The Ax — Donald E. Westlake

Burke Devore doesn't need a handout, a lecture, or a doting wife. Devore, a decent suburban fellow with twenty-five years of loyal service as a paper mill manager, needs only one thing: work. Soon, with desperation pounding in his soul, Burke Devore will take control of a life that has spun out of control. Burke Devore will go gunning for a job...