I liked the book however , I was not able to finish it as it’s was not gripping . I lost interest . But would like to read it on a later date. That for the opportunity to read the book to publisher and netgalley.

Found this difficult to read for a few reasons. I’m not very good at remembering names and there are so many in this book!
Also, I hate bad language and it had way too much of it.
But the premise of the story was good and I enjoyed the way it turned out.

Because Brookmyre is a brilliant writer, this novel is a triumph. Two characters, completely different, one a Scottish woman, Penelope Coyne in the style of Agatha Christie, and the other an LAPD cop, Johnny Hawke. Two different styles of writing and tone involving the solving of crimes. I know I'm being obtuse by not giving more details here, but to do so would give away too much. Suffice to say, this truly is a brilliantly written crime novel in which Brookmyre flexes narrative muscles in a way that is unique. Highly -- *very* highly -- recommended. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the privilege of the ARC.

I have read most of Chris Brookmyre's books both as a solo writer and in collaboration with his wife and have enjoyed them all, This was no exception although I have to say at the outset it is not my favourite, Nonetheless there is a lot to like in this highly original crime story,,

We start off in Perthshire where 82 year old Penny Coyne has been invited to a wedding. She doesn't know why and is finding life a little confusing. Meanwhile in LA, Johnny Hawkes has been suspended from work but in true noir style he ignores this to go off and investigate on his own. His sleuthing takes him to Perthshire where he meets up with Penny.

What I liked about this book: It is very original with a carefully worked out plot. The plot is very clever and original, Both Penny and Johnny are engaging characters. I especially enjoyed the bits set in Scotland and I really liked the humour throughout.

What I wasn't so sure about: I did find the story confusing at times. Perhaps it was the number of characters, I couldn't keep track of them but that is probably because it's an e-book. It's harder to flick back through e-books than through real books. I'd recommend this to readers who already like Chris Brookmyre's works but I'm not sure that if it was the first I'd read by him, that I'd go on to read more.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

This really confused me at first. It opens with an elderly Scottish librarian who has returned from a trip to find that there has been a murder in her village. Naturally we pin her down as the sleuth from the set genre of Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes. Penny has a strong relationship with the police force and is known to solve many of their cases. Within a few chapters we seem to jump into a completely different realm. I had to check I had been sent the correct document. We are in LA and our protagonist is a brash, no rules, soon to be an ex detective. There is a suicide/murder that he is determined to solve. Brookmyre knits the two genres together when Jonny's clue takes him to Scotland for a wedding which results in an identical suicide/ murder. Penny is there although she has no idea why she should have been invited. The two join forces in solving the mystery and hunting down the killer.
Throughout the novel there are several hints that things are not as they seem to be when Penny, an extremely likeable character appears to know places and directions in America she claims not to have visited. The plot thickens as they get closer to the solution but boy are there twists and turns along the way. I have to admit I guessed the twist three quarters of the way in but as was invested in the characters I had to keep reading.

This book unites two very different styles, the comfy crime genre with Sci fi fiction brilliantly. It was a breath of fresh air and well executed.
Highly recommend and thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

Not for me - I’m disappointed that I didn’t warm to this book. The concept is quirky and I liked the sound of it. As it turns out I was just frustrated during reading and I didn’t find it pleasurable. Thank you for the opportunity to read it

I thank the author, Publishers and NetGalley for an advance review copy of this book in return for a fair review.
I read and enjoyed many of the Jack Parlabane books, but then came the wonderful Ambrose Parry [half of whom is Chris Brrokmyre] series and I began to follow him seriously. If you are intrigued by the idea of combining a cosy Scottish village mystery with a much more hard-boiled LA detective thriller then this book is for you. I was hooked from the second chapter and had no idea where the story was headed. The two main characters are excellently developed and the plot is extremely clever. I thorougjly recommend this book and look forwward to more from Chris.

I loved this book! A lovely twist brings the two story strands together. The first few chapters may confuse a little, but keep with it. I just couldn't stop reading it. How are murders in Scotland and California connected? Two rather different protagonists work on the cases.

Every mystery is touted as 'twisty' but this one really deserves the title! It's everything it's cracked up to be.

Initially, the two storylines and styles are worlds apart, but this is an intentional clash that is a beautiful mechanism for the character development when the two protagonists ' worlds do collide.

I guessed the twist just before it happened, and thought 'oh no, what a terrible and annoying cliche.' But even though my guess was correct, it wasn't terrible at all: it just kept getting twistier and twistier until it came out the other side of every trope ever invented.

I also loved the literary references dotted throughout, very tongue-in-cheek and beautifully integrated into the plot.

Many mysteries strive to be unique by being too clever for their own good; this one is cleverer than all of them, but blindingly good.

Interesting idea for a detective novel - a mash up of a Miss Marple type sleuth and an LA investigator. They cross paths at a society wedding in Scotland. For me, I would have preferred one or the other as I couldn’t entirely enage with the characters or the mixing of genres.

Well that’s one weird book! To start with I thought the two narratives were written by different authors but then they became entwined! The storyline was fascinating until it turn to science fiction & just became confusing.

The Mirror Cracked. Review

What a glorious mash up of two and more, completely different stories and opposing genres! You think-how can he possibly make this work??

