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West Heart Kill

By: Dann McDorman
Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
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Publisher's summary

SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA NEW BLOOD DAGGER AWARD

LOOKING FOR AN ANYTHING-BUT-ORDINARY WHODUNIT? • Welcome to the West Heart Club. Where the drinks are neat but behind closed doors . . . things can get messy. Where upright citizens are deemed downright boring. Where the only missing piece of the puzzle is you, dear reader.

A unique and irresistible murder mystery set at a remote hunting lodge where everyone is a suspect, including the erratic detective on the scene
a remarkable debut that gleefully upends the rules of the genre.

"A thoroughly original suspense novel that hops across elements of the genre—a diabolical locked-room mystery interspersed with a fascinating primer on the form—while always being tremendous fun to read."—Chris Pavone, best-selling author of Two Nights in Lisbon

An isolated hunt club. A raging storm. Three corpses, discovered within four days. A cast of monied, scheming, unfaithful characters.

When private detective Adam McAnnis joins an old college friend for the Bicentennial weekend at the exclusive West Heart club in upstate New York, he finds himself among a set of not-entirely-friendly strangers. Then the body of one of the members is found at the lake’s edge; hours later, a major storm hits. By the time power is restored on Sunday, two more people will be dead . . .

©2023 Dann McDorman (P)2023 Random House Audio
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Critic reviews

"Robert Petkoff solidifies his position as one of the finest narrators in the audiobook world with this metafictional mystery. His voice is fluid, and his attitude is exactly right for both the omniscient self-congratulatory narrator (who frequently interrupts the story to comment) and for PI McAnnis, who is on a case. Petkoff keeps one's attention even while delivering the long list of dramatis personae.... Petkoff's performance makes for entertaining listening." —AudioFile

“Potent. . . . McDorman's knowledge is abundant, as is his cleverness.” Sarah Weinman, The New York Times Book Review

“Fun, clever, and innovative. A remarkable novel by a major talent, who has created a crime novel that feels entirely unique.” Stuart Turton, international best-selling author of The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Dear Listener,

What was it like writing my debut novel and seeing my story come to life in audio?
"Writing this novel was like fumbling for light switches in a strange house—everything gets illuminated eventually but only after a lot of walking into walls and swearing and bruising the hell out of your shin on the coffee table. The West Heart Kill murder plot started with a simple question to which, at first, I didn’t have the answer—on the wall of this elite hunting lodge, why is one of the plaques commemorating a prior president now missing? I had no clue. (Literally.) To some extent, I wrote this whole story just to solve that riddle for myself. My practice in writing was to murmur certain sentences, and even whole sections of dialogue, out loud as a way to kick the tires on the strange, uncanny novel unfolding at my fingertips. What a joy, then, to hear those words brought to life!" – Dann McDorman, writer of West Heart Kill

What listeners say about West Heart Kill

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Meh

Tortured - more intent on reviewing the murder mystery genre than weaving and engrossing story. Then just disgorges facts and circumstances in a big final reveal.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Unsatisfying End

I liked the academic conceit of the book, but the story and character development were lacking, and I still don’t know whodunit.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

I don’t know how this title got into my library!!!!

I am going to ask for a credit if I actually paid for this! Sometimes i do try books that are included with my membership and end up enjoying them. BUT don’t bother wasting your time with this one.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Literature 101

I found myself back in college taking a literature class on how to write a murder mystery. I really wanted to like this but found the dialogue distracting.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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Not worth it

This story is so disjointed. It was recommended as a “fourth wall breaking” book. It was more like being mansplained how to read. The voice actor has a nice voice and did the best they could with the material. I would not recommend.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Not sure how to rate

I’m really not sure how to rate this book. I’ve stopped listening to it. I was thinking I was getting a mystery murder story but it reads like a tutorial on how to write a mystery murder story. So in essence it’s not what I was expecting

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Academic article disguised as fiction

A writer who knows an excessive amount about the genre in which he writes, but lacks the creativity to successfully complete a whodunnit. Stick to academia, bro.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Two different books

I was really excited about this book, but the interludes on how to write a mystery were a bit confusing. It felt at times like two different books. That being said, it was an interesting concept.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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Not for mystery lovers

I like a good mystery. This was a huge disappointment. All tricks, no treat. It’s all about the writer, not the story.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Unanswered: Who did it?

This very good writer likes to muse about the means and methods of detective fiction history. Covering this is a threadbare plot. The writer makes the plot matter as he undermines it. Good characters wander in, make an impact and disappear. One is left hanging in a terrible situation. In the end, the writer won't say who the murderer is. I wouldn't have listened to it had I known. There's such a thing as too clever.

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