Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

The biggest flaw to this is that its focused on the use of a tool-axe as weapon across all history, not just necessarily "axe murders" as we think of it. Most people think of stuff like Lizzy Borden, sensationalized serial killings and murder sprees from the 19th century on. That is a small fraction of what this book covers, and I dont think it was well conveyed in the summary or in promotional stuff. I think there could be a whole book on modern axe murders and the way they have been sensationalized in media, but that is not what this is. The technical way the hand axe has changed throughout time and how that translates to the violence seen with it is interesting to a certain extent, but got repetitive after a while. I feel like a lot of readers might be disappointed with the book.

"For as long as the axe has been in our hands, we have used it to kill."
Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder is a nonfiction read that is about the story of the axe and how it is a danger that is easy to access, but also how it has been used in different murders. This was a well written and researched book where I could not stop turning the pages. I enjoyed reading and learning about the axe. This is one that I highly enjoyed and would recommend to anyone who likes history or true crime reads. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this read in exchange of my honest review of Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder by Rachel McCarthy James.

“Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder” was an interesting book. The author uses a series of brutal murders involving axes to help trace how the purpose and symbolism of the axe has changed over time, but in some ways stayed the same. Some of the murders you may be familiar with, but most will likely be unfamiliar, with a variety of motives for the violence. The different types of axes and how the axe has changed over time were interesting aspects.

(3.5/5 stars)

Whack Job is a true crime history full of axes and murder by Rachel McCarthy James.

I did another tandem read with my audio and physical review copies. Jennifer Pickens does a phenomenal job narrating! (I also loved her narration in A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher.)

The book did feel a little meandering, like there wasn't a through line. But overall I had fun learning about a lot of these things!

I love books about weird parts of history, or oddly specific things. I stow away information from books like this for future trivia nights.

This is a thoroughly researched and interestingly written account of the history of axe murder. Everything is presented in a way that entertains while it informs the reader.

I was really excited for this one! True crime meets one of the most gruesome ways to go...death by axe at the hands of a crazy person.

This is not that book. This is more of the history of the axe itself. Stories of the origins of the axe and it's uses in history, leading to deaths throughout history using the tool. And when I say history, I mean ancient history. Some interesting tales, very well researched, but very much reads like an encyclopedia, vs riveting crime stories.

If you thirst for details in history revolving around wars and civilizations' use of the tool, then this book is for you. If you are hoping for cool insights into serial killers and crazy crimes, you will get there eventually, but not soon enough for me, go ahead and skip it.

In this entertaining and interesting history of the axe and axe murder, Rachel McCarthy James uses axe murders from throughout history to explain how the tool has evolved from something useful with multiple purposes to something violent. Exploring its role in warfare and its presence in pop culture, James offers some interesting insights into the histories of technology, rituals of violence, and the contorting of emotions to fit familiar narratives in the past and present. A uniquely structured history book, this book offers fascinating insights into the ways in which acts of violence and popular cultural representations of violence have changed over time. A unique mix of true crime and history, this will really appeal to a lot of readers and introduce them to a fascinating combination of historical events, ideas, and figures. James is an engaging and entertaining writer whose prose and authorial voice pulls readers into the book, and she really breaks down and contextualizes the information available in some brilliant and helpful ways. Well-written, detailed, unique, and packed with information, readers will really appreciate the details and insights that James offers throughout this entertaining and unique new history book that a variety of readers will find interesting and engaging.

I love nonfiction, and this book was a great read! From the topic to the voice of the text, it was a bit of a wild ride, but the storytelling was fantastic.

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc copy of this title. Opinions are my own.

I received an advanced copy through NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are truthful and my own.

I cannot get over how much I loved this book. Any True Crime fan should have this in their library. This is not just a collection of gory horror movie style retellings of murders you've already heard about, oh no. This is a deep, deep dive into the history of axe murders, starting in ancient times and connecting to what it to social and historical context. It almost feels like a text book, except the author writes it so well. 5 stars.

This is not a history of axe murder. How can you write a book about axe murder and not write about any axe murders as we traditionally think of them - with the exception of Lizzie Borden? Where was the Axeman of New Orleans? Or Villisca? And to top it off, Lizzie doesn't even show up until chapter nine. NINE! Out of something like twelve chapters, hers and the chapter on the murders at Taliesin are the only ones that are actually axe murders.

Instead we also get stories of a possible 'first axe murder' half a million years ago, we look at the axe as it was used in war, and then take a look at Henry VIII and his love of chopping off heads of people who looked at him sideways.

Had I realized the author is the same one who wrote so flippantly with her father about axe murder victims in the book The Man from the Train, I would not have bothered with this one. Her casual approach to some of the deaths was honestly offensive. She's at times dismissive and bordering on straight disrespectful. I assume her aim was cheeky or funny, but she is neither. I hope she stops writing about this topic.

I honestly got more annoyed by this book as I wrote up the review and am knocking it down to one star.

To sum it up, this is a history of the the axe as a tool to build and how it was also used as a tool of death. But it is definitely NOT about axe murders.

Not recommended.

