I DNF’d this book at 25%. I think the target audience would be seasoned Murder mystery lovers who have read all the classics, know all the tropes, and are actively trying to work out the mystery while reading. As an occasional murder mystery reader, I tend to be along for the ride -so to speak- and I’m not usually over analyzing every detail to try and guess whodunit from the start. For this reason, I was annoyed when the author would break the fourth wall to tell me what I may have noticed or what I am thinking. It distracted me from the story and made it hard for me to stay in the zone and follow along with the actual storyline. I do think that professional Murder mystery bookworms will get a kick out of this writing style.

This is a whole different level of meta and I loved it. The narrator/author gives a running total of each murder story cliche as he gets to it and along with a fairly wide history of popular mystery. I get this isn't going to be for everyone, but I found it amusing and informative. The ending, while just a minor twist on the rest of the book, was unsatisfying. It felt like the author couldn't be bothered or really didn't know how his own locked room mystery could be solved. Still I had a great time reading it and definitely recommend.

This review will be posted on October 24, 2023 to: https://instagram.com/amandas.bookshelf

This is one of the cleverest novels I've ever read. I had a difficult time getting into the story at the beginning. There's a lot of characters to keep straight, as well as format and narrator changes. Additionally, there are very meta elements and passages of literary history that bisected the fictional plot. But, I'm shocked to admit that, by the end, I found all of these unique traits about WEST HEART KILL utterly fascinating and, frankly, genius. There's so much foreshadowing done in a smart fashion and in a way that's honest to the reader. The plot and fictional characters are razor sharp. If you're like me and grew up playing the board game Clue, watching the original Unsolved Mysteries, and reading murder mystery books, you will adore this. Major hat tip to the author for this literary gem! #WestHeartKill Rating: 😍 / loved it
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This book is scheduled for publication on October 24, 2023. Thank you @aaknopf for providing me this digital ARC via @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

West Hear Kill is, if nothing else, a unique take on a mystery novel. Part locked room mystery, part mystery genre textbook, the book was quite a strange journey. One of the more difficult aspects is the author's constant switching from third person to second person and even throwing in several sections that were written in first person. Also interspersed in between plot points were the analysis of various mystery tropes which had cropped up in this story. None of the characters was likeable, I believe an intentional choice, and the ending...well, it was both obvious and a cop out simultaneously. The minor plot twist, which remained unresolved, was the only aspect that saved this from a one-star rating.

I felt like I was reading two different books at the same time, and while either would have been interesting and rated more favorably, together they were frustrating and condescending. I would recommend this book only to individuals who wish to become mystery writers, or as perhaps a text for a college level creative writing class to analyze. It just did not work for me as a casual reader.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for the digital ARC of West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman. The opinions in this review are my own.

West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman
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Welcome to the West Heart Country Club. A unique murder mystery set at a remote hunting lodge, where everyone is a suspect.
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What I liked:
-I’m always down for a murder mystery. I love trying to solve then alongside the detective.
-The setting of a bunch of rich snobs at a country club was good!
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What I didn’t like:
-The writing format was very different and confused me a little at times. I had to read certain parts twice just to make sure I knew what was going on.
-The ending was not really my jam.
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3⭐️⭐️⭐️

A fun, entertaining murder mystery reminiscent of Christie. A great addition for anyone who loves a good class mystery.

This was a little different of a whodunnit mystery. I was a little confused at times the story telling was a little different to me but I did get used to it after a few chapters. The ending was a little unexpected but good.
I think I need to think about this for a bit and see what more I can add
Thanks netgalley

I loved the idea of this book and enjoyed the reading experience, but it just didn't come together well enough for me to give it 5 stars. Would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys trying narrative styles that are out-of-the-ordinary and/or fiction that has meta elements. If you're just a fan of straightforward mystery, you may find this needlessly convoluted.

This is a hard one to review... I liked a lot of things abou this book, but it took me more energy than normal to read. Not always a bad thing, but I was expecting something a little more light and easy to get into. I think it will have a lot of fans and I plan on singing it's praises even if it wasn't the perfect book for me.

