Book Title: BAD MEN
Character Name: Saffy Huntley-Oliver
How would you describe your family or your childhood?
My father, who was fantastically rich, died when I was five years old. My mother, who was also fantastically rich, got remarried—to the biggest douchebag on the planet. I don’t know what she was thinking. He was also fantastically rich, of course, but she didn’t need the money. I think Mummy just wasn’t very good at being alone. She wasn’t good at being married, either; she died of an overdose and my little sister Susie and I were left to the mercy of our pervy stepfather, Harold, who liked to molest little girls in his swimming pool.
Fortunately, when I was twelve, I killed Harold before he could get his hands on Susie. From then on, things got a lot happier!
What was your greatest talent?
I am extremely good at killing terrible men. It’s my hobby. I consider it my own personal war on the patriarchy. Also - and I don’t say this to brag, but it is true—I am very talented at parallel parking.
Significant other?
Susie says that I deliberately choose the most boring men possible because I am subconsciously afraid of having a meaningful relationship. I don’t think she has a leg to stand on since she always seems to choose arrogant man-bunned tech-bro types…but come to think of it, my last few boyfriends have been real yawnfests. Lately though, I’ve developed a massive crush on Jonathan Desrosiers, who’s a true crime podcaster. He has gorgeous messy hair, a sexy voice, and we share a common interest in murder. Sadly, he is married; but why should that stand in my way?
Biggest challenge in relationships?
It is quite difficult to sustain a healthy heterosexual relationship when you might have to kill your boyfriend at any minute.
Where do you live?
I have pied-á-terres in New York, London, Los Angeles and Florence, and ancestral family estates in Scotland, Cornwall, and the Catskills. And one or two secret places that I can’t tell you about. But I am also quite partial to a luxury hotel suite. Basically, wherever I lay my knives, that is home.
Do you have any enemies?
Rapists. Murderers. Domestic abusers. Sex pests. Stalkers. Any man who hurts women, is my enemy and must die.
Do you have children, pets, both, or neither?
Oh dear lord no. So much no. I can’t keep a houseplant alive.
What do you do for a living?
I used to be a model, but I didn’t enjoy my body being regarded as a pretty lump of meat. I don’t need to work, anyway, because of having so many rich deceased parents. So now I serve on the board of several charities. I like to make the world a better place.
Greatest disappointment?
From the time I committed my first murder, I knew that if I was going to get away with it, I was going to have to appear much, much stupider than I actually am. Sometimes it’s fun to pretend to be a bimbo, but it can become tedious.
Greatest source of joy?
My sister, Susie. I more or less raised her myself and I adore her.
What do you do to entertain yourself or have fun?
Aside from the obvious violence, and the stuff that sociopaths typically love—fast driving, risky behavior, keeping horrifying secrets, manipulating people—I adore fashion, travel, skiing and art.
What is your greatest personal failing, in your view?
I don’t like admit this, but sometimes I bite my nails. Disgusting habit.
What keeps you awake at night?
Wondering if I’ve left any forensic evidence.
What is the most pressing problem you have at the moment?
Getting a certain messy-haired, sexy-voiced, murder-obsessed podcaster to notice me.
Is there something that you need or want that you don’t have? For yourself or for someone important to you?
I can buy anything I want, and kill anyone I have to, so you’d think I’d have a wildly fulfilling life. And for the most part, I do. But I wonder if I can love anyone other than Susie. Has my lifetime of privilege and slaughter stopped me from being able to feel normal human emotions?
A Novel
Meet the most irresistible serial killer of the year in this twisty feminist thriller that's as wickedly fun as it is lethal
Saffy Huntley-Oliver is an intelligent and glamorous socialite; she also happens to be a proficient serial killer. For the past fifteen years, she's hunted down and dispatched rapists, murderers, domestic abusers—bad men all. But leading a double life has left her lonely—dating’s tough when your boyfriend might turn out to be your next victim. Saffy thinks she's finally found a truly good man in Jonathan Desrosiers, a true-crime podcaster who’s amassed legions of die-hard fans for cracking cold cases and bringing justice to victims.
When a decapitated body shows up on Jon's doorstep the morning after his wife leaves him, he becomes the chief suspect for a murder he insists he didn’t commit. Saffy’s crush becomes an obsession as she orchestrates a meet-cute and volunteers to help Jon clear his name, using every trick up her sleeve to find the real killer and get her man—no matter the cost.
Darkly comic and addictively readable, Bad Men is a wild romp of a feminist thriller that asks if even a serial killer can have a happily ever after.
Thriller Crime [The Overlook Press, On Sale: March 7, 2024, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781419772337 / eISBN: 9798887072241]
Julie Mae Cohen is a UK-bestselling author of book club and romantic fiction, including the award-winning novel Together. Her work has been translated into 17 languages. She is vice president of the Romantic Novelists’ Association in the UK. Julie grew up in western Maine and studied English at Brown University, Cambridge University, and the University of Reading, where she is now an associate lecturer in creative writing. She lives in Berkshire in the United Kingdom. Bad Men is her first thriller.
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