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jamiedarlin's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicide, Antisemitism, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol
amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Car accident, and War
ajawritesthings's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
West Heart Kill in one word: unexpected. And for a mystery novel, that’s exactly what you want. You want a narrative that subverts tropes and bends the rules (sometimes even breaking them!).
Everyone is a suspect and things get messy very quickly. The novel follows the elite members of the West Heart hunting club and as their secrets get revealed you realize no one is safe.
Anyone who reads this book will be sure to feel like an active participant in revealing the truth, which makes the book so much more enjoyable than other books that I’ve read before.
I’m not as familiar with the mystery genre, but I did appreciate the history sprinkled throughout the book. At times, it did feel overwhelming and unrelated to the plot but as a novice to the mystery genre, I really do think that it added a unique detail to the narrative.
SPOILERS
The ending was a bit of a let down, I can't lie. There are lots of things I saw coming, but the one thing I didn't see coming (and that I was a bit peeved by) was the cause of death of the detective. The author inserts himself as the ultimate villain, which could have had a powerful effect on the book, but felt cheap like some of the other reflective moments of the book. I think that the ending and some of the history bits kept me from enjoying the novel and giving it at least 4 stars. But I did appreciate that it feels like a fresh approach to writing a mystery novel. If only it had been executed more expertly, I would have loved it.
SPOILERS
I read this book in one sitting and literally couldn't put it down until I solved the murders. West Heart Kill has a star quality and fans of sleuthing will devour this novel. 3.75 stars.
Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the ARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Death of parent
Minor: Antisemitism and War