Book Review: ‘Whack Job' tells the story of a simple survival tool turned murder weapon
Rachel McCarthy James spends each chapter of 'Whack Job' detailing an instance where 'axe murder' has occurred, but for true crime fans the book might not make the cut.
Instead of looking at the gory details and dramatizing events, James examines the social-economic, political issues and human nature that caused these individuals to befall their fate to an axe. As such, the book, while having a true crime element, is ultimately a history crash course on the axe's evolution — from a survival tool in 430,000 BCE to a modern-day weapon of murder.
Still, this is what makes the book intriguing — even if, like me, you were hoping it would dive deeper into the axe murder itself.
James has fun with the topic, describing what makes the axe the perfect weapon in each instance, keeping the true crime fan in me thoroughly engaged.
A book such as this, focused on history and facts, could become tedious to a casual reader, but James knows how to disarm readers with properly timed humor and quippy theories.
True crime fan or not, James' book is a great primer of 'axe murder' in all its shapes and forms
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San Francisco Chronicle
31 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Richard Thomas dons wig and mustache to play icon Mark Twain in one-man play touring the US
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New York Post
2 hours ago
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TIFF and Oct. 7 documentary makers come to ‘resolution,' film will be screened after dayslong back-and-forth
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Geek Tyrant
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