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 a mostly interesting and originally organized nonfiction/history/true crime title. I appreciated the style of writing and the length but I'm not sure how much will stick with me over time.

This was an interesting look into the history of the axe as a tool and how it grew into a murder weapon. Did I want more murder and less history? Yes, but as a history buff I still enjoyed this. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect the axe’s history and I learned about many things I had ever heard of. I went back and forth between reading and listening and found the audiobook to be well narrated.

When thinking of an axe, us thriller readers immediately would gravitate to it as a weapon. Murder, foul play, all of that. Maybe anybody else would think of it as a tool, something in the shed or garage. Whack Job, in which the audio narration was superb, dove into all aspects of the axe actually, especially how it played in history. Not that the axe was the main draw in these histories, but how it was used in certain times.

Don't fret - the book did dive into some crimes, notoriously Lizzie Borden (I think I would have been mad if she weren't included) and the case with Candy Montgomery, mainly because the title itself. For some reason I thought the book would simply talk about all the crimes that would make an axe notorious, but it didn't. The author widened the circle to include historic events, in which was fun to listen to and quite interesting. But I just wished there were crimes involving an axe because that was pretty much what the title promised. Mind you, I really appreciated all the historic stories. I loved listening to them, and I could see how much the author really did her research as well as her passion about the axe!

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for a copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Something about Rachel McCarthy James's approach to her research did not sit right with me. From the start, I was unsure how she went about this for her book then felt as if each section was full of fleeting information that she cherry picked to write out on the page. If I were reading a physical copy of this book, I wouldn't have gotten through it. The Audiobook did allow me to tune in and focus on the narrative. The recording was clear and I could easily adapt the speed to my personal preference. It reminded me of a podcast where someone who might not be an expert on a project delivers information that makes viewers go, "That's interesting," then forget about it later.

The best history of axe murderers I’ve ever read … also the only history of axe murderers ever read!

Rachel McCarthy James wax this book out of the park! I absolutely loved the format. She used featuring a specific act in time, information about that tool, and then going into that time. And finding an axe murder scenario or victim to bring this history together. I think this was a great way to piece the history of not only the axe and the history of using that tool to murder along with the pop culture aspects into a cohesive timeline.

The audiobook narrated by Jennifer Pickens was easy to listen to and very addictive! Her voice work was delightful, and she added a lot of enthusiasm to the subject.

This is a perfect book for his history and true crime buffs alike!

This wasn't really what I was expecting.... I thought this would be about a singular axe murderer, but it's truly a collection of stories where an axe was present. Which is probably my fault for not reading the synopsis, but this just wasn't truly my jam. The idea is great, and I think this would be great for historical fiction fans!

(my error) - I thought this would be would be more about murder cases rather than the history of axes.

🪓WHACK JOB: A HISTORY OF AXE MURDER🪓 by @rmccarthyjames is both bloody and intriguing. Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher, @macmillanaudio for the audio-ARC. #macaudio25

💀💀💀

I love a micro history so I was pretty excited to listen to this one. The morbidly fascinating history of axe murder connects axeings from the Pleistocene era, through the Egyptian empire, into the Tudor era through the civil war and ending with relatively more recent axe murders. All of these historical instances of axe murder lore created our reactions of both fear and sometimes hilarity to the subject today.

I especially enjoyed the coloquial and pop culture references such as the fact that "burying the hatchet" is an appropriation of an indigenous tradition, reference to the cult classic movie So I Married An Axe Murderer, and the sensational Lizzie Borden trial of the early 20th century. This book is an unraveling of how a common tool can spiral into a much darker legacy.

The audio for this one was quick, thought provoking and an easy listen.

3.5 rounded up.

This book is much more history than it is true crime. A lot of research clearly went to this. You'll learn about different types of axes, their place in society, and then how they relate to axe murder. Some of the early entries especially weren't what I expected, but overall it is an interesting, and informative read. The narrator did an amazing job, and kept this reader engaged throughout.

