Zaffre falls for Cohen’s Bad Men in two-book pre-empt deal

Zaffre has pre-empted Bad Men, “the darkly comic and addictive” feminist revenge thriller début from Julie Mae Cohen – a pseudonym for novelist Julie Cohen.

Publishing director Ben Willis acquired world all language rights from Teresa Chris at Teresa Chris Literary Agency in a two-book deal. A flurry of international deals followed this week, with Edizioni Piemme winning an auction in Italy and Heyne to publish in Germany. Bad Men will be published in hardback, audio and e-book in July 2023.

Bad Men tells the story of Saffy Huntley-Oliver – beautiful, charming, rich and, in her spare time, a serial killer. The synopsis goes on: “For the past 15 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…”

Cohen, whose previous books have been published by Orion, 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.”

Willis added: “Bad Men is quite simply one of the most gripping, darkly funny and cleverly plotted novels I’ve had the pleasure of reading – and this is reflected in the huge international interest we’ve received in the run-up to Frankfurt Book Fair. 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.”