A private detective accompanies an old college friend on a trip to a private hunting club named West Heart. Not long after arriving at West Heart, the murders and mysteries begin. The story is told from the perspective of the detective and a narrator who provides anecdotes about well known mystery writers and their writing styles. What could have been a unique way to incorporate real world facts into the novel, read more like filler. There was way too much talk about Agatha Christie. The story telling takes a strange unnecessary turn during the last third of the book. What started off as a fun rich(ish) people doing bad things murder mystery morphs into an experiment in storytelling with a unsatisfying ending,

"A scream suddenly pierces the air. Startled glances are exchanged on the porch, a drink is spilled, a baby begins to cry, and your muscles tense; you sense this is one of those plot leaps that writers use to punctuate and propel the narrative, like those bursts of biological creativity that scientists claim shock evolution into action. But you are unsettled; just pages into the book, is it too early? Should a mystery unfold in a more demure fashion? Aren’t the suspense and anticipation the real secret thrill of the book, rather than (let us be honest) the all-too-often disappointing dénouement, the magician turning over his cards for an audience that realizes, bitterly leaving the theater, that they’ve been had?"
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"Other people’s secrets are easy. It’s our own that are hard"

I am not particularly a fan of video games, the large immersive, role-playing ones. Nothing against them. They are simply outside my experience for the most part. But I do know that a lot of the experience, the joy of these games, lies in figuring things out. If I do this, what happens? What if I do that? Where might secret intel reside? How can I get to it? It strikes me that for many readers, particularly for readers of detective stories, the experience is comparable, however different the physical approaches might appear. The internal processes are quite similar. Reading West Heart Kill is a bit like having a game designer walking you through the construction of the game as you play it, reminding you of the usual rules, and teasing you a bit about whether you will actually figure things out or not, suggesting tricks and traps that writers (or game designers) employ to keep you off base, while remaining entertained.

I am a bit obsessive when I read mysteries, keeping lists of characters with their attributes, keeping track of timelines, locations, motives, et al, so am primed for such things. The game here is an overt one. The author is challenging you to figure out whodunit. If you accept the challenge you need to figure things out before the final reveal, otherwise it is game over for you. It is not that you finish the book with no points. Figuring out the mystery, the how, why, when and where, may be the top prize, but a skillful writer will offer plenty of rewards along the way, whether you succeed or fail. I did not figure out ahead of time the large murder questions, but I did suss out some of the lesser puzzles, and there was at least some whoo-hoo!-figured-it-out satisfaction to be had in that. There are further benefits to be had.

The West Heart of the title is a private club (membership fees are exorbitant), high on wealth (well, presumed wealth, at least), and low on morals. Secrets abound, as one might expect. The residents, many of whom spent their summers there as children, have considerable difficulty with marital vows, in particular, and then, of course, with that whole thou shalt not kill thing.

Adam McAnnis is a thirty-something private investigator who has been hired to hang about, keep his eyes open, and see if he spots anything off. His connection is with an erstwhile classmate, from whom he manages to wheedle an invitation. The place is isolated, and will become more so as an expected storm seems likely to close off roads and cut off communications. Sound familiar?

Many of the elements that make up this very meta novel will, particularly as McDorman lays them out for us, addressing readers directly. The weary detective is one:

"How often is he both lonely and alone, suspicious of everyone, accepting betrayal as the rule, not the exception? The deceits that begin to unfold the moment the client walks through his office door. Nights spent in parked cars watching illicit silhouettes behind shaded windows, receipts pulled from dripping trash bags, a five-dollar bill waved between two fingers before a junkie’s fixed gaze . . . the debased work of hundreds of cases, a file cabinet full of tragedies and comedies and tales too ambiguous to categorize."

Or one particular character type:

"As a general rule, in murder mysteries, the least likable character is the most likely to die. But devious writers can anticipate your knowledge of this cliché and thrust a character like Warren Burr into early prominence to surprise you, later, with an entirely different victim. Or, perhaps, more devious still, circle back and kill him off in a double bluff—destined to die all along, exploiting and perverting your expectations from the start. Of course, some writers, among them not the least skilled, use much the same trick to mask and unmask their murderers . . .'

These permeate the story, as McDorman pokes you to figure things out. He even provides lists of characters and clues to help you along.

