THE AXE

A seemingly random vacation assault leads to a murder mystery in Griffin’s novella.

Eric Leidheldt and his fiancée, Desi Chauveau, are staying at a remote Southern California cabin when unthinkable violence puts a halt to their romantic getaway. They find two unfamiliar men in their front yard, chopping wood; one hits Eric with the blunt end of his axe, who later wakes up in the trunk of his car, his feet and hands tied. Desi locates him soon after he regains consciousness, but Eric’s relief is quickly swept away when he sees the state of his girlfriend: She’s badly beaten, bloody, and emotionally distraught. The traumatized Desi is unwilling to discuss what happened while Eric was restrained; later, when police discover the bodies of the two men inside the cabin, she’s forced to confront the events of that day head-on—or risk life in prison. At just over 60 pages in length, this is a short narrative, and one that goes by fast. Eric serves as a reader surrogate; the story is told from his perspective, so readers only know what he knows at any given moment. This generates significant suspense, making this work a page-turner. Griffin also deals with violence and trauma in a compassionate manner, conveying a realistic and sympathetic image of a young survivor. Beyond uncovering a mystery, the novella effectively develops characters as they face unprecedented circumstances. Desi’s understandable fear and self-doubt and Eric’s feelings of helplessness almost put an end to their once-happy relationship. One may wish that the story was a bit longer; as it is, readers are left to wonder what Eric and Desi are like outside of the dire situations that Griffin puts them in. Still, these goodhearted characters are easy to root for.

An engaging, fast-paced tale that addresses the disorderly impact of trauma.