It's never a good sign when I keep setting aside an anticipated book to read almost anything else within reach, finally just gritting my teeth to power through.

What purports to be an ambitious and inventive metafictional take on country house murder mysteries is tripped up largely because it forgets to tell a good story. Impressed with its own cleverness and under the misbegotten belief that the most likely audience requires schooling in conventions and landmarks of the genre, there is little care invested in creating either a coherent plot or characters that evoke any more engagement than paper dolls moved about to create series of tableaus for commentary.

Of all that I found difficult to forgive, the overreliance on passive sentence structure and the shifting POV pronouns were the most exasperating. Telling the story in second-person would have been tricky (and fraught) enough, but shifting to first-person or limited third or omniscient, sometimes all within the same chapter? Not only do these techniques fail to intrigue us to lean in out of fascination, they keep us at such remove that we cannot care what the resolution will turn out to be -- and that, my friends, is a crime.

I thought this book was clever, unique and cool! I see that the Goodreads average rating is on the lower side… I’m not surprised, if people started reading it expecting a “standard” mystery novel. I absolutely loved all of the background info on mysteries, the switches in tone and the different perspectives. The setting was an interesting place and time, and the characters matched it well. This wasn’t an “easy” book to read but I found it to be a page-turner.

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good murder mystery, where the scene unravels slowly and we are left wondering what truly happened until the final pages. West Heart Kill is certainly not a normal country club, and it’s not one I want to be a part of as through the span of about 5 or so days, quite a lot of people end up dead. This book was entertaining but thought it claims to be anything but an ordinary “whodunit”, I found it to be pretty on par with most in that genre. There are points throughout the narrative, the author tells, not shows, us as the reader what is going on. I am not the biggest fan of feeling as though someone is whispering over my shoulder pointing at things I would like to unfold on their own for me. I feel as though we ,the reader, were expected to play a part of the narrative instead of observe and deduce. I think that’s a bit hard to achieve but it was a clever experiment to say the least. I give this book 4 stars because I did like it and I am a true fan of the whodunit genre so it gave me exactly what I was looking for. I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy to enjoy and share my honest thoughts on the story.

What could go wrong at an exclusive and isolated hunting club? Private Detective Adam McAnnis soon learns the answer to that question for himself. He joins an old college friend for a weekend there to catch up. The two soon learn that most of the people aren't friendly and wonder how the weekend will end up going. When a member is found dead they aren't able to get help because a huge storm hits. Soon the power goes out and by weekends end two more bodies are added to the count. Follow along to see if Adam can or only who the killer is.but why they are killing. Will his college friend and himself end up on the murderers list?

I’ve never read anything like this before. As promised, this meta-mystery breaks the fourth wall by talking directly to the reader the entire way through. Sometimes I found that funny, and sometimes I wanted to just read the story without being told HOW to perceive things.
I think this works best when you just go along for the ride. Which is what I ultimately chose to do!

This was not for me, I really wanted to like it but found it to be just too much to follow and the style of writing was not for me.

I just didn't get it. And honestly I just didn't care enough to to try to. The writing style of West Heart Kill was my biggest issue. While it could have been well written and fun for others, it only frustrated and pulled me out of the story. The narration switching between first, second and third was like having the rug pulled out from under your feet. Interspersed with interviews, snippets of commentaries on other books and even a play like script at the end just was too much. Not my cup of tea but I think those that like the old school murder mystery vibe would get a kick out of this novel.

(3/5 stars) The publisher of this book recommended this for those who enjoyed The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and I'd certainly agree with the specificity of the recommendation. This murder mystery is perfect for those who love the genre, but perhaps aren't for those who wouldn't appreciate the meta-ness of it. There are many asides, where the author speaks directly to the reader and comments on the nature of murder mysteries, which I found interesting but sometimes a bit unnecessary. This probably would've been a 3.5 star rounded up to 4 for me except for the ending, which I found a bit disappointing.

I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, I found it was hard to get into the story when I was being told how to read the story, if that makes sense. Almost a story within how to write a murder mystery. It just wasn't for me, and I found I was skipping parts to get through it. I am sure others will find it amazing, it just wasn't right for me. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. You won't know if you like it, or not, until you read it...right?

