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.

The genre splicing element of the plot description was what drew me to this - I'm more of a hard boiled fan than a cozy crime reader (although I've read plenty of both) and I thought the author did a good job of capturing the spirit/ tone of both and bringing them together - I did feel the cozy voice sounded more authentic than the 'American' one (despite the author's earlier works which would have led me to expect the other way round).
I have to say I guessed the basics of the plot's 'twist' at the 7% mark, but I'm guessing that wasn't really the point: I'm not claiming I'm 'smart' for having done so: the author drops a couple of plot points by then that a reader familiar with (author name/ tv shows and movies redacted as potential plot spoilers) will pick up on straight away - so this one is very much a case of seeing how we actually get to that denouement and it's certainly a twisty turny journey that will no doubt appeal to fans of the author's previous works and new readers alike.
In a world where some successful authors (and their publishers) are content to keep turning out further episodes of series novels, it's clear Brookmyre is consistently looking to do something different as readers of his recent stand alones such as The Cliff House and The Cut will know. The Cracked Mirror is a book: that may divide some with its multiple genre cross over but it is doing something different. How well that works for you will depend on your personal taste.

With many thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily

Oh this is such a clever book! This is brash LA cop meets Miss Marple meets the world of AI. On paper this should never have worked but ‘holly golly’ Chris Brookmyre has absolutely nailed this storyline. Wonderfully written as the author is bang on the money with the change in narrative from Scottish to American. The story starts off calm and realistic but at one point we get an unbelievable police shoot out in the village library and you start to wonder what’s happening, but that is all part of the superbly plotted story. Johnny and Penny are two very mis-matched characters but they develop a strong and towards the end poignant relationship. This very good book will take you on a brilliant adventure that you will find hard to put down. Loved it!