The Cracker Mirror was the first book I’ve read by Chris Brookmyre, and I was thrilled to receive an ARC copy because the premise really intrigued me. It’s one of those books that I can’t say too much about without giving plot lines away, and one that you should absolutely go into blind to get the most immersive experience.

It’s Russian dolls in book form. There are so many layers, so many characters, and every time I thought I might have figured out where the story was going, I was proven wrong.

That being said, I found the pacing of this book quite slow for my own tastes. This book is set in four parts, and I was confused for the entirety of part 1, although I thoroughly enjoyed part 2. Similarly, I enjoyed part 3 to begin with but thought it lost its way towards the end. This middle part was where we could have lost 50-100 pages and still told the same story. I thought part 4 was a good conclusion and very very clever, and Chris Brookmyre’s writing is brilliant.

Overall, I thought The Cracked Mirror was undeniably far-fetched and a little bit silly, but ultimately a whole lot of fun. When this worked for me, it really worked. It just took me a lot longer to get into than I’d hoped, and didn’t have me hooked the whole way through.

Thank you NetGalley, Little Brown Book Group for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

At first I thought this was like an Agatha Christie novel which I don't like particularly. An Octogenarian sleuth who solves murders in a little village in Scotland, teams up with an LA cop on suspension to solve a few similar cases of suicide which are not quite what they seem.
Quirky murder mystery with an unusual and unexpected twist at the end.

I’ve been looking forward to reading this book as I am a big fine of the detective/crime genre, but I’m afraid I was terribly disappointed. There is an enormous cast of characters and it’s impossible to keep track; even the two central characters are entirely two-dimensional. Numerous stories overlap which makes it all very disjointed and by the end I had no understanding of who had committed any of the crimes or even who was whom. I’m very sorry because I always try to be positive in my reviews but I just didn’t enjoy anything about this book.

Thank you to netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy to read.

Sadly I had to DNF at 25%. I really couldn't grasp what was happening with the two storylines running together. I didn't remember a single characters name and didn't really understand what was happening.

The actual writing was decent, it just wasn't for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book with no obligation to review.

This is very inventive indeed. At first I was not sure about it, I didn't really like the Penny bit at the start but then we meet Johnny and I liked that theme much more., even although there is a surprisingly upsetting death very early in the LA section.. It all hots up when Penny and Johnny meet and from then on the story just zips along with loads happening, some things perhaps rather less believable than others - a shoot out in the public library of a genteel Perthshire town, for example.. I was a bit irked by some apparent inconsistencies in the action but keep reading and find out why.

Towards the end it all becomes very Black Mirror and although I cannot pretend to understand all the technicalities, it is a great and original twist. Finally, we think we know everything and then the last paragraph makes us doubt all over again.

Really enjoyable.

I loved the sound of two drastically different detectives colliding and working together in The Cracked Mirror by Chris Brookmyre. The idea of a Miss Marple type of detective working with a Harry Bosch L.A. type really tickled my fancy.

The story begins in picturesque Perthshire and an elderly Penny Coyne, Librarian and amateur detective, is preparing to go to a high-society wedding. She’s not sure why she has been invited, but is intent on going anyway to find out why. Running parallel, in Los Angeles, Johnny Hawke is a LAPD homocide detective called in to investigate a mysterious death death in a film studio. His investigation takes him to Scotland and the same hotel and wedding that Penny Coyne is attending.

I enjoyed the fish out of element of the story of Johnny Hawke in Scotland. I enjoyed reading the burgeoning relationship between Johnny and Penny, which was believable, touching and a joy to read.

Without giving away too much, this is a pacy story with even further strands. At one point, I had to re-read a chapter or two just to make sure I was across it all. Despite that, I thoroughly enjoyed this edgy exciting story!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Little, Brown Book Group UK, for making the e-ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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.