Review by Booklist Review
In 1892, Lizzie Borden was accused of the shocking murders of her father and stepmother, their brutal deaths attributed to numerous blows from an axe. The macabre aspects of the Borden murders would linger in newspaper coverage into the twentieth century any time a homicide was committed via the sharp and bludgeoning instrument. But the use of the axe as a method of execution dates back much further. In Shang Dynasty China, the axe was seen as a symbol of power and was brought out for sacrifices to honor leaders like Fu Hao. When Henry VIII wanted to rid himself of a perceived disloyal spouse (such as Catherine Howard) or an unreliable advisor (like Thomas Cromwell), punishment was delivered with an axe's blow. Whack Job is an engrossing historical analysis of how the axe has evolved as an instrument of change, retribution, and menace. In this exceptional book, James (coauthor of The Man from the Train, 2017) cites cases famed and obscure involving the axe, which will both inform readers and occasionally unsettle them.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this gleefully grisly cultural history, true crime author James (The Man from the Train) focuses not on a single incident, but on an instrument of murder: the axe. She begins with the weapon's ancient origins, first as a crude stone tool circa 1.6 million years ago, then as the more refined battle axe. From there, she examines the axe's role in various civilizations, from the enameled axes enshrined in the tombs of Egyptian royalty to the Vikings' use of axes as a symbol of power. The history is breezy and informative, but James really flexes her narrative muscles in the book's back half, where she recounts more contemporary axe murders. Particularly lurid is the case of two suburban Texas housewives--Betty Gore and Candy Montgomery--whose fight over a man ended with Montgomery whacking Gore in the head more than 40 times, then getting acquitted after pleading self-defense. Also entertaining is the section on the legendary Lizzie Borden, whom James posits may not have been an axe murderer at all, since her murder weapon was never found. Little here feels revelatory, but James keeps the pages turning. It's a bit of macabre fun. Agent: Laura Usselman, Stuart Krichevsky Literary. (May)
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Review by Library Journal Review
While the book's title might entice those looking to learn more about gruesome crimes, true-crime writer James (The Man from the Train) offers more than that. Though there's a healthy amount of grisly axe-murder details, the book intends to foster an appreciation of the pragmatic purposes of axes while also noting the tool's fall from societal worth after the introduction of newer technologies that made the axe an afterthought. Writing in a genuinely reflective tone with sporadic hints of humor, James outlines an intriguing historical perspective of the axe, from its purely primitive use as a tool of survival and necessity to its silent yet notable societal symbolism in films (The Shining; So I Married an Axe Murderer), cartoons (Peanuts), and infotainment (commercials). VERDICT This book is an informative one-stop shop that is sure to provide a little something for a wide range of readers.--Thomas O'Brien
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