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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 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
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I've never actually killed anybody before, murdered another person, snuffed out another human being. Lesen Sie die erste Seite
Buchdeckel | Copyright | Auszug | Rückseite
I've never actually killed anybody before, murdered another person, snuffed out another human being. Lesen Sie die erste Seite
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Format:Taschenbuch
Donald E. Westlake's 1997 novel The Ax, shelved in the "Mystery" section of my local library, is a sterling example of black humor. (I am reminded of the movie Heathers of a few years ago.) Westlake's premise is simple: Burke Devore, a middle-aged paper company middle manager, has gotten "the ax" from his employer after years of devoted service. He can't find a job, largely because there are so many other newly unemployed middle managers looking for work. Westlake decides the only way he can find work is to kill -- literally -- his competition. I won't spoil the plot or ending by telling you how he does this, or whether he finds work. I will say that Westlake writes a funny, shocking, sad, and believable story -- all in the first person as Burke exorcises his demons and blows away his competition -- which kept me up late on a work-night to finish. Burke -- and Westlake -- ask the larger question of why our society is so keen on discarding its most productive members (Burke was clearly very good at what he did for a living) in pursuit of shareholder profit.
Format:Gebundene Ausgabe
What do you do when you are over fifty years old, and the company for which you have worked for nearly a quarter of a century is downsizing and gives you the ax? One would think that you would simply get another job. Wrong! In this era of corporate downsizing and fierce competition, that may be easier said than done. Ask Burke Devore.
Burke Devore, unemployed now for nearly two years, would like nothing better than to get a job commensurate with his experience as a product manager for a paper mill corporation, but as I said, competition is fierce. Desperate in his quest for the American dream that seems to have turned into a nightmare from which he cannot wake, his middle class life is spiraling out of control. He must regain control by whatever means necessary. Burke Devore, thinking out of the box, simply decides to eliminate the competition...literally. Our erstwhile serial killer is mad as hell, and he isn't going to take it anymore.
This darkly satirical and provocative novel is a veritable page-turner. Moreover, there is an underlying social commentary that permeates the plot, which serves to make the reader complicit with the protagonist, as he moves forward with his deadly agenda. Well-written and original in concept, it makes for a book well worth reading, especially by those who enjoy mysteries and novels of suspense
Format:Taschenbuch
Corporate flacks refer to downsizing, rightsizing and streamlining when jobs are cut. Those who lose their jobs refer to receiving pink slips, having been axed, being put out to pasture and losing their livelihood. In the darkest moments, the unemployed sometimes contemplate murdering the profit-loving people who decided to eliminate them.
Naturally, this anger is usually redirected into diligent efforts to find another job and the pain slowly fades after the new position is found.
But in some industries, the jobs are gone forever. If two companies have too much capacity, they may consolidate all the manufacturing into one plant and shutter the other. If enough companies acquire one another, most people with an industry-specific skill may never be able to find work again . . . except as a cashier in a fast food restaurant. What should these people do? Social Darwinists would suggest that the answer can be found in the concept that the fittest will survive.
Donald E. Westlake starts with this exact situation for his dark satire on corporate life, The Ax. Burke Devore knows how to make a certain kind of paper product, and little else that anyone else would value in an employee. Two years of being unemployed strip him of his confidence, his scruples, his emotional life and his dignity. His family will soon be out of money, and the fall will become worse. What should he do?
In a diabolical plot that will intrigue you, Devore checks out his competition and decides to eliminate them . . . much as Machiavelli's Prince was told to kill his enemies. How does an ordinary middle manager who is desperate improve his situation? Devore's answer will chill you to the deepest layers of your soul.
Normally, I find dark satires to be hard to take. The Ax overcomes that problem by presenting the alternatives to the satire in stark and understandable terms. If business is really war, there will be casualties . . . regardless of the personal morality of those involved.
At the end of the book, you will find yourself with a better understanding of the harm that these corporate euphemisms are doing to our society and our people. And you will find yourself wanting to do something about it. Greed for more is not always a good thing, despite arguments favoring unrestrained free markets for goods and labor.
