Zaffre, the flagship fiction imprint of Bonnier Books UK, has acquired the darkly comic and addictive feminist revenge thriller, Bad Men, from Julie May Cohen.
Publishing Director Ben Willis acquired world English language rights from Teresa Chris at Teresa Chris Literary Agency Ltd.
Bad Men tells the story of Saffy Huntley-Oliver – beautiful, charming, rich and, in her spare time, a serial killer. For the past fifteen years she’s been hunting down and killing bad men: rapists, murderers, domestic abusers. The problem is that it’s hard to sustain a healthy, balanced heterosexual relationship when you’re expecting to have to kill your boyfriend at any moment. That’s why she’s decided to look for a good man instead, preferably one who shares her interests. So begins a tale of obsession as Saffy uses every trick in the book to get her man. Regardless of the cost to human life…
Ben Willis said: ‘Bad Men is quite simply one of the most gripping, darkly funny and cleverly plotted novels I’ve had the pleasure of reading. Julie is already a much-loved author in the reading group space, but Saffy’s story of revenge and obsessive love promises to launch her into the thriller world with a bang. I can’t wait for readers to discover Saffy and to join in her bloody quest for justice – and love.’
Julie May Cohen said: ‘Saffy has been living in my head for years, whenever I’ve been frustrated and angry with the way women are treated. She’s a one-woman bloody war against the patriarchy, taking down one bad man at a time—while looking fabulous. The book is a blackly comic tale of feminist rage, as well as being a twisted love story, and it was hugely enjoyable and cathartic to write. I’m delighted that Ben and Bonnier think it’s as much fun as I do.’
Julie May Cohen is also published as Julie Cohen by Orion Publishing Group, who will continue to publish her reading group fiction. Her latest novel, Summer People, was released in hardback in August 2022.
Bad Men will be published in hardback, audio and eBook in July 2023.
