festival in New Orleans, LA (2023)
Born
Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation
  • Novelist
  • poet
Period2013-present
GenreMystery
SubjectPoetry

Margot Douaihy /duːˈwaɪhiː/ is an American mystery novelist and poet. She was a Lambda Literary Award finalist for her poetry collection Girls Like You, and her mysteries have been honored as Best Crime Novels of the Year by the New York Times and other publications.[1]

Career

Douaihy's Bandit/Queen: The Runaway Story of Belle Starr (2022)[2] and Scranton Lace (2018)[3] are documentary poetry projects centering themes of queerness, abandoned structures and institutions, feminist becoming, and class tensions.

Douaihy is a co-editor of the Cambridge University Press Elements in Crime Narratives series.[4] Her writing has been featured in The Tahoma Literary Review,[5] The Petigru Review,[6] Petrichor,[7] and The Adirondack Review.[8]

She has taught at Marywood University, Franklin Pierce University, and at Emerson College.[9][10] She is currently an assistant professor with the Writing, Literature, and Publishing Department at Emerson College in Boston.[11]

Sister Holiday mystery series

Douaihy's debut novel, Scorched Grace: A Sister Holiday Mystery, was published by Gillian Flynn Books in 2023. It is a crime mystery novel that follows "Sister Holiday, a chain-smoking, heavily tattooed, queer nun, puts her amateur sleuthing skills to the test."[12] The novel was the first to be published under Gillian Flynn's imprint;[13] Flynn called the novel "a sneaky, dark thriller and a character study in a freight train of a murder mystery."[14] Scorched Grace was published in French with HarperCollins France and in the UK with Pushkin Vertigo.[15] The Sister Holiday audiobooks are narrated by Mara Wilson.[16]

Scorched Grace received numerous accolades, including a starred review by Publishers Weekly, which called it a "stunning fiction debut ... briskly plotted master class in character development."[17] Scorched Grace was twice recognized by The New York Times, as a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice,[18] and as a New York Times Best Crime Novel of the Year for 2023.[19] The Guardian twice recognized Scorched Grace as one of the best crime and thriller novels of 2023.[20][21]

The sequel to Scorched Grace, titled Blessed Water: A Sister Holiday Mystery (Gillian Flynn Books, 2024), follows Sister Holiday on a second investigation in New Orleans beginning with the discovery of the body of a priest floating in the Mississippi River. Following its release in March 2024, Blessed Water received praise from several media outlets and writers organizations. The Center for Fiction described the book as "a literary treat".[22] The Times described the book as "powerful," noting that it "plumbs the depth of human cruelty."[23] Publishers Weekly described Blessed Water as a "deliriously enjoyable, relentlessly plotted adventure" noting that the Sister Holiday series "continues to impress".[24] Blessed Water was named a New York Times Best Crime Novels of 2024.[25]

A third installment in the mystery series, Divine Ruin, is scheduled to be published in January 2026.[26] Gillian Flynn calls the novel "fearlessly inspired."[27] A starred review by Publishers Weekly called it a "crackling third installment"[28]

Bibliography

Novels

  • Scorched Grace: A Sister Holiday Mystery. Gillian Flynn Books. 2023.
  • Blessed Water: A Sister Holiday Mystery. Gillian Flynn Books. 2024.
  • Divine Ruin: A Sister Holiday Mystery. Gillian Flynn Books. 2026.

Poetry

  • I Would Ruby If I Could. Factory Hollow Press. 2013.
  • Girls Like You. Clemson University Press. 2015.
  • Scranton Lace. Bri Hermanson (illustrator). Clemson University Press. May 2, 2017. ISBN 978-1942954477.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)[29]
  • Bandit/Queen: The Runaway Story of Belle Starr. Clemson University Press. 2022.

Awards and recognition

  • 2016 Lambda Literary Award finalist, for Girls Like You[30]
  • 2019 Sisters in Crime Academic Research Grant[31]
  • 2020 Aesthetica Magazine Creative Writing Prize[32]
  • 2020 Palette Poetry Sappho Prize[33]
  • 2020-2021 Humboldt Poetry Prize, for "The Murder Hornet" (Aquifer 7 December 2020)[34]
  • 2023 F. Lammot Belin Foundation Arts Scholarship[35][36]

For Scorched Grace

For Blessed Water

Personal life

Margot Douaihy was born[9] and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and is of Lebanese ancestry. Douaihy is a queer woman and a longtime advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion and visibility[57] and antiracist education.[58]

She was raised Maronite Catholic,[59] and attended Catholic school as a child.[9] She noted in 2023 that the Church played "a profound influence in my life, but I haven’t practiced regularly in years".[59]

She holds a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Lancaster.[9]

Douaihy lived in New Orleans from 2008 to 2010.[59]

