When I started West Heart Kill, I was expecting a drawing room mystery with a bit of quirky meta narration thrown in. I found the narrative breaks interesting and was enjoying the obvious nod to the conventions of a mystery novel.

After awhile, I started to feel the narration was getting a little precious and found it a bit much because it felt like it was a distraction from the mystery plot. I admit, at this point I put the book aside in favor of a less frustrating novel. I was intrigued enough to come back to it after a bit of a break, and at first I had the same reaction that caused me to put it down. After making my way through enough of the book to get to the murder, which was farther in than I would have liked, I finally settled into a rhythm and my opinion of the narrative breaks shifted.

The narration developed from the interesting aside into full out mini lectures dropped in amongst what felt to me like teases of plot, and I began to consider that possibly the plot was there to serve the narrator rather than the other way round. The murder plot feels more like a case study in a business or psychology class that supports the lecture. Once I got used to it, I really settled in to enjoy the book as an exploration of the mystery genre, and found the information in the narrative sections quite interesting.

I think if you’re looking for a straightforward murder mystery, this book probably isn’t for you. If you’re a lover of the genre and want a very meta experience, this is definitely worth your time.

Exciting, unconventional, clever (and it knows it). West Heart Kill is an enthralling and engaging read.

I was drawn in immediately and continued to be delighted with the shifts and progression of the story. I also appreciated the anecdotes and insights into the murder mystery genre that were sprinkled throughout. I rarely read murder mysteries and can see this being accessible to those new to the genre and avid fans looking for a fresh take. Recommended to any reader willing to go on a journey, perhaps out of their comfort zone, to experience a surprising and dynamic read.

This is an assured debut and I was thrilled to be able to read it. Thank you very much to Knopf and NetGalley for the copy.

I didn't like West Heart Kill. The thing I disliked most about it was that it was written through the eyes of the reader. And the beginning dragged on and on. I was so bored with it that I just couldn't continue. I gave it one star.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC! I love a good whodunit - in fact, it is one of my favorite tropes in a book. I had a hard time putting down this book once I started it. I'll admit it took me a little to get into it, but once I was in I was hooked. There were times I was a bit confused, but I think it added to the novel. I'll recommend this to my friends!

I had super high hopes for this book, but it wasn't for me in the end. Reading it on my phone didn't do the book any favors; at least a physical copy would've made it easier to flip to the character list at the beginning. In the end, I wanted more narrative and less mystery writing lessons.

I want to start by thanking the publisher for access to this book. I appreciate what the author was trying to do, but the writing style was just not for me. This isn't a bad book in any sense - it will do well among those who enjoy the "rich people satire" genre (which is why I requested it, I adore this era of storytelling). I found the narrative structure (similar to the "meta" style that is done in Glass Onion/Knives Out) somewhat distracting and challenging, but that's more a me thing. Overall I think this is a fun and unique book.

While I sometimes like myself a good whodunnit murder mystery, I just don't think this book was for me. The book was written very well and I think anyone who really loves "Clue" type books would really love this.

This book was amazing! I had to put it down to keep it from ending. I didn't want to finish it at all. I look forward to more book from this author,

I really enjoyed how this book made me feel like I was Nancy Drew. I’ve never read a book written this way. The author goes out of their way to make you feel like you’re involved in the investigation. Initially this kept me very interested and excited to see what I’d “find out” next. However it started to get redundant felt extremely drug out. I was just tired of trying to get through and to the point. Worth the read for the unique writing style. But not sure I’d purchase when it comes out.

Really wanted to like this more But 3 stars is the best I can do. There was a lot of clever “asides” I’ll call them. But you really could just skim thru them as they didn’t seem super relevant to the story. Not a bad book, but not my thing.

Okay I tried. But it was a little more non-traditional narrative than I was comfortable with, a fact that became evident fairly early on. The writing was engaging and interesting enough, stylistically, but the back and forth between reader and writer were starting to do me in. Then the whole thing shifted into a play and I knew I was done..

I guess I'm just old-fashioned. I want a story to read like a story. I know that a lot of people don't feel this way, and will probably love this one as a result because the writing is more than strong enough enough to carry it straight into your imagination if the narrative style doesn't throw you off, like it did me. But I was just not the right reader for this one...

This is the most unusual mystery I have ever read. Fans of the genre will either love it or hate it. I, for one, loved it. The author plays with the novel's form, periodically gives mini tutorials regarding the history of murder mysteries and also offers up a locked room mystery with clever asides to the reader and an unexpected ending. It is a mystery most literary and challenging. Read it to the end. It's worth the effort!

I prefer not to recap the plot so that other readers might enjoy the novel uninhibited. Even the title is clever but I will let other readers discover that as well. The publisher has already optioned another book by Mr. McDorman which I will anxiously anticipate.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-galley!