Mystery fans and Knives Out viewers will love West Heart Kill, a unique addition to this genre. McDorman has crafted a clever mystery set at an exclusive and remote hunting club. The members go there to escape. The drinks flow freely and members don’t always sleep in their own beds. When a private eye is invited as a guest, murders start happening and secrets will be revealed.

This classic locked room plot with detailed characters, all hiding many secrets, keeps the reader guessing until the very end. Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the advance copy in return for my honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded down
West Heart Kill is an interesting take on a murder mystery that will either engage or enrage the reader. Maybe both. It’s different in that the book breaks the fourth wall, speaking directly to the reader, mentioning how a murder mystery should go, elaborating the expected rules of engagement, so to speak. I will admit to both enjoying it while also occasionally feeling that the author was trying just a wee bit too hard to come across as smarter than the reader. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that a writer’s ego was showing as much as here.
It takes place in 1976 but has a Golden Age mystery feel to it - old money families meet up at a hunting club. A son of one of the families brings his friend, a detective, along with him for the weekend.
The narrative skips back and forth from first person to second to third to first person plural, which can be disconcerting. When the book is speaking directly to the reader, it throws in some interesting thoughts like this.
“…you find yourself feeling a bit sorry for him. Isn’t that the risk that readers face in a first-person point of view? That you cannot help but identify with a Humbert Humbert as much as with a Huck Finn? And doesn’t that leave you vulnerable to manipulation and misdirection?”
If you enjoyed Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, you’ll probably like this as the styling is the same. But anyone looking for a straightforward mystery will not be pleased with all the side comments.
So, where did I come down on it? I was amused more often than I was chagrined. It would have been a solid four stars until I got to the very end, which felt like a head fake.
My thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for an advance copy of this book.

It doesn't happen very often that one can say of a novel, especially of a genre as popular as mystery, that it is nothing like what one has read before. This happens with West Heart Kill and yet it has components of every detective story I have read or hear about. This novel has the elements that you need in a great book: clever plotting, originally planned and executed structure, a wonderful storytelling, compelling narrative . It works in every possible aspect. The premise is very simple: a seasoned private detective, Adam McAnnis is invited to a hunting lodge for the weekend in upstate New York. Everyone and everything seems to be very civilized, until one night, when the first body is discovered floating on a lake. By Sunday, two more people will be dead. While the detective appears to be handling the investigation very skillfully, an unexpected character is forced by circumstances to take the lead and resolve the crime.
This genre bending book will take the reader on a mind blowing trip, because is not your standard whodunit. I’m willing to take this trip again and again. This is one of the best detective novels I’ve ever read, and it also fits the “I- can’t- believe-this- is- a-debut- novel “ category.

Loved it!

A meta murder mystery, West Heart is a unique combination of a murder mystery and an exploration of murder mysteries in general. West Heart has its own mystery to solve, with a typical set of suspects (rich, unhappy, bored), setting (luxurious, isolated) and outsider put in the position of investigating them, but it also discusses from the first sentence what is involved in creating a murder mystery and how that relates to the one in this book. In fact, the first chapter uses an ulta-omniscient narrator that not only gives us the very general sense of how the mystery begins, but also predicts the reader’s thoughts about the unfolding story based on our presumed understanding of the genre. Later, the narrator compares the introductory scenes to other authors’ works, especially Agatha Christie.

It's not until chapter two that our outsider, a private detective named Adam McAnnis, takes over the narration… sort of. The chapter begins with McAnnis speaking in the first person, though our Omniscient Narrator refuses to stay silent for very long (“The monologue continues in this new claustrophobic perspective, the ‘I’ of the first-person protagonist…”) and continues to interject (and fully take over) here and there. By this stage, the Omniscient Narrator also takes time to explain different plot devices, histories of mystery writers, definitions, true crime stories, etc., usually with a subtitle to let the reader know we’re back into the study of murder mysteries rather than the West Heart story.

Chapter three or four adds another narrative style to the mix. An unknown speaker refers to all the club members as “we:” “The rain was still falling when we woke…,” then changes the entire format altogether and turns the final pages into a play to presents that essential scene when all the suspects gather together and find their secrets revealed.

West Heart initially does take work to read. Perhaps if I spent more time on the classics, it wouldn’t have required so much energy to focus. It was certainly easier and more fun as the book continued on. The style is playful and others will enjoy the book because of it. Clearly the author delights in everything to do with mysteries.

