I really tried to get into this book, but the style of writing just put me off. It seemed like it was trying to be both Agatha Christie and Colin Dexter and I just couldn't read past chapter 1.

This is a difficult book to review without giving too much away but I will say that I loved it. I enjoyed the two separate stories that blend into one as the two main characters work together. It is complex even confusing at times but all is explained and it has a very satisfying end. Very original and highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advanced copy in exchange for my review.

I love crime. I love Golden Age crime whether it's village scandal or spies in foggy cities, I contemporary crime from cosy crime continuities to American noir, I adore a police procedural and quite like a speculative scifi take on crime. Basically, I read quite a lot of crime from all eras and in all tropes. Which made The Cracked Mirror a perfect read for me.
Take two people, as different as people can be. Penny Coyne is an eighty something volunteer librarian, living in an idyllic Scottish village, the kind with teashops, lots of individually owned shops, where everyone knows each other. The kind that's plagued with murder and blackmail. It's a good thing Penny is good at solving crimes. Johnny Hawke is an LA cop, a little rogue, hardboiled, with a disturbing list of dead partners behind him and a new suspension when yet another investigation goes wrong. So he really shouldn't be taking matters into his own hands and heading to Scotland to chase down a suspect.
Penny and Johnny have nothing in common. She is genteel, he is foul mouthed, she plays by the rules, he bends them, she solves murders over tea and gossip, he uses guns and violence, but as tragedy plays out they realise they have more in common than they thought and they might just learn from each other.
Coyne and Hawke is the most unexpected crime fighting partnership since, well, ever. And it's very unexpectedness means there may just be a twist in the plot neither saw coming.
I loved this. There is a love of the source material shining through, a clever marrying of styles attached to a genuinely twisty plot, some real moments of sadness alongside a lot of humour. A brilliant concept and read. Highly recommended.

4.5 rounded up

“ A cross genre hybrid of Agatha Christie and Michael Connelly”… and yes, it’s definitely that. Meet Ms Penelope Coyne, she’s in her 80s, lives in the pretty village of Glen Cuthar in Scotland and is close friends with Inspector Saeeda Sattar. A possessor of a razor sharp mind which she is putting to good use to try to work out why Mr Brendan Gault is found dead in the chapel, but even she is struggling to understand why she’s received a mysterious wedding invitation. She is the 21st century Miss Marple. Her polar opposite is rule breaker, Johnny Hawke a hard nosed LAPD detective and reminiscent of a Connelly character. Currently everything is a bit of a blur for Johnny and now to cap it all he’s got a new partner in Ibanez and he wonders who the poor guy has annoyed to get partnered with him as his previous ones have a way of ending up dead. It’s the usual tough day on the “mean streets” of LA when they get a call to go to a Hollywood studio where a young male has been found dead. From this point on things go from very bad to way worse and coincidences and connections takes Johnny to Scotland and into Pennies orbit. The novel alternates between the two with clever chapter headings and with a seamlessly flowing storyline.

This could’ve been a right old mess in the hands of a less skilled and capable writer than Chris Brookmyre. He has created a lively, entertaining, fast paced and complex multi-layered storyline, including crimes that date back 20 years. It’s a fascinating and constantly changing dramatic thriller full of incident with oodles of plot twists, which keeps you riveted and with some good red herrings into the bargain. Did I pick up the breadcrumb clues along the way? Of course not!

There’s so much to praise in this ambitious novel. In Penny Coyne (what a pun), the author has done a superb job of evoking the queen of crime, and although I’ve only read a couple of Connelly’s books, he’s captured the spirit of those via Johnny and with what happens in LA. These two characters are so well crafted and clearly they are chalk and cheese and the contrast couldn’t be stronger, and yet they become unlikely allies. They grow to respect each other’s skills and so they pit together their collaborative brains to figure out the increasingly puzzling conundrum and mounting list of fatalities. It’s a very unusual but very compelling duo and watching their relationship go through its various stages is compelling. The dialogue is good throughout but especially so between these two.

I would never guess the truth of how this pans out in a million years as it’s so inventive but the author makes me totally buy into it.. The ending is poignant and the ultimate end is very enigmatic and leaves you pondering.

Overall, this is the Chris Brookmyre novel. I’ve liked the most despite the large cast of characters to get your head around. It’s creative, very different. The settings are excellent, they’re vividly described and used most effectively. I love the humour which is laugh out loud on occasions. I can recommend this. to fans of the mystery thriller genre are looking for something that is a little bit out of the ordinary .

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Little Brown Book Group for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This is a tough one to review without spoilers, but here goes:
I really like Brookmyre, but found myself confused at the start of this book- there seemed to be two very different stories going on, in two very different styles. As the story goes on it gets even more confusing, and I’d no idea where it was going. But I trust CB- he’d have a plan. And he did.
Quite chuffed that I worked out what was going on before the reveal, and that it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the story- quite the opposite.
This is a good read full of unexpected twists and turns.
My only slight criticisms are that it contains a LOT of characters and it was a bit difficult keeping them separate in my mind. Also I thought there was a wee bit of inconsistency towards the end over who knew what, and why, but maybe that’s just me. Well worth a read.

