Two 3-book-deals for Leena Lehtolainen

The complex Chinese and Czech rights to Leena Lehtolainen’s Bodyguard Trilogy have been sold when Lehtolainen’s Taiwanese publisher, Linking Publishing, bought the rights for publication starting in 2013 and Argo acquired the Czech rights for publication in 2013-14.

Both are three-book-deals including Leena Lehtolainen’s works The Bodyguard #1 (Henkivartija, Tammi 2009); The Lion of Justice #2 (Oikeuden jalopeura, Tammi 2011) and The Devil’s Cubs #3 (Paholaisen pennut, Tammi 2012).

The rights of The Bodyguard Trilogy are now sold to nine languages including World English, complex Chinese, Czech, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Russian and Spanish.

The film rights have been sold to Solar Films Inc.

The Bodyguard Trilogy is a roller coaster ride of a thriller about the multifaceted nature of human identity and its concealment. The main character, a New York trained Nordic goddess, bodyguard Hilja Ilveskero works for a Finnish client who is doing real estate business in Russia and gets killed in Moscow. Suddenly Hilja finds herself suspected of murder.

Recently Leena Lehtolainen met her enthusiastic fans on a promotional tour in Sweden, Norway and Turkey – as seen in the photo!

Please contact the Agency for reading materials!

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