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.
The Novel Llama 