WEST HEART KILL by Dann McDorman was a murder mystery with a case study of murder mysteries!

Honestly, I am quite bemused by this book. It is structured in such a way that the author brings the reader into conversations about reading this genre and does somewhat expound upon various tools used.

If you are looking for a straightforward mystery, this may disappoint, but if you enjoy a rather different experience, I invite you to enter West Heart Kill! I absolutely loved the structure at the beginning; feeling it was a fresh approach. I did begin to wonder if it took too much of a pause in the story, which was quite engaging. By the end I have landed on the side of appreciation and fascination! I could see this becoming a huge discussion book, especially with the ending!

Oh yes, the actual mystery is a clever whodunit that I enjoyed through the primary lens of the detective who was brought in to an exclusive lodge where the patrons are anything but proper.

West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman is most definitely something different. Whether or not that difference is a good thing or a bad thing will depend largely on the tastes of the individual reader. It's intended as a sort of immersive meta experience (I think). It didn't work for me.

The author plays with narrative structure - switching randomly between first person, second person, and third person point of view along with the occasional use of an omniscient (unknown) narrator. There are also frequent pauses in the story for lengthy essays on the mystery genre; tropes, sub-genres, notable devices used by specific authors, etc. It really has nothing to do with the ongoing story, coming off as condescending at best and arrogant at worst, and, for me, it simply serves as a distraction.

I have nothing against a little experimenting or trying something new within the given story arc but this was too much for me. I prefer a more cohesive narrative. Something that will let me lose myself in the story, not constantly call attention to the fact that I'm just reading a book.

I have no doubt that many readers will find this to be a work of genius. That may well be true, but I found it tedious.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an E-arc of this book. The following is my honest opinion*

This is not my typical genre. I picked this up based on an email recommendation. It is a mystery whodoneit story. Its a very unique story because of the way the author choose to format it. It is a story but at the same time it has a narrator that is guiding the reader's train of thought when reading a mystery book.

Its an interesting take on telling any kind of story. I'm going to be very honest and say that I don't know how I feel about this book. I recommend it to mystery readers that really understand the genre. If you are trying to get into the genre this book might be to much due to the formatting, it can be, maybe, overwhelming. (?)

I’ve been looking forward to this book for quite some time, and though it’s not a bad read, it’s definitely very overhyped.

The mystery itself is adequate if not particularly original, and the cast of characters and setting work fine for the story. The book was angling for something a bit more meta though, and in that regard it doesn’t succeed all that well.

It’s not as though we haven’t seen many detective stories go this route and come at least partway through the proverbial fourth wall before, so I’m not sure why this is being treated as a completely novel concept. There’s no upending the genre here, just another variation of a Mystery trope. And though some of it is amusing and I thought the history lesson aspect of it was quite enjoyable, there is also a good bit that feels like it’s outsmarting itself, and that reads about as well as most cleverness for cleverness’ sake tends to do.

I also could have done without the unnecessary pet death at the beginning of the story, as well as the semi-casual meander into antisemitic character motives, which feels especially inappropriate to this sort of narrative treatment at the moment.

I don’t even know where to start with describing this one! Nominally, it’s a murder mystery, set in the 1970s on a private country estate/club where a select group of families have houses. Private detective Adam McAnnis finagles an invitation to the estate for the 4th of July weekend for an investigation - and then when people start turning up dead, he ends up investigating that as well. But that description doesn’t even begin to describe what this book is really like, because it’s also super weird and meta and experimental in form.

What do I mean by that? Well for starters, sometimes it’s told in the omniscient 3rd person, sometimes it’s in the first person of the detective, and sometimes it’s in the plural “we” of the country club members. But it also is often breaking the 4th wall, with the reader addressed by the narrator as “you,” describing the book you are reading, sometimes as a book, sometimes more cinematically. And there are also lectures on golden age mysteries and their structures and plots. Plus sometimes it’s just transcripts of Q&As between the detective and the residents - and most of the end of the book is told in the form of a script of a play - and in which one of the characters is “the reader.”

So yeah, this was weird. I really enjoyed the underlying mystery, and it definitely kept me reading, but it was just a lot. I am usually more open to unconventional formats than a lot of people, but I think this one could have cut all that stuff by half and still been very unique! And while most of the resolution was satisfying with both revelations I had guessed and those I had not, the very end revelation was quite annoying and unsatisfying. And yet I sort of enjoyed the book over all? But definitely not one for everyone - as its low average rating on Goodreads demonstrates. 😂

3.5 stars for me though

If I had to sum up West Heart Kill in one word it would be…inventive.

It is an ode to the entire mystery genre that feels like a mix of a 1970s version of Knives Out and a murder mystery dinner party that’s kind of gone off the rails. The book plays around with format, interspersing interviews and even a play with more traditional chapters. There’s a bunch of fourth wall breaking and you’re never quite sure who the narrator is, but once you settle into the story and learn about all of the characters, it moves at a quick pace.

