Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for a digital copy of West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman for review consideration. All opinions and statements are my own.

West Heart Kill is set at a remote hunting lodge, where Private Investigator Adam McAnnis has been sent on a secret mission. Once there, he learns that the rich members of West Heart have a lot of secrets, and not everyone is happy about the prospect of selling the club. Then a storm comes and people start dying...but can McAnnis figure it all out before someone else turns up dead?

Honestly, I wasn't a fan of this novel. The mystery itself was interesting; however, it was broken up by narration on the history of mystery writing and writers, which took me out of the story and didn't really lend anything to the novel or my reading experience. If the novel would have just told the whodunit story, I feel like I would have enjoyed it much more. The writing itself wasn't terrible, I just didn't like the unique format of the storytelling.

There were also way too many characters to keep track of, and I never really understood who anyone was. When characters started dying, I didn't really care about who did it because I felt no connection to any of them and had no idea who they were or how they fit into the over-arching story. None of the characters were likeable, really, so it was no wonder they started getting killed off.

All in all, I would have to say that I didn't enjoy this book. The format was odd, characters with no redeeming qualities, and an ambiguous ending, none of which are things I look for in a great novel.

The premise of this book sounded like something I would enjoy, but the format of this book was very frustrating for me. This is a very unique book and if you’re into that you will enjoy this. There’s a screenplay, information on different mystery writers (which interrupted the storyline)…it was too chaotic for me. This book was just not for me, and that’s okay!

Thank you Netgalley & Knof, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This debut is clever, almost cunning, wildly innovative, and brilliant. The synopsis tells us that we’ll meet a detective, there will be a murder, and we’ll be there alongside him to solve it. Because it all takes place in a country house full of the wealthy elite during a storm, we think we know exactly what kind of book we’re settling into. And yet.

Nothing here is what it seems. There are critical reviews of ‘West Heart Kill’ - and I understand why. Those readers were eager to read that other book, the straightforward whodunnit that checks all of the boxes. This is not that book.

McDorman plays with language, with perspective, with tenses, with literary structure. Sometimes it’s second person. Sometimes we’re in the midst of a screenplay. He breaks the fourth wall and brings the reader into the cast of characters, smugly calling attention to that eagerness to play detective. These are not tricks just for the sake of it. They’re purposeful, intelligent, and meant to remind us of the genre we’re in. Do we solve the crime? Yes, of course. But that’s not really what the book is about.

‘West Heart Kill’ is a love letter to detective fiction. It’s a book for readers who know why Agatha Christie employed poison so often in her mysteries; who can identify the distinct styles of reasoning between infamous literary detectives; who know the origin of the term red herring. This book, for me, felt like being a part of something bigger and bolder than myself. I would read it again and again.

Private Detective Adam McAnnis contacts a college friend he hasn’t seen in quite a while and finagles an invitation to join him during The Bicentennial Fourth of July weekend at a private upstate New York hunting club. Why is he really there? The corpses pile up among the moneyed, adulterous residents in this creative, unconventional mystery.

This is a very unique approach to a mystery story. The narrative styles vacillate. The reader’s role changes from that of voyeur to that of sleuth; the writing style devolves from narrative into play script. Along the way, through multiple digressions, the reader is schooled in the nature of mysteries and techniques of their writers through the ages.

I’m not quite sure what to make of this book. I give the author credit for his clever reimagining of a traditional mystery and I enjoyed the references to classic stories and tropes of this genre.
However, I was disappointed in the way it concluded, having felt that it deteriorated near the end leaving this reader less than satisfied.

Those looking for creativity or who enjoy metafiction will like this book. Just don’t go into it expecting a customary whodoneit.

Thanks to #netgalley and #knopf for the ARC

A very different format that will appeal to a select number of people. At times this reads like a novel. Other times like a screenplay and then a study on mystery novels. It switches between a story and then talking directly to the reader. There was even a pop quiz or "questionnaire" for the reader to answer at one point. At around the 80% mark is where the screenplay starts with the reader having an active role in the lines of the play. I do applaud the author for the originality of how this book is written, the format just didn't work for me. It was very distracting and made the story hard to follow. I didn't feel like I was fully engrossed in the story, even though the author intended for the reader to have an active role.

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf for a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was different in ways that I'm not even sure I can explain, or where to start. Essentially, this reads like a screenplay at times, a novel at times, and then a study on mystery novels (especially Agatha Christie) at other times. While I enjoyed it for the most part, there were definitely parts that I didn't understand and it wasn't the smoothest of reading. It was absolutely written for a niche group of people. I gave it three stars because while I enjoyed it, it did take me a long time to get through. Thank you to NetGalley for an arc copy for my unbiased opinion.

Ok, this book had a super interesting and intriguing story telling device that initially drew me in. However, I found it kind of tedious and confusing at times. I liked the story overall but the format just didn't do it for me unfortunately. It was not that the reveal (which was good!) was bad or bad story telling or that it was poorly written cause it was not! Dann is a very talented writer. It just did not work personally for me. I think a lot of people will personally enjoy it. The conclusion and reveal was very satisfying!

I am keeping this one brief because its a mystery, and I don't want to spoil anything.
What I can say, is that Dan McDorman has turned mystery novels upside down with "West Heart Kill". Think of it as deconstructing what we think we know about mysteries. The format, oh, it's still there, in the form of breaking the 4th wall and talking to the reader about it. You'll be questioned, no really, the book will ask you, the reader, questions. It almost turns into a play with a script.
Fear not, there are still plenty of twists, puzzles, and multiple deaths in this 1970s upstate New York hunt club story, filled with unreliable, scheming characters!

