GERMAN AUDIO RIGHTS sold to Leena Lehtolainen’s bestselling MARIA KALLIO Series and BODYGUARD Series!

We are very excited to announce that German Audio book rights to internationally bestselling MARIA KALLIO books 1-15 and THE BODYGUARD books 1-4 by Finland’s #1 female crime writer Leena Lehtolainen have been sold to Finch & Zebra in collaboration with Lehtolainen’s German publisher Rowohlt. Leena Lehtolainen’s crime novels have sold over 2.5  million copies worldwide.  Finch & Zebra is a digital audiobook label and they work in cooperation with Apple Books. Congratulations, Leena Lehtolainen and her German Publishers!

”I am very happy that our long-time, successful crime novelist Leena Lehtolainen will soon be available to audiobook listeners with all her volumes. It is something very special to be able to sell such an extensive series in one deal. It shows that Finch & Zebra believes in the titles and thinks they are fantastic – as do many fans”.

– Katrin Seele, Audio Rights Manager, Rowohlt Verlag, Germany

Maria Kallio Series has sold over 2,5 million copies worldwide and been translated into 30 languages.

  • The New York Times Nordic Noir Guide recommends Maria Kallio series
  • Maria Kallio TV Series premiering in August 2021 on CMore/MTV3!

There are 11 Maria Kallio titles in English, and in the US only Jo Nesbo has more translated titles than Lehtolainen.

The Maria Kallio mysteries follow the career of a tough, down-to-earth and emotionally intelligent police officer who starts working in the Helsinki violent crimes unit. Every book centers around a murder, but there are also elements of social issues, and through the series Maria’s personal development is present, as we follow her struggle to balance police work and motherhood.

#1 MY FIRST MURDER (Ensimmäinen murhani, Tammi 1993, 251 pp.

When a member of a student choir is found dead, young police sergeant Maria Kallio is given the opportunity to prove herself.

#2 HER ENEMY (Harmin paikka, Tammi 1994, 244 pp.)

Maria Kallio has left the Helsinki police force to work for a law office. When a new acquaintance is found strangled in her home, Maria is pulled back into the world of criminal investigation.

#3 COPPER HEART (Kuparisydän, Tammi 1995, 248 pp.)

Maria has returned to her old home town to serve as the summer replacement for the local sheriff. But her peace is disturbed, first by her old flame, and then by the discovery of a body.

#4 SNOW WOMAN (Luminainen, Tammi 1996, 352 pp.)

Elina Rosberg, the director of a women’s therapy center disappears. Clues point to murder, and the list of suspects includes participants of the current therapy group.

#5 DEATH SPIRAL (Kuolemanspiraali, Tammi 1997, 359 pp.)

A 16-year-old skating sensation is found slain with her own skates.

#6 FATAL HEADWIND (Tuulen puolella, Tammi 1998, 348 pp.)
Maria Kallio spends a weekend on the island of Rödskär, where one of her former boyfriends fell to his death. Soon another man loses his life.

#7 BEFORE I GO (Ennen lähtöä, Tammi 2000, 375 pp.)

An openly homosexual Green Party politician is savagely beaten: was this a personal grudge, a random act of violence or a hate crime?

#8 BELOW THE SURFACE (Veren vimma, Tammi, 2003, 314 pp.)

When a woman’s body turns up in a lake—with a bullet to the back of her head—Violent Crime Unit commander Maria Kallio, freshly back from maternity leave, is fast to get on the case.

#9 THE NIGHTINGALE MURDER (Rivo Satakieli, Tammi, 2005, 346 pp.)

When well-known prostitute Lulu Nightingale is murdered on live television, Maria dives into the convolutions of sex for hire and politics.

#10 DERAILED (Väärän jäljillä, Tammi, 2008, 378 pp.)

Maria Kallio is called back to investigate the murder of a sports official. The case appears to connect to recent threats against a journalist and a track-and-field doping scandal. A new house and an opportunity to play bass in a rock band with some other cops add some light to Maria’s life.

#11 WHERE HAVE ALL THE YOUNG GIRLS GONE (Minne tytöt kadonneet, Tammi, 2010, 342 pp.)

After returning from Afghanistan with a heavy heart, Maria Kallio starts investigating the mystery of several missing immigrant girls, and one of them turns up dead.

#12 THE IRON TRIANGLE (Rautakolmio, Tammi 2013, 352 pp.)

Two bodies turn up wrapped in plastic out in the archipelago: the man was shot and the woman drowned.

#13 A STROKE OF SADNESS (Surunpotku, Tammi 2015, 432 pp.)

