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West Heart Kill

A novel

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA NEW BLOOD DAGGER AWARD • A remote lodge. A stormy night. A shot in the dark. You may think you’ve read this story before. Think again. •  Fans of The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and Magpie Murders, look no further.
“Potent. . . . McDorman's knowledge is abundant, as is his cleverness.”Sarah Weinman, The New York Times Book Review

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 . . .
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    • Publisher's Weekly

      September 18, 2023
      McDorman’s wily debut breaks the fourth wall immediately, in a sign of the authorial shenanigans to come: “This murder mystery, like all murder mysteries, begins with the evocation of what the reader understands to be its atmosphere,” goes the opening line. From there, McDorman introduces private detective Adam McAnnis, who’s finagled an invitation to a weekend-long bicentennial celebration at the West Heart hunting club in Upstate New York, where his old college friend’s family owns a cabin. After McDorman establishes his large cast (in part through a half-redacted list of dramatis personae), the plot speeds up with a suspicious drowning and the accidental shooting of West Heart president John Garmond. Looking to get to the bottom of both deaths, McAnnis interviews his fellow lodgers one by one. As the story unfolds, the omniscient narrator intrudes to offer up tangents on subjects including murder mystery genre rules (“The key is a sense of fair play—a reader must not feel cheated”) and Agatha Christie’s famous 1926 disappearance. While these peregrinations may not appeal to mystery fans who prefer a more direct route from crime to solution, McDorman ensures they never come at the expense of satisfying twists or shocks. For readers willing to try something a little different, this is quite the diversion. Agent: David Black, David Black Literary.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      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. He gives a smug, smart-alecky tone to McAnnis, who has cleverly gotten himself invited to the members-only West Heart Hunting Club. After several suspicious deaths and an accidental shooting, things move along swimmingly--until the annoying narrator pops in. While the conceit of the know-it-all narrator slows things down and comes off as cutesy, Petkoff's performance makes for entertaining listening. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

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Languages

  • English

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