West Heart Kill is simultaneously an engrossing mystery and a dissection of the mystery genre. On one level, it’s a conventional variation on the “And Then There Were None” trope. Private Detective Adam McAnnis is on a case and finagles an invitation from a college friend to the 4th of July celebration at West Heart Kill, an exclusive lakeside hunting club in upstate New York. It’s seen better days but the descendants of the founding families continue to come to enjoy the lake and illicit hunting.

As soon as McAnnis arrives, it’s obvious these are not happy families. One man kills another’s dog and some suspect it was deliberate, revenge for a tragic accident that happened a few years back. McAnnis is clearly more than a casual visitor, his observant questioning riles some guests and attracts others. A torrential storm hits the area, washing out the bridge and cutting off contact. A woman’s body is found by the lakeshore, but it’s unclear whether it’s suicide or murder. However, the next body to fall leaves no doubt. Nor is there any doubt about the next murder.

West Heart Kill is one of the most fun, and direct, examples of metafiction I can think of. From the outset, we are part of the narrative as Dann McDorman treats us to the history, rules, and conventions of the mystery genre. He involves the Reader directly, demanding our participation in the solution.

I want to run down the street with this book hollering “Read this book!” to everyone I meet. It’s simply brilliant. I loved it from start to finish, a finish that surprised me completely.

I received a copy of West Heart Kill from the publisher through NetGalley.

West Heart Kill at Knopf | Penguin Random House
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"This murder mystery, like all murder mysteries, begins with the evocation of what the reader understands to be its atmosphere, the accumulation of small, curated details to create a shared myth of mood, time, and place—though not all at once, of course, that is important. The writer of murder, like all writers, must be a miser, conceding revelations bit by bit; for every novel is a puzzle, and every reader a sleuth."

So begins the oddly fun whodunit West Heart Kill. As Agatha Christie taught us a century ago, a narrator needn’t be telling the reader the truth, nor must the detective himself. But surely the omniscient narrator has no ulterior motives. Right?

The story centers around a July 4th weekend at a lake surrounded by cabins and cottages all belonging to one extended family. The protagonist, Adam, is a PI hired by someone at the family gathering who is afraid they are going to be murdered. What seems like a dysfunctional 1970s family spat turns into murder and isolation in the woods of Upstate New York. A massive storm comes in, taking away electricity, the bridge, phone lines, and a way out.

"Decades of caretakers had planted and pruned the wilderness to maximize the hunters’ returns, cultivating food plots with salt licks and clover and radishes for the deer, and strawberries and oats and chicory for the bears. Visitors to West Heart walking through the southern trails would often remark on what appeared to be pleasant fields of wild blueberry and currant and mint, but which were, in truth, carefully tended death traps." ~Pg 84

McDorman uses a cheeky style of inserting explanations about tropes — the closed circle, the unreliable narrator, the red herring — used by murder mysteries in the past. These winks are fun for the avid mystery reader like myself, but I do wonder if they would work for a relative newcomer.

The mystery itself is less satisfying that the journey of solving it, though that is so often the way in the genre, although this solution may have been one wink too many. Still, it is very possible to go in thinking of it as an enjoyable romp and expect nothing more. The ending is a bit of a let down amidst all the true cleverness of the previous 200 pages, though.

So, this was a tough one for me to review, and that is why it has taken me forever to actually write this. I did enjoy the story: the mystery was interesting, the characters were well-crafted, and the setting was drawn wonderfully. Nothing to really complain about with the actual story. It wasn’t the greatest story I’ve ever read, but it did make me want to know what really happened.

What I found out through reading this novel, however, is that I cannot stand intrusive narrators. Unreliable is one thing; intrusive is a whole other bag of I-don’t-like-it. When the narrator is constantly butting in to tell you what should be happening in a traditional mystery or what clues you probably missed or whatever, it throws me completely out of the story world and just annoys me. If you like someone telling you how you should be reading a story or what you should be expecting or thinking, this book is for you. Unfortunately, I can’t say that I enjoyed the intrusiveness of the narrator, so that is the main reason why I can only give this book a rather generous three stars.

⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Thanks to Knopf Publishers and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this novel for review purposes. I was not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my very own. 🙂

This novel is really different and the style did not appeal to me at all. The author seems to be explaining the concept of a murder mystery as he, in fact, writes the mystery. I felt like I was receiving a lecture about how to write a mystery. This is a novel for people interested in the construction technique of writing a mystery rather than just reading a well crafted one. I was disappointed the all too often used storm cutting the people off from the rest of the world was a part of the action. And then the end, or rather a sort of non-end, was really unsatisfactory.

McDorman is a clever author and this is unique in its style. The literary asides were not for me. The novel did not keep my attention as I was looking for a mystery, not a book about mysteries. It would be interesting to read a traditional mystery by this author. He is clever and has the ability to write a captivating mystery, I think. This one was just not for me.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

I was so excited to read this but really struggled to get through it. I even checked out a library copy since I’d set aside my e-copy to see if that would help. The cover is really great, I love the title, and I love the idea behind the story but this just wasn’t for me.

So first, this preface: I am a true lover of the mystery genre: from cozies, psychological, classic, to paranormal- I’m always up for some good ‘ol “whodunit” mind cardio. So when I saw “West Heart Kill” was a closed door mystery set in my home state of NY- I was all the way there (and many thanks to NetGalley & friends for the ARC!)
Unfortunately, I did something I seldomly do, and abandoned ship at 25% through. While I do admire the author’s avante garde take, and appreciated the Brechtian (meta) influence, the constant breaking of the fourth wall, mixed with the confusing narrative style kept me from becoming truly immersed in the story.
And immersion is my favorite part of this genre…and reading in general!
So, while this wasn’t for me, I do think it might well be appreciated by other mystery writers. As in, you know that scene in film/ tv where we see the white board and all of the red strings connecting the suspects with words such as “motive?,” “opportunity?”, and “alibi?” scrawled next to suspects’ photos?
That is what this read felt like- the inside of the writers’ head as they constructed the mystery. So, while other writers may get a kick out of this, and be able to relate to the inner monologuing of a fellow author, I think the rest of us would prefer not to “see behind the curtain,” but rather remain a captive audience, with the fourth wall well preserved.
That being said, I would be open to reading another book by this author, whose cleverness and uniqueness were not as lost on me as the plot, unfortunately, was.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this as an advanced reader's copy. I was not able to finish this book. While very clever and well written, the style was not for me. The style of narration was distracting to me. I am sure many will enjoy it!

When I started this book, I thought it was going to be a big hit for me. I enjoyed the chapters on the history of mystery writing and writers. I liked the meta-aspects, the writer talking to the reader and breaking the fourth wall. But eventually this just became too gimmicky. The book was obviously trying so hard to be cool and different that it stopped being an entertaining story. There were weird POV switches. I think on one page we had 1st person, 2nd person, and 3rd person. It was jarring and disrupted the flow of the story. It also kept me from connecting to any of the characters. And I truly hated the ending. The play felt like the author was too lazy to figure out a way to bring all the characters to a confrontation and I still don't know who the killer was, after reading the ending twice. Sorry, but if your reader doesn't understand the reveal then there's something wrong with the story.

This had potential, but sadly it tried to do too much and failed at pretty much everything.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc of this book.

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.