Loukko by 
Leena Lehtolainen, who got her first novel published at the age of 12 in 1976, has enjoyed a long, industrious and internationally successful career. Most famous for her 12-part Maria Kallio series, she has authored more than 20 books and become known for injecting a strong female perspective into hard-boiled crime narratives. In total her books have sold more than 2 million copies, and have been translated to 29 languages. Today Lehtolainen celebrates her 50th birthday. We wish her our warmest congratulations!
“The further I travel, the more I am also representing Finland…people want to know if my books tell the truth about Finnish society,” Lehtolainen says in an extensive interview published today in Finland’s largest newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat. “In particular I try to consciously keep my Maria Kallio novels as Finnish as possible.”
In the interview Lehtolainen also says that Germany has her strongest international fan base. The Devil’s Cubs (Paholaisen pennut, Tammi 2012), the conclusion to her Bodyguard trilogy starring tough but haunted Finnish bodyguard Hilja Ilveskero, was published in Germany in January of 2014 by Rowohlt as Das Nest des Teufels. Listen to a recent interview with Lehtolainen on Germany’s NDR radio here.
Helsingin Sanomat also features a video of Lehtolainen reading a Finnish excerpt from The Devil’s Cubs. Read the interview and see the video (both in Finnish) here.
The 12th entry in the Maria Kallio series, Iron Triangle (Rautakolmio, Tammi), was published in Finland in August of 2013, and rose immediately onto the Finnish bestseller lists. It will be published in Germany by Rowohlt in September 2014. The ninth book in the series, Snow Woman (Luminainen, Tammi 1996), was published by Tokyo Sogensha in Japan in 2013 and is due for an October, 2014 publication in the U.S by Amazon. The first book in Lehtolainen’s Bodyguard trilogy (Henkivartija, Tammi 2009) will be published in the U.S by Amazon in November of this year.
Lehtolainen’s latest book, A Life in Six Scenes (Kuusi kohtausta Sadusta, Tammi 2014) will be published in Finland this fall. This standalone psychological mystery represents a departure from Lehtolainen’s crime novels.
RIGHTS SOLD
The Bodyguard Trilogy:
WORLD ENGLISH, Amazon
ARMENIA, Guitank
CZECH, Argo
FRANCE, Hachette Livre
GERMANY, Rowohlt
NETHERLANDS, Unieboek | Het Spectrum
RUSSIA, Azbooka-Atticus
SPAIN, Destino
TAIWAN, Linking
TURKEY, Nemesis
Original publisher: Finland, Tammi
RIGHTS SOLD
The Maria Kallio series:
WORLD ENGLISH, Amazon
BRAZIL, Autentica
DENMARK, Bazar
FRANCE, Gaia
GERMANY, Rowohlt
GREECE, Livani
HUNGARY, Animus
ISRAEL, Penn
JAPAN, Tokyo Sogensha
LATVIA, Zvaigzne
NORWAY, Bazar
POLAND, Rebis
RUSSIA, Ast
SPAIN, Destino
SWEDEN, Bazar
TAIWAN, Linking
TURKEY, Bizim Kitaplar
TV RIGHTS, Studio Hamburg
Original publisher: Finland, Tammi
Leena Lehtolainen’s works have also been published in (rights reverted): ALBANIA, CHINA, THE CZECH REPUBLIC, ESTONIA, ITALY, LITHUANIA, THE NETHERLANDS, ROMANIA, SLOVAKIA, UKRAINE
Contact: info@ahlbackagency.com
