Bad Men by Julie Mae Cohen

 I didn't expect to like this contemporary mystery thriller as much as I did. I’m not a fan of vigilantism and I hate books that usually glorify those types of killings such as Dexter and others. But for some reason, this was fun and entertaining, and I enjoyed it. Rated 3.5 stars, rounded up.

Saffy Huntley-Oliver is rich and beautiful, runs a couple of charities, and is a fashionista. She also has a secret hobby -- hunting down and killing bad men. The pedophiles, abusers, rapists, etc.  This makes dating and finding a mate difficult when you can't find a good guy. But finally, Saffy is in with a chance after meeting true-crime podcaster Jonathan Desrosiers. When the police name him as a suspect in a murder he did not commit, Saffy is determined to help Jon seek out the real killer and give her the opportunity to have her own romance and fairy tale ever after.

This was darkly humorous and fast-paced making it a great one-sitting read. Saffy is meant to be a feminist but she's not a man-hater per se, she's just not been exposed to many good guys that aren't super boring. She does do something that I didn't like (trigger for animal mistreatment) and she is fairly intolerant of most people so she's not going to be anyone's BFF. She does love her younger sister and is very protective of her. Once you get past the fact that she loves her hobby and is a stone-cold serial killer, she's kind of likeable. Or at least you understand part of why she's who she is. The narrative is told from the points of view of both Saffy and Jonathan (Jon). Suspend any disbelief and go along for the crazy ride. 

I listened to the audio while reading along in the e-book ARC (both provided by the publishers) and I enjoyed the experience although I must say that I prefer the book to the audio. Quite a bit of vocabulary was changed using American expressions in the book compared to more typically English phrases or terms in the audio. The narrator had a British accent as well. 

This was a standalone and not part of any series.

Genre - contemporary mystery thriller, romance, trigger for animal mistreatment