“…for every writer is a murderer, and every reader is a sleuth.”

This is quite unique as it is not any sort of typical murder mystery. Nor is it suspenseful. It’s written more like a thesis that attempts to explain the art of writing this genre of fiction. The tropes, the various methods of murder, the possible motives, and even how a clever whodunit should be constructed. Much discussion of other authors and their canon. It’s described as metafiction. I found it disorienting.

The shifting point of view is crazy — starts out in second person with the narrator, who seems to be the author, speaking directly to the reader with explanations, literary references (primary sources), and hints guiding our reactions to the situation and the characters. Then, to third person limited, to first person singular, and to first person plural.

The plot: there is a detective, hired by someone, who is meant to report back on any suspicious or interesting observations that he makes while attending a 4th of July celebration at this wealthy enclave where the residents have known each other all their lives. Did I mention there are a ton of characters and I found them hard to keep straight. During the weekend there are deaths. Who is the killer?

And believe me, this moves along and I’m very interested in the detective’s process and the clues and red herrings. Totally invested. And then the big reveal at the end…doesn’t come. Now I’m the kind of person who feels cheated when faced with ambiguity.

So, despite all the pretentiousness and thought provoking commentary, I was frustrated and confused by the way the narrator pulls a one up at the end. I come away thinking, what in the heck did I just read. I wanted to like it but the unconventional ending just ruined it. Sure I can guess all day but I wanted the author to do the work for me. Maybe this is brilliant work, but I’m just not clever enough to get it.

I listened to the audio book while following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. I liked the voice of the narrator, Robert Petkoff, and he did an excellent job. I did, however, find the redundancy of the question and answer interviews hard to listen to so had to fast forward thru that. It definitely enhanced my appreciation of the book.

I had a very hard time with the formatting of this book. it was an interesting plot but i ended up not finishing this as i just couldn’t get past it.

I was surprised this was nominated as I felt that the whole thing was a mess. Smarmy I think is the word I used to describe it. Just not for me but maybe others?

I tried getting into West Heart Kill and it has a pretty interesting and unique vibe to it. It’s just one that I can’t really dig into. My brain just can’t nestle on it and get comfortable with the format and story line. Which is a shame because I was getting a little bit of Clue and that’s always a favorite.

This started out really good and I was enjoying it a lot. But the further into the book I got the less enjoyment I was getting. I feel like there were a lot of red herrings and it was longer than it needed to be. I also was not a fan of the ending. I believe this is a debut novel, so that being said, I believe he has the potential to become a better writer down the road. I did like it enough that I would consider reading more by this author in the future.

This is unfortunately a DNF. This book has been on my TBR for so long and I’ve tried reading it multiple times, but I just couldn’t get into it. I don’t know if it was the way it was written, but it did not hold my attention. I tried reading the eARC and I tried listening to the audiobook.

Y’all, this is one of the strangest books I’ve ever read, both in plot and writing style. (And I mean that as a compliment!)

It is a locked room murder mystery and metafiction* combined, which turned the genre on its head. If you need a good old fashioned Agatha Christie story to tuck into, this one may not be for you but if you want a book where the narrator pulls you into (by speaking to you directly and even giving you lines to stay), absolutely pick it up.

*a story where the author, narrator, or even characters are aware of and analyze the elements of the fiction they are in. It’s the same as an actor breaking the fourth wall during a performance.

I really don’t understand why this one has such low reviews on so many websites because I really enjoyed this one. I felt like a detective trying to crack the case at the fancy country club. Great for fans of locked room cozy mysteries. I really liked it from start to finish.

eehhhhhh. i think the metanarrative style was kind of trying at times. i prefer a fair play mystery rather than one like this

Whether you can appreciate West Heart Kill almost entirely depends on your opinion of the omniscent narrator with whom we are trapped in a locked-room mystery at a country hunting club, who at times sounds stuffy, know-it-all and pretentious. The kind of person who would call themself a polymath in a social media bio. I however found this book charming and refreshing for a cozy mystery.

Thursday Murder Club meets The White Lotus in this metafiction tale of the fading glory days of a hunting club and the secrets, lies and love affairs of the old money set. They get together at the club every summer, unhappy people addicted to drugs, alcohol and infidelity, to drink, swim in the lake and reminisce about the good old days. The days that were tainted by associations to Nazi Germany.

A private detective is a visitor to the estate only he frequently lies about his background and client. Until bodies start dropping, secrets unravel and suspicion mounts. Everyone is a suspect with something to hide.

