West Heart Kill: An outrageously original murder mystery
Dann McDorman
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ILP JOHN CREASEY NEW BLOOD DAGGER 2024
'Doesn’t so much break the fourth wall as crash through it in a bulldozer' Guardian
'Engrossing, surprising, clever, genre bending' Val McDermid
'Diabolical' Chris Pavone
You are reading the blurb for an experimental novel by a debut author called Dann McDorman. It is book set sometime in the 1970s, in an exclusive US country club and if you read the book itself, you will very quickly meet the man you think will be the protagonist, private detective Adam McAnnis. You don't know who has hired him, but you do know from the very first line of the book that someone will die (maybe him? maybe the driver of the car he is a passenger in? maybe someone we are yet to meet?). But you can't imagine in what ways this story will unfold. We can absolutely promise you that.
West Heart Kill is an outrageously original and imaginative novel that plays with the very nature of story telling, beginning with a detective but definitely not ending with a solution
'Well, I have no idea how this ended and need someone to talk to about it!' Rachel S, bookseller
Product Details
About Dann McDorman
Reviews for West Heart Kill: An outrageously original murder mystery
Guardian
One of the most unique and meta murder mysteries you will read all year
i
The book has an exquisite atmosphere and I found the writing extremely engaging. It makes for highly compulsive reading; I loved all the tangents on the history of the genre. I'm very keen to see what Dann McDorman does next!
Alex Pavesi A crime novel that unpicks traditional storytelling … engrossing, surprising, clever, genre-bending
Val McDermid Fun, clever, and innovative. A remarkable novel by a major talent, who has created a crime novel that feels entirely unique
Stuart Turton Phenomenal … totally unique … a treat for every murder mystery fan
Janice Hallett West Heart Kill is a brilliantly crafted crime novel that wears its influences on its sleeve, and in doing so manages at once to wrong-foot the reader and the genre entirely. A terrific, thrilling and novel debut
A. E. Gauntlett, author of forthcoming The Stranger at the Wedding A highly original and hugely entertaining novel, West Heart Kill breaks new ground, in a classic way
BookTime
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, author of Two Nights in Lisbon A brain-teaser and a crowd-pleaser. I loved it
Benjamin Stevenson, author of Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone Both honouring the classic crime genre and turning it on its head, this is a talented, unique read that we predict will perform superbly
Belfast Telegraph
West Heart Kill may well prove to be one of the most discussed mysteries of the year … a writer to watch out for
Set the Tape In this re-imagining of the classic detective story McDorman tweaks aside the curtain to show us the nuts and bolts, revealing just how easily we get hooked and why. And in contradiction to of accepted wisdom that detective stories must sacrifice stylish prose in service of plot, McDorman’s prose is a delight to read
Good Reading
West Heart Kill is perfect for those who love classic murder mysteries, and those who are more interested in experimental and ambitious crime writing. Bold and original, McDorman’s debut is a wondrous achievement that succeeds in making the reader a cast member
Aurelia Orrs, Readings website, Australia