But the genius thing is he can and he does. Cosy crime, hard-boiled American thriller and even a little Scottish noir. Not to mention sci-fi undertones.

As the blurb suggests, this is not your ordinary crime novel. It is so much more. The story unfolds at pace, with many an unexpected twist and turn as the main characters seek to uncover the truth of some suspiciously unlikely deaths.

The two protagonists form an unlikely partnership, each remaining true to themselves, their genres and their own personal stories. They are authentic and all too human -portrayed with warmth and understanding by an brilliant author of perception and empathy.The development of their poignant relationship, sensitively expressed, adds real depth and emotional resonance to a gripping mystery story.

A one-off or the start of a whole new category of crime fiction? Fingers crossed for the latter.!

Will post to Amazon and The BookLoad when published. Happy to get a reminder email

A smart meta-mystery that blends together multiple micro-genres, The Cracked Mirror operates best when it focuses on its vacilitating pair of rootworthy protagonists, the grizzled, washed-up detective fresh out of LA and a modern Marlowe novel, and an elderly investigator in rural Scotland who more than resembles a certain Christie archetype. While its twists sometimes threaten to derail the story, it nails the execution mostly, and if nothing else proves to be an entertaining ride.

I have never read anything by this author but the cover just drew me in as did the summary. Did it disappoint me, not in any way. I loved this book it had me gripped from the first page and I couldn’t put it down. I would highly recommend it

I have read most of CB’s books though recently it was the Ambrose Parry collaborations , so when I started reading this novel and met the spritely 82 year old Scottish librarian sleuth , I wondered if he was thinking of putting on his slippers and moving into the safe world of cosy crime.
I need not have worried as there plenty of slightly weird happenings in the book which are typical of the author and perhaps made me not look carefully enough at them as I did not suspect the major revelation about 80% of the way through the book.
At first the narrative alternates between Penny in Scotland and detective Johnny Hawke in California. They are brought together and join forces to solve deaths that seem to be related. A lot of the background is related to cutting edge high tech companies and the games industry but the reader does not have to be into these things to understand the plotting.
The maverick US detective and the break no rules Penny knit together well despite being opposites and I really was backing them to clear up the mysteries of the deaths.
For me this was CB in top form.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the ARC

Firstly, I love Brookmyre. I have been with him from the start. I have been a beta reader and a proofreader for a good few of his early books, so I certainly know the author’s writing well enough.

While I liked this and had fun with it, it is definitely not up there with his best. However, on finishing this read I was (in hindsight) overly critical. The overall premise is a bit silly, but on reflection a lot of his work is; in a good way. One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night is one of my favourite books (not just of his) and it’s utterly, brilliantly, ridiculously bonkers.

Here, Brookmyre is clearly going for a Bosch / Miss Marple mash-up and when you get down to it, it’s a lot of fun. Silly, but fun nonetheless.

There is a twist, which I partially caught, but don’t want to get into spoiler territory. On reflection, it does address some of the contrivances I felt are in the text, but they were there during the read that I felt was off-putting.

The reason why I don’t rate this higher (and perhaps its because I haven’t read him for a while), is that Brookmyre never used to shy away from really hammering home a strong stance on a particular viewpoint; be it religious, political or other. He could be absolutely brutal and I was waiting for it, but plays it very safe with this one, which seems very…un-brookmyre like.

However, when you get down to it, like most of his work, it’s just good fun.

*Additional note for disclosure: The pdf when added to my Kindle (no matter what I did) had formatting issues that was frustrating to read sometimes and that "may" have negatively impacted my review. I think my review is fair, but it's only fair to disclose.

What a fantastic introduction to this author, for me. I'd never heard of Chris Brookmyre, but I'm now off to find anything they've ever written.

So very impressed with this charming, yet deadly, jaunt up to Scotland. We've got the seasoned, yet cynical, LA detective - who always gets his man, and the crumbly old lady, who is razor sharp of mind, if not in body, but has solved plenty of small village crimes in her time. An unlikely pairing, but a fabulous one nonetheless.

The dynamic here is excellent and I couldn't turn the pages quick enough. Clever and twisty, you'll be enthralled to the ending and the big reveal.

In rural Scotland, Miss Penelope Coyne has returned from holiday to discover that a new resident has been found murdered in the local parish church.

She also receives an invitation to the society wedding of the year. The only problem is that she doesn't recognise the name of who has invited her.

Meanwhile in LA, lieutenant Johnny Hawke is investigating the apparent suicide of a scriptwriter of the latest blockbuster. He has to pursue the man's business partner to Scotland and ends up at the same wedding as Penny.

There is a meeting of minds and clash of morals that makes for a rollercoaster of a novel!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Abacus Publishing for the chance to read and review this book.

not to my taste I am afraid. I was enjoying the "miss Marple " side of it but when it cut to America I found the terminology too difficult to read.

Not every book people read will be a five-star review not because of the book but because the reader taste differs. This was my first experience of a cross genre book and I think it will be my last.

Both stories were great but I could not get them to work while reading them together but would say that is more about me than the book.

The characters Penny Coyne and Johnny Hawke and the storylines are scripted fantastically well with many little nuggets to want you to keep reading to find the answers.