I found it refreshing that the story is told in alternating points of view, literary analysis essays of the mystery canon, play scripts and interview transcripts. This really is a novel for people who love the mystery genre, as it is as much a love letter to the genre as a mystery and a puzzle to be solved.

I did find the POV changes abrupt and hard to follow. This has an unresolved ending that I found unsatisfying but inevitable with the style of the story within a story.

At times this book was too clever for its own good, but this was a fun, enjoyable, unique mystery that took liberties with the literary medium.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

West Heart Kill was a unique book for me. I read a lot every year and "Mystery" books of any kind are my favorite. I've read a lot of plot devices and twists in the genre so I'm rarely surprised by author choices but McDorman played with historical and standard tropes to create a brilliant mystery.

West Heart Kill follows wealthy families at their holiday retreat at West Heart. There are simmering tensions between several members, families that are barely hanging onto their inherited wealth, a threat of new members (with the change of culture), affairs, friendships in flux, and a guest detective. The scene is set quite quickly with almost fatal accidents, accusations of bad behavior, and whispers of money issues. Then the weather shifts, trapping the lot together because of an impassable snowstorm.

McDorman inserts a fun aside for the reader, showcasing what other authors like Christie or Hammett do, as well as quirky POV notes. It was done well and I enjoyed the play with the greats of the genre. By playing with the narration, McDorman can bring the reader into the story in a unique way that subverts most mystery book tropes.

This book stayed with me after reading but there are a lot of moving parts leading me to feel like I might not have noticed all the clues.

An isolated hunt club. A raging storm. Three corpses, discovered within four days. A cast of monied, scheming, unfaithful characters.

I had high hopes for a murder mystery set at an old school hunting lodge. My hopes were dashed by the off-putting narration and discombobulated structure. This wasn’t just a wink and a nod breaking of the fourth wall, it was a disruptive mansplaining of how detective novels have worked throughout history. This is as close as I’ve come to DNF in years. Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor along with NetGalley for my ARC of this book.

The book is an interesting approach to storytelling. Initially the reader is told the story from the perspective of the detective, then the narrator becomes an unidentified storyteller and it ends using a play as a storytelling device. This switch of narration detracted from the story. It was an interesting approach but didn’t work for me.

Great mystery! I loved the setting.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this review copy

This one wasn't for me. I thought the premise was super interesting, but ultimately i ended up really disliking the "meta" and "fourth wall" themes in this.

New and innovative--the voice on this and the meta approach was so fresh and kept me interested. Loved!

West Heart Kill is an interesting piece of writing, containing well-worn murder mystery tropes with a unique structure. It's not a straight-forward mystery story, but the cast of characters and setting are plucked straight from the classics. An old-money hunting club contains decades of secrets and scandal, so of course bad weather traps club members and guests in for some murder. These well-known tropes are mixed with meta-fictional elements. The novel switches tenses, narrators, and story structure, while peppering in comments and asides both about and through the fourth wall. This is a divisive mix, so I could see readers either loving or hating it.

I'm a fan of classic mysteries, so those elements were a particularly enjoyable reading experience. And I love seeing creativity with structure and commentary within a book, so the meta elements were right up my alley. I started the novel and absolutely loved it, until the last part of the book.

I was enjoying the book until the structure shifted again, radically, and this broke the magic for me. I've read my share of great books with horrible endings, which usually leave me angry and disappointed. West Heart Kill wasn't like that. I didn't end the book infuriated or upset, but it definitely altered my liking of the book on the whole. I'm finding myself unable to articulate my feelings on it, though. I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it either. I wish I could pin point the reason why this missed for me, so I could recommend it to the right readers who would really enjoy it.

So I'm not sure how I would recommend this book. I loved the reading experience for the majority of the book, but I know that particular reading experience wouldn't be for everyone. If you're looking for a straight-forward classic mystery, West Heart Kill wouldn't be my recommendation. If you're a fan of meta-fictional elements, this could be a great choice! So I offer a recommendation to those that enjoy the trappings of classic mysteries AND experimental writing styles. And let me know what you think of the end.

West Heart Kill is a unique and captivating novel that challenges traditional notions of the mystery genre. This metafictional masterpiece blends literary references, self-awareness, and a thrilling plot to create a truly original reading experience. It's a wild ride for the reader that may not appeal to all readers but will captivate those who love it.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

This was the perfect suspenseful thriller for me. I was on the edge of my seat the entire team and I completely fell for the main character !