WEST HEART KILL by Dann McDorman was a murder mystery with a case study of murder mysteries!

Honestly, I am quite bemused by this book. It is structured in such a way that the author brings the reader into conversations about reading this genre and does somewhat expound upon various tools used.

If you are looking for a straightforward mystery, this may disappoint, but if you enjoy a rather different experience, I invite you to enter West Heart Kill! I absolutely loved the structure at the beginning; feeling it was a fresh approach. I did begin to wonder if it took too much of a pause in the story, which was quite engaging. By the end I have landed on the side of appreciation and fascination! I could see this becoming a huge discussion book, especially with the ending!

Oh yes, the actual mystery is a clever whodunit that I enjoyed through the primary lens of the detective who was brought in to an exclusive lodge where the patrons are anything but proper.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @aaknopf for the digital ARC and letting me share my thoughts. This will be out October 24th! I can't wait to read more from this author if he keeps up this unconventional style!

West Heart Kill tells the story of Adam McInnis, a detective invited to a hunting club by a friend but has secretly been hired to investigate. Bodies keep piling up and no one can get in or out. Can Adam solve the murders before it is too late.

This was definitely not your conventional whodunit story. The book is riddled with facts and fun anecdotes to actual fictional books written by Agatha Christie and many other masters of the whodunit. The characters in this story are all pretty awful people and you learn that very early in the story. The writing style starts out pretty normal and the beginning of the book and derails more and more as the book goes on until the end where I, as the reader, was pretty confused about what was going on. I wish that the nonconventional parts of this books hadn't taken away from the story but, for me, it did at the end and that is the only thing that kept me from making it a 5 star. I love unique and untraditional and, if you do as well, this is a must read.

At an isolated hunting club, West Heart, during a stormy Bicentennial weekend, three bodies are found within four days. Private detective Adam McAnnis, visiting with an old college friend, encounters the gathering group of unfamiliar and somewhat unfriendly faces. As the first member's body is discovered by the lake, a major storm strikes. When the power returns on Sunday, two more deaths have occurred.

McDorman indeed deals out an unconventional murder mystery. Setting this at a remote and isolated location, convening a large group where everyone is a potential suspect — even the unpredictable detective on the case, is only part of the callbacks to classic mysteries that have come before. A debut that works in multiple genre conventions and tropes, McDorman walks a fine line between excessive pretentiousness and creative craftsmanship.

West Heart Kill is purposefully sensationalized at times, not unlike a soap opera mixed with a classic mystery. While he begins the story with third-person narration, with a playfully pointed tone, McDorman quickly slips into second-person, addressing the reader, where he delves into the most meta writing. A veritable checklist of what makes a book meta, McDorman runs the full gamut of defining and underscoring this writing strategy. West Heart Kill refers to itself as a book quite often and pervasively, and while none of the characters refer to knowledge of the book, the use of second-person (which begins with addressing the reader and blooms bigger from there), sets up the level of self-awareness that this book knows it's a book. Additionally, and the main ways in which it can be ascribed as meta, is the continued commentary on its own form as a mystery novel. And here is where I have my main beef with West Heart Kill.

When we're in the middle of the third-person narration and McAnnis is doing his detective thing, it's good. Really good. But the meta commentary goes a bit far. I love all the interruptions and casual bantering-esque tone that sports a full awareness of the tropes, highs and lows, of the mystery genre. However, the presumption levels took off and skyrocketed with his willingness to sacrifice the plots, twists, and methodologies of novels that DEFINE this genre. Assuming everyone has a modicum of awareness of Shakespeare is one thing, because outside of high school where many of us first experienced his works, not many readers sit down to dig into a Shakespearean play. But spoiling the stories — in a variety of ways and within a range of degrees — is nigh on unforgivable to me. Many Agatha Christie books (the Poirot series, in particular) were sacrificed in the concocting of this book. Raymond Chandler, Graham Greene, Patricia Highsmith were among the others (the list was long) also used and discarded.

