My Rating: 1⭐️ not my cup of tea at all…

NetGalley Synopsis

Forget what you think you know… 

You know Penny Coyne. The little old lady who has solved multiple murders in her otherwise sleepy village, despite bumbling local police. A razor-sharp mind in a twinset and tweed.

You know Johnny Hawke. Hard-bitten LAPD homicide detective. Always in trouble with his captain, always losing partners, but always battling for the truth, whatever it takes.

Against all the odds, against the usual story, their worlds are about to collide. It starts with a dead writer and a mysterious wedding invitation. It will end with a rabbit hole that goes so deep, Johnny and Penny might just come to question not just whodunnit, but whether they want to know the answer.

*A cross-genre hybrid of Agatha Christie and Michael Connelly.

Well I should have read that last line a little closer… a cross-genre hybrid of Agatha Christie… I could have saved myself the trouble. I have never read anything that is Agatha Christie adjacent or similar that I have enjoyed… I believe its just not for me… this was no different. And to be honest I haven’t read anything from Michael Connelly but the bits that were from Hawkes perspective I think were likely more his style and that was ok… but the Penny ones… talk about snore fest for me…

Now what I will say is this was CLEVER I really didn’t know how the author was going to intersect the two stories that were not even running in the same country let alone with the same characters but honestly that was clever and excellent writing. There is no doubt about it that Brookmyre is talented… however…. The story just dragged on and on and on and on… this is nearly 500 pages and ALOT is happening but it felt like it was all happening underwater, in slow motion trapped in mud… come on… I shouldn’t feel bored by a story that has two stories multi POV and multi-countries with multi-mysteries.

I wasn’t a fan of Penny… I thought she was whatever… I mean good on her shes a little old lady that can solve mysteries… but she was kind of a nothing to me… and she was boring. Johnny was a bit better but again very stereotypical and ME MAN YOU WOMAN kind of dude… whatever cause that doesn’t particularly bother me except again I was still bored… either way for me this was a huge miss.

I am disappointed too cause I loved the sound of it… but I will make sure I never pick up another book that is “like” Agatha Christie cause I never ever Vibe with them. I think maybe one day I may read an actual Agatha Christie to see if I actually like her work… but anything that is LIKE it… definitely not for me. I would prefer it to be the actual famous author and go… yeah thats not for me… cause now its put me off her writing before I have even given her a chance. So… we shall see.

Either way… I am keeping this short… its one star.. I am positive lots of people will like this… but I did not.

Thank you to Abacus, NetGalley and the author for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

If I could give this 5.5 stars I would. I actually stopped and started again because I couldn't figure out what I was reading but once I got into the rhythm of the story I was absolutely hooked. The narrative worked perfectly with just enough drip feeding to stop the reading getting confused. It's rare too that I've read what is essentially a sci fi novel with a real, beating heart. A triumph

When I read somewhere that this was a mix of Agatha Christie and Michael Connelly, I thought eh? But knock me down and smack me with this very book - for it is a mix and a homage in one. Very funny and clever. Twisty and ambitious. The contrast between rural scotland and LA was good too. I think the author had a lot of fun with this and it shows.

#TheCrackedMirror #NetGalley
You know Penny Coyne. The little old lady who has solved multiple murders in her otherwise sleepy village, despite bumbling local police. A razor-sharp mind in a twinset and tweed. You know Johnny Hawke. Hard-bitten LAPD homicide detective. Always in trouble with his captain, always losing partners, but always battling for the truth, whatever it takes. Against all the odds, against the usual story, their worlds are about to collide. It starts with a dead writer and a mysterious wedding invitation. It will end with a rabbit hole that goes so deep, Johnny and Penny might just come to question not just whodunnit, but whether they want to know the answer
Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Books UK Abacus for giving me an advance copy

An unusual and interesting novel combining two popular aspects of the crime genre - the hardbitten, LA cop and the cosy, elderly female detective. I loved the characters and the surprising elements that came in the final act. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Though you have never met them before this book centres on two characters you probably "know". There's the tough LAPD cop, Johnny Hawke, who will get his man never mind who he has to offend, annoy etc and you will live longer if you are not his partner. He's a dark, hard character who will fall out with anyone. In a sleepy village in Scotland (sleepy but otherwise the murder capital of the area!) there's Penelope (Penny to her friends) Coyne. She is ageing but is still remarkably sharp and has a dry wit. She would probably never wish to cause offence but it pretty tough. Remarkably Chris Brookmyre manages to write them both into one book.

Initially you have two stories - one in LA and one in Scotland - each of which has one of the main characters involved in the cases. In Penny's case it involves a man who has managed to make himself quite unpopular in the village and is then found dead. The situation in LA is a little different. There is a suicide in a movie studio that Johnny is told is an open and shut case that he is to deal with quickly and diplomatically. However he sees it a little differently. As time goes by Johnny and Penny come across one another in a very upmarket hotel in Scotland where a wedding is about to take place.