West Heart Kill prides itself on being a literary murder mystery with classic elements set in a remote hunting lodge. And bodies start showing up one by one. It has all the ingredients needed for the perfect "Whodunnit" but unfortunately that's where it falls short.

The style of West Heart Kill is completely narrated in a strange first person POV reminiscent of childhood "choose your own adventure" language that at most times made me tired, and more confused than I had to be. Unravelling the language while setting up the scene and figuring out what was going on, just used up too much brain power and made the reading process an unpleasant experience.

Review: I wanted to be intrigued by this very different style of writing, but it really was not for me. The author makes the reader part of the mystery and I know for a fact I cannot stomach second person narrative even in small doses. I skimmed in parts due to this and was unable to enjoy reading.
Recommended For: I think men will enjoy this and those who really want a different type of mystery novel.

The best I can say about this book is if you enjoy eclectic writing that wanders, is hard to follow and dull beyond reason then this is the book for you. I am amazed that a publisher would agree to put out this kind of feeble offering. This is the author’s first publish novel and should not have been.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.

While I think that the author's idea here of discussing the finer points of mystery writing and it's origins was clever, it was not executed in a way that I enjoyed. I learned a little about mystery writing, and may read some books that I have not tried, but this did not add to my enjoyment of the book and the mystery at hand

West Heart Kill is a bit too meta for me. A storm that traps the characters at a remote hunt club in upstate New York should be a home run murder mystery premise for me, but the the plot is really secondary to what the author seems to be trying to do (upend the rules of the genre, evidently...). The narrative style was difficult to get into - second person, frequently speaking directly to the reader, then at the end is written as a play, where the reader also has lines. The author interjects summarization and commentary on several famous mystery authors/stories which often was an introduction to whatever theme or trope was coming up next in the West Heart Kill story and seemed really heavy handed. Overall, this book was not for me.

This book is so many things rolled into one. A mystery novel, a how-to-write a mystery guide, a play, an essay on the works of mystery writers, and a guide to the reader; talking them through the story, reminding them they're looking for clues. When to pay special attention.

In a way, it shouldn't work. There are so many things that take you out of the story. That interrupt and derail. Ironically, these interruptions made me fall into an even deeper lull when the "story" began again. I fell into the trance and was swept away, only to be pulled out again.

I did like the conversations with the reader. The credit given in being able to detect all the writer's ploys, the astuteness and savvy. For this reader, ill-gotten praise since I'm the sort that wants to be fooled and surprised. However, the confidence of these conversations with the reader made you feel like you were a part of something, not just a mere observer.

This book is quite honestly like nothing I've ever read before. It was very well executed; in ways I think very few would have managed to pull off. The resolution to the mystery was unsatisfactory, but the experience was worth it. I'm definitely curious to see what McDorman's next book will be like!

This was a tough one to get into for me, but I certainly can appreciate the thought and research that went into the book. The author was extremely successful in educating the reader about the history of the mystery story, but for me a bit less successful with the mystery itself.

I think the audience for the unconventional narrative style will be pretty small, but I certainly commend the effort.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

West Heart Kill is set in the exclusive hunting club in New York where a handful of wealthy families have homes. Coming for holidays or just weekends, the monied, blue blood people here have lots of secrets and no trust. McAnnis, a private detective by trade, is up visiting for the weekend with a friend when, not one or two, but three dead bodies are found in the course of one weekend during a raging storm that takes out the power.

I really wanted to like this book and I really enjoyed the middle section. The layout of this book is entirely why I did not like it: it’s basically a mix of a murder mystery, a how-to-write-a-murder-mystery guide, and a screenplay. It was constantly breaking the 4th wall and it just took me out of the story - in the beginning I didn’t mind the 4th wall breaks, as it sets the scene and was somewhat quirky and interesting for the first page or so. And then it just didn’t stop. I began skipping through the many how-to sections - I don’t need to read several pages of what an official definition of what a murder is, who officially invented the iconic murder mystery, or about that one time Agatha Christie disappeared and then showed up at a spa. It was really distracting constantly being taken out of the story.

Then at the very end - it becomes a screenplay ??? With the reader having actual lines to close out the mystery?? The ever-changing format was too distracting to be enjoyed.

With that said, the characters were both very similar and easy to mix up and also played their own parts and roles. I really enjoyed the foreshadowing and observations from the beginning about key characteristics and how those came into play later in the book - the book was very thought-out and planned and this extended to the characters.

Overall, I really wanted to like this book during the middle - about 50% of the way in, but I just couldn’t get past the constant format changes and random discussions about the Greek’s influence of plays?

ARC was provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.