This book is genius.
I am big fan of Brookmyres books, I like his writing style, the references to politics / pop culture and a little Glasweigan that often pops up. This book is still Classic Brookmyre but different and I think its my favourite one yet!

Imagine a sweet little old lady who's nephew is suggesting is getting forgetful coming home to Scotland to discover a local murder, in the church, and on top of that an invite to a wedding of people she cant remember how she knows. Thats not going to stop her attending though.

Across the pond a detective has a bad case and ends up at the same wedding where the pair have to decide if they trust each other, znd can solve a murder togther. She makes him better, he pushes her to be a little more creative - they re a brilliant pairing.

As the LA cop and the Scottish Pensioner start to dig into the mystery they unravel clues about a tech company and its elusive owner. Theres similarities between the new case and older ones and they have to wodner the connection.

The first 85/90% of the book is brilliantly constructed, then that nagging feeling that theres something big lurking in whats unsaid becomes clearer and the story implodes in the best possible way. Its clever, simple and really effective.

Its a book that needs to be paid attention to. Follow the clues, immerse youself in the story, really put yourself in Johnny and Pennys shoes and try to uncover the mystery!

The Cracked Mirror is an amazing success for Chris Brookmyre. He takes all of the tropes of the classic crime mystery and combined them with the modern police procedural, and ends up with an excellent thriller. Both main characters are brilliantly crafted, and the plot is superb.

As a long time fan of Brookmyre’s writing, Jack Parlabane being one of my favourite fictional characters ever, I jumped at the chance to review this via NetGalley.
In a never before seen mash up of a Marple-esque crime solver and a hardened, rule bending LAPD Lieutenant, Brookmyre brings them unexpectedly together to solve what ends up as multiple crimes in both Scotland and LA.
The tempo is fast, the crimes complicated, their methods polar opposites, the relationship tested to the limit right from the start however, Penny and Hawke make it work and build up a respect for each others strengths, making them a compelling double act.
There is also a wink to a certain Edinburgh detective agency in there.
There were parts where I had picked up the right clues but made wrong assumptions about where this story was going. This is classic Brookmyre, keeping you guessing all the way through. An unexpected twist that shows the author is still making holes in the boundaries of crime fiction and where that can take us.

This is a very different crime novel by Chris Brookmyre. When Johnny and Penny meet nothing is as it seems. One is the typical LAPD homicide detective always in trouble and the other is very much along the lines of an Agatha Christie Miss Marple, but what a team they make. As with any Chris Brookmyre novel it has many layers and the characters are so well observed, they shouldn't work well together but they do! We are treated to such a great story with so many unexpected twists and turns. To say too much about the plot will spoil it, so I urge you to pick this up and you will not be disappointed.

I would never have imagined that melding the English cosy crime and LA hard boiled detective genres would work so well. Well done to Chris Brookmyre for achieving this in a page turning novel and for giving a real surprise twist at the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for a review copy.

A week after finishing this novel, the storyline is still playing on my mind. I just cannot forget the twists and how the story eventually played out.
We have two main characters: Penny Coyne, who is a Miss Marple like character, with a long history of solving terrible murders in her little village and indeed, when we first meet her, she is in the middle of solving a new murder. And then, there is Johnny Hawke, a tough cynical LAPD detective, who reminds me of 'Dirty' Harry Callaghan - a constant rule breaker, who solves crimes, but tends to leave his partners dead in the process.
These two become unlikely allies, team up to solve a murder when they accidentally attend the same wedding and soon discover themselves in the middle of a very complex and detailed mystery.
At times, I thought that I could guess where the storyline was headed, only for Brookmyre to throw in another unexpected twist. And each time, I said, "I should have seen that coming", but there are sufficient red herrings that I never did. A highly unusual thriller, with a sense of dry humour running throughout and a poignant ending that really tugs at the heartstrings.

Chris Brookmyre in top form with this roller coaster of a murder mystery that’s mind-blowingly clever and laced with his usual dry wit.
Penny Coyne (dreadful pun of a name) is an elderly Miss Marple like character who has helped solve numerous murders in her little village in Perthshire.
On the other side of the world is Johnny Hawke, a tough cynical LAPD detective whose partners have an unfortunate habit of ending up dead.
When Penny receives a puzzling wedding invite and Johnny, following a lead, turn up at the same venue, these two mismatched characters end up working together, both in Scotland and California, to solve a series of incredibly complex crimes with events dating back over twenty years.
It shouldn’t work but it does and I defy anyone not to be moved by the ending.

