A murder mystery that takes place at an isolated hunt club during a raging storm featuring a cast of monied, scheming, unfaithful characters and the intrepid protagonist, private detective Adam McAnnis. A different take on the locked room mystery, this book is geared toward a certain audience and not for everyone – if you like an old school mystery with shades of Knives Out, this is for you. Thank you NetGalley, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and author Dann McDorman for the advance read copy of this book.

"Why did I ever invent this detestable, bombastic, tiresome little creature!"

Never has a more apropos quote been included in a book because this story is in fact detestable, bombastic, and tiresome. The writing is a hodgepodge of styles, voices, and perspectives that are confusing, unclear, strange, and unnecessary. Hidden underneath is actually a very good murder mystery, but getting to the pertinent information is exhausting. At leaset 50% of the book is a thesis on literary style that has no bearing on the story. If those pages were ripped out it wouldn't change the story one bit. We spend pages on a little boy answering math problems to which we don't know the questions and making cryptic notations on a map that we never see. Everything is a red herring and you leave the story having absolutely no clue who the narrator is, which I guess isn't necessary but it's still really, really annoying. The final reveal is inexplicably written as a multi-act play. And the conclusion is that there is no conclusion. Great.

Sidebar, I find it very hard to believe that people were using the term "in your cups" at all in the 1970's, and this term is bandied about a lot in this book. Maybe in the 1770's, but the 1970's?! Come on.

I found the whole thing tedious and pretentious. I won't read this author again.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

I so badly wanted to like this one, but ultimately it wasn't for me. While some may enjoy the author commentary, I found it to be distracting and unnecessary. A sad miss for me, but I'm sure others will love it!

Really different story that takes the reader on a journey through the mystery genre. I was not sure I would enjoy this, but I kept reading and did actually find this to be enjoyable.

I received an e-arc from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

Classic murder mystery meets Knives Out. This was an enthralling murder mystery evening the classics such as Agatha Christie. This pays homage to more of the earlier classics vs some of the newer elements seen today. I loved the entire ride of trying to figure out who-dun-it and the noticed behind each murder. Defn recommend for fans of classics and Knives Out

This was written in a very unusual way, sort of like breaking the fourth wall in film or TV. There were several comments like "... and now you're thinking..." referring to the reader. I wasn't sure at first if I liked it, but then I really got into it. It was a clever way for the author to point out things he hoped the reader had noticed, but maybe they hadn't. The story itself was a good murder mystery. I was a little less than happy with the ending, but others may like it. Otherwise I would have given it five stars. I won't say more than that, to avoid spoilers. However, I do recommend the book and look forward to reading other works by this author.

An meta look on the mystery genre with extreme fourth wall breaking that was to the book’s disadvantage rather than to its advantage.

I don’t really understand what this book was trying to say. I was confused the whole time. Didn’t understand what was happening and didn’t like a single character, including the detective.

I picked up at one point that a dog was killed and that was almost enough for me to put it down.

But the real atrocity of the book was breaking of the fourth wall. It’s used well in some books, but this one was tough and I dislike being told how I’m feeling and what I’m doing in a book.

I appreciate the chance to read this and wish it worked for me. But I am not the audience for this book and can’t understand who would be.

I usually don't review books that I didn't 100% finish, but given all the hype around this one I feel like I have to talk about it. The conceits of the book feel sort of fun at first, especially for any longtime mystery fan, but quickly the second person narrative and then switching narrative styles becomes annoying alienating. You can not sink into this story, it's very hard to get a real sense of any of the long list of characters and by the time the murder happened I didn't care who did it, why they did it, or how the detective would solve it. It seems there are plenty of people who like this fictional meta study of the mystery novel, but for me to drained every last bit of fun I usually get from this genre.

This novel was a challenge for me to read. In fact, it was one I was unable to finish. my disclaimer though, is that the writing style of the author, is just too "wordy" and descriptive for my tastes. this is a personal preference, one that should not reflect anything negatively towards this author. The subject matter piqued my interest, and thats why I chose to read it.

Loved this book. While the style is somewhat unconventional via the insertion of historical mystery facts and structure, and breaking the fourth wall at times, the story and character development hit the mystery lover in me. From word one you are questioning what's going to happen, who is going to be the victim, and of course, who is the murderer. I've seen split reactions on this book, but I think the author did an excellent job of setting up multiple stages for the reader to switch between and ended the book in a satisfying way. Definitely a read for Agatha Christie fans, would love to see what the author does next!

#WestHeartKill #NetGalley

The style of this book may not be for every reader, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one! I loved that the author speaks to the reader to tell you what you may be thinking and to really pay attention to certain things. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and plenty of humor and sarcasm. I thought this book was so well done that I wasn't even mad at the ending.

The “who done it” for the connoisseur of “who done its,” West Heart Kill is an ode to the genre! The mystery plays with form, presents an interspersed history of the genre, and entertains with the “greatest hits.” This is not a forgettable, pulp murder mystery- McDorman blasts down the fourth wall with great success and delights the reader by really playing with and pushing the limits of what a murder mystery can and should be.

Two and one-half stars

Review of eBook

In upstate New York, private detective Adam McAnnis arrives at West Heart, an exclusive hunting club, to meet up with James Blake. Friends since their college days, Adam has joined James for some hunting over the Bicentennial weekend.

