BEFORE THE POLAR NIGHT FALLS by Elina Backman sold to Slovakia!

We are happy to announce that the Slovak rights for BEFORE THE POLAR NIGHT FALLS (Ennen kuin tulee pimeää), the third title in the Saana Havas series by Elina Backman, have been acquired by Arkus! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Elina Backman’s Saana Havas series has achieved success both in Finland and internationally: the rights for the series have been sold in 17 territories, while the series has sold more than 90,000 copies sold in Finland! Her books 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. And to top it off, an international TV series based on the novels is in development by Aurora Studios!

The eagerly awaited fourth book in the series will be published in Finland in spring 2024.

The rights for the series are still available in USA, UK, Korea, Japan, Spain, Portugal, Israel, Taiwan

Download the materials for BEFORE THE POLAR NIGHT FALLS here!

Before the Polar Night Falls

Elina Backman

The past and the present intertwine in this arresting novel with unforgettable characters – Book 3 in internationally bestselling and award-winning crime series by Elina Backman, sold to 17 territories!

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, no witnesses were ever found in the area of Lapland that covers hundreds of kilometers.

Saana promises to help her and receives all the material the client has collected. Part of this is a manuscript the woman wrote when investigating the case herself years ago. Saana travels to the North and investigates as the winter and polar night keeps creeping closer.

Though part of the Saana Havas series, it’s not necessary to have read the previous installments in the series.

 

Still Waters Run Deep

Elina Backman

Is evil lurking beneath the calm waters? Still Waters Run Deep is an awaited sequel to the bestselling All the Kings 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 becmes involved.

Saana Havas, recovering from burnout, hears that her colleague’s younger brother has gone missing and decides to set up a true crime podcast to help with the search. Meanwhile, police commissioner Jan Leino and his team are investigating the disappearance and possible murder of the documentary makers.

When young men disappear and die, it’s ofter regarded just an accident. But could it be that someone is actually hunting for them?

 

All the King’s Men

Elina Backman

Beginning of a new detective series – already an international hit! A fresh new voice in Scandinavian crime in the vein of Jø Nesbo, Camilla Läckberg, and Tana French!

Saana Havas is a strong female character who is a journalist in Finland solving crime cases, setting up true crime podcasts and more. 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 a case of a teenage girl who died 30 years earlier, the peace of 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 in 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.

BEFORE THE POLAR NIGHT FALLS
ENNEN KUIN TULEE PIMEÄÄ
Otava, 2022, 416 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English sample and synopsis

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
DENMARK: Gyldendal
GERMANY: Piper Verlag
SLOVAKIA: Arkus
SWEDEN: Bokfabriken
FILM & TV RIGHTS: Aurora Studios

 

STILL WATERS RUN DEEP
KUN JÄLJET KATOAVAT
Otava, 2021, 428 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English sample and synopsis, media portfolio
German edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
DENMARK: Gyldendal
ESTONIA: Varrak
GERMANY: Piper Verlag
HUNGARY: Maxim
ITALY: Newton Compton
NETHERLANDS: De Bezige Bij/Cargo
NORWAY: Cappelen Damm
POLAND: Czarna Owca
RUSSIA: Mann Ivanov Ferber
SLOVAKIA: Arkus
SWEDEN: Bokfabriken
FILM & TV RIGHTS: Aurora Studios

 

ALL THE KING’S MEN
KUN KUNINGAS KUOLEE
Otava, 2020, 495 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English sample and synopsis, media portfolio
German edition
Italian edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
ALBANIA: Dritan
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gyldendal
ESTONIA: Varrak
GERMANY: Piper Verlag
HUNGARY: Maxim
ITALY: Newton Compton
LITHUANIA: BALTO
NETHERLANDS: De Bezige Bij/Cargo
NORWAY: Cappelen Damm
POLAND: Czarna Owca
ROMANIA: Lebada Neagra
RUSSIA: Mann Ivanov Ferber
SLOVAKIA: Arkus
SWEDEN: Bokfabriken
TV RIGHTS: Aurora Studios

About author


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.

Bibliography


2024, Crime & Suspense

How to Face Death

Elina Backman


2022, Crime & Suspense

Before the Polar Night Falls

Elina Backman


2022, Crime & Suspense

Unsolved - The Case of Elli Immo

Elina Backman


2021, Crime & Suspense

Still Waters Run Deep

Elina Backman


2020, Crime & Suspense

All the King's Men

Elina Backman