This is one of those books you’re either going to love or you’re going to hate.

It’s a very different writing style, with the author using second person narration. This put me off a little bit because I don’t like anyone telling me what I, as the reader, should be thinking about the story 😂🫣 But I did get used to it after awhile!

The other thing that is very different about this book versus your typical mystery novel is that the author intersperses some history lessons about mysteries and case studies throughout. I felt this threw me off - as I was getting interested in where the plot is going and trying to figure who did it, only to be taken out of the story into some sort of tangent. Eventually I just started skimming through these types of sections because I just wanted to get back to the story!! 😩🕵️‍♀️

The mystery story itself was good, but the ending left me a little disappointed. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Sadly for me this book was just okay, but I think that’s because I like typical mystery novels. However, I think those who enjoy unique writing and structure or books that are just different will love this!

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for my honest review!

I was not a fan of the meta-instructive format of this novel. The “fourth wall breaking” wasn’t effective in involving the reader or engaging their inner sleuth. Instead, it was distracting and, at times, annoying. The characters felt one-dimensional and could be easily classified using one or two words.

This is a mystery that defies definition. There are murders, suspects, motives, and a detective. But this book is also a play, a history of mysteries, breaking the fourth wall, and playing around with perspectives.

I honestly don’t know what else to say about this book. It is clever, but the ending felt a little full of itself. There are a ton of complex characters, but sometimes I got confused who was who. I liked this book, but didn’t love it like I had hoped to.

A twisted murder mystery with a third person narrator. Readers will be surprised by the turn the plot takes as it reveals who the killer is. The characters are cryptic in their manners and behavior. Set on an isolated beach it is the perfect place for murder and mayhem.

This book was just too much work for me. I was enjoying the writing style but it felt like I needed to keep track of too many details. Because, who can read a who-dun-it and not try to solve it. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it. 3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC. This review is my own.

Solid four star entertaining “whodunit” but uniquely written more like a screenplay. I really liked the perspective shift towards the end. I did not expect the twist but I started to catch on to who the killer was. I think this author is really good at setting the scene using historical cues. I particularly liked that the reader becomes a character. I do recommend reading this one as continuously as possible. If I didn’t read at least a small portion every day I forgot which character was who.

You’re either going to love this or hate this, and unfortunately I was not a fan. I do think that there will be readers that enjoy this, however.

3.5 stars

Oh big sigh.

I really enjoyed this book (up until the very end that is).

I really liked the unique way the author formulated that murder mystery. This format may not be for everyone, but I found it refreshing the way he constantly broke tradition of a true murder mystery novel:

-talking with the reader
-adding in anecdotes and definitions of different mystery terms
-snatches of other mystery novels (examples of different styles)
-history lessons of other notable works
-changing formats (the last couple of chapters are written as a play)

But as much as I was captivated by the writing and the mystery itself, the ending was truly disappointing for me. So read this book if this style intrigues you, but you don't care about the mystery itself.

Pub date: 10/24

This eARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I loved it and I hated it! The story takes place over a holiday weekend at a resort/hunting lodge. It’s a club that has a long history with members who descend from the early settlers in America. The wealth of the members can be deceiving. The club is in financial trouble and the members have a plethora of dangerous vices.

I loved the mystery of it and thought the critiquing of the mystery set up was at times interesting and at times annoying. I was 100% invested in trying to figure out the mystery and the murderer(s). But alas, at the the crucial part of the story, I was only left with a huge disappointment. I guess I’m not that clever at solving mysteries or maybe the writer couldn’t decide whodunit.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon Vintage & Anchor for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to offer my honest review.

What is this book?

A mystery novel set in 1970s rural New York?
An ode to classic mystery stories?
An appeal to mystery loving nerds?
A meta-fiction exploration of a detective story?

All of the above! Told in different points of view and styles, this debut held my attention throughout even though at times I felt I could be sitting in a lecture about the uses of mystery throughout the ages. The various references also added to my to be read pile for authors I have never picked up. I was not completely satisfied by the ending of the story, but enjoyed the entire reading experience. I will certainly keep my eyes open for future works by this author.

Thank you to aaknopf via netgalley for my eARC.

This is a book you're going to either love or hate ... I'm team hate 😐
It's 100% completely different than the description which actually sounded very interesting.