The club, established by earlier generations, was once a bastion of wealth. But now the members are trying to decide between selling the club and bringing in a new, very rich, member.

When a storm makes the only two roads in and out of West Heart impassable, it isn’t long before the power goes out. And then the bodies start piling up.

=========

The author of this “locked room” mystery frequently interrupts the telling of the tale with supposed-to-be-clever asides that generally seem condescending and presumptuous. As a result, the book seems to be part mystery, part textbook, and part treatise on the murder mystery genre.

It is likely that readers are not going to appreciate the author “stepping out” of the telling of the tale to tell them what they should be thinking about the unfolding story. And the crude, unnecessary language will be offensive to many readers. But the switch from story to play is probably something akin to the final straw.

For readers who enjoy meta mysteries, this very creative tale is definitely worth a look. But most readers are likely to find it confusing, frustrating, and disjointed.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf and NetGalley
#WestHeartKill #NetGalley

Very meta to the point of pulling away from the characters. None of which were very lovable or were we told enough about to be able to draw a conclusion. The writing style kept you intrigued by the whole thing fell felt.

West Heart Kill isn’t a mystery novel like other mystery novels. Well, or it is. Well, or it is about all other mystery novels. Set at the hunting club of West Heart, our author takes us on a journey through the history of mystery novels as he unveils the secrets and bodies that pile up over the July 4th holiday at this remote club. It’s a very meta take on the genre that is so well loved by many. You, the reader, are a character in this account of neighborly friendship gone awry. Will you (or anyone) solve all the puzzles? What tropes, cliches, or clever tricks will you find along the way?

To be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about this book. Parts of it were 5-star and out of the park for me. From the cover design that harkens to old Christie novels and the opening of character listings to the locked-room scenario…it hit all those notes spot on. Other sections or ideas felt trite and an overreach in the name of being unique and groundbreaking. (I’m looking at you room 302.) West Heart Kill reads like an academic paper presented as a mystery novel. While I think that will work for those of us who are super super super well read in the genre, I think casual readers will quickly look for another book to entertain them. When all was said and done, I appreciated what the author was trying to do, but I’m not sure that he “landed the plane” for me. But, that’s just my opinion. What, dear reader, do you think? That’s what West Heart Kill is about, after all…

Very enjoyable read. Will be easy to recommend to many different kinds of readers. I’d like to read more from this author.

“West Heart Kill” is a murder mystery that takes place in 1975 on the grounds of a private club/hunting preserve owned by a number of wealthy families for many years.

Unfortunately, I found it very difficult to engage with this novel. It has a number of characters, many of whom are not all that well described and thus difficult to keep straight. In any event, none of them are particularly likable or admirable. Many seem dissolute.

I found the writing problematic. While the prose and dialogue are well-written, indeed erudite, the author often breaks through the “fourth wall” that’s supposed to separate the reader from the novel (or the playgoer from the play) to explain to the reader what he or she might or should be thinking about the mystery. At times, I thought I was reading a Ph.D. dissertation on Mystery as a literary genre. Perhaps, devotees of the murder mystery will find this clever or amusing. Being only a casual reader of mysteries, I found it so intrusive and interruptive of the story itself that a third of the way through I realized I couldn’t care less about who had killed whom. Which is when I stopped reading.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an electronic ARC. The foregoing is my honest, independent opinion.

West Heart is a hunting club, where dead bodies keep turning up over a holiday weekend. But there's a detective on site!
This novel is different from most mystery thrillers I'm used to, but it just wasn't for me. It was setup as different books with in the novel. The story itself is broken up by passages on the history of mysteries, as well as plethora of literary references and stories I wasn't familiar with. The author kept telling me what I should be thinking and feeling, which didn't necessarily match my personal reactions. This made for a confusing read.
Reading this book felt like being in a classroom of a teacher you really like, but just not at all interested in the content of the class. The author has a knowledgeable, quirky, writing style, but the book just wasn't for me.
Thank you, Netgalley, publisher, and author for the ARC.

I love a good murder mystery! The writing style of this book is very unique and peaked my interest. The story flowed well and It kept me guessing until the end. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

West Heart Kill is a hunting camp, decades old, run and operated by a group of families who have made this quiet, remote place in the woods their private getaway from their ordinary lives. There is just one road into West Heart Kill, so during and after a damaging storm, it would seem to be a perfect place to stage a locked room mystery. (By the way, the word kill is a dutch term for a body of water.)

This particular mystery was written in a way I’ve never encountered before. It’s a high concept sort of mystery novel, mixing points of view and passing around the narration baton. It’s also a meta novel, with the author letting us into some of the process. Reader is also a character.

For me, unfortunately, this creative style obscured the mystery. The character development in many mysteries isn’t deep, but when the writer leaves the story to wander down another path for a bit, it can make it hard for Reader to focus on the facts about the West Heart Kill denizens.
In addition, these asides killed the pace of the story. Even though I thought the information the author related was interesting, it sometimes felt like an intrusion. The ending was both intriguing and jarring.

Overall, this mystery did not keep my attention very well because of the pacing problems and my lack of interest for the characters. I was impressed with its creativity, but it served to bog down this novel more than it added interest. The writing style was pleasing, however, and I would be interested in reading more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for letting me preview this mystery.