I was so excited to read a good mystery novel during the fall season, and I thought this was going to be exactly what I wanted/needed… I was way off the mark.

Firstly, there were too many characters to keep track of (unless you’re taking notes, of course). Second, it was relatively boring as well. How is this a murder mystery when it feels like there’s nothing happening? Maybe this was just due to the pacing.

Even with all that, I would have given this a 3.5/5… but then the ending happened. And it was SO STUPID!!! Even as someone who occasionally likes a bit of a different ending… this was just dumb. So that dropped it a whole 1.5 stars. Still not the worst book I’ve read, but I was pretty disappointed. Best part of this book was the cover - it’s gorgeous!

Woops- I forgot to post this review after finally reading this arc… I think mostly because I was kinda disappointed in this book after feeling so excited at it (mostly based on the cover art).
Meh. This book was all over the place. I felt like I skimmed a lot of these random sections about other murder mysteries and famous investigators and the generalizations of mystery writing because I just wanted to know what was actually happening at West Heart Club.
I didn’t care for our investigator. I didn’t believe that all these rich people at this exclusive and faraway club would ask this investigator about his investigating so much, but I did really like the cast of characters and the descriptions of them and the the club/grounds in general.
The investigator’s feelings toward his friends daughter really creeped me out also (random sidenote).
This book feels snooty. Maybe I’m dumb, but I’m pretty sure I’m not and this book seemed to assume I’m dumb and the writer is the ultimate in clever.
Liked the ending, though. Very meta. The whole thing and I can see where some (probably very smug) people would really love this book. It mostly just bored me and jumped around too much.

The novel is written in a mixed media format in the style of a meta literary manual or textbook. It weaves in occasional history facts of the mystery genre in between the main story of murder mystery.

The reader is brought in as sort a student with the professor (narrator) giving lessons on the how’s and why’s of writing structures. Ways in which to process and analyze the plot, dialogue, characters and actions using examples of past novels while actively trying to solve the current murder. Although quite jarring at first, there was fascination and intrigue.

What started as a promising different take on a murder mystery, lost its flame by the halfway point. My investment quickly started to waver.

The further it went, the more pretentious and dry it had become while containing a lot of projection from the narrator onto the reader. There’s only so much patience I could have after being told what I’m feeling and thinking at every point of the story when it wasn’t case majority of the time. Very patronizing.

Every time it jumped out of the story to give history lessons on anything related to the murder mystery genre as a whole, I lost more and more interest in it when the narration finally made its way back. Add in the many switches between 1st, 2nd and 3rd person, and I was over it and no longer cared about the characters or plot points. I’m not going to spoil the ending but just know that I think it wasn’t worth the time to get there.


Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for providing a copy for an honest review.

I was immediately drawn to the cover of this novel, as well as its classic “whodunnit” plot & premise. West Heart seemed like the perfect secluded place for extraordinarily wealthy people to literally get away with murder.

I like how the author broke the fourth wall often when discussing common murder mystery tropes, but was unsure how this would / could be used to trick or influence the reader as the story went on. I thought this was unique and it definitely added to my experience and engagement in the story while reading.

I think fans of classic murder mysteries should absolutely give this one a shot! I am still unsure about how I felt about the format of the ending, but I think for the right audience it would actually be a great read.

Thank you so much to the author and netgalley for my E-ARC to read and review!

3.5 rounded up

Definitely not a book for everyone. The choice of narrative voice has created a "love it" or "hate it" duality. For those of you looking for a straight-forward, everything as expected mystery novel, please look elsewhere. For readers who might be interested in something a bit more unconventional, give this a try.

My original interest in this book came from the setting. I live in the Catskills of NY and have lived near and hiked the West (heart) Kill, and have "hunting clubs" around. I thought it would be an interesting mix of mystery and local location for my patrons and requested the book for purchase for our library. I had no idea about the different narrative voice, but wasn't put off by it. Actually, I think the voice was the only engaging part of the novel.

A novel concept for a mystery novel that is sure to charm some, but it's definitely an acquired taste and not for everyone.