Many thanks to NetGalley & Little Brown Book Group UK for an ARC

This was a thrilling thriller!
Highly recommended by me.
Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

A rip roaring ride from Christopher Brookmyre, twisty turny and a cross of Agatha Christie & Michael Connolley what more could you ask for.
Thank you for an advanced copy of this book

The Cracked Mirror is my first 5 star read of 2024, however, it's a tricky one to review as saying too much about the plot or even the characters runs the risk of spoiling what was a perfectly judged and ingenious twist.

The novel begins by introducing us to two characters - a renegade LAPD cop cast in the mould of a Michael Connolly hero, Johnny Hawke, and a Marple-esque Scottish pensioner named Penelope Coyne - both solving a murder on their home turf. Two such disparate settings and characters (and, indeed, narrative styles) could feel messy and confusing in the hands of a lesser writer, but Brookmyre is more than capable of guiding the reader through the switches of tone. And when Hawke finds a clue that takes him to a society wedding in Scotland, the stage is set for the two stories to cohere into one.

And speaking of Brookmyre, what a joy it was - as a fan of his writing as far back as the 1990s and his early Jack Parlabane novels - to see him back on form. Which is not to say I haven't enjoyed his recent novels, which have tended to hew to a more conventional thriller format: I have enjoyed them all greatly. But The Cracked Mirror harks back to when Brookmyre was more than just a good thriller writer, but someone who experimented with form, who came up with audacious characters and plot twists, his books always shot through with a vein of the darkest humour possible and a keen eye for social justice.

I would strongly recommend giving The Cracked Mirror a try, although unfortunately I can't even couch my recommendation in the usual 'if you liked x you'll like this', because even that runs the risk of spoilers. Suffice it to say that I couldn't have loved this book more.

When you read a Chris Brookmyre novel, things are never as they seem. This book is full of twists and turns, and is very clever. The relationship between the main characters, Jack and Penny is delightful, especially with the 80 something Penny's approach to life. As events unfold, red herrings abound and the ending had me gobsmacked. Alert readers might have noticed some of the clues earlier than me. For those who like their crime novels just a bit different, this is great fun. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC to read and freely review.

An octogenarian Scottish librarian and a tough LAPD detective teaming up to solve a murder? I was intrigued by the unusual premise and the fact that it didn’t sound like a typical Chris Brookmyre book at all. Let’s just say nothing is as it seems in this unique thriller. Mind-blowing, moving, clever and laugh-out-loud funny, The Cracked Mirror is an outstanding read—and 100 percent classic Brookmyre despite initial impressions. Already a contender for one of my books of the year!

This blend of Agatha Christie and Michael Connelly is Chris Brookmyre's most twisty, poignant, head spinning, and imaginative 'crime' novel. Penny Coyne, is a version of Miss Marple, in her early 80s, living in a village in Perthshire, librarian and archivist, responsible for solving numerous murders, close friends with DI Saeeda Sattar, and experiencing serious and unsettling memory issues. She is investigating the latest murder with the glaring symbolism of the victim in Saint Bride's chapel, not in a coffin, but in the confessional booth. Out of the blue, Penny receives a strange wedding invitation where she knows none of the parties involved, could it possibly have malevolent intentions?

LAPD's hard bitten Lieutenant Johnny Hawke's partners have a habit of ending up dead, as his sensitive 'suicide' case ends in tragedy and his suspension. This does not stop him hunting for the truth as he follows a lead to Crathie Hall in Scotland where a wedding is taking place, an event where he bumps into Penny, the two of them forming a surprising partnership, given that Penny is one for following rules and trust in the police, whilst Hawke comfortably moves between the law and criminality, respect and contempt, and is rude and dangerous. However, after experiencing a shocking police shooting spree at her beloved library, she feels safer with Hawke after he saves her life, and which has the pair of them travelling to California, where the strange pattern of deaths, weddings, and mergers is replicated in a historical case that goes back 20 years. What could possibly be going on?

Brookmyre writes a complex, multilayered, story of murder, friendship, a detective and sleuth who work uncommonly well together, memory, and so much more, as it ventures into totally unforseen territory. This is a dark, fascinating, stylish, and engaging, vibrant 'crime' read that is likely to enthrall fans of the crime and mystery genre looking for something different. I loved the central characters and the relationship that develops between Penny and Johnny as they face the challenging and the odd scenarios they find themselves in, they make for a cracking investigation team. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

I have loved the other books I have read by Chris Brookmyre and this one was no different. As always I felt hooked and immersed in the book immediately,

Am big a Brookmyre fans I was delighted to get the chance to read this ARC. But sadly I found I could not take to it, I liked the idea of the cross cross-genre hybrid of Agatha Christie and Michael Connelly to begin with but it soon got tired and confusing. I found the full plot lacked something and it didn't have the usual dark humour that I love in Beookmyre's work. I'd admire the fact he never writes anything the same and tries fresh new ideas each time he writes but this wasn't for me.