Bad Men

Fantastic read! All of us have had a book where the minute you start reading you know you're going to love it well this was definitely for me.
Great characters, dark (well she was a killer) but at the same time so funny.
Please can we have a Bad Men Two Julie Mae Cohen?
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.
This was right up my street, so sad i finished it so quickly.

"Bad Men" by Julie Mae Cohen is a thrilling and darkly humorous novel that delves into the complex psyche of its protagonist, Saffy Huntley-Oliver. Cohen skilfully blends elements of suspense, romance, and moral ambiguity to create a unique and captivating story.

At the centre of the narrative is Saffy, a seemingly ordinary woman harbouring a chilling secret—she is a serial killer. However, what sets her apart from other fictional murderers is her twisted moral code. Saffy justifies her actions by targeting only those she perceives as "bad men," believing she is making the world a better place. Cohen masterfully explores Saffy's mindset, forcing readers to grapple with their own moral compass as they navigate her journey.

While Saffy's dark side is the book's primary focus, Cohen also weaves in an unexpected element—Saffy's struggle with her own messy and uncontrollable crush. This secret crush adds an intriguing layer of complexity to her character, as she must balance her murderous tendencies with the desire for a more conventional relationship. The exploration of this internal conflict lends depth and relatability to Saffy's character, making her simultaneously unsettling and oddly sympathetic.

One of the strengths of "Bad Men" lies in Cohen's skilful writing style, which seamlessly blends suspense and humour. Despite the dark subject matter, the author injects a witty and sardonic tone that lightens the narrative, providing moments of comic relief amidst the tension. This juxtaposition creates a unique reading experience that keeps the pages turning and maintains a sense of unpredictability throughout the story.

Cohen's portrayal of Saffy's quest to find a boyfriend amidst her murderous endeavours is both hilarious and poignant. Saffy's unconventional methods and awkward attempts at romance result in a series of comical and often disastrous situations. These moments of levity serve as a reminder of Saffy's humanity, even as her actions paint a different picture.

While "Bad Men" is undeniably entertaining, it may not be suitable for all readers due to its dark and morally ambiguous subject matter. Cohen unflinchingly explores the depths of Saffy's psyche and the consequences of her actions, which may unsettle or disturb some readers. However, those who appreciate dark humour, intricate character development, and thought-provoking narratives will find this book to be a compelling read.

In conclusion, "Bad Men" by Julie Mae Cohen is a gripping and provocative novel that defies traditional genre boundaries. It skilfully blends elements of suspense, romance, and dark humour to create a memorable and morally complex tale. Cohen's exploration of Saffy Huntley-Oliver's character and her struggle to balance her murderous tendencies with her desire for a more conventional life make for a compelling and thought-provoking read.

I devoured this book! It is just deliciously readable, with a sharp, smart, sociopathic female lead, a wonky kind of dog, and a crime-solving male hero podcaster. There are bits of bodies in bin bags, several severed heads, and did I mention the dog? Saffy makes for a complicated female lead, because you love her and are terrified of her at the same time! She is uber-rich, sitting on boards of charities, and with a hugely disposable income that allows her to engineer whatever murdery situations she needs in order to rid the world of the bad men who have the misfortune to cross paths with her. Her back story is sad, and helps go some way towards the liking her side of things. But still, she is scary. And funny. But also scary!
I found Jon endearing, and I enjoyed all the other side characters who come in and out of the story, including some of the victims, and Saffy's little sister Susie.
There was one huge gasp out loud moment for me as I read, and I was completely gripped. Hoping there will be more to come about Saffy at some point...

This was the best of combo reads for me - part serial killer thriller, part social satire, and it hit all the right notes! There is even a cute love story thrown in, which makes the book even more exciting!

"My name is Saffy Huntley-Oliver, and I kill bad men."

Meet Saffy; Heiress, Cover girl, Philanthropist, Serial killer. When she isn’t doing charity in the conventional sense, she does her own brand - by killing bad men and making the world a little bit safer.

