West Kill Heart

West Kill Heart
Dann McDorman
288 pages
Knopff

From Goodreads: 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.

I really adored this book because it was unique. And how many reviewers claim the book they're reviewing is unique, but this one really goes above and beyond. The second-person narrative struck me first, which really worked for this book. I was there, having a cocktail at six o'clock on a hot summer evening. By the end, first and third-person narratives had also been used, as well as script format and a variety of other writing styles. Each chapter was a new piece of evidence to explore and it certainly kept me interested until the very last page.

Get ready to meet a lot of people. The story takes place at a private club during 4th of July weekend of 1976, so the club is crowded with families on summer vacation, all of the club's inner circle, and even a new prospective member checking things out to decide if he wants to join. Adam McAnnis is the private detective who is an outsider and everyone is suspicious of his motives immediately. The author does a great job of taking stock of the characters the reader needs to know, but there are just so many I admit to being a bit confused occasionally, though it was nothing I couldn't figure out based on context. 

As the plot rolls on, it becomes clear that a lot of people have secrets. I guess one as it was rather clear, but the other was not what I was expecting. Maybe I'm daft, but I expected a plot twist that never emerged and instead got another. No matter, it was still fascinating. 

A word about the ending: you will either love it or despise it. I have already read some complaints about it in other reviews, and while I understand where they're coming from I think the reader needs to dig a little deeper with this book. This story has layers and things should not always be taken at face value. It's the kind of book where you notice something new every time you reread it. In fact, I think I'll do just that. Overall, West Kill Heart is a very smart book.

Four stars! If you love unique stories, I think you'll really enjoy this book. However, if you're just looking for a straightforward mystery with a dumb cast of suspects and a regular detective, this is not for you. You have to be willing to experience new points of view to enjoy this novel, but really I can't recommend it enough. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. As always, opinions are my own.