I would recommend this to seasoned mystery readers as it does an excellent job of subverting the formulaic nature of mysteries, but could be a little much for those who are new to the genre. This would also be a great pick for cozy mystery fans as there’s very little gore and violence.

West Heart Kill is out now. Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A witty interesting read! Very entertaining with lots of complex characters. A fast paced story with lots of twists and turns, murder and mayhem, making this a real page turner and a must read!

This was a unique way of telling this cozy mystery and theOPPV is decided to. I enjoyed the references from the other books and movies that it referenced. Sometimes I did get confused at the amount of characters, but this was an enjoyable read.

This was Definitely one I wouldn’t pick up because of the cover but as they say don’t judge a book by its cover and I’m glad I didn’t! It was a fabulous edge of your seat read!

This book surpassed all my expectations for a locked room murder mystery. The writing style is fresh and offers a unique perspective of a tried-and-true genre. Private detective Adam McAnnis is spending Bi-centennial weekend with his college friend in an exclusive hunting club in upstate New York known as West Heart. In the span of four days three bodies will be discovered, and a storm will cut the club off from the outside world. Everyone has secrets that they wish to remain hidden, but with a private detective in their ranks its not long before the truth will find its way to the surface. I think that everyone who considers themselves fans of murder mysteries should pick up a copy of this unconventional book. It is a quick and fun read and throws all your expectations out the window.

A very different kind of murder mystery with special emphasis on VERY. This is the debut story of Dann McDorman and it's not really capable of being slotted into a genre or even a sub-genre. It is a book for anyone who has every said....I could write a better book than that. Set at a remote hunting lodge in the 1970's, a group of people have been stormed in and now someone is killing them. When the storm ends, there are three bodies and a lodge full of suspects. A simple back story to outline what quickly becomes anything but simple. The reader will be transported to the crime scene, becoming a witness and an investigator as McDorman displays his research skills by immersing us into the story itself. This is not a book you can multitask while reading. If you're not paying attention you could easily be accused of the murders. Finding the killer(s) is an entertaining trip through some excellent crime fiction. Enjoy at your own risk!!!

I received an ARC of this book. I found the story hard to follow and rather confusing. It wasn't what I expected at all.

West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman is a suspense/mystery novel unlike any other mystery. Set in an elite community during July Fourth weekend, this story has many secrets. Everybody has a secret and who has a secret that compels them to murder.

I had a difficult time with this book. The story itself was good, although the ending was not my favorite. The constant references to old classic mysteries from Agatha Christie, though, were good, it took away from the original story for me. I skimmed this part quite often. Though this book was not my favorite, I was still invested till the end and felt dissatisfied. Having said that, this is a novel very unlike a traditional mystery. If a reader is looking for a very classic mystery with a twist, this is a perfect book for them.

Thank you, Knopf Publishing, for this book.

CW: Alcohol, murder, infidelity, references to domestic abuse

The writing style here made this unreadable for me. It was like reading a series of files or memos instead of a story. Makes it hard to lose yourself in the plot. As a result I found myself not caring about any of the characters or story.

West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman will not be a lot of people’s type of book, but there will be a cult following that comes from it. I can see people who enjoy reading theater/movie scripts or history books enjoying this one.

I had a very hard time getting into it, after trying numerous times. I enjoy quirky books (Geek Love by Katherine Dunn is a favorite!), but at times I found it very dry, just listing things, and the characters felt one dimensional to me.

I feel like this would be the type of book you would find people who frequent coffee houses to read their poetry or gather to discuss the vast history of mystery writing, really finding fun to discuss.

While West Heart Kill lived up to its billing as a "primer on the form" of a classic locked room mystery, it fell far short of the mark for me.

The narrator of the book manipulates the reader at every turn, while allegedly revealing clues as to the who-what-when-where-why. Given the author's respect for the rules of the genre, I was very disappointed in the ending of this book when the rules seemed to be broken for very little payoff.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

So this very different writing style was just not for me. Struggled to finish even and the ending was disappointing.

Point of view randomly changes. Has blurbs with definitions that lead to other book references throughout. Written from mainly a private detective point of view, also had q and a format. Just very all over the place, wanted to be like Knives out and was similar but just didn’t intrigue me or keep me interested at all. Also was very hard to follow.

Thanks to netgalley for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was an odd book for me to say the least. I loved the premise but the execution fell short.

I loved the idea of a murder Fourth of July weekend in the 70’s at an upstate New York hunting lodge.
First thing I didn’t like was being pulled out of the original story to read a history lesson on the mystery genre and novel. I found it bothersome and dry.
The second thing was it turned out to be a less than compelling story and it dragged on.
The characters were flat and boring. This felt like a short story that need the filler of a history lesson.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest opinion. 3⭐️

Usually, if a reviewer says they’ve never read anything like the book currently under review, it means they either have short memories or a small lifetime bookshelf. That’s especially true with mysteries, where every shocking new plot device like those in Agatha Christie’s “The Murder of Roger Aykroyd” or “Witness for the Prosecution” is soon copied and parodied to death by lesser writers. I’ve been reading classic mysteries for over 50 years, long enough to remember the thrill when a new Rex Stout or Ross MacDonald title came out. My bookshelf rivals some branch libraries. And I can tell you this: I’ve never read anything like Dann McDorman’s new novel, “West Heart Kill.” I was stunned twice, fooled more than twice, and constantly amazed by this book.