Ostensibly, this book should have been a perfect fit for me. An isolated hunting lodge with a Southern setting in the mid 1970s. Lots of naughty country club people who spend a lot of time together and are far too involved in each others lives. A snow storm that creates a locked room mystery atmosphere. I expected to love this book, and I think many people will.

The author uses a "breaking the fourth wall" device, where an omniscient narrator gives his sage viewpoints on how good mystery stories are created, sometimes referencing books from the past. He explains what is happening and how this applies to the story we're reading, in regard to the mystery genre in general.

He gives a lot of interesting information about the world of mysteries here, but for me, it was too distracting. When I read a book I like to be immersed in its world, and the world described here is one I would have enjoyed inhabiting for a time. But with the narrator constantly breaking in to give his viewpoints, I was abruptly snatched from the 1970 hunting lodge.

I think there will be people who love this style of writing and this book. The writing was good. The characters were well drawn. The setting was superb. But unfortunately, the narrator device spoiled it for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book, this book. How do I describe this book?

You might like it, you might not.

As the author of this review, I hesitate to say that you will.

With the perspective changes, and the unfortunate ending (no spoilers here!), this book was uncomfortable to read. We read first person, second person, and third person points of view, often in the same chapter and section. I understand this was most likely meant to set the book apart from other more typical murder mystery thrillers, and while the author did accomplish this, it wasn't done well and made the story more complex and unenjoyable.

The premise of the book is that a detective travels to an old country club and is investigating... something. As the reader, we aren't sure who, what, or why they are investigating, only that they are. Throughout the book, there are clues and red herrings along the way, as there are in other similar stories.

This book did accomplish one thing for me, and it made me want to read a good Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes.

This is a great book for fans of classic mystery novels. It really is a love letter to the genre. I enjoyed all of the little tidbits of the history of the mystery genre. It was actually my favorite part of the book. The mystery in this story was fine but not great.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A group of rich families, an exclusive vacation spot, and a detective who ends up visiting for the Fourth of July. It seemed from the start that the author hadn’t left a detail out of this murder mystery, including pages of history and theories of the classic murder novel. I was really excited when the scene was set, but the drag was in the details. Too many characters to keep track of, too many pages of what felt like the author’s masters thesis smashed in between chapters that distracted from the plot, and too many puzzle pieces that leave the reader, well, exhausted of puzzles. By the end, instead of feeling enlightened with the twist and surprise of who the murderer was, I just felt frustrated. This one will be polarizing for sure.

Lots to like here, and fans of old school mysteries will find so much good stuff here. McDorman is less concerned with getting there than he is with how we get there, and that makes for a fun, meta, old school detective story meets 21st century acknowledgement of the two centuries of mysteries that have come before. Highly recommend.

I received a free ARC of this title from netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This book reminds me of a murder mystery weekend you book for fun. However, in this book it isn't what the characters signed up for. A private detective is the perfect person to solve these murders in an isolated hunt club. He knows if he doesn't, he could be next.

I really adored this book because it was unique. And how many reviewers claim the book they're reviewing is unique, but this one really goes above and beyond. The second-person narrative struck me first, which really worked for this book. I was there, having a cocktail at six o'clock on a hot summer evening. By the end, first and third-person narratives had also been used, as well as script format and a variety of other writing styles. Each chapter was a new piece of evidence to explore and it certainly kept me interested until the very last page.

Get ready to meet a lot of people. The story takes place at a private club during 4th of July weekend of 1976, so the club is crowded with families on summer vacation, all of the club's inner circle, and even a new prospective member checking things out to decide if he wants to join. Adam McAnnis is the private detective who is an outsider and everyone is suspicious of his motives immediately. The author does a great job of taking stock of the characters the reader needs to know, but there are just so many I admit to being a bit confused occasionally, though it was nothing I couldn't figure out based on context.

As the plot rolls on, it becomes clear that a lot of people have secrets. I guess one as it was rather clear, but the other was not what I was expecting. Maybe I'm daft, but I expected a plot twist that never emerged and instead got another. No matter, it was still fascinating.

