The Cracked Mirror
Ratings3
Average rating4.5
FORGET WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW THIS IS NOT THAT CRIME NOVEL 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 come to question not just whodunnit, but whether they want to know the answer. A cross-genre hybrid of Agatha Christie and Michael Connelly, The Cracked Mirror is the most imaginative and entertaining crime novel of the year, a genre-splicing rollercoaster with a poignantly emotional heart.
Tags
Reviews
Popular Reviews
Reviews with the most likes.
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.
“FORGET WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW.
THIS IS NOT THAT CRIME NOVEL.”
Talk about understatement of the year.
Up to this point I had never read anything by Chris Brookmyre, but seeing that blurb I knew I wanted to.
When I opened The Cracked Mirror I expected an Agatha Christie/ Michael Connelly mashup. I got that, and so much more.
Without giving the plot away, there are two storylines, one in Scotland and one in Los Angeles. Each storyline has an unexplained murder, and its own central character. The two storylines eventually merge, and that's when the fun really begins.
I'm not kidding when I say there's a lot going on, what with multiple POV's and locations, red herrings galore, and a big reveal that will leave you reeling. Then there's that poignant ending. In a nutshell, prepare to be mind blown.
Massive thanks to Little Brown Book Group and Netgalley for the digital ARC.
