Donald E. Westlake - The Ax

Pros: Very thought-provoking

Cons: Very disturbing

Review: The life of the working person in America has changed over the past few decades. Where we once put in our thirty or thirty-five years with a large company and retired, today we get downsized, re-aligned, outsourced, or otherwise fired. Hosts of former...

Pros: Powerful tour-de-force

Cons: Would not change one word

Review: THE HOOK
Donald E. Westlake
Mysterious, Mar 2000, $23.95, 288 pp.
ISBN: 0892965886

It must be over twenty years since authors Bryce Proctorr and Wayne Prentice first met. When they were both aspiring and promising they hit...

Pros: Well-written, well-conceived, unusual plot, believable characters.

Cons: Lacks a bit of spark.

The Bottom Line: Deadly scenario in which a laid-off middle-manager takes revenge on the system. An engrossing read.

Review: Intro I first heard of Donald Westlake’s The Axe in connection with a movie that was based on it but can’t for the life of me remember which one (I think it’s pretty recent though). A film reviewer mentioned the book in ...

Pros: Very quick read, suspenseful, unique idea for a book

Cons: Not enough explanation of some parts to make the book completely convincing

The Bottom Line: A quick read with an interesting premise. Give it a shot, but don't analyze it too much.

Review: My fiancee has been looking for a new job ever since I met him, over a year ago. He currently works at the State Penitentiary (not an overly cheery job, as you can imagine) and is always lamenting about the lack of good job prospects in the area. After...