A fascinating story of the long and bloody history of axe murders in real life and pop culture, I absolutely loved this book! The writing stayed informative while maintaining a conversational tone and never becoming dry or boring.

I will note though that while this book is marked as both History and True Crime, the history element is the main focus so those looking a gory retelling of infamous axe murder cases may not be satisfied. However, as someone who enjoys both history AND true crime, I couldn’t have been happier!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Super quick and interesting non-fiction, but I wanted a little more.

What I liked:

I never thought I’d read a history of axe murder, but I love a niche non-fiction. I learned a fair amount of things I didn’t know. From ancient Egypt to our current times, the axe has been a ubiquitous symbol of violence and power.

What didn’t work for me:

Some of the chapters seemed to end a little abruptly. I’m not sure if it was because I was listening and not eyeball reading, but the way some of the chapters ended felt a bit unfinished to me.

I wanted more with this book. The book is a super quick listen, but I think I wanted some more meat to these chapters.

If you’re looking for an intensive dive and review of history’s axe murderers, this book is for you! Part true crime and part historical reference, Rachel McCarthy James takes you on a rollercoaster of a read through historical axe murderers!

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the advanced listening copy of Whack Job!

Not exactly what I was expecting it to be. But I did find it interesting. I thought it was well researched and written. I enjoyed the narration as well.

3.5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this arc. This book is my first read by this author and I found it to be interesting and informative. Most of the information in this book was very new to me. Overall good book

Do I even need to say that this was amazing? I mean come on its the history of axes told via true crime cases! I couldn't think of something cooler than that. I loved this and while I haven't read James's other book but I am definitely going to after reading this. I hope she writes more cause she is fast becoming a true crime favorite.

This is perfect for history and true crime fans. I was hooked from the start. I never thought about how far axe killings went and I found some new things to learn about it. I will definitely read Rachel's other book The Man from the Train: The Solving of a Century-Old Serial Killer Mystery.

Really is a 4.75 stars

Thank you Netgalley for letting me give my honest thoughts and feelings.

This book wasn't entirely what I was expecting. I was under the impression that we were getting accounts of famous axe murders that have occurred. It was more like a history of axes themselves.

I am a true crime junkie and always love hearing about them, but this book wasn't really that. I didn't really ever intend to learn about different types of axes and their history. Even a lot of the murders that were mentioned were axe adjacent.

Overall, it wasn't entirely for me, but I can see a niche group of people really enjoying this one.

The history section is full of books that draw together a range of times and places around a central theme. Using an axe as that central theme might sound like a gimmick, but it's not. The range of human experience and sparkling writing centered around this object is as fascinating as it is entertaining

Not my usual read, but I was intrigued by the premise of Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder. The book takes the reader on an interesting journey through both the history of axes and the true crime aspect of murders committed using an ax. I found myself enthralled through the whole book and liked the way the author wove the stories together. The narrator did an excellent job and greatly added to the depth and intrigue of the book.

First of all the cover and the name of the book caught my attention IMMEDIATLEY. It was interesting to learn about the history of axe murd3rding and I feel like the author did a good job organizing everything. The narration was good too.

2.5/5 rounded up.

I'm going to be honest, I really was expecting to like this a whole lot more. I am quite disappointed. I should give this a 2/5, but that feels really harsh. And maybe someone will enjoy this for the reasons I didn't.

Now, I like a casually written non-fiction. I hate when non-fiction is written just to make the author feel smarter than everyone else reading the book. I much prefer when non-fiction is almost conversational and easy to digest. But this took that casualness way too far.

This felt so casual to the point that it didn't have a point. There were tangents that had the original story never getting followed up on and just useless information and stories that had nothing to do with the original premise of this book.

I can tell that this book was supposed to be what I wanted, but then it got out of control. I wanted story after story that told the history of axe murder, and that was definitely the original goal of this book, but the tangents made it impossible to follow any story, let alone the overarching one.

I gained/learned nothing from this book. And that is the opposite of the goal of non-fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

This was interesting but thought it would be more ax murder related true crime stories. I appreciate the amount of research the author did on this book.

Review for Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder by Rachel McCarthy James
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3 stars)

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the advanced listening copy of Whack Job!

Rachel McCarthy James takes a unique swing at true crime with Whack Job, delivering an unexpected blend of history, cultural commentary, and weapon-focused narrative. This isn’t your typical murder story—it’s a deeply researched chronicle of the axe itself, tracing its journey from utilitarian tool to a symbol of resistance, rebellion, and violence across centuries.

I appreciated how the book opened with something as relatable as a ten-year-old repeating an axe murderer joke—a reminder of how these stories, while now rare, once loomed large in public consciousness. James does an excellent job breaking down not only how axes were used in murders, but how they were also wielded in resistance movements and power struggles. Her exploration of Nat Turner’s revolution, the roles of women warriors and rulers, and lesser-known historical figures added refreshing depth and context I rarely see in true crime. The descriptive storytelling painted vivid images of each era and the people in them, making the material both educational and captivating.

The narrator’s voice truly set the tone—she reminded me of the haunting narrators from Unsolved Mysteries, which added to the eerie, documentary-style atmosphere.