West Heart Kill is the story of a private hunting club, its history, and the murders that take place there. Adam McAnnis is a private detective who has reconnected with his college friend James Blake. James invites Adam to spend the bicentennial weekend at his families summer cottage located at the West Heart Hunting Club. Being a private detective Adam asks lots of questions and notices lots of details. Is it just innocent curiosity or does McAnnis have an ulterior motive? This book is a story within a story. As you are reading the story taking place at West Heart there is also a narrator providing the reader with background information on the murder mystery genre. I found these sidebars a bit distracting, but found the story compelling enough to keep reading. Honestly, I'm still unsure how I feel about this book.

I wanted to love this book so much. Unfortunately for me it fell a little flat. Jumping between third person, first person, even the we and then a random reader when the script starts. I love that we don’t know the whodunnit aspect, but the script part killed this story for me. The script portion didn’t need to be in there, this story could just been a straight up murder mystery story and would’ve been great! Thank you Dann McDorman, NetGalley and Knopf for this ARC.

West Heart Kill is an utterly unique mystery. It took me a little bit to get used to the writing but once I did, I felt like I was in the middle of the mystery itself. The story and characters are solid, and I would definitely read another book by this author.

You can’t call this mystery ordinary by any stretch and I feel its uniqueness is both its weakness and its strength. I personally enjoyed how meta this mystery is and loved the tidbits about classic mysteries dispersed throughout. The points I disliked were the the changes in writing styles and the ending didn’t impress me.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

First, thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I’m a casual mystery reader, sometimes I will jot some notes down to try to figure it out, but not always, but I do enjoy a good mystery. And I can assure you that West Heart Kill is a great mystery.

The biggest praise I have for the book is the writing style: West Heart Kill isn't your run-of-the-mill mystery. It is very unique and meta. I’ll admit I was somewhat weirded out by the style when I started the read, It was unexpected at first, but once I got used to it, it was an extremely fun ride. The book is very meta, most of its charm comes from this meta-ness, and it's not condescending. I felt like I was reading my thoughts during a game of Clue (I get really into that boardgame and think I’m an actual detective)

Now, other than the writing, my praise is for the plot. It feels like reading a game of Clue, with characters that could be new additions to the board game. I had a blast with this book, and I can’t wait to see what you guys think! West Heart Kill comes out on October 24 of this year!

Not a bad mystery, but I'm a writer, and this book which interrupted the story with work for me as a reader to do irritated me. I don't really want to get inside the plot of the book. I want to read it and find the clues.

This was clever and different enough to catch my attention, yet I think the cleverness and uniqueness was also a hindrance. The asides that explain different techniques used in mysteries just remove you from the story. The constant interruptions in the story make it harder to keep track of the many characters in the book and the plotline. This is another of those books where no one is likeable and there is no clear "good guy". The ending is more of a non-ending. Kudos to the author for trying something different, but the outcome just wasn't that successful for me. Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Unfortunately, I could not finish this book. I was Intrigued by the premise, but the odd writing style was confusing and distracting,

I found the writing style of this book to be quite interesting. All-in-all it was a decent “mystery”. Not sure that I can say that I liked the way it was written. But, hey, totally my own opinion. The intrigue part of it was good; it takes place over an Independence Day holiday in 1976; the county’s bicentennial, at an upstate New York retreat area known as West Heart. The story is told in several different points of view. The conclusion was laid out in a completely different style than the rest of the book.

I really enjoyed this book and the way it uses tropes to confirm but also subvert expectations. I blasted through it in less than a day. I'd love to read more from the author. Well done.

A smartly written WhoDunIt, HowDunIt, WhyDunIt, murder mystery that will leave you highly entertained, somewhat smarter, and guessing to the final page. Does the perfect book exist for the summer vacation or the relaxing cruise? It might now. Well done Mr. McDorman. Thank you to the characters of West Heart Kill for all of your dastardly deeds and sinful lives. It sounds like an entertaining place to vacation ... if you can only make it out alive.

A private detective joins the families of the West Heart Club for their summer holiday. As you might imagine, the vacation doesn’t goes as anyone would hope. There’s a storm, there’s infidelity, and there are deaths. And McDorman very purposefully leads you through the clues while admiring the murder-mystery greats.

1️⃣ This is a fun one. I think it would be a great summer read (that’s when I enjoyed it) or a good read in the middle of winter when you need a reminder of summer by the lake.

2️⃣ McDorman dissects the detective novel in a very smart way. He gives the readers the tools to solve the tools to solve the mystery while praising and crediting the greats of the genre.

3️⃣ Although there is a lot more going on in this book than there is in a typical murder-mystery tale, the mystery itself is all that you want. Shifting motives, a disastrous storm, and an isolated group that knows the killer must be one of them.

4️⃣ West Heart Kill is mostly a novel, but it’s not limited to that genre. There are several genre changes that really keep you on your toes. (And that might sound like a lot, but I promise it isn’t. It really works well.)

5️⃣ I both hated and loved the ending. And, for me at least, it’s rare to have such a strong reaction to a murder-mystery solution. You really ought to check it out to see how you feel about it.