Received a complimentary copy of West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman from Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

BOOK REPORT
I really wanted to like West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman. As someone who developed a huge crush on the mystery genre in general while in elementary school, and fell hard-core in love with murder mysteries proper in high school (thank you, Sir A. Conan Doyle and Dame Agatha Christie)—never to fall out—I really, really did.

But I didn’t.

I really, really didn’t.

I was bored by this book. Yep, you guessed it—pass out stone-cold-sober bored. The characters were caricatures, and the pacing was weird/off-putting. The meta-meta approach, etc., gave me an annoying little behind-the-left-eye headache, which is unfortunately usually a precursor to a migraine. So, having just in the past week-and-a-half having been delivered two memos from the universe that Life Is Short (death of an 11-year-old pet and death of a younger member of our extended family), I decided to punt on p28 of 199.

And it was with a great sigh of relief that I did so, realizing how hard I had struggled over the course of three days and two separate reading sessions to get engaged with this book.

The sad thing is that it was supposed to be one of my beach reads. Sigh.

Well, can’t win ‘em all. And, I’m starting to think that I can’t win very many of ‘em with NetGalley, and that publishers are probably not going to want to route their advanced reader copies through me, given that I seem to be so often an outlier. So be it. Maybe someday everybody will remember me as that high school English teacher who was _so_ hard on them but in fact was really telling them the truth nobody else had the guts to do so?

Maybe.

West Heart Kill is an explanation of the how and why of various mystery writers and scenarios, while at the same time presenting murder mysteries that need solving. It is mind-boggling and quite a challenge to read. Try it, you might like the puzzle.

Forget the locked room, let’s trade that in for a snowed in group at a private hunting lodge in 1970s upstate New York. Adam joins his friend for the weekend and when one of the members if found dead, a fierce storm settles in, stranding everyone at the lodge. With more deaths and a group of privilege members, Adam is going to have his work cut out for him.

A new author paying homage to the things we love most about classic mysteries brings this book to life. Well done fir a first book, but a list of characters and how they relate to each other would have helped to follow along a bit more.. I do believe we may have another master of of old style mystery on our hand with Dann McDorman and a few more books at honing his own personal style.

I do not agree with accolades given to West Heart Kill. The characters all seemed alike -- snobby, of old money (but running out of it) and everyone secretly sleeps with another's spouse. This is the second book I've read of late that include you/the reader. I hope this is not a trend. The book is interesting in the way it moves the plot along using different elements. But in trying to be clever (including cover art), it gave me no interest in solving the mysteries.

I found this to be a good overall thriller with a new take on the genre and it felt it had and engaging plot and characters.

This was advertised as an irresistibly clever Meta murder mystery. Well, then, guess it worked because I was unable to resist it. And having read it, am glad to report that there is indeed truth in advertising in this instance.
This book IS clever.
Viciously, deliciously so.
I’ve been pretty burnt out on modern thrillers: too predictable, too formulaic, too trite. I was looking for something like this…a book that simultaneously plays with genre presets and dares to defy them.
On a surface, it’s a typical locked private club mystery. A group of wealthy individuals that goes back a while gathers together to hunt. Or rather, a group of ostensibly wealthy incestuous liars and cheats gets together to play games with each other.
Some games are deadlier than others.
In their midst, is a private detective hired by (mystery) there to (mystery). AT first, he just enjoys the high life, but then the bodies begin to drop, and he has to get to work.
And while all of that may sound like a very familiar mystery plot, nothing about this novel itself is familiar. From its structure to its twist.
From the very first chapter, the author essentially takes a sledgehammer to the fourth wall, and he doesn’t stop until the very end. He talks to us or at us. He switches perspectives and tones to suit the mood. He goes on discursive discussions of mystery genre and its masters. It’s all rather brilliant. It really is.
It can also probably seem like a lot, especially for readers who are used to the conventional the-wife-or-the-husband-did-this-because-of-the-secrets-in-their-past, etc. sort of mystery thrillers.
This is very much a thinking person mystery. Like most very clever (and aware of it and not ashamed to flaunt it) things and people, it won’t be for everyone. But it definitely worked for me. Strikingly original and yes, clever, impressively clever, this is a mystery for mystery lovers looking for something different, something with substance and intelligence to charm and wow. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

For the most part, I found this to be an engaging and propulsive read with spoiled, suspicious characters and a lush setting. The format is an interesting one as well, dancing between narrative and how we consume mysteries. However, I found the ending twist to be unsatisfying, but that is up to the individual how it lands.

This was a really interesting book! The writing style changes throughout the book, which I wasn’t expecting. Once I figured out what was happening with their writing, I really enjoyed it! I haven’t read too many other books that have done that and it was refreshing and definitely piqued my interest. I enjoyed the story and characters, although I didn’t enjoy the multiple povs, but that’s just a personal preference. It was a great read overall and I’ll definitely revisit in the future.

This book had so much going for it. It had a great setting (1970s and a remote but wealthy hunting camp). The plot and characters were interesting. However, the author thought themselves clever and changed POV's and style many times. Then they took to rambling about different genre authors. Some changes were fine. For example, it changed to a question/answer format when the characters were being interrogated. However, the narration changes felt like a gimmick instead of a way to forward the plot. I was interested in the motives and the murders but nothing gets a satisfactory solution.
Thanks NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC.

West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman is a thoroughly engaging mystery/thriller with dynamic characters and a plot that does not disappoint. I found the pacing, especially, to be flawless with the perfect balance of action and exposition. I would happily read more from this author,

I am a self-admitted book worm, and I have been the majority of my life. Here lately, I gravitate towards suspenseful books. I admit that while I don’t really read much mystery, I was really excited to get a chance to read this book.

