This was just a bit beyond me. There are more than one story going on so its like reading two or 3 books at once. I gave up halfway through.

Chris Brookmyre’s The Cracked Mirror is a rather unusual murder mystery. It begins almost as a cosy crime novel, as we meet elderly Scottish lady Penelope Coyne, with her razor-sharp mind and her penchant for solving crimes in the sleepy village of Glen Cluthar. A corpse is found in the confessional booth of a local church, strangled. Meanwhile, in California, Johnny Hawke, a world-weary LAPD cop is investigating the possible suicide of a Hollywood screenwriter. At first the two characters seem totally unconnected – a blend of Miss Marple and Harry Bosch – but slowly the two characters’ paths converge and we see them embark on a case where things aren’t always as they first seem.

I haven’t read anything by Chris Brookmyre before, but this a very difficult novel to review. I am hesitant to go into the plot for fear of spoilers, suffice to say that the blurbs give so much away that I would recommend any prospective reader tries to avoid them before reading this book. In fact I’ll go as far as to say that there are certain quotes that gave enough away to allow me to guess the big twist at the end – so from a publisher’s point of view I felt these shouts about how imaginative and genre-splicing the novel is do the book a huge disservice. Brookmyre is already an established crime writer and the publishers should have trusted that word of mouth would have been enough to see this succeed. There is a large amount of characters (although some of them appear only fleetingly and have little bearing on the main plot) and at times the story lags a bit. There are telltale signs that give away the ending (especially when one has the descriptions in mind that suggest the direction the plot is headed) so I felt that it wasn’t quite as clever as it should have been. However it does try to do something very original with the crime novel and for that it should be applauded.

The writing is fast-paced and the plot is at times great fun. But the tone will probably satisfy neither lovers of cosy crime or advocates of the American suspense novel, and I feel the twist might leave some readers rather disappointed. The Cracked Mirror is something of a curate’s egg; not a bad novel, but rather an imaginative one, whose greatest trick is spoiled by over-dramatic marketing.

I am always really excited to see a new Chris Brookmyre novel, partly because I never know what will be inside. The Cracked Mirror did not disappoint although I was slightly perturbed at the start, meeting elderly librarian Penelope Coyne in her homely Perthshire village where lots of murders happen and wondering if this was going to be Brookmyre's take on 'cozy' crime. not my preferred genre. Then a quick switch in the next chapter to LA and hardboiled cop Johhny Hawke so it seemed as if we were going to get a bit of Chandleresque noir. However this is Chris Brookmyre so don't try to second guess where he's going. As with many of his novels Brookmyre writes female characters really well and Penelope is a great character. Perthshire and LA both find themselves the settings for unexpected suicides (or were they murders?) that someone wants to cover up and this brings the two main protagonists together as unlikely c0-investigators. The relationship between Penny and Johhny is well developed, characterised by trust and care and populated with shoot-outs, car chases, dead bodies and lots of bad'uns. This was a book I couldn't stop reading but didn't want to finish and now want to re-read, looking for clues! This was indeed a bit of cozy crime, hard-boiled noir and buddy road adventure all wrapped up in some very interesting ethical debates with a bit of speculative fiction on the top. The Cracked Mirror is a 'cracking' good read. Thanks to the publisher Little Brown Book Group UK for an ARC of this title via Net Galley.

I’m afraid this one wasn’t for me. I really enjoyed the first few chapters when it was like a cosy mystery. But I thought there had been a publishing error when it jumped to hard-boiled LA detective territory.
It was jarring and didn’t work.

I loved this book! At first I couldn't work out what direction it was going in. We meet two completely different characters in two separate countries and even their chapters are written in a different style. Felt like an Agatha Christie book one minute then a Jim Thompson novel the next!
Penny Coyne is 82 and has successfully investigated murders in her wee Scottish village. Johnny Hawke is an arrogant LA cop who is investigating a suicide.
I can't go into to too many details but their lives collide at a Scottish wedding and that's where the fun really starts!
Such a clever and unusual book, loved it!

Another original thriller from Chris Brookmyre, which throws several genres together, like ingredients in a cake, and results in a delicious read with a cherry on top.

‘The Cracked Mirror’ by Chris Brookmyre,is certainly a bit different from your run of the mill police police procedure or amateur sleuth stories.

The dual storylines take us to a Scottish village where Penny Coyne,an octogenarian librarian is known for solving multiple murders,and LA where Johnny Hawke,a maverick homicide detective,stretches the law to get results.

The two main characters seem like an unlikely blend in a narrative that defies conventional tales of criminal investigations,yet captures the imagination from the offset.

An enjoyable,uniquely entertaining,fast moving ,extraordinary novel that successfully combines genres.

This is a really good plot/story full of twists and turns, which i must admit i didn't predict! This is my first time reading a novel by Chris Brookmyre and certainly not my last!
This really kept me on my toes and in suspense and was so cleverly written.
I'll keep this short and sweet as adding any further details would only cause spoilers and i think this is a book best going into without knowledge so you have the full experience! Definitely recommend

Absolutely loved this story within stories. The main narrative takes a while to be established but even then there are twists and turns which add levels and layers. Great writing, great playing with form and genre. Definitely recommended.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGally for the opportunity to review this title.

Delighted to share the Cracked Mirror by Chris Brookmyre. This story revolves around Penny Coyne and Johnny Hawke. Penny, an elderly librarian in a quiet village is about to collide with Johnny, a tough-as-nails LAPD homicide detective in a case that’s as tangled as a runaway ball of yarn.