I can see university professors using West Heart in their literature courses to pick apart the mystery genre in all its glory.

I can also picture this book as a movie. It would be so fun! Bear with me: Mark Williams as an earnest professor of literature discussing the West Heart novel (the actual story only) with his students and serving as the Omniscient Narrator who wanders physically into scenes of West Heart to delve into different aspects of the genre or a piece of the story itself during a lull, perhaps being forcefully jerked back into a classroom when a student asks a question or makes a comment. One quiet, thoughtful student stepping up to give her conclusions in that final play scene. Perhaps the author himself stepping in to explain the final murder or the characters themselves breaking the fourth wall to answer questions or clarify a piece of the story.

Fun, playful and with its own unexpected twist at the end, West Heart is worth a read.

Thank you Knopf and PRH Audio for review copies! This is a fun whodunit, kind of a knives out vibe that worked for the most part. The ending will make a few readers sit back and have the feelings but I liked it. For me the main note is that this was the kind of read that jumped right into the story... which works for some but I am more of a character development person, I needed a little more context to fully get into the story so this one took me some time to get into. I enjoyed the plot, but a little more character development/orientation to the story is whatI prefer!

This book would have been better as an audio book. For me, it was hard to read as the book was written. I didn’t care about the characters or what was happening throughout the book. I requested the book based on the face it was described as a murder mystery. Just wasn’t my cup of tea.

This novel is unique, smart and clever. With that said, its the uniqueness that also made it weird for me. At times I had more questions than answers.I didn’t really care for the characters but I found them to be interesting and wanted to know more about them. The style of the story was different in that it didn’t have a typical flow for a mystery but that was the goal. I enjoyed this read overall but had to take breaks and/ or re-read portions just to make sure I was on track with main story mixed with the additional mysteries that were woven throughout. I recommend this novel for mystery enthusiasts because of its uniqueness just take your time with it in order to give it justice.

Wow! Rarely have I read a book when I honestly did not know how to write a review for it. West Heart Kill is that kind of book. Is it a mystery…satire…play script…reflection of where we are as a society…. As I read I would begin to get a sense of what I was reading and then it was almost as if a different author decided to take a turn totally changing everything and then it would be something else entirely. I have to admit that it made my enjoyment of this read seem very disjointed. To be fair I have had a lot to do and my commitment to sitting for a few hours focused on the story was limited which could definitely have impacted my understanding. Each time I picked up my kindle I found myself rereading to pick up the story line which was not as effective with this particular read.
Many thanks to Dann McDorman, Knopf, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this recently published book.

This murder mystery takes place at an elite country club in the secluded town of West Heart over a four day Bicentennial weekend in July 1976. Private Detective Adan McAnnis is invited to join the owning members at West Heart Kill but it’s unclear who invited him. The group is comprised of families that have all known each other through their entire lives. They are not necessarily friends but have a long history together with each other’s families. Three bodies are found over the course of the weekend. Are the deaths all related in some way or is there some other explanation for the deaths? What was the real reason that Adam McAnnis was invited? Interesting writing style though I’m not sure it’s for everyone. At times I felt it difficult to discern if the narrator was the protagonist or if it was written in first, second or third person or someone else altogether. I prefer a more conventional style of writing. This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the concept of this novel and found that aspect interesting throughout. I do like when authors kind of toy with the methodology or traditions of a particular genre. So, I went in with high hopes but overall West Heart Kill didn't quite pull off the intriguing concept in execution for me and I was left feeling unsatisfied. Still, I can respect what the author was attempting here (with a debut no less) and would definitely give this author another try.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy to review. All opinions my own.

If Wes Anderson wrote a mystery novel, this would be it. DID he write this? There was so much breaking of the 4th wall (is that even a thing in books?) that I couldn't get into the story. Which was certainly unique but also quickly annoying. The omniscient author was constantly reminding you that you were reading a story. A story with a complicated roster of characters, not much to distinguish them and not much to grab on to of interest. The constant asides had me referring back pages to remember where we veered off into narrator exposition. It was too exhausting to get through and I DNF'd well before the halfway mark. I might give it another shot if I can force myself to focus and not get fed up.