Product Description

Eighteen months after being laid off and still unemployed, Burke Devore, a mild-mannered middle manager, transforms himself into a ruthless murderer as he systematically tracks down and kills the seven men who could take the job that rightfully should be his."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #301894 in Books
• Published on: 1997-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

Amazon.com Review
Donald E. Westlake, justly named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, has written everything from comic capers (the Dortmunder series) to the darker adventures of ace criminal Parker during his long career. But he's never come up with anything scarier or more timely than this story about a downsized executive who decides to kill off the competition. Burke Devore could be your neighbor: a laid-off paper company manager watching his life and family fall apart as he tries desperately to get a job. The plan he finally comes up with involves murdering seven men very much like himself, and Westlake's most impressive achievement is to make the serial killings understandable if in no way justified. Selected titles from Westlake's vast list of books available in paperback include: Baby, Would I Lie?, The Fugitive Pigeon, Pity Him Afterwards, and Trust Me on This.

From Library Journal
Burke Devore, 52, laid off from his middle-management position at a paper mill two years before, decides to eliminate competitors for a dream job at a mill in New York. He places dummy ads in trade journals to attract them, then stalks and kills them (at first with a pistol, later in a variety of disgusting ways?most in broad daylight, with no witnesses). That's about all there is to this strange novel from the author of the John Dortmunder mystery series, e.g., What's the Worst That Could Happen? (LJ 9/15/96). A potentially compelling look at the effects of long-term unemployment on the psyche of a man of limited prospects and intellect, the result is merely a step-by-step guide to executing innocent people, generally lacking in conflict, irony, and farcical elements. Devore's wife and children are sketchy, and humorous situations are underdeveloped. The point of all this is buried deep. Not recommended.?Laurel A. Wilson, Alexandrian P.L., Mount Vernon, Ind.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
In a sharp departure from his comic crime novels, veteran author Westlake has penned a chilling portrait of a downsized middle manager turned serial killer. Two years after being laid off from his job at a paper company, Burke Devore is becoming increasingly desperate as he watches everything he's worked for slip out of his grasp. He hatches a bizarre plot to target the job he wants and then eliminate his likely rivals for the position, literally killing off the competition. Soon suburban streets and shopping malls are littered with the bloodied corpses of unemployed paper executives as Devore schools himself in the methods of murder, variously shooting, hacking up, and running over his victims. Bypassing satire and heading straight for horror, Westlake offers an ingenious depiction of the perfect nineties employee--a cold-blooded assassin whose only loyalty is to himself and his family. This cold, clever novel is bolstered by Westlake's inventive plotting, his meticulous use of abundant, credible details, and his burning anger over corporate tactics. Joanne Wilkinson

Customer Reviews

well-plotted sociopathic thriller
Most of us, if we lost our job and our livelihood, would react with grief and anger. Hopefully, we would eventually find a new job or career without succumbing to lasting despair. Very few of us would turn to murder.

The anti-hero of Donald E. Wastlake's novel, Burke Devore, dares to think the unthinkable--and to act on it. His rage against the system has turned him ice cold. He's calculated the odds, see, and he's decided that only a few of his highly-qualified professional colleagues stand between him and re-employment. Now he's got a list of people to eliminate, and he's going down the list one by one, literally killing the competition.

The amazing thing is that through the course of the book, we come to like Burke Devore, and even (heaven help us) to want him to succeed. We can thank Mr. Westlake for this; his characterization is masterful. He gives Burke's character added depth with sub-plots involving his wife and son. As the consequences of Burke's insane obsession become increasingly horrendous, they spill over into his family life in chilling ways.

But even better than the characterization is Westlake's famous plotting. The plot flies along like a roller coaster, with new and unexpected thrills around each curve. Nothing is settled until the last page.

It all feels so real that in the end, we can only marvel at Donald Westlake's remarkable imagination and ability to create one man's whole twisted world. This is noir writing at its finest.

A Topical (and Timeless) Corporate Thriller
Although first published in 1997, "The Ax" remains relevant ten years later as the downsizing in corporate America continues unabated. The downsizing of white collar jobs is still topical and should continue to be for years to come. Dark, satirical, and surprisingly moving, "The Ax" is the crown jewel of Westlake's bibliography.

A Future World Of Competition
I saw this movie by Costa Gavras a couple of years ago at the TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL. The movie moved me so much...that I decided to buy the book a year later. I loved reading it but it was so much like the movie that I knew what was going to happen...I probably should have read the book before the movie...I don't know. The MOVIE is simply excellent. I couldn't help seeing excerpts from the film as I read the book. It's a scary dark noir thriller of what could happen with outsourcing jobs to other countries and how one's home country could falter for it...very interesting reading.