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.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc of the book. I thought this book would be more focused on true crime stories and not quite as much on the axes. Some of the info was interesting would have preferred more true crime in it. Maybe a title change or category change for the book?

For some reason ever since Lizzie Borden we are a people have been fascinated with people that use this messy and rather inefficient way to commit murder. I mean, it takes so much energy and effort to use an axe to kill someone, but granted if you’re watching a horror movie and you really hate the person using the axe, maybe that makes it more entertaining? maybe? Not sure. Regardless, this is a unique and engrossing read…emphasis on the GROSS. It cover a lot of history including fictional characters like The Shining, and doesn’t skimp on details..or gore. So if you bore easily from your average murder mystery and want something a little more hands on, this is sure to keep you focused and in splatter range .

I enjoyed this history forward book about axes. I will say (and this is on me) that I thought it was going to be more about “recent” axe murders, but as the subtitle and synopsis state, this is truly a history of the axe (what it’s made of, the uses, how it’s changed) and the murders committed using the axe (including beheadings).

Axe Murder - what a crazy history it has!!

This book goes beyond what you might know about the history of both the axe and some of the murders that were committed by the people who wielded one, and I will say here, that some of these stories and the history will both surprise you and, if I may, horrify you just a bit [or a whole lot LOL].

Well researched and written, this was an excellent [and again, slightly gruesome, or a lot gruesome depending on who you are] read that I enjoyed very much. I doubt that I will ever use the term "whack job" or "crazy like an axe murderer" as lightly as I have in the past!

Jennifer Pickens is an excellent narrator and she does a fantastic job with this book and all it's crazy [and again, gruesome] details and really brings these stories to life. I enjoyed her narration very much and I highly recommend this audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel McCarthy James, Jennifer Pickens - Narrator, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

A look at axe 'murder' throughout history by the author of The Man on the Train. Had I realized this was by that author, I probably would not have requested it. While some loved that book, it was not for me at all because of writing style. Unfortunately, the writing style here was very similar. I also think calling this a history of axe murder is a bit misleading. It is more of short vignettes about times throughout history where maybe someone was a victim of axe murder. I love history books, but this was just not doing it for me. If you liked The Man on the Train, there is a chance you will enjoy this much more than I did.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press #partner for the gifted copy and to Macmillan Audio for the ALC to review.

I enjoyed this one via audio, and thought the narrator did a great job. This is basically a historical look into the axe from its inception to the current day and how it has been used, including for murder. It is not specifically a book on axe murdering alone. There were pieces of this that interested me, including how it was used in executions back in the day, Lizzie Borden, and the Wylie, TX case that has been made into a couple of made-for-TV movies.

This was more history and less true crime than I was expecting, but I still thought it was a pretty interesting read.
The first half or so of the book was about how axes were used to kill people before the modern era. This included stuff about everthing from pre-historic people, to Egyptians, to how Henry VIII beheaded people. I'm glad I read this, but will admit I was more engaged in the second half, when James talkes about specific American axe murders. Lizzie Borden was here, obviously, but there were also some I'd never heard of. Sprinkled throughout were facts about how the perception and use of the axe has changed through time and why it was probably the weapon chosen for the specific murders discussed.

I was hoping this would be a bit more quippy and had a bit more humor in it. It was very formal and a bit tough to get through.