It does not take too long for first mortality to occur. McAnnis takes on the role of investigator, publicly this time. We tag along as he interviews each of the suspects in turn. McDorman has a bit of fun, even concocting one interview with a dead person.

We are treated to small essays on this and that, methods of killing people, for example, or an etymology of the word Murder, or on Agatha Christie’s mysterious disappearance, or on well-known writers using pseudonyms, or on the rules for mysteries, or on unresolved literary murders, and more. These are small, delightful diversions.

Voice is handled differently from the norm here.

"The novel takes place over a long July 4th holiday weekend —Thursday to Sunday — and so I had the idea of writing each day from an additional different perspective: “he”... “I”... “we”... etc. Thus, each section is stamped with its own particular identity. And of course, the “you” voice explores why the perspective suddenly shifts, and how that plays into the intrigue of the plot"… - from the Bloomsbury interview

In fact, this works to keep one off-balance a bit. But there was some ambiguity even within the voice, at times, that I found off-putting. For example, there are sections in which the resident population is represented by a sort-of “we” voice. Then it mixed with an omniscient narrator. While there was certainly a purpose to it, it came across as jumbled to me.

Asked what drew him to the 1970s as a time in which to set his novel, McDormand said,

"The superficial reason is that it was fun! The hairstyles alone defy belief. Some of the most entertaining hours I spent “working” on the novel involved paging through mid-70s clothing catalogs; that led directly to an entire paragraph early in the book that is just a listing of the trademarked (and fabulously named) artificial fabrics worn by the characters: Acrilan®, Fortrel®, PERMA-PREST®, Sansabelt®, Ban-Lon®…

More substantively, the zeitgeist of the 1970s felt intensely familiar to me. We’d lost trust in institutions and in each other; the old solutions didn’t work; the new ones seemed inadequate; a creeping disillusionment had overtaken the best of us, while the worst seemed full of passionate intensity. As an era, the 1970s seems extraordinarily relevant to writers and readers today." - from the Bloomsbury interview

There are plenty of suggestive atmospherics, like a part of the considerable property that is used for hunting (hunting what, exactly?), or a traditional bonfire that might be used for the destruction of evidence, (or maybe eliminating a pesky witness?) primitive maps, hidden paths, mysterious people seen at a distance on ill-lit trails, a dark and stormy night. All great fun.

Of course, there is another traditional element in the mystery novel. Be sure to bring along your fishing pole. There are red herrings aplenty to land.

I found this to be an entertaining read, but there were bits that did not sit well. There is an event that happens near the end, which I will not spoil, that created a bit of a vacuum, that space being filled in a way that, while very creative, still felt forced and unnatural. Certain scenes are written as plays, which seemed cutesy. Not saying these were not entertaining, but why?

Many of us who read Stephen King continue to do so because there is pleasure to be had in the reading, the engagement, the flow, the scares, even though many readers often find his final reveals to be unsatisfying. In a similar vein here. There is much in West Heart Kill that is great fun, that engages us and prods our brains to kick into gear when a less meta approach might just leave us to cruise through the read in a straight line. It encourages us to play, rather than just watch. That is worth a lot. The elements that bugged me made it less than a five-star read, but it will certainly stand out from the pack for seasoned readers of crime novels for its interactive approach. Game on.

Review posted - 01/26/24

Publication date – 10/24/23

I received an ARE of West Heart Kill from Knopf in return for a fair review. Thanks, folks, and thanks to NetGalley for facilitating

A twist on the classic locked-room mystery, West Heart Kill attempts to engage with the reader by breaking the fourth wall and discussing murder mystery tropes and the reader experience throughout the book.

The concept is an interesting one, and I had high hopes. However, it fell flat for me. While I enjoyed the attempts to narrate the thought process of the experience mystery reader, the execution felt amateurish. And the mystery iteself was boring.

In the end, I finished the book as quickly as I could, wanting to see the conclusion of the structure. I probably should have just given up early on when I wasn't interested.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Knopf for a free copy of #WestHeartKill by Dann McDorman. All opinions are my own.

