Can you justify killing bad men? episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 9, 2026 · 27 MIN

Can you justify killing bad men?

from Bookends with Mattea Roach

Bad men, bee warned. Imani Thompson’s buzzy debut novel, Honey, follows a jaded PhD student named Yrsa. She’s bored with her work and frustrated with the culture at Cambridge … but when she accidentally kills a shady professor using a bee, she realizes that she may have found her calling. As Yrsa murders more men in the name of justice, she feels a greater sense of purpose in her violent mission. But can Yrsa really justify the blood on her hands? And what happens when the killings come back to sting her? This week, Imani joins Mattea Roach to talk about how her background in sociology informed the story, getting into the mind of a killer and her mother’s impact on the novel. Liked this conversation? Keep listening:Justice for Murder Bimbo! A raunchy workplace satire ... about deradicalizing ISIS brides? Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 9, 2026

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Can you justify killing bad men?

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