Not your average mystery novel.

Set in a remote wealthy enclave devoted to hunting during the Fourth of July weekend, 1976, there is murder afoot in the aptly named West Heart Kill. The book opens with two young men, friends from their college days, driving from the city to spend the weekend there. Adam, who left college and ultimately became a private detective, will be the guest of his friend James’ family, the Blakes. Adam and James haven’t been in touch for years, but recently reconnected and decided to escape the city for the weekend. The people who own “cabins” (which of course are not really cabins at all) at West Heart Kill are from a certain segment of society, with money (generally of the “old” variety) and interesting family histories. As Adam tries to learn the lingo (“Sixers for the drinking hour, “The Necessary” for the bathroom, etc.) and meets the Blakes’ not entirely welcoming circle of friends, the reader begins to sense that this is more than a casual, social visit on his part. Liquor flows freely (as does marijuana amongst the younger set), there is a fair amount of bed hopping, and definitely some past tragedies and buried skeletons exist that the group would rather stayed buried. A hunting accident, followed quickly by two deaths, has Adam poking about. But will the tight knit group of long time friends open up enough for him to discover the truth of what is going on at West Heart Kill.
An intriguing premise, a well-developed if less than likeable cast of characters, snappy dialogue and frequent references to classics of the genre, there is much to like about this novel. The challenge comes in its format, which is deliberately not the typical, straightforward telling of the story. Instead, the narration pops around, at time in a second person format, at other times as dialogue between characters, and still others as a play complete with stage directions and costuming notes. Different, clever, but in the end for me the devices were distractions from the story itself, even a barrier from connecting with the characters. I struggled a bit at the beginning to get invested enough in the story to continue, but kept going and began to find a rhythm to the story. Then, towards the end, new narrative structures again appeared and disrupted the flow. So, the best I can do is give it a mixed review….for me, the framework of the novel was a distraction from the content. Others may view it very differently, but that is my own experience. Many thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, VIntage and Anchor/Knopf and NetGalley for allowing me access to an advanced reader’s copy.

This was an interesting read, definitely not a typical mystery. The writing style was unique, and sadly at times it was very confusing. I did enjoy the overall plot, and was invested in the storyline. I just felt it did not flow easily and I often found myself rereading to understand.
If you are looking for something different, this may be the book for you.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for the arc!


This unfortunately just wasn’t for me. The writing was hard for me to get into the story.

I really liked this book. It was a really good read and well written. Thank you for the ARC! I really appreciate it!

Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for the eARC of West Heart Kill in exchange for my honest review!

This definitely wasn’t for me, the blurb says that it’s mischievous and subversive but what that led to was an almost confusing storyline with a lot of elements that I couldn’t keep up with. We, as the reader, are brought into the story through narrative beats, the voice of the story directly speaking to us, and being included in the play. At times, we are outright told how to feel.

I think someone smarter than me will likely enjoy this.

The story here was good, I was invested in the goings on. The writing style, though, wasn't for me. There were some creative ways of filling the pages, which I applaud for trying new things, but there were too many different techniques used and the tangents were distracting and unnecessary for moving the story along. They felt like creative writing practice stuck inside a book in order to lengthen it.

I enjoyed the mystery and the setting of the story.

This book tried hard to subvert common mystery tropes while also paying homage to them, and I think the concept got a bit muddled. I appreciated the concept, and I enjoyed the tidbits about the history of mystery authors and the mystery genre. Overall though, I think the book became too complicated and felt much longer than it actually is.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

This one was just a little too weird for me with no real resolution to the mystery. The reader is often told what they are supposed to be thinking and the point of view keeps changing. Cannot recommend.

Had a really difficult time getting into this novel, not sure if it was because of the flow of the story and the point of view of telling you what you are seeing vs telling the story but it just wasn't for me.

i’m going to be completely honest here. i don’t like the writing style at all. McDorman bounces between 1st person POV and 3rd person POV. i can’t read books that are 3rd person POV. I’m assuming the goal was to make you feel like you were there with the characters, but it didn’t do that for me. another thing, there was way too many characters to keep up with. i couldn’t keep them straight and who belongs to which family.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for a digital copy of West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman for review consideration. All opinions and statements are my own.

West Heart Kill is set at a remote hunting lodge, where Private Investigator Adam McAnnis has been sent on a secret mission. Once there, he learns that the rich members of West Heart have a lot of secrets, and not everyone is happy about the prospect of selling the club. Then a storm comes and people start dying...but can McAnnis figure it all out before someone else turns up dead?

Honestly, I wasn't a fan of this novel. The mystery itself was interesting; however, it was broken up by narration on the history of mystery writing and writers, which took me out of the story and didn't really lend anything to the novel or my reading experience. If the novel would have just told the whodunit story, I feel like I would have enjoyed it much more. The writing itself wasn't terrible, I just didn't like the unique format of the storytelling.

There were also way too many characters to keep track of, and I never really understood who anyone was. When characters started dying, I didn't really care about who did it because I felt no connection to any of them and had no idea who they were or how they fit into the over-arching story. None of the characters were likeable, really, so it was no wonder they started getting killed off.

All in all, I would have to say that I didn't enjoy this book. The format was odd, characters with no redeeming qualities, and an ambiguous ending, none of which are things I look for in a great novel.