The dead body of a diamond dealer is found at a church. The murderer appears to also have stolen a set of diamonds. The hunt leads the police into an international web of crime.

#14 THE END OF INNOCENCE (Viattomuuden loppu, Tammi, August 2017, 457 pp.)

Maria begins work in a new unit investigating crimes commited by and affecting minors and youths. When the body of a recently-released serial sex crimes offender is found in an abandoned traffic park in Espoo, Maria has a homicide investigation on her hands.

#15 RIPPLE EFFECT (Jälkikaiku, Tammi, August 2020, 450 pp.)

Ask for reading materials here.

 

THE BODYGUARD SERIES

A thrilling series with a complex female protagonist, New York-trained bodyguard Hilja Ilveskero. 

The newest instalment in the Bodyguard crime series coming in September 2021! This book is the fifth title in the Bodyguard Series:

ILVESVAARA (Bodyguard Series #5 NEW)
deals with secrets of the super-rich in a claustrophobic space in Lapland by Finland’s bestselling female crime writer

Hilja Ilveskero is hired for a secretive nature holiday center of the super-rich in Eastern Lapland called Ilvesvaara. The owner of the place fears the worst security threat comes from the inside. Arriving in Ilvesvaara, Hilja notices that this is not just an ordinary spa hotel, but a luxurious theme park, where wildlife roams freely and is accessible to only eight guests at a time. Millionaire Aku Rautio is also due to appear soon. Hilja is already familiar with the man, as she has once spent a hectic night with him. When Aku then mysteriously disappears everyone in the resort comes under suspicion, including Hilja.

THE EYE OF THE TIGER (Bodyguard Series #4)
When the 92-year-old textile industry magnate Lovisa Johnson offers Hilja a job as her bodyguard, she does not hesitate. The businesswoman lives in a mansion that’s rumored to be haunted, after all. Johnson is childless, but her grandnephews and -nieces – a doctor, an oil industry lobbyist, a security guard and a clairvoyant – are eager for their cut of the inheritance. A combination of a mansion mystery and a fast-paced thriller, the novel is an anticipated new entry in the series.

THE DEVIL’S CUBS (Bodyguard Series #3)
When uninvited guests show up at the wedding of a Finnish businessman and his Russian girlfriend for whom Hilja Ilveskero is working, an international mystery begins to unravel. Hidden truths are revealed, and soon Hilja comes face-to-face with an unthinkable tragedy from her childhood: the murder of her mother.

THE LION OF JUSTICE (Bodyguard Series #2)
Hilja Ilveskero is visiting her lover David Stahl in Italy, where he is hiding from a Belorussian mobster. After David suddenly disappears, Hilja is forced to return to Finland to work for her former client who owns a restaurant. When someone begins threatening the business, Hilja is drawn into a web of international crime.

THE BODYGUARD (Bodyguard Series #1)
In the first book, Hilja’s client conducting real estate business in Russia is killed, and she is suspected of murder. She sets out to prove her innocence – both to the authorities and to herself. Going underground, she soon realizes that someone is after her. Can she trust anyone, even the people closest to her – and what is the price of betraying, or saving, another person?

English reading materials available from the link here.

THE MARIA KALLIO SERIES
by Leena Lehtolainen
Tammi

Rights sold:
Contact us for rights availability of the Maria Kallio Series in your territory!

Original publisher: FINLAND: Tammi
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Gaia (Books 1-5)
GERMANY: Rowohlt
WORLD ARABIC: Al Arabi
WORLD ENGLISH: Amazon Crossing
FILM & TV RIGHTS: MTV3/C More

Reading materials:
Book 1-11 English editions
Books 1-14 German editions
Book 15 English sample, Finnish edition

THE BODYGUARD SERIES
by Leena Lehtolainen
TammiRights sold:
Contact us for rights availability of the Bodyguard Series in your territory!Original publisher: FINLAND, Tammi
WORLD ENGLISH, Amazon (Books 1-3)
GERMANY, Rowohlt (Books 1-4)
Reading materials:
Finnish edition
English edition
German edition

Leena Lehtolainen is the top female crime author in Finland: her new titles always head straight to #1 on the Finnish bestseller lists. In her free time, Lehtolainen enjoys all kinds of music from 70’s punk to Schubert and Bach – just like Maria Kallio, the heroine of Lehtolainen’s crime novel series. And just as events in the Bodyguard trilogy take the heroine Hilja Ilveskero all around Europe, Lehtolainen’s own work takes her to book festivals, exhibitions and other events across the globe.

 

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