Cover of The Ax

The Ax

  • 1997 first published
  • 332 pages
  • 17 editions

The Ax is a 1997 horror novel by Donald E. Westlake. It deals with downsizing of organizations, middle-aged men, serial murderers and Unemployed.

26 Open Library readers have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 17 editions across 3 languages.

It runs to roughly 332 pages — 6–7 hours of reading at an average pace.

About The Ax

Burke Devore is a paper company manager, a man who can tell you everything you ever wanted to know about bleaching processes and the edible wood pulp they put in ice cream. For twenty-five years Burke has provided for his family and played by the rules. Until now. Now Devore is slipping away: from his wife, his family, and from all norms of civilized behavior. Burke Devore wants his life back. And he will do anything to get it. From his attempts to land a new job, to the growing rift between him and his loved ones, Devore knows that he is running out of time. Believing that there is just one way to earn the only job he has a chance of getting, he sets off on a path from which there can be no turning back--no matter how bizarre and violent, no matter who gets in the way; no matter how evil Burke Devore becomes. Burke Devore is gunning for his competition, and it's getting easier every time. . . . In this relentlessly fascinating novel, the masterful Donald Westlake takes us on a journey of obsession and outrage inside a quiet man's desperate world. And as we follow in Devore's blood-soaked footsteps, the question begins to echo darkly:
Description from Open Library

Themes, setting & tropes

Genres

Subjects

  • Downsizing of organizations
  • Middle-aged men
  • Serial murderers
  • Suspense
  • Unemployed
  • Murder
  • Suspense thrillers
  • Horror
  • Devore, burke
  • Serial murders

Quick answers

Who wrote The Ax?

The Ax was written by Donald E. Westlake and first published in 1997.

What genre is The Ax?

It is usually shelved as Horror.

How long is The Ax?

The median edition has 332 pages, about 6–7 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.

What books are similar to The Ax?

Readers who like it often enjoy Exquisite Corpse, Mr. Mercedes and The Silence of the Lambs.

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