I've been a fan of Brookmyre's writing for quite a few years now however I am very impressed at just how well he has managed to write 2 such different characters in their own stories and then bring them together. The voices he uses for them are quite distinct too and the story alternates between them once they are "working together". It is fair to say that this is not really my ideal book and I think others may well like this even more than me. However I did like this a lot and I thought it was a very clever story. I don't like giving things away in my reviews however this does take some surprising turns. By the end I found myself thinking of the nesting sets of Russian dolls - have you got to the last one yet!

How do you know what is real in a book…

Wow. I have been a fan of Chris Brookmyre for over 20 years, and I just love his inventiveness.
Penny Coyne is a genteel OAP who's a whizz at solving the many murders that occur in her quiet Scottish village. Johnny Hawke is a tough, hard-drinking LA cop with a history of dead partners and a penchant for bending the rules. They both have eerily similar murders to solve.....
This book is a gift to avid readers of crime of all genres, with multiple layers of intriguing puzzles to solve while also enjoying the chaos when cosy mystery meets hard boiled noir. The only caveat is that the reader needs to be open minded about the current limits of technology 🙂 This story reminds me a little of one of his previous novels ('Bedlam'), in that it wanders around the edges of sci-fi territory in a most entertaining fashion.
Fabulous. My favourite book of the year to date.

Tremendous…
Penny Coyne, a seemingly typical and harmless little old lady but who has solved numerous cases of murder within her small village. Johnny Hawke - a hard boiled LAPD homicide detective. Surely, never the twain should meet? A clash of genres in this tremendous mystery come whodunit come thriller - with two superheroes from opposite ends of a spectrum, both fighting for truth and for justice, team up to form the ultimate fighting force. Hugely entertaining and endlessly enjoyable with a deftly drawn cast of eclectic characters and a swiftly moving and propulsive plot.

I hadn’t read any of Chris Brookmyre’s books before but I will now, I found this story a refreshing and twisty one, where you felt like it was two stories as one but it worked as long as you were willing to go along with the fun of it! It had twists, some good dialogue and with a read.

3.5 stars


Brookmyres ability to write in different genres is quite something, but I didn't ever imagine he would be doing 2 in one book.
It's different, and at times it feels like you're getting 2 books for the price of 1. At other times it didn't quite work for me.

Interesting, plenty of twists, a bit of fun, and some great dialogue... once I'd settled into it, it felt like another winner.
I just took a while to settle in.

This book is genius- different stories intertwined together resulting in an astounding novel! Brilliant!

Love Chris Brookmyre’s books and I loved this new offering even more so. It had the usual Brookmyre dark humour however this one was ‘cleverer’ as it was told in two different perspectives and genres - one in ol English Agatha whoddunit style and the other in American police investigative style. Totally gripping and an excellent read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers, Little Brown Books for this ARC. Thoroughly recommend.

You need to stick with this narrative as the two very different murder stories and tone start to intertwine. The first storyline follows a sweet, 80 year old lady living in a small village in Scotland. Her nephew fears she is getting forgetful and might wish to move house and indeed she has received a wedding invitation to nuptials of a couple whom she cannot recall ever meeting, perhaps her nephew is right and then there has been a dead body found in the local church and the murder piques her interest. In the second storyline, which unfolds in alternate chapters we meet a hard drinking, hard nosed, wise guy LA detective and his new side kick who are sent to investigate a dead body found in a Holywood studio. As our protagonists start to unravel mysteries and piece together clues it is only a matter of time before their worlds collide and they join forces. I enjoyed this, it was different, sort of "Dirty Harry" meets "Miss Marple."

Delighted to report that my 100% enjoyment of Chris Brookmyre novels, however different they are, remains complete. I loved this curious but satisfying mash up of different crime genres - cliches abound (deliberately so) and are playfully used

I’m not going to say much about the plot because there is a serious spoiler danger here - but I would just say it’s clever, thought provoking (surprisingly so given the initial premise / set up) and brilliantly written as always.

Absolutely amazing, this is both fantastic and fascinating. It’s difficult to review because saying anything at all gives away plot points. All I can say is if you have ever wondered what Miss Marple would make of Harry Bosch read this book and find out.

The only reason I’m not giving this wonderful, intriguing story a full five stars is that at the very end it is implied that fraternal twins have the same DNA. They don’t, no more than any other siblings. Only identical twins share the same DNA. It’s not a major plot point in this story but if it’s a lead in to a subsequent story in this particular universe then it could be problematic.

After a few novels which were enjoyable but not earth shattering, it’s great to see Brookmyre experimenting again. This one plays with different facets of the crime genre, and while they may seem initially mismatched, all is under control. It’s an intimidating one to review for fear of spoilers, but be assured it’s lots of fun.

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.