Leena‘s Italian publisher released Il mio primo omicidio (Ensimmäinen murhani) in late October. The second Maria Kallio title, Harmin paikka, will be published in Italy next Spring.

The Elina Ahlback Literary Agency has sold the Norwegian, Swedish and Danish rights to Leena Lehtolainen‘s latest crime novel Where Have All the Young Girls Gone to Bazar Publishers. The bestseller, released by Tammi Publishers in Finland in August, takes on the burning topical issue of xenophobia and the fear of the unknown. It has aroused exceptional enthusiasm and demand worldwide. Where Have All the Young Girls Gone will be published in Norway, Sweden and Denmark in Spring 2012. Translation rights have been previously sold to Taiwan at the Frankfurt Book Fair, and as soon as the book appeared, rights were sold to Germany, where it will be published in 2012.

Bazar Publishers provides Leena Lehtolainen’s works with brilliant marketing possibilities in Scandinavia and will lavish Nordic detective fans with gripping bestsellers in the future as well. Leena Lehtolainen’s books have sold over 1,5 million copies worldwide and her crime novels will also be published in France, Spain, Italy, Russia, Turkey and Poland, according to previous agreements. All in all, Leena Lehtolainen’s books are presently being translated into 19 languages.

The Elina Ahlback Literary Agency is Finland’s foremost international literary agency, representing Finnish and other Nordic writers and publishers in the international markets, as well as foreign authors, publishers and agents in the Nordic Countries. The Elina Ahlback Literary Agency has been collaborating with Tammi Publishers, Leena Lehtolainen’s publisher in Finland, since the beginning of March 2010.

More information: Elina Ahlbäck, Literary Agent, CEO, tel. +358 400 548 402

The Traditional Chinese rights to Leena Lehtolainen‘s 11th Maria Kallio title Where Have All the Young Girls Gone were sold to Taiwan at the Frankfurt Book Fair last week. The publisher plans to release the book in Autumn 2011, making it the 18th foreign language edition of Leena Lehtolainen’s crime thrillers. Where Have All the Young Girls Gone has been a bestseller in Finland since its publication in August with German rights acquired shortly afterwards.

Elina Ahlback Literary Agency has successfully sold Leena Lehtolainen’s rights since March 2010. Other recent Lehtolainen deals have been made with Russian, Turkish, Spanish, Italian and Polish publishing houses. The worldwide sales of Leena Lehtolainen’s books is over 1,5 million copies so far!