This is a hybrid genre; think Miss Marple meets Bad Boys. It’s absolutely fantastic. Starting Penny’s story was like settling in with your favourite old school detective. Full of gorgeous language and the prim and proper. The transitions into Johnny’s chapters were very clever, with sharp changes in dialogue and slang. Johnny is the well loved LAPD stereotype, bringing action, adrenaline and bad-assery. I really enjoyed the clashing of the different paces and the discussions between the characters on moral issues. There were some very clever and forward thinking concepts throughout this book. A modern classic cosy crime. I was gutted to say goodbye to these characters!

But you can say hello to them on 18th July 2024 when this book is published! And I strongly recommend you get this pre-ordered so you don’t miss it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced copy of this!

I enjoyed this novel very much. I found the book impossible to put down, and I was very antisocial while I was engrossed in it.

For the first few chapters I was slightly bemused, wondering how the cosy crime mystery set in Scotland was going to meld with the faster-paced police procedural/US cop thriller set in LA, but they coincided neatly, and the two plot lines became one very mysterious one whose genre became more and more science fiction than crime/thriller as the plot progressed, with a few oblique hints as to the eventual outcome.

A very clever book which I must reread to spot those hints I missed about the dénouement.

Took me a while to warm to this book, I couldn't adjust to the two different stories. As the story went on however and the two characters started coming together the story also came together for me. Totally didn't see the twist coming and loved it. It made the whole thing make sense.

Brookmyre is a genius!

An interesting one; I struggled a bit with the juxtaposition of Penny Coyne, an elderly lady from Scotland who has solved several murders, against LAPD copy, Johnny Hawke - a strange mash-up of Agatha Christie meets Michael Connelly. Johnny and Penny cross paths at a wedding in Scotland - one that Penny doesn't really understand why she's been invited to. Events unfold and there is a very dramatic shoot-up in the local library and then Johnny and Penny find themselves on a flight to the US, determined to understand what exactly is going on with the two mysterious cases they've both recently encountered (not to mention a murder that Penny is also investigating).

The plot then takes some very strange turns that wouldn't be in the least bit out of place in a science fiction novel.

I really struggled with this at first, but was keen to find out what heppened - but I suspect if it wasn't for the fact that I was given the opportunity to read this in advance, in exchange for a review, I probably wouldn't have finished it. The science fiction element was interesting but does, I feel, mean that you can make the plot as outlanding as you like and the reader will accept how implausible it all is. I did think both of the main characters, Johnny and Penny, were well described and believeable but, as a fan of Christopher Brookmyre, this wasn't what I was expecting and I admit I didn't love it.

This was a gripping read, I thought the characters were intriguing and I'm going to keep an eye out for more from this author.

Classic mystery meets hardboiled cop story and spins off somewhere else. There are lots of layers. Ideal for fans of quirkiness, who like a close read to spot the clues.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

I was interested in this book because of the two vastly different characters, Penny Coyne and Johnny Hawke. I could not imagine how the two of them would end up working together to solve a murder.
The plot was definitely imaginative, and very well written, and the ending did have a twist to it that I was not expecting.. Without including spoilers, I would have to say that this isn't a genre of book I would normally choose, as it wouldn't be my preference, but I can understand a lot of people thoroughly enjoying it.
A very interesting book, but sadly not my taste.

Slow burn but another great read from Brookmyre.

Lots of moving parts that weave together to keep you wanting more.

Interesting characters as always!

Overwhelmingly twisty rollercoaster, perhaps a little too much so!

This was…different, and I came and went a little with my appreciation. Here is a mash up, as the publisher blurb indicates, between a cosy Christie type crime with a Miss Marple character, and a hard-boiled LAPD maverick in another writer’s territory – Michael Connolly, whom I ‘fess I have not read.

The two murder solving sleuths have their own territory of investigations to solve, but, by accident, the hard-boiled one, investigating a high profile not-quite-as-clear-cut-as-it-might-seem suicide within the movie industry, will find himself following a strange lead to Scotland, the home of the elderly librarian of Miss Marple-ish mould.

When I started this, with individual chapters either ‘in the style’ of the elderly sleuth, or in the more brutal, world-weary wisecrack dialogue of the cynical, street wise, sailing close to the edge of legal Hollywood tec, I was almost not sure whether to continue. The third person, but pastiche in style, writing, seemed a little clunky, a little contrived. However, I continued, and later points of view, and chapters, seemed to be better written.

Without delivering too many spoilers, I began to realise that the early ‘clunk’ made far more sense, and something completely different – and hugely confusing – was going on. Yes, I did begin to guess quite a lot of it, though not all. Not only do we have style within a genre mash-ups, we also have entire genre mash-ups

Brookmyre is actually taking quite a lot of risks here, not ALL of which completely work, at least, not for me, because one of the casualties became that I was slightly more invested in ‘what the heck is going on’ than in fully connecting to character. Though, again, there are sound authorial reasons for this, as the ending hove into view.

I’m certainly interested to read more by this author. And happy for my introduction on digital ARC

I appreciate that this is a very clever book but it was far too complex and complicated for my little brain. Sorry, but thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to give it a go!

I enjoyed this book, I thought the plot was interesting and the pacing was good. I did however find that I was getting confused between all the characters as there was slightly too many. When the two storylines were seperate, I did enjoy the police storyline more as I felt that is was more fleshed out then Pennys, but upon reading the ending that did make more sense.

I did find that they seemed to get a lot of information very easily as people just seemed to offer them information, but again this was all explained at the end.
The whole matrix/ video game really threw me at the end and I wasnt sure about it, but then I started to get with it.