The premise of this book sounded like something I would enjoy, but the format of this book was very frustrating for me. This is a very unique book and if you’re into that you will enjoy this. There’s a screenplay, information on different mystery writers (which interrupted the storyline)…it was too chaotic for me. This book was just not for me, and that’s okay!

Thank you Netgalley & Knof, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This debut is clever, almost cunning, wildly innovative, and brilliant. The synopsis tells us that we’ll meet a detective, there will be a murder, and we’ll be there alongside him to solve it. Because it all takes place in a country house full of the wealthy elite during a storm, we think we know exactly what kind of book we’re settling into. And yet.

Nothing here is what it seems. There are critical reviews of ‘West Heart Kill’ - and I understand why. Those readers were eager to read that other book, the straightforward whodunnit that checks all of the boxes. This is not that book.

McDorman plays with language, with perspective, with tenses, with literary structure. Sometimes it’s second person. Sometimes we’re in the midst of a screenplay. He breaks the fourth wall and brings the reader into the cast of characters, smugly calling attention to that eagerness to play detective. These are not tricks just for the sake of it. They’re purposeful, intelligent, and meant to remind us of the genre we’re in. Do we solve the crime? Yes, of course. But that’s not really what the book is about.

‘West Heart Kill’ is a love letter to detective fiction. It’s a book for readers who know why Agatha Christie employed poison so often in her mysteries; who can identify the distinct styles of reasoning between infamous literary detectives; who know the origin of the term red herring. This book, for me, felt like being a part of something bigger and bolder than myself. I would read it again and again.

Private Detective Adam McAnnis contacts a college friend he hasn’t seen in quite a while and finagles an invitation to join him during The Bicentennial Fourth of July weekend at a private upstate New York hunting club. Why is he really there? The corpses pile up among the moneyed, adulterous residents in this creative, unconventional mystery.

This is a very unique approach to a mystery story. The narrative styles vacillate. The reader’s role changes from that of voyeur to that of sleuth; the writing style devolves from narrative into play script. Along the way, through multiple digressions, the reader is schooled in the nature of mysteries and techniques of their writers through the ages.

I’m not quite sure what to make of this book. I give the author credit for his clever reimagining of a traditional mystery and I enjoyed the references to classic stories and tropes of this genre.
However, I was disappointed in the way it concluded, having felt that it deteriorated near the end leaving this reader less than satisfied.

Those looking for creativity or who enjoy metafiction will like this book. Just don’t go into it expecting a customary whodoneit.

Thanks to #netgalley and #knopf for the ARC

A very different format that will appeal to a select number of people. At times this reads like a novel. Other times like a screenplay and then a study on mystery novels. It switches between a story and then talking directly to the reader. There was even a pop quiz or "questionnaire" for the reader to answer at one point. At around the 80% mark is where the screenplay starts with the reader having an active role in the lines of the play. I do applaud the author for the originality of how this book is written, the format just didn't work for me. It was very distracting and made the story hard to follow. I didn't feel like I was fully engrossed in the story, even though the author intended for the reader to have an active role.

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf for a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was different in ways that I'm not even sure I can explain, or where to start. Essentially, this reads like a screenplay at times, a novel at times, and then a study on mystery novels (especially Agatha Christie) at other times. While I enjoyed it for the most part, there were definitely parts that I didn't understand and it wasn't the smoothest of reading. It was absolutely written for a niche group of people. I gave it three stars because while I enjoyed it, it did take me a long time to get through. Thank you to NetGalley for an arc copy for my unbiased opinion.

Ok, this book had a super interesting and intriguing story telling device that initially drew me in. However, I found it kind of tedious and confusing at times. I liked the story overall but the format just didn't do it for me unfortunately. It was not that the reveal (which was good!) was bad or bad story telling or that it was poorly written cause it was not! Dann is a very talented writer. It just did not work personally for me. I think a lot of people will personally enjoy it. The conclusion and reveal was very satisfying!

I am keeping this one brief because its a mystery, and I don't want to spoil anything.
What I can say, is that Dan McDorman has turned mystery novels upside down with "West Heart Kill". Think of it as deconstructing what we think we know about mysteries. The format, oh, it's still there, in the form of breaking the 4th wall and talking to the reader about it. You'll be questioned, no really, the book will ask you, the reader, questions. It almost turns into a play with a script.
Fear not, there are still plenty of twists, puzzles, and multiple deaths in this 1970s upstate New York hunt club story, filled with unreliable, scheming characters!

West Heart Kill is the story of a private hunting club, its history, and the murders that take place there. Adam McAnnis is a private detective who has reconnected with his college friend James Blake. James invites Adam to spend the bicentennial weekend at his families summer cottage located at the West Heart Hunting Club. Being a private detective Adam asks lots of questions and notices lots of details. Is it just innocent curiosity or does McAnnis have an ulterior motive? This book is a story within a story. As you are reading the story taking place at West Heart there is also a narrator providing the reader with background information on the murder mystery genre. I found these sidebars a bit distracting, but found the story compelling enough to keep reading. Honestly, I'm still unsure how I feel about this book.

I wanted to love this book so much. Unfortunately for me it fell a little flat. Jumping between third person, first person, even the we and then a random reader when the script starts. I love that we don’t know the whodunnit aspect, but the script part killed this story for me. The script portion didn’t need to be in there, this story could just been a straight up murder mystery story and would’ve been great! Thank you Dann McDorman, NetGalley and Knopf for this ARC.