If I'm being generous, it's as if he simply took a "cite your sources and examples" command a little too seriously and way too far. This is not the first work of fiction to do this, and it surely will not be the last, but I don't know how to break it to these authors, editors, and publishers, but there are approximately 10,000 babies born per day in the United States who come into this world with zero knowledge (full stop could be inserted here, but...) of Christie's oeuvre, and who may want to, at some point in the future, experience any given novel for themselves. Feel free to insert any author / filmmaker in place of Christie's name, INCLUDING Mr. McDorman and his novel here.

Because, speaking of, his reveal and twist is tempting to call out, but I'll simply say that I wasn't a fan and leave it at that.

Near the 80% mark, McDorman throws a curveball and slips in a dramatized structure complete with stage direction, parentheticals, dialogue, and technical notes. He's left the world of the third-person narration behind, and while he still returns to the moments of dissecting the genre and addressing the reader (though at this juncture he's switched to a first-person plural "we"), it is back to a script when he returns to the players. It's jarring at first, but it totally works...although it starts allowing that creeping suspicion that only grows with where he's going to end his novel, which is where he simply took his conceit too far.

One of those novels that infuriated me at the same time that I can recognize a large part of the writing, structure, and character development was above average, the wasteful discard of classic mysteries and the final reveal put me off, almost entirely.

This is not your average whodunnit mystery. While I loved the location of the affluent remote hunting club and the cast of characters I felt this experimental in some ways that didn't fully pay off. I have never read a mystery with the background inserts between chapters describing other mystery authors plots, tropes, histories and some times I found it interesting while other times it felt like page filler between the mystery. A wholly original ending that I did appreciate but did leave me scratching my head. Thank you Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor catalog and netgalley for the ARC.

Interesting characters and relationships that are revealed in twists and turns. All is not what it may seem.

West Heart Kill is my book of the year so far!

I know that meta crime fiction will not be to everyone's taste but I have always been a fan of this literary style and this book is an unbelievably good example of this sub-genre. The way everything was woven together is just brilliant and I can't imagine how much work has gone into the planning and execution of this story.

So entertaining, educational and sharp. It's everything I want from crime fiction. I won't go into detail about the plot because it's hard to know where to start but this is the perfect choice for anyone interested in the classic crime fiction backlist or anyone wanting to try something totally unique.

The West Heart club in upstate New York is an exclusive establishment. Tucked into secluded woods, Detective Adam McAnnis is lucky to secure an invitation through an old college friend for the Fourth of July weekend.

A secluded, exclusive cabin plus strangers who have a lot of history—it is only a matter of time before murder also makes an appearance.

This is not your standard locked room/secluded house mystery. McDorman unfurls to goings on at West Heart Kill, peppering the plot with a historical tidbits about the genre as a whole. Comments and questions are presented to the reader, allowing them to reflect on their own relationship to mystery books. But don’t forget that there’s still a crime for you to solve!

It’s a locked room mystery at a hunting club with a detective and multiple dead characters. The narrator keeps talking to the reader about how mysteries are written. I didn’t care about any of the characters and I was so disinterested I still don’t think I know whodunnit or is it whodiddit!
I think locked room mysteries are just not for me. If you enjoy them you may like this one.

Unfortunately this narration style did not work for me. The writer is speaking to the reader which for me took me out of the story. There were also elements of a play, which is just not my style. Other readers may enjoy this unique storytelling.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

The premise of this book was super interesting and despite some complaints I've seen in other reviews about the breaks in storyline for asides on the murder mystery genre, I actually enjoyed those portions of the book and found them to be creative in their execution. Unfortunately, the plot of the story itself dragged on a bit too long and I had lost interest by the time of the big reveal. With some faster pacing, I think this book would be stronger.

The writing style wasn't my favorite; I prefer not to be a part of the storyline and read about how the mystery unfolds. The structural shifts are intense.