Mystery stories exist on a spectrum. Some are adventures, masquerading as mysteries: they set up a puzzle that can’t be solved with the textual information. Others are “pure” mysteries – the only puzzle is the plot, with all the focus on figuring out whodunnit. And then a third, rare category adds another set of layers – some kind of meta-textual puzzle that both enhances the puzzle and adds an element of intrigue.

It will comes as no surprise that it’s this third category, when well-executed, that has my heart. I’d put all the great epistolary mysteries in here, alongside the tongue-in-cheek narration of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. When done right, this kind of novel can bring a mystery to life, forcing a reader to engage more deeply. When done poorly, it can lead to frustration, or a sense of disappointing authorial self-importance.

Which is why I was cautious when approaching my early copy of West Heart Kill. (Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the gift copy!) Billed as an “anything-but-ordinary whodunnit”, the story bounces between narrative voices and content. One “track”, if you can so call it, follows detective protagonist Adam as he investigates the residents of West Heart, an elite hunting club. The other reviews the history of the written mystery, interspersing interludes of narrative musings with relevant mystery content. There’s a lot that’s unique about this book… but how well does it all come together?

A unique reading experience…

As I closed West Heart Kill, I found myself struggling to find an appropriate set of descriptors for it. “It’s like Knives Out, in book format, with the narrator from Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, but if he were much more indirect, but also a total literary experiment…” There are many literary ideas in the novel that seem comparable to others, but they combine in a way that’s unique to me as a reader. Some that stick out: the unique narrative voice, the shifting perspective, the numerous hints for where to pay attention.

Start with the voice. Extensive sections of West Heart Kill feature second person narration – second person narration! With a narrator telling you how you experience reading the mystery – instead of reading the actual mystery. (Think “you read several pages of dialogue, noting that the conversation never touches x, y, or z topics.”) It’s a Very Interesting writing choice that in some ways allows you, the reader, to be “in the know” alongside the author. And despite feeling like a trick (who knows what’s hidden in the bits that are simply described), I can attest that Dorman manages to pull off fair play.

He does this while also shifting other elements of the narrative perspective. While Dorman writes some parts of the novel in that second-person voice, others are more like a simple mystery story… Except that the perspective changes every “day” in the book, including third-person limited, first-person singular, and (shock!) first-person plural! And throughout all these narrative shifts, the narrator continues to call out areas to focus and pay attention, so that you have a reasonable shot at the solution.

Some of this may strike you as Extremely Extra for a mystery novel. Why add so many structural twists and turns to a perfectly good plot? But for a certain type of reader (it’s me, I’m that reader!) it adds a layer of structural play. There’s something almost joyous about seeing someone test out so many techniques of mystery writing at once. West Heart Kill feels like something new, and that alone makes it worth the read.

…with a thin cast

Of course, new territory comes with risks and the potential for error. West Heart Kill trades its unique story structure for character depth. (One of the biggest similarities to Knives Out, which similarly follows rich and unpleasant people.) Part of the challenge is structural – the narration simply obscures conversations by telling you what you would have learned, rather than experiencing it yourself. Almost definitionally, it’s telling rather than showing, reducing those characters to stock.

And then, there are the characters themselves. I always find it hard to like truly stock characters – they’re a little too cardboard cutout. But the residents of West Heart Kill spend very little time on-screen, and seem to have no real inner lives outside their potential motives. Every minute spent with a character somehow ties into the mystery – there’s not much to make the reader care about them. And so, when murder visits West Heart, you’re forced to care for the sake of Justice.

Now I usually am a big fan of character writing, so normally I’d be put off by this tradeoff. But the rest of the reading experience is so unique and innovative that I want to forgive this flaw…

An author who loves mystery

…especially in light of Dorman’s clear love of the mystery genre. This comes out not only in the interludes that describe the tropes and history of the genre, but also in the references, the narration, the winks and nods to common plot interpretations and tricks scattered throughout the novel. It’s hard to fault someone who so clearly loves the genre and has taken on such a creative and ambitious way to explore it fully.

For me, those little interludes of history and trope exploration take West Heart Kill to the next level. I love the meta-ness of it – the idea that you’re getting to think about the influences on this writing as you’re reading it. (Echoes of How to Survive a Classic Crime Novel, perhaps?) But this is very much a specific taste, for those who enjoy writing that smashes the Fourth Wall and dances on the pieces, then analyzes that dance. Certainly not a Beach Read – but a kind of great meditative Fall one.

Reader’s notes and rating (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

I LOVED West Heart Kill , as a major fan of the meta-mystery. But your enjoyment of this novel will very much depend on your willingness to get through all its narrative quirks – the second-person narrative voice, the referential asides, the elision of pure plot – as well as your understanding of mystery tropes. If it were just a bit more accessible and I cared a smidge more about the characters, I’d happily give it top marks. For such a unique and interesting read – and one that I’ve already purchased a physical copy of – four stars.

West Heart Kill was published on October 24, 2023.