Pros: This book was EXTREMELY different, in a refreshing way. I liked the way it is not written the same throughout the book.

Cons: Not to spoil anything, but I still have many questions about the book!

I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I did get a bit confused at some of the parts of the book. Like I mentioned before, I have many questions, but I know that was by design. Ultimately, I definitely recommend this book if you are looking for something different that holds your attention.

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

I’m not sure what exactly I was expecting from the book description, but what I read wasn’t it. I really wanted to love this as a fan of mysteries, but I was so thrown by the whole style and really struggled to stay engaged. I considered DNFing multiple times but wanted to stick it out to the end to see what/if there was a big twist.

I ended up skimming over any time the author discussed other writers, and really disliked the sections that used second person perspective as well as the “play” plot.

The actual story parts that were told in the traditional manner were what I enjoyed the most, but I did have a hard time keeping the characters straight for at least the first half of the book. I felt that there were some good reveals in these sections, but also a lot of things that didn’t feel easy for a reader to figure out so then needed to be blatantly explained.

While I think the concept of this book was interesting, unfortunately, the execution really didn’t work for me.

Thank you to Knopf for the opportunity to read and review it!

I do not have anything good to say about this book. It was uninteresting and difficult to follow. It was set up like you were reading multiple styles at once. I do not recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of West Heart Kill.

I requested this book because the plot sounded so good. I should have paid more attention to the reference relating to “daring structure and mischievously subversive narration.”

I’m a huge fan of locked room mysteries, but the constant POV shifts from first to third, and dabbling in meta fiction made this book a chore to get through. It could have been so good had the author stuck to traditional storytelling rather than experimenting with gimmicky structure.

Great setting, great cast of characters, but wretched delivery. I’m sure many readers will find this innovative and fresh. For me, it’s a definite miss.

This was such a fun book! Set sometime in the late 1970s by my best guess, a private investigator, Adam McAnnis, joins an old college friend for a weekend trip to a hunting club in New York. Business or pleasure? Well, that’s up to the reader to decide. It’s quite an eventful weekend – plenty of outdoor activities, drama, and of course, murder. The best part is the way the story is structured. Every so often, the author steps out of the story and addresses the reader directly, whether to add witty remarks regarding what was just read or to point out questions that the reader might have or should consider. Not only that but there are passages scattered throughout devoted to the craft of mystery writing, famous mystery authors, etc. I liked some of these parts better than the narrative! They provide plenty of suggestions for further reading that I made sure to take note of.

Not everyone will love the set-up of this book, but I certainly did. It’s quirky but not too cute and if it hadn’t been written this way, I would have missed more than one crucial clue. I also appreciated the time period the story was set in – before cell phones and computers and anything that would have kept the club from being completely isolated in bad weather. And I loved the descriptions of the retro clothing and décor, they really set the atmosphere. You can clearly picture these characters captured in sepia-toned photographs of the time. I would love to see this as a movie but I’m not sure how on earth they’d be able to transfer it to the screen.

I can’t wait for this author’s next work – will it also stray from the norm of the same genre? Will it be something completely different but no less clever and delightful? I’ll just have to wait and see, but in the meantime, I’ll recommend this to anyone and everyone in need of a unique read they won’t soon forget.

I am now aware that meta fiction is not for me!! I am a huge fan of the locked-room mystery, which is why I chose this book to read, but the writing style and numerous characters made it very hard to follow. The constant switching from 1st to 3rd person was confusing and the detailed excerpts of defining a murder mystery was a little too much for me. I gave three stars for the attempt and talent given to even being able to write a story like this. It could not have been easy, so well done. It just wasn't for me. I think that readers are going to love it or hate it.

Thanks to the author, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, and NetGalley for allowing me digital access in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of West Heart Kill.

I'm all for locked room mysteries since I have yet to read one that astounds and shocks me (in a good way).

Sadly, West Heart Kill didn't hit the mark for me. Literally.

The new trend of meta fiction has got to go. it's frustrating to read, irritating, and annoying, and the structure of West Heart Kill is no exception.

Oh, boy, where to start?

The constant shifts from first person POV to third person POV? Why? What's the point?

The addition of informative excerpts about what makes a mystery, the tips and rules followed by the most popular mystery writers.

I found these sections patronizing, treating the readers as if we're too dumb to understand the often used mystery tropes and methods used in pretty much every mystery novel ever written.

The author may have thought adding these sections made his novel different from your typical mystery novel, a meta novel within a metal novel., like he's trying to be smarter than the mystery itself.

It didn't work for me. These sections took me out of the narrative, which was already confusing.

Not to mention, the characters are unlikable and I didn't care about their motives, secrets, or family drama.

I still have no idea who killed the detective.

Mystery writing
lesson within a murder
mystery. Unique.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I write haiku reviews but am happy to provide more feedback.

West Heart Kill, unfortunately this book was not my cup of tea, I love a good murder mystery but I get distracted by things that aren’t part of the story but a descriptor and even though this book was written well I just couldn’t fully get in to it.

I thought the story itself was really good, it was all of the other parts that kept pulling my interest away and made it really hard to finish.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

West Heart Kill is a unique and meta mystery novel. The author plays around with different writing structures, including breaking the 4th wall, and often veers from the fictional narrative to discuss mystery tropes/historical figures--I actually found these sections more interesting than the actual mystery.

While I found this novel to be very creative and I appreciated the experimental nature of the writing, unfortunately I just wasn't invested in the actual mystery story. I found there to be way too many characters who seemed too similar that I couldn't remember who was who. I ultimately didn't care who committed the crime because I didn't connect to anyone. The last third of the book, I found myself skimming to the the end.

I will publish to Goodreads closer to publication date.