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 !

Sometimes a book just doesn’t resonate with me, and unfortunately, this was one of those instances.

I had a hard time with this book for three main reasons: too many characters to follow, an overall sluggish pace, and a writing style that didn’t work for me.

Regarding the writing style, the book blurb describes this as a “remarkable debut that gleefully upends the rules of the genre.” While it certainly did that (although it’s not the first to do so), for me, the “upending” made the book confusing and frustrating. There is a recent trend of breaking the fourth wall and having characters speak directly to the reader. I’m not quite a fan of that yet. Additionally, the author describes the writing process throughout the story, reminiscent of “Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone” by Benjamin Stevenson, but in a less engaging and interesting manner IMO.

I don’t like it when I don’t enjoy a book. Maybe it was my mood, maybe I’m growing weary of fourth-wall-breaking narratives, or maybe this book simply wasn’t for me. I hope other readers find more pleasure in reading it than I did.

Thank you @netgally and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman was an okay read, but it didn’t blow me away. The plot had some good moments, but the structure was a little confusing. The story starts with the detective, Adam McAnnis, and I was interested at first, but then it switches to a different narrator halfway through. I’m not sure I liked that because it threw me off. There’s also a part at the end where the story is told like a play, which felt kind of weird and didn’t really fit. The ending left me with more questions than answers, and I’m not sure I totally got what the author was trying to do. It was entertaining in parts, but overall, it didn’t feel as polished as I’d hoped. Three stars is about right for this one—good, but not great.

A who dunnit of sorts at the local hunting club. Give it a try and see what you think. If you like a good mystery and some funny characters this book is for you.

Initially I was intrigued by the storytelling style, in which the author directly addresses readers in random passages as the story unfolds. But the novelty quickly wore off.

I wasn’t charmed or entertained. I didn’t like the author’s constant interference, basically telling us what readers should be thinking and expecting at various points. The actual mystery would just start to get interesting when, hey, here’s the author telling us all about what it’s like to read. It was jarring. And, worse, I didn’t feel like it added a thing.

When I became more annoyed than intrigued, I gave up.

So clearly this style isn’t for me. But others have loved the quirkiness, so give it a try if it appeals to you.

DNF

Didn’t love the structure of the book. In theory I liked the story and the premise but the way it actually played out left me wanting more

Interesting premise, but the structure didn't work for me. It was too jarring to be pulled out of the story when the fourth wall was broken.

DNF @ 10%. I really tried to get into this book but I really hated how it was written. The writing style was just not one I could get into and really took me out of the story.

Wes Heart Kill by Dan McDorman this book is about murders at an isolated cabin and really I should’ve been totally into it. Unfortunately I didn’t like the writing style as if the author was describing the book to me and although the perspective changes I just found it such an odd way to write a novel. There did come a point where I wanted to know who the murderer was but it was only out of curiosity and to be honest had someone taken the book for me I could’ve live without knowing. This is a strange way to write a story and I really did not like it.#NetGalley, #KnothPantheonAnchorVintage, #DanMcDorman, #WestHeartKill,

If you're looking for a Clue and Knives Out feel wrapped in a book, look no further with Dann McDorman's West Heart Kill!

This locked-room multiple murder mystery has the soap-opera drama and feel of old-school writers like Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but McDorman twists the genre with fourth-wall breaks that take readers on a trip down memory lane to reflect on popular historical mystery and murder plots. These fourth-wall breaks add an interesting twist on the conventional whodunnit, and most of the tangents were intriguing realistic tidbits that taught readers something new or tied the plot into its place amongst some of the best murder mystery stories, adding to the overall vibe of the story. However, this reader found them to be distracting at times, mostly when the story came to its climax and all I wanted was to find out who was responsible and how they did it. It did feel like these tangents dragged the story down just a bit, but McDorman should still get credit for adding such a creative layer to such a classic genre. The reader is included throughout the story, treated more like a character themselves than the voyeur we typically are. I thoroughly enjoyed this experience, even with the tangents, and I can't wait for McDorman's next mystery book. Great whodunnit for Fall vibes!

**Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.**

This book unfortunately did not work for me.

I generally love a good whodunnit mystery, but this one went in a direction that had me both surprised and disappointed.

I love having a story where I can challenge myself to figured out the ending as I turn the pages. Did I pay attention to the right things? Did I suspect the right characters? That is half the fun of reading a book of this type.

For some reason this book kept breaking up the story, feeling the need to explain all of the rules of a good mystery, pausing at different points to tell you what to question, who to pay attention to, and overall taking all of the fun out of the story. I completely lost all interest in the actual story, which is unfortunate. I think it could have been much stronger given the premise.

An accessible, meta thriller and murder mystery that doesn't take itself too seriously and gets the job done. For fans of Knives Out and Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone.

Dann McDorman's knowledge of mystery as a genre, as well as its history, is not up for debate. While I did not fact check everything statistic and historical note included in the book, his awareness and interest in the subject of mystery novels is made keenly aware to the reader nearly immediately. He also writes an intriguing mystery with many persons of interest and clues to unravel. +

Unfortunately for me, the structure of the novel - with the main story being mixed with historical references and fourth wall breaks to interact with the reader - did not work. I felt that I was reading two separate books most of the time, trying to keep track of the mystery while being inundated with facts about mysteries in general. Furthermore, the 3rd act "play" in which the reader is a character felt confusing. It was like a choose your own adventure, but the choices were being made for you. I greatly enjoyed the mystery itself, but feel that the presentation of the story could have used some more craftsmanship. 2.5* rounded down.

Thank you to Dann McDorman, NG, and Knopf for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I sometimes just take a long shot on a book…even if it doesn’t resonate with me. This mystery is unique both in style and substance. For my pedestrian tastes the unique commentary threw me off to the extent that it intruded on the story. So I’ve concluded that this book is directed at a younger reader ( such as millennials) that may enjoy the tone of this story.

The structure of this story was so unique! I loved it! I couldn’t get enough of the narrator breaking down how mysteries are written, and pointing out cliches and tropes and plot devices. Some might find it distracting, but I thought it was great! Oh and there was also a mystery to be solved. A locked door mystery, my favorite. Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for this gifted copy.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a little backlogged with my ARC’s but working diligently to get caught up. This story was set up completely different from what I was expecting! Most similar book plots just feel like they flow where this felt a little choppy to me, like you’re looking through a detectives notebook. I still found the story interesting and definitely hard to figure out who committed the crime. If you like detective fiction and country club murder books, be sure to check this out!

West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman is a murder mystery set in a hunting lodge. While entertaining, I found there to be too many characters and getting a bit confused on who was who. Otherwise, I enjoyed the whodunit, the setting and the mystery of it all. 3.5stars for me!

This was a pretty good book, but I did not like the writing style nor ending.

The concept of the reader being a witness to the events is interesting, but I did not like the style of a window that the narrator uses to talk to the audience. It was also distracting for the history of mystery books because it seemed like filler information to add to the chapter that was not necessary.

Overall, the storyline was okay, but the ending started to be apparent midway and I struggled to finish it since I figured the plot out.

This was okay. I was expecting less of the Narrator and more of the detective or what was happening with the other people in the book. That's not to it isn't well done but, at the same time, it wasn't my cup of tea. I'm not sure if I'll look up what the author has to do in the future. I didn't like the know it all feeling as I was reading the book so I think I'll probably stay away from future endeavors.

i kind of hated this book and i'm also kind of obsessed with it. it's pretentious as fuck but also somewhat ingenious.