Thank you for the audiobook on top of the ebook, I really appreciate it as I found my adhd struggles were preventing me from really enjoying the ebook. I listened to the audio in tandem with the ebook and found the experience to be good. The narration is clear and easy to follow and understand.

I loved this book, the history of axe murder is not something I thought about on a deeper level before. The history behind this early hand tool up to today was fascinating to read about. As someone both interested in history and true crime this book felt like it was mixing two of my favourite subjects however I do think people only picking up this book for the true crime aspect might be disappointed that it talk about it more. The information was communicated in a way that I feel is very accessible to any type of reader, even non academics or people who haven't read much nonfiction. I will definitely be recommending it to customers and will probably shelve it both in history and true crime.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

I listened to this book on a Monday while working. Then I recommended it to my boss because she had a very frustrating meeting. ;) All jokes aside, I loved the history and connections the author made. Highly recommend.

Honestly this book was no0t was not what I was expecting. Well, the first 2/3rds was not what I was expecting. It was really around the last 1/3rd that it became a true crime book in my opinion. But it was interesting.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 38%.
Really leans into the history element and not so much into the murder.

As someone writing a PhD dissertation that focuses on representations of violence, I thoroughly enjoyed this journey through time specifically regarding axes! It is a quick yet dense listen that is fast-paced and highly informative.

- Best for readers with an interest in true crime from a "history from below" perspective

I'd give the content for this one a 4.5 stars, but the great narration rounds it up to a 5 for me.

The subtitle, as some other reviewers have pointed out, is misleading. Rather than being "a history of axe murder," it's more "axe murder throughout history." One downside to this book, from my perspective, is its length. I do wish it had been just a bit longer. Each chapter is a specific case study on an event, and it covers thousands of years. I personally would have enjoyed some more information about the older periods, where possible, but I understand that the end result here is probably a collection of the most marketable stories.

However, rather than just detailing each case for the aspect of its gore, McCarthy James highlights the societal issues around each murder, focusing on the roles that gender, race, class, age, etc. play in victimhood and violence. That's something I wasn't expecting from this book, and it was a welcome surprise.

One of my pet peeves about overviews like this one is that authors tend to take a tone like the reader is totally ignorant of the subject and its events. This book did not stray that way. Instead, it very much trusted that we knew at least some of the history behind these famous people and events so we could jump right into the analysis. I loved that, and I also never felt lost.

I'm not a true crime girlie, mainly because I hate to feel like I'm exploiting someone's real pain for entertainment, especially when they could never consent to it. However, the author and the narrator both treated the content with such kindness and reverence, even when going into the violent details, where necessary. At least from my perspective, it was very informative without being exploitative.

With love and thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ARC of this book!

I didn't finish this one up but not because it wasn't GOOD, it's just that I think non-fiction just isn't quite for me. I appreciated the history going in order with each chapter from BCE to current. I also really liked the narrator. She had a soothing voice while talking about axe murders which might not be the easiest. I would still give this 4 stars as I feel if I was more of a non-fiction fan, I would've liked it. Maybe will try this again when it's out and do a physical copy as I was interested in the subject matter!

I enjoyed this history of violent crimes with the axe as the weapon. Rachel McCarthy James has clearly done her research. I appreciated how she added context around the practical importance of the axe as a tool. She has an interesting discussion about the symbolic power of the axe as a weapon. I think she did a good job of focusing on crimes throughout history that centered around the axe. I really enjoyed the narrator, and the audiobook was a very engaging way to take in the information.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for providing an eALC in return for my honest thoughts.

Wow! I love books like this that scratch so many itches. I learned about a lot of different events in history just because there was an axe involved, but also about axes themselves and how they've changed over the years. There were so many large and small events, and of course no book about axes would be complete without discussing the events behind Lizzie Borden being accused of murdering her parents with an axe.
This is also an interesting book about true crime. My only problem is that the book felt so short, because I'd enjoy reading entire books about some of the topics covered. The narration was fantastic.