This novel had an unusual and complicated format for the locked room mystery, which just did not work for me. I wanted to like this book better than I did. It is probably one of those "love it or dislike it" kind of novels.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

West Heart Kill is an homage to the classic murder mystery, specifically reminiscent of an Agatha Christie novel. There were parts that I really loved, and some that did not work well. I really enjoyed the 1970s time period, the setting and the cast of characters, especially our main character. I admire the unusual format, including the many asides and the partial screenplay. And I do appreciate when the narrator breaks the fourth wall, though I did not think it worked as well here as it did in Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. The large cast of characters, while entertaining, were a little difficult to keep straight and the mystery itself felt a bit overcomplicated. Overall this a strong debut and while it did not completely work for me, I would be interested in what he does next. 3,5 stars, rounded down to 3. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced digital copy.

I always love a good murder mystery. My favorite board game is clue and I usually pride myself on being able to guess what is happening but this one did keep me guessing just a little bit. If you enjoy authors such as Agatha Christie, Janice Hallett then this book is right up your alley!

I enjoyed this and it's a very different format then most mysteries, but there was something missing for me.

This book is a whodunit, but its like no other whodunit that I've read before. To describe it would ruin the range of emotion you experience while reading this wonderful book.

Maybe locked room mysteries aren't my thing, But I loved Anxious People by Fredrik Backman so I thought I would love this. It was okay. It didn't keep me super engaged and I found a lot of the writing hard to follow, the characters unlikable, and the setting boring. The writing style was beautiful and I would love to try more from this author because I truly think its perhaps the type of book vs the actual writing itself.

"West Heart Kill" by Dann McDorman addresses the classic mystery novel tropes and attempts to trick the reader by sidestepping them. I didn't find myself interested in the cast of characters that McDorman assembles and was a little bored of the on-the-nose plot. Other mystery readers might like this one, but it just didn't interest me.

An author takes a risk when breaking the fourth wall. Here, there is not only a brief aside to the reader but a whole attempted dialog. I found it tedious and didn't finish the book.

When I first started reading West Heart Kill, a book within a book or a story within a story…I was enthralled. I enjoy reading books with different writing styles and I thought this book had a great idea and great promise. Thumbs up for sure. As I got further into the book the addition of the extraneous pages that didn’t relate to the murder mystery became more tedious and less interesting and my thumbs up began to droop a little. When I realized that I was losing the thread of the mystery I became concerned. But, the final blow was the last few chapters and the ending. Then my thumb completely curled up.

West Heart Kill is a book that tries to be clever and, at first, succeeds quite well. However, it would seem that the author wanted to write a book that people wouldn’t easily forget and the book itself would be deemed very unique and groundbreaking. These are lofty goals that could be difficult to attain. Instead, I think it was a fail.

It was probably fun to write this book but, as a reader ,I found it to be lengthy, filled with unappealing and distasteful characters, chapters with random information and observations that seemed out of place, and then final chapter was a slap in the face. I’m not interested or impressed with a cutesy ending, when it’s apparent that an author is capable of doing so much better.

In the end, West Heart Kill was definitely not my kind of book but I will give it two stars because the author, in the beginning, had a good idea and, for a time, executed it well. NetGalley provided an advance copy.

This is a classic locked-room murder mystery that comes across as a contrived response to an assignment in a MFA creative writing class. All the elements are there - a remote hunting lodge, a cast of unlikeable and suspicious characters, a race to figure out the mystery - but it didn't work for me. Another reviewer said "this felt a bit like being cornered by the know-it-all at a cocktail party" and I totally agree. The structural weirdness was annoying - think I'll stick with Agatha Christie.

The writing is solid, creating a vivid atmosphere, but the plot is a mix of captivating moments and predictability. Characters are well-developed, though some lack depth. Pacing fluctuates, making it a decent but not outstanding read.

If you enjoy twisty plots; a group of characters that all have secrets, intertwined relationships, and motives for bad behavior; and a secluded setting perfect for dark deeds - then try out West Heart Kill. The detective makes up stories to suit his audience, changing tack as it becomes necessary to gain confidences and fit in. Readers are left wondering exactly who he is and why he is there.

The narrator often interrupts the story to comment on the conventions of detective fiction, or address the reader directly. For instance, within the first chapter: "You are alert - as a veteran of murder, you know that one of these new characters is likely to be the killer, but which one?" The reader's knowledge of the usual methods used by writers to drop clues that are easy to overlook or to point the attention elsewhere through sleight of hand are acknowledged, but also exploited to mislead and complicate.

