Axes of Evil: The True Story of the Ax-Man Murders

After reading the SECRETA MONITA the ruse becomes more apparent that the Jesuwizards were involved.This handiwork has their fingerprints all over this.

This is one of the worst books I have ever read. If you are looking for an objective, well-written account of these crimes I'm going to tell you right now it is NOT this book. The lack of an editor really hampered this book as it is filled with various errors. For example, in one paragraph the author wrote the year being discussed as 2011 when it should have been 1911 three separate times. Additionally there are sentances that have words spelled incorrectly ("pire" instead of "pure," or "daid" instead of "said") or words that were completely missing. The writing overall is really clunky and monotonous. There doesn't seem to be that much structure to the book Most of what's written is the author making numerous unfounded claims and accusations that make little logical sense. At one point he'll be talking about a religious cult of African Americans being responsible, then he adds in some speculation about these African American "religious fanatics" commiting the crimes as an early form of eugenics against mixed-race families without having any real evidence to suggest that! Towards the end of the book he accusses a suspect of the Villisca Axe Murders (1912) as being not only a high ranking member of the Ku Klux Klan, but also a high ranking member of the "Sanctified Church" of African Americans and being responsible for being the Ax-Man. He also accuses this same suspect of "teaching" Clementine Barnabet to committ ax-murder against families with absolutely no evidence to suggest they knew each other or even met each other! The author repeatedly makes statements such as "It is the belief of the author . . ." where he will make an argumentative claim about the case (if you can even call it that) but then the next paragraph will contain information that contradicts the claim he just made! The book's chronology jumps around so much that it is incredibly hard to follow what happened in what order and if you think the "timeline" at the end of the book will help you better understand it does not. In addition to this, there are events where the author got the date wrong. Almost half of the dates/events listed in the timeline weren't even mentioned in the book! The author also cites the same two or three "researchers" but continuously introduces them as if they are different people. However, the author fails to include a "notes" or "bibliograhpy" section in his book so you can't even check the validity of ANY of the sources he continues to cite. Ultimately this book just made me angry with how poorly written it is and the fact that it is mostly unfounded claims and accusations in the form of questions that make little actual sense. I implore you to avoid this book.

Elliot has accomplished in Axes of Evil a bringing together of vital strands of information by ferreting out newspapers in his region and bringing clarity to the blood muddied waters of lore and legend. He provides names of victims (often glossed over by mention of their race rather than name), good connections and timelines of events and potential links to similar crimes. Don't worry, although he does provide some solid theories as to who and why, there is are enough questions raised by his information as answers. The mystery will continue and this is good. That is the way the truth is always accessed; trial and error, questions and counter-points. Elliot's work, however, peels back the layer of mystery created by racial bias, economic limitations, and the limitations of early 20th century criminal investigations. What is revealed is fascinating, horrifying, and gripping.I recommend to anyone fascinated by true-crime, by enduring mysteries, and the morbidly macabre. Read them and enjoy.

This is a MUST READ if you are interested in historical homicide, ritual murder or Louisiana History. I've read a lot of true crime and there are very few books where the mystery is real and the body count is high. Elliott has found an armchair detective's dream and, as he demonstrates, a peace officer's nightmare. This is one of the most fascinating - and almost completely understudied - cases in American criminal justice history and Elliot makes it come alive on the page. Don't let lurid cover art fool you. Elliott has done his leg-work, visiting crime scenes and archives, unearthing information no one else has seen. Other folks are eventually going to write books about this case but every one of them is going to use Axes of Evil as a starting point. I've been recommending it to all my students who think that research is dry and boring. Hide the ax, lock the doors, and shiver when the train whistle blows.

I was going to purchase this book but I read it from the Library first . . . and I'm glad.While the book does have specific info in it, the writing is very bad and the proof-reading and editing must have been non-existent. It read more like a half dozen blog posts that had been collected and printed between two covers. If you're interested in the facts of the cases and don't want to do the research legwork yourself, it will fill a niche, but don't expect much more. Outside the facts anyone could chase down, it's filled with speculation from the author, past-authors, and bloggers. I came away feeling like I had paid for a steak dinner but gotten a hamburger.Don't waste your money unless you just want it on your shelf to say you have a copy. If you MUST read it . . . that's what a library is for.

I didn't agree with the author's overall conclusion, but the book was nicely written and provided fascinating details on a series of crimes almost completely forgotten (at least the South Louisiana ones).

Jim Harold should get a commission. Once again I heard an interview with this author on his podcast and bought the book. It was well written and very interesting, especially for a person who is fascinated by the Valisca Ax Murders.

Growing up and living all my life in Lake Charles, I had heard storied from the old folks about these murders. This book lays it all out, and they occurred not far from my childhood home. Scary, interesting, and sad all at the same time.