I came away thinking that as the number of good jobs continues to decline in percentage terms in the United States, The Ax could become a reality for some rather than just a thought-provoking, gut-wrenching satire.
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Naturally, this anger is usually redirected into diligent efforts to find another job and the pain slowly fades after the new position is found.
But in some industries, the jobs are gone forever. If two companies have too much capacity, they may consolidate all the manufacturing into one plant and shutter the other. If enough companies acquire one another, most people with an industry-specific skill may never be able to find work again . . . except as a cashier in a fast food restaurant. What should these people do? Social Darwinists would suggest that the answer can be found in the concept that the fittest will survive.
Donald E. Westlake starts with this exact situation for his dark satire on corporate life, The Ax. Burke Devore knows how to make a certain kind of paper product, and little else that anyone else would value in an employee. Two years of being unemployed strip him of his confidence, his scruples, his emotional life and his dignity. His family will soon be out of money, and the fall will become worse. What should he do?
In a diabolical plot that will intrigue you, Devore checks out his competition and decides to eliminate them . . . much as Machiavelli's Prince was told to kill his enemies. How does an ordinary middle manager who is desperate improve his situation? Devore's answer will chill you to the deepest layers of your soul.
Normally, I find dark satires to be hard to take. The Ax overcomes that problem by presenting the alternatives to the satire in stark and understandable terms. If business is really war, there will be casualties . . . regardless of the personal morality of those involved.
At the end of the book, you will find yourself with a better understanding of the harm that these corporate euphemisms are doing to our society and our people. And you will find yourself wanting to do something about it. Greed for more is not always a good thing, despite arguments favoring unrestrained free markets for goods and labor.
I came away thinking that as the number of good jobs continues to decline in percentage terms in the United States, The Ax could become a reality for some rather than just a thought-provoking, gut-wrenching satire.
Build value for all!
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chilling thriller!
This is a very unsetteling book that I could not stop reading. this is the story of man who has a plan to eliminate the competition for a Job he applying for, and when I say... Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 16. Juli 2000 von c. lyn panovich
A good read
This mystery is distinguished by its unusual plot: an out-of work paper executive decides to murder his way back into a job. Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 13. Juli 2000 von Jussi Bjorling
Darkly comic
In this time of economic 'downsizing', whats a person to do if they lose their job and can't find new employment? Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 23. Juni 2000 von Aaron Steel
A total hoot! You'll root for this zany murderer!
I read this book in one sitting. Westlake does such a masterfuljob of making you understand this twisted guy's motivation, you'llactually find yourself rooting for this serial... Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 16. Juni 2000 von Martina
Dark an realistic thriller with great ending.
Interesting, disturbing and realistic book, about a man downsized out of his job who winds up doing some disturbing things in order to find the job of his dreams. Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 18. Mai 2000 von "williedynamite"
Very Compelling
The Ax is not a very likable book. But that said, you won't be able to put it down. Thank goodness, it can easily be read in one sitting. Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 16. Mai 2000 von Roz Levine
Delightfully dark!
Westlake's ingenious plot of a downsized executive's attempts to reenter the industry is underscored with the macabre. Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 5. April 2000 von Sean Kelly
Truer than you think...
If you think Donald Westlake's "The Ax" is pure fiction, think again. Last year the Bank of America eliminated 19,000 jobs (more than ten percent of its workforce) while... Lesen Sie weiter...
Am 21. März 2000 veröffentlicht
When the going gets tough . . . Watch Out!
Wow, what a scary book! It was not as long or detailed as I had expected, but it is still a rare gem. Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 23. Januar 2000 von S. Rall
Addendum to last post
In my last post I forgot to mention a certain writer named Samuel Holt. So far he's penned four mystery gems. (They use a running numerical theme in the titles. Lesen Sie weiter...
Veröffentlicht am 20. Dezember 1999 von Jack Jalove
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