References

  1. ^ "The Best Crime Novels of 2024". December 4, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
  2. ^ "Bandit/Queen – Clemson University Press". Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  3. ^ "In 'Scranton Lace,' nostalgia for a time and place that no longer exist". PBS NewsHour. May 15, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  4. ^ "About the editors". Cambridge Core. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  5. ^ "From Issue 14". Tahoma Literary Review. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  6. ^ "The Petigru Review". The Petigru Review. November 7, 2019. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  7. ^ "#18 – Margot Douaihy – petrichor". Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  8. ^ "Bri Hermanson & Margot Douaihy". adirondackreview.homestead.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  9. ^ a b c d Brayden, Kate. "Margot Douaihy: "If I told my 15-year-old self that the author of Gone Girl published my first novel, she'd never believe it"". Hotpress. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  10. ^ CARDÉ, LESLIE (March 16, 2023). "Meet Margot Douaihy, creator of crimefighting nun Sister Holiday in New Orleans mystery". NOLA.com. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  11. ^ "Margot Douaihy, Emerson College". emerson.edu. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
  12. ^ "Scorched Grace". Zando Projects. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  13. ^ Ruland, Jim (February 17, 2023). "Why Gillian Flynn launched her book imprint with a debut noir about a rebel nun". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  14. ^ "'Gone Girl' author Gillian Flynn is writing her first book since 2012, and she shared details". TODAY.com. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  15. ^ "Scorched Grace". Pushkin Press. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  16. ^ "LibroFM".
  17. ^ "Scorched Grace: A Sister Holiday Mystery by Margot Douaihy". www.publishersweekly.com. November 21, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  18. ^ Weinman, Sarah (February 10, 2023). "A Nun With Very Bad Habits". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  19. ^ Weinman, Sarah (December 4, 2023). "The Best Crime Novels of 2023". The New York Times.
  20. ^ Wilson, Laura (December 5, 2023). "Review: Best Crime and Thrillers of 2023". The Guardian.
  21. ^ "Crime and thrillers roundup | Books". The Guardian. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  22. ^ "April in Paris". The Center for Fiction. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  23. ^ Sanderson, Mark; Smith, Joan (June 4, 2024). "New crime fiction for April — high-end burglars and East End murders". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  24. ^ "Blessed Water: A Sister Holiday Mystery by Margot Douaihy". www.publishersweekly.com. December 14, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
  25. ^ "The Best Crime Novels of 2024". December 4, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
  26. ^ Odintz, Molly (May 1, 2025). "Margot Douaihy Talks Hardboiled Fiction, Queer Themes, and her Iconic Sleuthing Nun". CrimeReads. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  27. ^ "Divine Ruin". Zando. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
  28. ^ "Divine Ruin: A Sister Holiday Mystery by Margot Douaihy". www.publishersweekly.com. October 15, 2025. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  29. ^ Flock, Elizabeth (May 15, 2017). "In 'Scranton Lace,' nostalgia for a time and place that no longer exist". PBS News Hour.
  30. ^ "Lambda Literary Awards Finalists Revealed: Carrie Brownstein, Hasan Namir, 'Fun Home' and Truman Capote Shortlisted". www.out.com. March 8, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  31. ^ "Sisters in Crime Announces Winners of Their 2019 Academic Research Grants".
  32. ^ "Aesthetica Magazine - Shortlist 2020". Aesthetica Magazine. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  33. ^ "The Winners and Finalists of the 2020 Sappho Prize!". Palette Poetry. September 16, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  34. ^ "Announcing the 2020-2021 Humboldt Poetry Prize Winner & Finalists". The Florida Review. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  35. ^ Journal, Abington (August 1, 2023). "Douaihy awarded F. Lammot Belin Scholarship". Abington Journal. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  36. ^ "Faculty Novelist Douaihy Wins Arts Award". Emerson Today. September 28, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  37. ^ "Our picks of the buzziest mysteries and thrillers of winter". www.amazon.com. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  38. ^ Weinman, Sarah (December 4, 2023). "The Best Crime Novels of 2023". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  39. ^ Wilson, Laura (December 5, 2023). "Best crime and thrillers of 2023". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  40. ^ Noble, Barnes &. "The Best Books of 2023". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  41. ^ "Pinckley Prizes for Crime Fiction | 2022-2023 Pinckley Prizes". pinckleyprizes.org. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  42. ^ "ILP John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger". The Crime Writers’ Association. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  43. ^ "New England Book Awards". New England Independent Booksellers Association. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  44. ^ Jarvie, Catherine (February 8, 2023). "Best books of 2023: The Marie Claire reading list of the must-reads and page-turners". Marie Claire UK. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  45. ^ "The 23 best debut novels so far in 2023". BookPage.com.
  46. ^ "Readers' Choice: Best Books of 2023 (so far)". BookPage.com. May 23, 2023.
  47. ^ "The Best Debut Novels of 2023". CrimeReads.com. December 11, 2023.
  48. ^ "The Best Noir Fiction of 2023". CrimeReads.com. December 18, 2023.
  49. ^ Shade, Lauren (December 11, 2023). "Our Favorite Crime Fiction Books of 2023". Novel Suspects.
  50. ^ "Anthonys 2024". Bouchercon. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  51. ^ "Past Nominees and Winners". International Thriller Writers. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  52. ^ "Lefty Award Archives". www.leftcoastcrime.org. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  53. ^ "Macavity Awards". Mystery Readers International. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  54. ^ Weinman, Sarah (December 4, 2024). "The Best Crime Novels of 2024". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  55. ^ {{Cite web |author=
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