She’s never had a problem with men - until Jon. The only problem is she doesn’t want to kill him, she wants to date him. But inserting herself into the life of a disgraced true-crime podcaster who investigates serial killers isn’t quite as simple as she’d hoped - especially when they both find themselves caught in a murder investigation with a chance to catch a new kind of bad man…

"You can call me many things, many of them punishable by life imprisonment and/or death: I am a killer, a stalker, a blackmailer, a desecrator of corpses, a burglar, a thief, a liar, a narcissist, a sociopath and I have a low-ley shopping addiction that is harmful to planet Earth, but I have never in my life done two things: dyed my hair out of a box or been disloyal."

A devilish, dark and delightfully bloodthirsty story that invokes feminine rage in a chaotic revenge fantasy that allows us a glimpse into a woman who decided equality isn’t enough and demands payback.

Saffy was the perfect anti-hero — she was messy and chaotic, privileged and superficial, vindictive and spiteful but still undeniably charming and endearing. She blurs the lines of villains and victims an undeniable way and I adored it.

We move between Saffy and her current lifestyle and the days gone by, letting us into her life and seeing the little moments that may seem insignificant but slowly merge together to create something explosive. As we delve into her past, we see pain and suffering that no girl should have to endure and find ourselves supporting her murderous crusade completely.

Hearing from our love interest and fellow crime enthusiast Jonathan was a disturbing dramatic irony, making us wait with bated breath as we wait and see how up close and personal he’s going to get with this murderess as he sees it from the other side. He also brings an uncomfortable discourse on the thin line between morbid interest … and exploitative, unhealthy interest in death.

The story moves steadily, always racing on but lingering on little details and moments, the little snapshots that our own Jon would describe as “boring and anxious, routine and terrifying”. It’s building up the tension and an unsettling scene of suspicious calm and glamour from the get-go so that the entire book is like a pressure cooker just waiting to blow. It’s compulsive and obsessive, a dark thriller mixed with some wickedly clever humour and dry wit. But that’s exactly what I’d expect from a story that explores a serial killer whose current conflict is having a crush on a troubled and brooding true-crime podcaster and vigilante investigator.

If you have a gap left in your life after reading How To Kill Men and Get Away with it or After Dark — this book is exactly what you need to let you live out your violent fantasies to your dark little hearts content.

Similar in feeling to How to kill your family meets Dexter. Such a great undercurrent of feminism and revenge for those who treat women badly and ‘deserve’ to be punished. Just maybe by those they expect the least…

This was hilarious, is it bad that I love Saffy? She's so dedicated to her cause, and to murdering awful men. I liked her relationship with her sister, proves she's not a total psychopath. Jonathan is a bit dim, but I'm sure she'll sort him out.

Good book, it was pretty different, with a great lead character. Well worth a read. I would read more by this author.it was well paced, and enjoyable to read.

I really enjoyed this book. I’d describe it as a dark comedy/mystery which continues to move at a decent pace, whilst keeping the reader guessing until the end. Our heroine is a murderer but surprisingly likeable, and I found myself hoping she wouldn’t be arrested before the end of the book. It was nice seeing Saffy’s background also as it helped the reader understand why she did what she did. For anyone with a dark sense of humour, you’ll love this book. If you’re at all squeamish, avoid, and just envy your friends who are able to read it.

I loved this book so much that I found it almost impossible to put down!

Bad Men is wickedly brilliant, perfect for fans of dark humour!

I don’t remember the last time I’ve enjoyed a book so much!

When I started reading this I tweeted "It's tosh, in the very best sense of the word, and hugely enjoyable tosh. Absolutely loving it!!! 😍 " Luckily the author took this in the way it was meant, and I literally raced through this one. Dark, funny, a brilliantly sassy female character and bang on trend with the true crime podcast angle. Any fan of C. J. Scuse's Sweetpea series or Katy Brent's "How To Kill Men And Get Away With It" will love this too!

Bad Men is a really fun and interesting read!
Saffy is a fantastic character and I really hope we will get to read more about her!