As Adam, our sleuth, moves deeper into the tangle of current situations and vendettas from the past, the number of affairs, grudges, and lies multiplies. And then the deaths start. We find out about earlier deaths, attempted suicides, and a tradition of keeping things within the group and hidden from the outside world. Who has sent Adam (or invited him in) and what do they expect him to find?

A Peyton Place in the woods with firearms, alcohol, drugs, sex, fireworks, and something darker simmering beneath it all, stirred and seasoned by an author determined to keep us guessing until the very end - and perhaps beyond.

I really wish I liked this book. I enjoy trying different kinds of storytelling and I liked the premise of this unique structure to tell this particular story. However it was a little *too* clever for me and I never really sunk into the story.

This novel promises a unique and thrilling whodunit that defies the conventions of the genre. It blends elements of a diabolical locked-room mystery with a fascinating exploration of the form itself. Readers can expect a suspenseful and fun read that keeps them guessing until the very end.

This book sounded excellent. The first half was excellent. I loved the setup of a private eye conning his way into a hunting weekend at a secretive private club in the middle of the woods. Especially when everyone’s secrets started coming out. I liked the quirky anecdotes about Agatha Christie’s writing habits.

The second half was something out of a quaalude-filled theoretical writer’s dreams. It was barely readable. There was no consistent perspective (seriously, it hit first/second/third person and then more I didn’t even know existed). It was part narrative, part script, part history of murder writing, part nonsense? And there wasn’t an ending. Or a resolution. The book kind of abruptly stopped and said “there’s your answer…or not.”

Not for me. Maybe it will be for you?

The first word that comes to mind when looking back at West Heart Kill is definitely “unique”. After being hired to spend time investigating the high class hunting club, West Heart, detective Adam McAnnis finds himself thoroughly embroiled in the drama of the current members. The formula of this book is unlike anything I have ever read. The narration style and perspective changes often, from first person to third, from story narration to factual expression of information, making it a wild ride of a story.

The unique storytelling started strong and remained throughout the entire book. Whenever a moment started to lag, the style would change and bring everything back to action once again. The moments of stereotypical storytelling were strong and easy to follow, the more factual insertions were still easy to follow, but not always easy to understand why they were there in the first place. This is probably the first novel I have ever read that taught me about the process of mystery writing and the history of some of the greatest mystery writers of all time all while still maintaining my interest in the fictional mystery.

The stylization made it difficult to get to know any of the characters. While all the information needed to solve the mystery was provided, it was difficult to pick out what was relevant. Usually, by getting to know the characters, it’s easier to breakdown some of the facts based on personality traits. This was not the case in this book due to the writing style as well as the sheer number of characters involved in the case. The beginning of the book consisted of a constant stream of character introductions that while handy to look back on, were also overwhelming.

This book is definitely recommended for someone who is looking for something different in their mystery reading. Someone looking to feel challenged and ready to learn will love the different aspects of this book. It really has some great potential, and I can’t wait to see what comes next from Dann McDorman.

⅗ stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

This was a truly unique book to kick off 2023. My thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

West Heart Kill is part whodoneit, part character study and part locked room murder mystery. Taking place at a remote hunting club named West Heart Kill, Adam McAnnis is a detective assigned by a mysterious benefactor to investigate the club. He easily scores an invite to the club via his former college buddy and is soon sent into a world full of infidelity, jealousy, lies and murder. The members of West Heart are several elite, uppercrust, intertwined families that have been members for generations. As their secrets and lies become exposed by Adam, members begin to drop like flies and it's a race to the finish to stop the murderer among them.

The book is told from the POV of Adam, but also breaks the fourth wall and is told from the POV of a mystery person. Could it be the writer of the book, another member of West Heart or, perhaps, the murderer? When the fourth wall is broken, the narrator throws in interesting quips about the origin of murder, the writers of murder mysteries, and speculation as to who/what/where/when or why these events are occurring.

Again, this was a truly unique read unlike anything I've read in the past few years. Overall, I really enjoyed the twists and turns of the characters' lives, but the end could be considered a bit polarizing ( I literally had to Google the ending to get a better understanding) which is why I rated it 3.5 stars.