However, this wasn’t quite what I expected. While I admire the scope and research, the deep dive into the history of the axe felt a bit too detailed for my personal taste—I was hoping for more immediate engagement with axe murder cases and a faster-paced true crime format. If you’re looking for a straightforward account of infamous axe murderers, this might feel more like a detour through an academic lens.

Still, for fans of historical nonfiction who enjoy true crime with a scholarly twist, Whack Job offers something distinctly original.

As a lover of random things and weird facts I found this book fascinating!

Well narrated and laid out well. I enjoyed the that each chapter took me on a journey, with each story painting a picture of how the axe has been used and evolved over the centuries!

It was a bit slow but overall a relatively short/quick listen!

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for the arc!!
This is a fun micro history about axe murder. Some of the chapters were questionable to me (personally I don’t consider Henry vii beheading his wives axe murder, or 500,000 year old skeletons in a pit in Spain), but all the sections were well written and interesting to me anyway. I also thought the narrator did a great job! I listened to the entire audio book in like 1 sitting today and didn’t get bored.
4 stars!

If you cracked open “Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder” expecting a blood-slicked rampage through true crime’s goriest deep cuts, you might want to set that axe down, pour yourself a stiff drink, and prepare for... cultural anthropology. Rachel McCarthy James didn’t write a murder manual for the morbidly curious — she wrote an elegant, history-drenched thesis on how a literal chunk of metal became a symbol of both power and pure panic. Spoiler: it’s smart as hell, but it is not here to satisfy your inner forensic files gremlin.

Now, full disclosure — I studied anthropology and sociology in college and even interned at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, so this book? This was deeply my jam. It read like one of those exhibits where you start off staring at a ceremonial axe from ancient Egypt, blink twice, and suddenly you’re knee-deep in a domestic crime scene from 1980s Texas going, “Oh hey, Candy Montgomery.” The way James threads violence, symbolism, politics, and gender through time? That’s the stuff that makes nerds like me clutch our annotated textbooks and whisper, “Finally, a book for us.”

This thing starts in the Paleolithic era, which already tells you we’re playing the long game. It’s less “Let’s dissect the psychology of an axe-wielding lunatic” and more “Let’s discuss how the axe became a weapon of statecraft and male insecurity across millennia.” Honestly? Kind of iconic. James drags us through royal rituals, public executions, and even axe symbolism in feminist folklore. Somewhere in there, Lizzie Borden pops up like the true crime girlie she is, but not until late in the book. It’s giving history major, not horror flick.

And that’s where some folks might struggle. If you came for blood, you’ll have to wade through some seriously well-sourced historical context first. The actual crimes — when they arrive — are chilling and well-framed, but they’re used to illustrate broader social structures, not just to shock. There’s no crime porn here. It’s more like, “Here’s how execution evolved into gendered messaging,” and I, personally, was living for it.

James’s voice walks a tightrope between academic and biting, and when she veers into dry wit, it’s chef’s kiss. She also doesn’t shy away from the gendered dynamics of violence. I really appreciated how women weren’t just props or footnotes here — from the mythic to the modern (hi again, Lizzie), they’re central to how this history unfolds. And no, that doesn’t mean “yay girlboss murderer,” it means we get an actual, nuanced look at women as both victims and perpetrators, shaped by the times they lived in.

Honestly? It lands somewhere in the murky middle of “I learned a lot” and “where’s the blood??” — I’d slap a solid 3.5 stars on it for being fascinating but a little too academic for my inner murder goblin. It’s not a thrill ride, it’s a museum tour with a sharp edge. And once you get over the lack of splatter, it’s kind of genius. Just don’t go in expecting only unhinged murderers hacking their way through history. This one’s more brain than blade.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced audiobook.

Well written and fascinating book about a really dark topic with examples throughout history presented in chronological order. The author does give her own two cents on each case, and I can see some readers hating that kind of commentary, but honestly I would have been a little weirded out if she didn't have opinions.

Whack Job: A History of Ax Murder titile threw me off. I thought it was going to be reading a true crime book. It turns out it is more of a historical nonfiction. It is well researched because it goes back to prehistoric times mentioning the first human remains with head trama.

Each chapter follows a different person in a different era of human history. This book is a collection of accounts of murders committed with an axe or tool like an axe. Axes are not the main point in most of those stories. It was a let down for me.

It took until Chapter 9 to get to a story we all know. Lizzie Borden. That's when it got really interesting for me. I honestly believe if you are more of a historic reader than a true crime reader this book is definitely for you.

I received an ARC audiobook and the narrator was great. I was happy with the audiobook because I don't think I would of read the book had I had a physical copy.

~Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC



.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this ARC audiobook of Whack Job!

I wanna start by saying I've seen some other reviews criticize this book for not containing enough real and true axe murderers... But this isn't just a book about axe murderERS... It's a book about axe MURDER! About how the axe, a tool meant for survival, has throughout human history been used and represented as a tool for violence. Knowing that, I think this book does a great job of telling that story.

I will admit it took a few chapters before I was fully engaged, but by the viking chapter I was totally invested.

The narrator for the audiobook has a nice, crisp, clear voice that isn't at all too monotonous (and issue I've been finding often in nonfiction audiobooks,) and the narrator is a woman - which is always my personal preference in true crime based nonfiction.

Overall I really enjoyed this title! Totally give it a read or listen once it's officially out and available. :)