This was brilliant! Very funny lots of dark humour and a great page turner. The name drops of Serial killers was a bonus I love true crime. Saffy is a great female protagonist who will go to great lengths to get her man.

All hail Julie Mae Cohen, the Queen of the Revenge character!
There has been an explosion of interest in the area of revenge killing/female serial killers in crime fiction in recent years and it is a genre that I have struggled to enjoy. Until now. Bad Men is original and funny, with the type of characters, that the reader cannot help but sympathising with throughout the novel. After all, dating is not easy and there are some real creeps out there. Plus, when Saffy (or Seraphine Huntley-Oliver to be formal) is talking directly to the reader, she is refreshingly honest about her reasons and actions. She is also down-right funny on occasion when explaining her reasons for buying a particular brand of car (greater boot space = more space to hide the body). And it's not often that we hear of a killer attempting to arrange a 'cute-meet' (I had to google the meaning of this phrase but it is sufficiently out of the usual context of a killer that it fits Saffy perfectly)
Saffy is not the sole focus on the novel however. We also have Jon, a true crime podcaster, cold case solver and the object of Saffy's affections. Cohen also provides the reader with Jon's POV and we learn about his experiences and fears as a results of his work. There's also a quirly mystery surrounding Jon and soon Saffy must step in to resolve the case or risk loosing Jon, before she actually catches him!

I throughly enjoyed Bad Men. This book took me a little by suprise, as it was not quite what I was expecting. However, I found myself loving the direction it went in.

I must admit I was a little enamoured with Saffy, despite her murderous tendencies. Such a fabulous character, witty with a caustic humor.

Jon, a true crime pod caster was also really likeable and human despite his flaws, and the two characters contrasted well.

The love story at the centre between Saffy and Jon was really different. I'm not a huge fan of 'fluffy' romance but I really enjoyed this angle. It is interspersed with a crime plot too, as they fight to discover the real Bin Bag Killer.

Bad Men is an entertaining and darkly humorous read that I couldn't get enough of.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Books / Zaffre for the eArc in exchange for a honest review.

A work of delicious devilish joy! Julie Cohen’s story of a feminist serial killer falling in love is dark, dry, hilarious and so satisfying! I hope this is a series and that it makes it onto screen - Saffy must be played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

If you liked Killing Eve and Fleabag then you will probably really like this book.

The main characters are Saffy the serial killer and Jon who makes true crime podcasts and is a writer. Saffy only kills bad men and not women as she figures there are enough people in the world doing that already. Her heart really is in the right place, as she delivers what she sees as a kind of public service.

I loved the character of Saffy from the first page and was hooked right in. Whilst there is humour in this book and it's not too gory, it does contain some bad stuff, as that's what bad men do. So be prepared for that side of things amongst the light hearted moments.

I really couldn't put this book down. The flipping between the characters telling the story worked so well. Whilst Saffy is a hardened murderer, love eludes her. She wants a boyfriend but obviously not one that asks too many questions. There's also a dog called "girl" who stole a lot of the show, she was a great character.

This would make a fantastic film or how about we get a Bad Men 2?

Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Books UK for the chance to review this book.

Oh. My. Word. I absolutely love this book.

Feminism. Kill the patriarchy. Literally. If ever I find myself in bother, I want Saffy on my side. Unfortunately, this is the kind of book whereby if I say anything about the plot, I'm likely to give away huge spoilers! From the very first chapter, you know how despicable Saffy can be, but always, always in defense of other women. I love her so much! Ok, so there was a dubious moment with Girl, a totally adorable little rescue dog, but their relationship seemed to be on the mend by the finale.

The characters in this book were amazing. The author has done a simply stunning job. Part of me wants there to be another Saffy and Jon tale, but I am not sure at all how that would work. I also want to see more of Edie; I loved her! Oh, and Girl; everyone needs Girl.

I have to admit, I did guess who the 'bad man' was, but I did not see the actual ending coming! I hadn't heard of Julie Mae Cohen before this book (and was gutted to realise I missed her at the book festival I was at in Harrogate this weekend) but I am ready to read whatever comes next.

Trust me. I will be telling everyone about this book!