Leena Lehtolainen’s third Bodyguard makes a splash in Germany

Lehtolainen_saksa_140203The third entry in bestselling crime author Leena Lehtolainen’s Bodyguard trilogy, The Devil’s Cubs (Paholaisen pennut, Tammi 2012) has been published in Germany by Rowohlt to positive media buzz. The book’s German title is Das Nest des Teufels.

Lehtolainen gave two interviews to NDR radio station during the last week of January, sharing the origin of the Bodyguard trilogy (in the 1980s she had spotted then-President Mauno Koivisto with his bodyguard in Helsinki) and how working on the story affected her (she says she became slightly paranoid of her surroundings). Listen to the German-language audio interview with Lehtolainen here.

“The Devil’s Cub is another proof of the author Leena Lehtolainen’s talents of telling a crime story,” wrote Hallo-Buch.de, an online literary publication.

The Bodyguard Trilogy tells the story of New York-trained bodyguard Hilja Ilveskero, a lean and muscular Nordic goddess in the vein of Lisbeth Salander. Rights to the series have been sold in ten territories.

Lehtolainen is Finland’s best-known and most successful female crime author, and altogether her works have been translated into 29 languages. The latest entry in her 12-part Maria Kallio series, The Iron Triangle (Tammi 2013), will be published in Germany by Rowohlt in September of 2014. Rowohlt has been the German publisher for all Maria Kallio and Bodyguard 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
FILM RIGHTS, Solar Films Inc.
Original publisher: Finland, Tammi

Reading materials for the Bodyguard Trilogy:
Finnish editions
Dutch edition of book 1
English samples of books 1-2
German edition of Book 1-3
French edition of Book 1

Contact: info@ahlbackagency.com

About author


Leena Lehtolainen

Leena Lehtolainen is the top female crime author in Finland: her new titles always head straight to #1 on the Finnish bestseller lists.

Lehtolainen created her successful protagonist, detective Maria Kallio, in 1993. Having already featured in 16 novels and a complete TV series, a new Maria Kallio TV reboot series was launched in Fall 2021 on C More. Lehtolainen’s novels have been translated into 30 languages and have sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide.

And just like the events in Bodyguard, a that takes the heroine Hilja Ilveskero all around Europe, Lehtolainen’s own work takes her to book festivals, exhibitions and other events across the globe.

Leena Lehtolainen has also published outside the crime genre; her book The Charm of Figure Skating was voted sports book of the year 2010 in Finland, and A Life in Six Scenes showed her return to literary fiction.

The Crossing of the Green Dragon is her first title for YA audiences.

In her free time, Lehtolainen enjoys all kinds of music and follows lynx trails in the forests – just like Maria Kallio.

Bibliography


2023, Crime & Suspense

A Crossing in the Darkness

Leena Lehtolainen


2022, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

The Crossing of the Green Dragon

Leena Lehtolainen


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Lynx Factor

Leena Lehtolainen


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ripple Effect

Leena Lehtolainen


2019, Crime & Suspense

Oathbreaker

Leena Lehtolainen


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Killer's Girlfriend

Leena Lehtolainen


2017, Crime & Suspense

The End of Innocence

Leena Lehtolainen


2016, General Nonfiction, Memories & Biographies

The Charm of Ice

Leena Lehtolainen


2016, Crime & Suspense

The Eye of the Tiger

Leena Lehtolainen


2015, Crime & Suspense

A Stroke of Sadness

Leena Lehtolainen


2013, Crime & Suspense

The Iron Triangle

Leena Lehtolainen


2012, Crime & Suspense

The Devil's Cubs

Leena Lehtolainen


2011, Crime & Suspense

The Lion of Justice

Leena Lehtolainen


2010, Crime & Suspense

Where Have All the Young Girls Gone

Leena Lehtolainen


2009, Crime & Suspense

The Bodyguard

Leena Lehtolainen


2008, Crime & Suspense

Derailed

Leena Lehtolainen


2005, Crime & Suspense

The Nightingale Murder

Leena Lehtolainen


2003, Crime & Suspense

Below the Surface

Leena Lehtolainen


2000, Crime & Suspense

Before I Go

Leena Lehtolainen


1998, Crime & Suspense

Fatal Headwind

Leena Lehtolainen


1997, Crime & Suspense

Death Spiral

Leena Lehtolainen


1996, Crime & Suspense

Snow Woman

Leena Lehtolainen


1995, Crime & Suspense

Copper Heart

Leena Lehtolainen


1994, Crime & Suspense

Her Enemy

Leena Lehtolainen


1993, Crime & Suspense

My First Murder

Leena Lehtolainen