Brilliant reviews for Elina Backman’s internationally bestselling & award-winning crime series all over the world!

Happy August!
We are thrilled to share new praise for the best-selling crime author Elina Backman!

In Norway, Elina Backman’s second crime novel Still Waters Run Deep was recently published to excellent starred reviews and recommended for summer reading alongside works of Salman Rushdie, Orhan Pamuk, Kate Morton, Alex Schulman, John Ajvide Lindqvist.

Damn good detective crime, written by a very intelligent author! [–] We’re talking here about Finland’s best crime writer in so many ways, and one of the Nordic countries’ most charming set of characters: journalist Saana and police investigator Jan. [–] Still Waters Run Deep, which I think is worthy of a ‘Glassnøkkel’, Nordic literature award. Because we have to go back to Agatha Christie to find a similarly brilliant reading experience. All crime writers have something to learn from Elina Backman.”
–Simen Ingemundsen, Randaberg24.no, Norway

A new series with a charming duo in the center [–] The Scandinavians just know how thrillers work.”
– Ratgeber Frau und Familie, Germany
Atmospheric Finnish crime sensation [–] She certainly knows her Nordic noir and seems inspired by Stieg Larsson, and Jo Nesbø. Moreover, the text is written in a style reminiscent of Lars Kepler with a short-cut, precise and effective language. [–] A writer who, with her style and genre knowledge, has the potential to enter among the Nordic crime bestsellers.”
– Verdens Gang newspaper, Norway

All The King’s Men is a very successful debut by Elina Backman. [–] I really liked that the characters in the book had their own story, they were interesting but not exaggerated.”
– @aalexbook on nakanapie.pl, Poland

A successful sequel that convinces with great protagonists and a lot of atmosphere. A mysterious dead man in an impressive setting and few clues bring the multi-faceted duo back together. The case is told in an atmospheric and suspenseful way. More of this, please!”
– J. Wohlgemut, bookseller, on thalia.de, Germany

Elina Backman is Finland’s no. 4 bestselling fiction author with over 100 000 copies sold, and her works have been nominated twice for the Best Translated Crime Novel by the Swedish Crime Writers’ Academy, and for the Best Crime Novel of the Year 2022 by the Finnish Crime Writers’ Society.

Her Saana Havas -series has now sold to 17 territories, most recently published by Piper in Germany, acquired by HarperCollins in France, and an international TV-series is in development by Aurora Studios! The rights for the series are still available in USA, UK, Spain, Iceland, Thailand, Israel, Japan, Greece…

Download the materials for ALL THE KINGS MEN here!

Book 1: All the King’s Men

Saana has been fired from her job as a click-bait journalist, so she decides to spend a summer with her aunt in a small town named Hartola. It sounds like a perfect opportunity to take it easy and recover. But when Saana begins to dig into the case of a teenage girl who died 30 years earlier, peace in the small town is shaken.

Meanwhile, in Helsinki, a fire-marked body is found at Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, and crime investigator Jan Leino and his team have a new case on their hands. However, the investigation isn’t going anywhere, and Jan fears that the murder at King’s Gate is just the beginning…

Saana and Jan continue working on their own cases until their paths cross – for more than one reason.

Book 2: Still Waters Run Deep 

Is evil lurking beneath the calm waters? Still Waters Run Deep is an awaited sequel to the bestselling All The King’s Men!

Three young men are making a documentary film about a mystical hermit, living in the Isle of Sheep in Helsinki. First one of them disappears, then another one. When one of them is found dead in the nearby nature reserve, the police becomes involved.

Book 3: Before the Polar Night Falls 

A woman working for a law firm approaches Saana Havas to help with the mystery of her sister’s death. Her sister was found dead in a swamp near the Angeli village in Northern Lapland in 1998, and the murderer has never been caught. The police have given up on the case, and no witnesses were ever found in an area of Lapland that covers hundreds of kilometers. Saana promises to help her and receives all the material the client has collected.