I felt it was way too confusing ... Too much going on . Ramblings about nothing at times. I really struggled with this book or screenplay ?? Idk ... I don't know what I read . I didn't care who the murderer was or tbh about anything. I just wanted to finish & be done. This might be one of those books that turns you off from reading for awhile.

The only good thing I can say is this book is very different from any mystery I've read before & does try to engage the reader during the entire book but idk to me that was even more confusing ...

#NetGalley #WestHeartKill #Arc

The description of this book sounded really interesting.
However it’s nothing like what I was expecting. It almost reads like a play. You have a narrator setting the stage between acts and then there’s dialogue. Parts were interesting but overall it was a bit stiff feeling.

"West Hear Kill" is not you typical who-done-it novel. It reads differently, at points it's like the narrator is breaking the 4th wall. While I initially thought this was cute and kind of fun to see so many nods to classic murder mystery novels over the course of the whole book it got a little distracting. I liked the book, I liked the characters, I liked that the author made an effort to write something a little different while also being a little familiar; I just found it hard to get into with the breaks in story flow.
I think some will LOVE this book and some will not be able to finish but it's definitely worth giving a try!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.

Mystery stories exist on a spectrum. Some are adventures, masquerading as mysteries: they set up a puzzle that can’t be solved with the textual information. Others are “pure” mysteries - the only puzzle is the plot, with all the focus on figuring out whodunnit. And then a third, rare category adds another set of layers - some kind of meta-textual puzzle that both enhances the puzzle and adds an element of intrigue.

It will comes as no surprise that it’s this third category, when well-executed, that has my heart. I’d put all th great epistolary mysteries in here, alongside the tongue-in-cheek narration of _Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone_. When done right, this kind of novel can bring a mystery to life, forcing a reader to engage more deeply. When done poorly, it can lead to frustration, or a sense of disappointing authorial self-importance.

Which is why I was cautious when approaching my early copy of _West Heart Kill_. (Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the gift copy!) Billed as an “anything-but-ordinary whodunnit”, the story bounces between narrative voices and content. One “track”, if you can so call it, follows detective protagonist Adam as he investigates the residents of West Heart, an elite hunting club. The other reviews the history of the written mystery, interspersing interludes of narrative musings with relevant mystery content. There’s a lot that’s unique about this book… but how well does it all come together?

##A unique reading experience…
As I closed _West Heart Kill_, I found myself struggling to find an appropriate set of descriptors for it. “It’s like _Knives Out_, in book format, with the narrator from _Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone_, but if he were much more indirect, but also a total literary experiment…” There are many literary ideas in the novel that seem comparable to others, but they combine in a way that’s unique to me as a reader. Some that stick out: the unique narrative voice, the shifting perspective, the numerous hints for where to pay attention.

Start with the voice. Extensive sections of _West Heart Kill _ feature second person narration - second person narration! With a narrator telling you how you experience reading the mystery - instead of reading the actual mystery. (Think “you read several pages of dialogue, noting that the conversation never touches x, y, or z topics.”) It’s a Very Interesting writing choice that in some ways allows you, the reader, to be “in the know” alongside the author. And despite feeling like a trick (who knows what’s hidden in the bits that are simply described), I can attest that Dorman manages to pull off fair play.

He does this while also shifting other elements of the narrative perspective. While some parts of the novel are written in that second-person voice, others are written as a simple mystery story… Except that the perspective changes every “day” in the book, including third-person limited, first-person singular, and (shock!) first-person plural! And throughout all these narrative shifts, the narrator continues to call out areas to focus and pay attention, so that you have a reasonable shot at the solution.

Some of this may strike you as Extremely Extra for a mystery novel. Why add so many structural twists and turns to a perfectly good plot? But for a certain type of reader (it’s me, I’m that reader!) it adds a layer of structural play. There’s something almost joyous about seeing someone test out so many techniques of mystery writing at once. _West Heart Kill_ feels like something new, and that alone makes it worth the read.

##…with a thin cast
Of course, new territory comes with risks and the potential for error. _West Heart Kill_ trades its unique story structure for character depth. (One of the biggest similarities to _Knives Out_, which similarly follows rich and unpleasant people.) Part of the challenge is structural - the narration simply obscures conversations by telling you what you would have learned, rather than experiencing it yourself. Almost definitionally, it’s telling rather than showing, reducing those characters to stock.

