Elina Backman’s STILL WATERS RUN DEEP now sold to France!

We are excited to announce tha the French rights for the second installment of Elina Backman’s Saana Havas series, STILL WATERS RUN DEEP, have been acquired by HarperCollins France. The deal was negotiated by Elina Ahlbäck in collaboration with our French co-agency Marotte et Compagnie.

HarperCollins France published the first book, QUAND LE ROI MEURT (All the King’s Men), in May 2024. The novel captivated French readers, who instantly fell in love with Backman’s gripping storytelling. With such a positive reception, French fans won’t have to wait long for the next exciting chapter in the series.

Elina Backman’s bestselling Saana Havas series has sold over 100,000 copies in Finland and has publishers in 17 territories, and recently the third book of the series, POLAR NACHT (Before the Polar Night Falls), was published in Germany by Piper. 

The 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. To top it off, an international TV series based on the novels is in development by Aurora Studios!

Elina Backman’s work has garnered rave reviews for her, comparing her to Stieg Larsson, Jo Nesbø, and Agatha Christie, among other brilliant authors.

We now have German and Swedish editions of books 1-3, in addition to English samples of the first three. Download the English samples and more for Elina Backman’s Saana Havas series. 

The rights for the series are still available in the US & UK, Spain...

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 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 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?