Destino to publish The Bodyguard Trilogy by Leena Lehtolainen!

The World Spanish rights of Leena Lehtolainen’s The Bodyguard Trilogy have been acquired by Ediciones Destino for publication starting in 2013. Previously, the rights to The Bodyguard Trilogy have been sold to Amazon Publishing (World English), Hachette Livre (French) and Azbooka-Atticus (Russia) for publication in 2013. Also Unieboek | Het Spectrum bought the rights of The Bodyguard for publication in Dutch in 2013. Rowohlt has been publishing all Lehtolainen works in German since 2002, and The Lion of Justice, Book 2 in The Bodyguard Trilogy, will be published in January 2013.

In Finland Tammi is publishing the third book in the trilogy, The Devil’s Cubs, on August 9th, 2012. The film rights to The Bodyguard Trilogy are optioned by Solar Films Inc. All in all the rights to Leena Lehtolainen’s crime novels – The Bodyguard Trilogy and the Maria Kallio series – are now sold in 26 languages.

LEENA LEHTOLAINEN THE BODYGUARD TRILOGY:
The Bodyguard, The Lion of
Justice, The Devil’s Cubs
Rights sold
:
WORLD ENGLISH, Amazon Publishing
FINLAND, Tammi
FRANCE, Hachette Livre
GERMANY, Rowohlt/Kindler
NETHERLANDS, Unieboek | Het Spectrum
SPAIN, Destino
RUSSIA, Azbooka-Atticus

Please contact the agency for rights enquiries and reading materials in English, German and French!

Elina.Ahlback@ahlbackagency.com, Literary Agent
Paivi.Ruottinen@ahlbackagency.com
, Associate Agent
Melanie.Schmitt@ahlbackagency.com
, Rights Assistant

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.

Photo credit: Ville Juurikkala

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

The Snow Leopard's Heart

Leena Lehtolainen


2022, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

The Crossing of the Green Dragon

Leena Lehtolainen


2016, General Nonfiction, Memories & Biographies

The Charm of Ice

Leena Lehtolainen