And then, there are the characters themselves. I always find it hard to like truly stock characters - they’re a little too cardboard cutout. But the residents of _West Heart Kill_ spend very little time on-screen, and seem to have no real inner lives outside their potential motives. Every minute spent with a character somehow ties into the mystery - there’s not much to make the reader care about them. And so, when murder visits West Heart, you’re forced to care for the sake of Justice.

Now I usually am a big fan of character writing, so normally I’d be put off by this tradeoff. But the rest of the reading experience is so unique and innovative that I want to forgive this flaw…

##An author who loves mystery
…especially in light of Dorman’s clear love of the mystery genre. (Or at least his respect for it - after _Magpie Murders_ I try not to assume…) This comes out not only in the interludes that describe the tropes and history of the genre, but also in the references, the narration, the winks and nods to common plot interpretations and tricks scattered throughout the novel. It’s hard to fault someone who so clearly loves the genre and has taken on such a creative and ambitious way to explore it fully.

For me, those little interludes of history and trope exploration take _West Heart Kill_ to the next level. I love the meta-ness of it - the idea that you’re getting to think about the influences on this writing as you’re reading it. (Echoes of _How to Read a Classic Crime Novel_, perhaps?) But this is very much a specific taste, for those who enjoy writing that smashes the Fourth Wall and dances on the pieces, then analyzes that dance. Certainly not a Beach Read - but a kind of great meditative Fall one.

##Reader’s notes and rating
I LOVED _West Heart Kill_, as a major fan of the meta-mystery. But your enjoyment of this novel will very much depend on your willingness to get through all its narrative quirks - the second-person narrative voice, the referential asides, the elision of pure plot - as well as your understanding of mystery tropes. If it were just a _bit_ more accessible and I cared a smidge more about the characters, I’d happily give it top marks. For such a unique and interesting read - and one that I’ve already purchased a physical copy of - four stars.

###Read this if…
- You love a meta-mystery
- You’re not turned off by the second-person narration (a common complaint)
- The idea of a book that uses multiple techniques to explore Mystery as a genre excites you

###Skip this if…
- You want a simple and straightforward mystery
- Second person freaks you out
- You’re in it for the characters

_West Heart Kill_ will be published on October 24, 2023.

This was a fun whodunit and anything but ordinary! The setting and premise are promising, the characters are out there, and executed in a very different narrating style. The thing I enjoy about murder mysteries is the endless attempt to distract and pull the reader from the clues that are plain as day and the quick shift in POV and narrating is a clever tactic. I had a few bumps in the road toward the end but overall this was a fun read, I'd recommend it to anyone that is a fan of the genre or just jumping in. Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was an interesting and uniquely written read. I actually enjoyed most of it, although I think a lot of it is skippable. (And i did skip some, like the scene setting bits with the clothing brands in the beginning.) Its going to be a love it or hate it, I think. But I ended up enjoying it.

A clever and fun (and funny!) murder mystery, told with the playfulness of the most amusing Golden Age authors of detective fiction. If you read mysteries for that cozy feeling of sameness, this one's not for you, but if you love thinking about the structure and norms and tropes of the genre and want to be delighted by an author who both deconstructs and pays tribute to them, I'd highly recommend this one!

A very unique take on the murder mystery, and in particular the locked room mystery. With odes to mystery writers throughout, the author present the story with a blend of writing styles and POVs. Not your average murder mystery!

I have read a lot of mysteries and have never read one quite like this.
Locked room mysteries are my favorite, so I was all in for that.
Breaking the fourth wall though? That is unique!

I felt like I was part of the book. The reader is really involved in the story.
Reading it was a bit confusing and all over the place at times.

It was interesting how the author spoke directly to the reader.

A book if you like to read about books. Interesting concept though lacking development of characters. .

This book is a fun expedition through a mystery story, as well as an engaging exploration of the detective mystery genre. Breaking the fourth wall is always a bit risky, but this book makes it feel natural and easy; the reader is nearly seamlessly incorporated as a participant of the story all along. This is a book of philosophical meanderings and thoughtful preponderances entwined carefully with the explicit expectations and procedures of the typical murder mystery novel.

Language: High
Drugs: High
Sex: Mild
Violence: Moderate