This book is so good, especially the title. Really ties to book T o together. She Tied it together really well with the history of the ax.. She went back in time as she told a story and then at the end, she explained how it was used. She used some of the most famous ones as well and that was pretty interesting. Especially like the one when the Guy would get on a train in the The midwest And Commit murders and then get back on the Train. The history behind the ax was very interesting as well.

60/100 or 3.0 stars

I was excited to read this, but after seeing more reviews, and reading the introduction, this isn't the book that I thought I was getting when I requested it. I don't want to post on other sites than here when I wasn't getting what I thought, so that wouldn't be fair to the author or the book.

An interesting look into both the history of axes and how a simple tool used for survival can also be a simple tool to commit crimes depending on the hand that wields them. The book alternates between different types of axes that have been created over centuries with crimes committed using these axes. Informative and easy to read this book is a good introduction to axe murders.

The axe. A very useful tool that has been around a very long time. But since its invention, the axe has been used for much more than cutting wood. Humans have used the axe for much more bloody pursuits from the start.

This book tells the more dark history of the axe -- murders, war, executions.....definitely not the generally approved uses for the tool.

This was a very interesting and informative book, although very dark and bloody. Most of the history I already knew and most of the criminal cases I also already knew about. But, there were more than enough facts and information that was totally new to me to keep me reading.

It is very evident that the author did copious amounts of research into her topic. And, she presented the dark history of the axe in a very interesting way.

Very glad I read this book! And I will be looking for more from this author!

4 stars

Axe Murder. Whack Job. To Bury the Hatchet. To Give Someone the Axe.

These are terms that have been in the public lexicon for as long as most people can remember. But why is that? Why is the humble axe so fraught with double meaning, is it perhaps because of its ubiquity throughout human history? Author Rachel McCarthy James seeks to answer these questions and more in this book, although on the whole it's rather more about ancient death rites, historical beheadings and their political meanings, and more lesser-known killings than the ones most true crime aficionados are likely familiar with. I mean she DOES cover the Lizzie Borden case, but not the Axeman of New Orleans? What about serial killer Gordon Northcott? Hardly a complete history, truth be told.

In all honesty, I find the title to be a bit misleading because I think the author falls into the same trap that she frequently mentions in her writing - news reporters, true crime followers, even the general public being morbidly drawn to a case because of the sensationalised aspect of what the term "axe murder" implies. By using that as a headline grab, or "clickbait" as it would be better known today, it feels rather lacking in self-awareness. (I know the title is partially why I requested this book ARC, I'm not going to lie. Count me in as one of those true crime aficionados falling victim to the sensational.)

I enjoyed the chapters delving into the documented history of the axe itself and its usage, both physically and symbolically, throughout time. The book felt well-researched overall, although I truly would have liked to see a few more chapters on more recent axe usage and references within pop culture. It just seems that the book would have been better served by calling it by its true name - "The History of the Axe and its Symbolic Place in Human Evolution: A Tool Not Built For Killing But For Labour, Yet Has Persistently Been Used to Kill Due to its Ease of Access and Usage."

But I guess that's a bit too wordy.

Thanks to NetGalley, author Rachel McCarthy James, and St. Martin's Press for granting me access to a free digital ARC of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and are provided here voluntarily.

I love object histories. An axe, for all its numerous practical applications, has long been inseparable in public consciousness from murder. Thanks, Lizzie Borden.
But hey, she didn't start this. In fact, there's a long, time-honored tradition of whack jobs and ... um ... all their whacking that goes back to the olden days. For convenience or pragmatism or a myriad other reasons, time and again people have ... well, cleaved other people. Or chopped them.
There are many ways to describe this, although the book's title does it best.

Though relatively slender, this account took six years from idea to print. The end product is very much worth a read. Well researched, engagingly written, and thoroughly informative, it'll ensure you never look at an axe the same way again.
Recommended.
Thanks Netgalley.

Rachel McCarthy James has written a half-way conversational, half-way academic look at axes, and I see it as quite successful. It is not only about the how it is used in killing, but also just how it has been viewed throughout history as a tool, as a weapon, and as a cultural symbol. (I actually tried to contact Nick Offerman about this book, because I thought he would enjoy it...I did not get a response.) I appreciate the conversational tone of the work; it has a humorous side that offsets some of the more gruesome moments. I recommend it.

This book was humorous (hard to do with such a tough and at times tragic topic) and easy to follow. The author clearly put a lot of research into the book and it spiked my interest in going to look into certain topics further. Overall, it was fascinating, but as other reviewers have stated - I thought this would be more about true crime stories and not a history about axes (which was fine because I do love microhistories - just didn't know that is what I'd be reading!).

This book is written with a new axe murder in every chapter. A work of non-fiction, the book walks us through the earliest known uses of axes for killing and brings us to present day. Each chapter shows a newer version of the axe and what it is capable of. The author does go off on tangents every now and again, but many of them are pretty entertaining to read. I chuckled a few times at the verbiage used at different points. The stories are told with a fiction author's feel, not overly statistical but informative and engrossing.

The title implies that there will be more true crime and maybe less about axes than the actual book presents. Add that to the writing style and this was not a book for me.