A word about the ending: you will either love it or despise it. I have already read some complaints about it in other reviews, and while I understand where they're coming from I think the reader needs to dig a little deeper with this book. This story has layers and things should not always be taken at face value. It's the kind of book where you notice something new every time you reread it. In fact, I think I'll do just that. Overall, West Kill Heart is a very smart book.

Four stars! If you love unique stories, I think you'll really enjoy this book. However, if you're just looking for a straightforward mystery with a dumb cast of suspects and a regular detective, this is not for you. You have to be willing to experience new points of view to enjoy this novel, but really I can't recommend it enough. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. As always, opinions are my own.

Many elements of this meta mystery novel are quite clever, and especially interesting to those of us who are devotees of classic mysteries. McDorman works with familiar elements of classic mystery novels in a playful way, and I applaud his efforts toying with the classic mystery genre. The publisher's "LOOKING FOR AN ANYTHING-BUT-ORDINARY WHODUNIT?" description is very appropriate, and in spite of the fact that the interludes that break up the narrative struck me as disjointed, I very much enjoyed many aspects of the book.

Dan McDorman tries to break out from the hum-droll of typical murder mysteries but ends up creating a demeaning, overly busy story.
Private detective Adam McAnnis visits a friend from college for the West Hard Bicentennial weekend. This exclusive club in upstate New York holds many secrets including struggling finances. When one of the members dies, everyone is a suspect. Is this a suicide or murder? With everyone lying, McAnnis has his hands full.
This book is more pretentious than Hercule Poirot at his worst. McDorman drops allusion after literary allusions from the very beginning. He then treats the readers like they are stupid by telling readers what to pay attention to and why. Then McDorman goes into “case studies” about different aspects of a mystery novel. We didn’t read this book to continually be taught about parts of mystery novels or other stories (good chance we’ve read all of them anyway); we read to try and solve the mystery. The author also switches perspectives (first/third person, etc.) confusing the reader. This is supposed to mask Who Dun It but is just jarring. McDorman also banks on using stereotypes as satire but shows no talent for execution.
There are some good aspects to the story. I loved that no one was just stereotypically innocent or happy-go-lucky and then got flipped. Everyone is morally grey or cynical. Even McAnnis is more Sherlock Holmes than Agatha Christie. I liked that there was a small twist at the end. This added to my enjoyment and was the only aspect that made this story unique and outside the box. But then the ending took the wind out of my sails. It was not novel and just frustrating.
West End Kill is an average story wrapped in rigmarole hoping that chaos will help it. Not surprisingly, it fails.

The author breaking the fourth wall was too much that I couldn’t continue on with the book. I ended up putting it down unfortunately.

A very unique mystery.where the fourth wall with the reader is broken. I can see how there would be many readers who will find the format refreshing but I prefer a more traditional style. Interesting but just not for me!

A short mystery with an unconventional style — I imagine this is going to be a highly polarizing book for mystery lovers!

The author takes a unique approach throughout this investigation of murder(s?) at an elite hunting club, breaking the fourth wall to engage directly with the reader, give hints, and speculate as to who they may suspect and why at any given time. There are frequent asides discussing the history and techniques of whodunits throughout the years, as well as lapses into different types of writing, including interview transcriptions and, at one point, a dramatized play.

For me, it was entertaining — I liked the factoids from the genre, and I didn’t mind the direct addresses to the reader, I found them amusing. But let this serve as your warning that it’s certainly a different structure and style than most, and it won’t be for everybody! That ending in particular — I got a little bit of a kick out of it, but some people are reaaaally gonna hate it 😂

Definitely give it a try if you’re a mystery reader looking for something a little different!

Thanks to @aaknopf, @netgalley, and @shelf.awareness for this copy of "West Heart Kill".

It's a playful and quirky detective story where the reader is directly addressed and pulled into the investigation.

The inventive format is fun to read yet pays homage to the classic detective genre.

An intellectually intriguing concept that turns a typically entertaining genre into an absolute slog.

The interrogation chapters were well done, quickly paced and revealing and filled with covert characterization, but everything else seemed to *want* to annoy the reader. It's like being stuck in a conversation at a party with the most obnoxious, self-aggrandizing person in the room.