Finnish crime rules: Max Seeck, Elina Backman, and Vera Vala news!

Exciting news! Max Seeck, the New York Times bestselling author with his crime novels, has sold over 300 000 copies in Finland in all formats! Warmest congratulations, Max and Tammi!

His newest title THE ARCHIPELAGO (Loukko, September 2022) is Finland’s #1 Fiction Bestseller, with over 20 000 copies sold, and received a starred review in Finland’s biggest daily:

“The fourth instalment of the Jessica Niemi series of detective novels is the best to date and proves Seeck’s mastery of the genre’s traditions.“
– Pertti Avola in Helsingin Sanomat newspaper

Download materials for the JESSICA NIEMI series here!

Furthermore, Elina Backman’s second title STILL WATERS RUN DEEP has been nominated in Sweden for the Best Translated Crime Novel of the Year 2022 by the Swedish Crime Writer’s Academy! We are so thrilled – this is the second time Elina receives this honour!

Elina Backman’s bestselling Saana Havas series, pitched as Tana French meets Jo Nesbo, have sold over 60 000 copies in Finland and rights have been sold to 16 territories and counting. An international TV-series based on Elina Backman’s books is in development by Aurora Studios. ‘
Rights are still available in e.g. Spain, France, UK, USA, and Latvia.

Download materials for the SAANA HAVAS series here!

ITALIAN GAME by Vera Vala – Elena Ferrante meets Jo Nesbo

And if you’re looking for a new and exciting crime series with a strong female protagonist, complex characters, vivid descriptions and a gripping plot, why not take a look at Vera Vala’s new Salla Kotka series!

Pitched as Elena Ferrante meets Jo Nesbo, this series created a lot of buzz in Frankfurt and is an official bestseller in Finland! Readers love the psychological aspects and the strong female character.

“The Italian Game begins a new crime series, and this opening title is impressing, the language and style are polished, and the narration keeps one in its grip until the end.” – Satakunnan Kansa newspaper

Download materials for the SALLA KOTKA series here!

THE ARCHIPELAGO
Loukko

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Kirjastus Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck
USA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
FILM & TV: Stampede Ventures, Hollywood

THE LAST GRUDGE
Kauna

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers
BULGARIA: EMAS
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó Kft.
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck
USA: Berkley / Penguin Random house
FILM & TV: Stampede Ventures, Hollywood

BEFORE THE POLAR NIGHT FALLS
Ennen kuin tulee pimeää

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)

DENMARK: Gyldendal

STILL WATERS RUN DEEP
Kun jäljet katoavat

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)

DENMARK: Gyldendal
ESTONIA: Varrak Publishers
GERMANY: Piper
HUNGARY: Maxim
ITALY: Newton Compton Editori
NETHERLANDS: Cargo
NORWAY: Cappelen Damm AS
POLAND: Czarna Owca
RUSSIA: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber
SLOVAKIA: Arkus
SWEDEN: Bokfabriken

ITALIAN GAME
Italialainen peli

Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

Elina Backman

Elina Backman is an author and a media & marketing professional living in Helsinki. Elina loves books (all sorts), traveling, cycling and is a host of a Book & Wine Club. She is a creative soul with a commercial mind, and her goal is to find readers globally.

Her debut novel All the King's Men was published in 2020 and immediately gained an enormous amount of attention from the Finnish media, including a praising review by the biggest daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. The Havas series is now a best-selling series in Finland and an international TV series is in development. Elina's books have sold over 100 000 copies in Finland.

Together with Heidi Holmavuo, Elina has also narrated the true crime podcast Ratkaisematon (Unsolved), which turned into a full-length audio book as the two crime writers started investigating the murder of a young girl in 1955. They were able to uncover new evidence and their research led the police to reopen the investigation. This story is narrated in the book Unsolved - The Case of Elli Immo.

Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck - New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Big Hollywood film & TV news coming soon!

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! 2024 will see the release of his independent novel MILO, which is already creating buzz internationally with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Vera Vala

Vera Vala’s roots are in Finnish forests, but her soul belongs to Italy, where she has been living for over 25 years. She has an infinite thirst for knowledge that has taken her to study various academic subjects from Physics to Assyriology and Romance Languages, and the information acquired during those years has been useful as background research for her novels.

Vera’s adventurous spirit has taken her from diving with sharks while living in Seychelles to rafting in Italian Alps and exploring the shadier parts of her former hometown, Rome: the diverse experiences have come in handy while creating intriguing plot twists.

Currently, Vera lives with her family in Milan where she is studying to become a clinical psychologist with a special interest in Forensic Psychology. Vera creates novel scenes in her mind while cooking Italian meals, and she loves slow chess games and meditation.