“West Heart Kill” takes place on the Bicentennial Independence Day weekend in 1976 at a large hunting and country club for the very rich in the distant suburbs of New York City. It’s a prestigious club that often plays host to celebrities. (Charlton Heston paid the club a recent visit.) Members spend weekends in their “cabins,” which are larger than most people’s homes. And over the course of that weekend, two definite murders and one apparent suicide that may have been a murder take place. Among the various wealthy family members at the club that weekend is not-so-wealthy Adam McAnnis. He’s a private investigator and old college friend of James Blake, the scion of one such family. The two ostensibly met by coincidence shortly before the weekend, and Blake asked McAnnis to tag along. One of the few surprises in the book I can reveal is that McAnnis manipulated the meeting and invitation because he’s on the job this weekend. That job later turns into investigating the various crimes that take place. And thanks to a heavy storm that’s washed out the only road to the estate, McAnnis is the only detective of any sort on the job.

If the above plot synopsis was all there was to “West Heart Kill,” the novel would be a good but unexceptional example of the mystery genre. But it’s not. Instead, the author continually shatters reader expectations by playing with and often discarding the mystery genre’s conventions. He starts by writing much of the novel in the second person as he addresses the reader. He mentions what the reader expects at this point in a mystery and what the reader is thinking. Some of this involves an author’s good understanding of reader expectations. For example, at one point, the weekend’s entertainment includes the traditional bonfire by the beach. When I read this, I immediately thought the bonfire would be a good place to dispose of evidence or even a body, as Laird Cregar did in “Hangover Square.” As if by magic, the author notes at about the same time I had these thoughts: “[Y]ou think that a clever killer could exploit this bonfire for purposes of plot. A killer with a theatrical disposition might enjoy the private joke of secretly burning his evidence in full view of a crowd, knowing the final bit of proof needed to prove his guilt had been immolated before a hundred witnesses.”

“West Heart Kill” is filled with similar addresses by the author to the reader. Sometimes, the author appears psychic when he does so; at other times, the device allows for a non-obvious information dump. Using the second person isn’t the only device the author employs. He often switches from third person to first person, having McAnnis narrate portions of the story. He even uses a first-person plural narrator in places, with the various characters discussing what “we” did at that point in the story. The author includes some digressions and “case studies,” including providing the origins of the word “mystery.” He discusses famous genre authors, including Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie (and her disappearance), Dashiell Hammett, and John Dickson Carr. More importantly, he discusses locked-room mysteries (Carr’s specialty), a favorite of classic crime fiction fans. That information is particularly relevant when a subsequent murder involves a locked room.

One of the book’s most unusual stylistic conventions is a questionnaire where the author asks readers to predict, among other things, who the probable murder victim(s) and the probable murderer(s) are. He then adds a couple of bizarre philosophical questions. “Do you ever look at your spouse or lover, during moments when they’re unaware of your gaze―reading a book like this one, perhaps―and calculate the sum of your regrets? Do you ever imagine a life without them, and consider what you’d be willing to do to make that happen? Do you ever wonder if they’re thinking the same about you?”

Some readers may find the author’s style pretentious or insulting, as when he deigns to know what the reader is thinking. Others, like me, will find it fascinating, with the tidbits of genre lore dispensed along the way as entertaining as the main storyline. But then come the last twists, the ones I didn’t see coming. At that point, I rethought what I had assumed I knew about the story. And that’s where the book’s true brilliance lies. All the author’s digressions and stylistic conventional quirks help disguise the clues he plants throughout the novel. They misdirect the reader while entertaining them at the same time. The end result was a couple of shocking surprises that the author left all the clues readers needed to guess. “West Heart Kill” is a remarkable work, even more so because it’s Dann McDorman’s first novel. I might quibble with some of the author’s discussions, but I feel he only really came up short once, on the very last page. When I read this, I understood what he had done, but he could have worded it better on a second try.

I can’t remember if I have ever been that impressed with a mystery writer’s first genre work since Agatha Christie’s “The Mysterious Affair at Styles.” I fear that, like M. Night Shyamalan after “The Sixth Sense,” McDorman may not be as effective in future works, since readers know what to expect. However, I admire the author’s grasp of the genre and his continuing ability to twist the story to fit his desires. If “West Heart Kill” doesn’t receive prime consideration at next year’s Edgars, that will be a literary crime more egregious than any that occurred in the book.

NOTE: The publisher graciously gave me a copy of this book. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of that review are entirely my own.

I love a locked room mystery and the premise of this one (private clue, old money, scandals) sounded fun; however, this one just didn’t hook me. The author seemed to experiment more with the narrative and technique than the story. While usually I don’t mind the fourth wall being broken it was done so much is this novel that it distracted from the plot and characters. Some folks may really like the uniqueness of the tale, it just wasn’t for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.