Martta Kaukonen’s debut thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY now sold in the US! Nomination for the coveted Savonia Literary Prize announced!

Martta Kaukonen’s amazing thriller of this season, FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY, continues its World Conquest!

We couldn’t be happier to announce World English rights sale:  the US rights for Martta Kaukonen’s debut thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY have been acquired by Pushkin Press!

US PRAISE FOR FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY:

Pushkin is proud to have acquired US rights in addition to UK rights for this incredible debut, and are excited for English readers everywhere to experience the twisty, addictive thrill of Martta Kaukonen’s Follow The Butterfly.
Adam Freudenheim, Publisher and Managing Director,  Pushkin Press

Download the English sample and synopsis for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by clicking here

We are also really happy to let you know that FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY has now been shortlisted for the prestigious Finnish Savonia Literary Prize!

The prize is 12 000€ and this time out of the 103 participants, 6 titles were shortlisted. The winner will be announced on 9th of December.

In the last 3 months, the rights have been sold to the UK and US (Pushkin Press), Germany (Heyne), Greece (Psichogios), Croatia (Znanje), Estonia (Hea Lugu), Latvia (Jumava), Lithuania (Obuolys), Czech Republic (Albatros), Poland (Czarna Owca), and Hungary (Partvonal).

Rights are still available in France, Spain, Italy, Russia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Netherlands etc.
US PRAISE FOR FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY:

Pushkin is proud to have acquired US rights in addition to UK rights for this incredible debut, and are excited for English readers everywhere to experience the twisty, addictive thrill of Martta Kaukonen’s Follow The Butterfly.
– Adam Freudenheim |Publisher and Managing Director,  Pushkin Press

SAVONIA PRIZE JURY PRAISE FOR FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY:

Kaukonen’s debut is such a skillfully constructed psychological thriller and it holds the reader in its grip offering her surprises until the very last line. The gruesome plot speeds forward seemingly lightly in short paragraphs. The perspectives change swiftly between the characters and the ambiance intensifies with the ending that flips the tables completely.


FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
by Martta Kaukonen

An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn

Ida, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ida becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

PRAISE:

“Based on its flair, this mercurial thriller could be described as the Finnish cousin of works by Paula Hawkins, Clare Mackintosh and Caroline Kepnes. The author moves the story forward in a sure-handed manner whilst whirling the reader as if in a carousel. The thriller has been written in a fast-paced and vivid style that compels you to gulp down the story like cotton candy. Follow the Butterly will satisfy anyone’s hunger for suspense.”
– Anette Jaakonaho, Psykologi Magazine“Kaukonen started writing her thriller a year before the #metoo campaign and now she hits the bullseye with her theme of sexual abuse. “
– Heidi Lakkala, Lapin Kansa newspaperMartta Kaukonen’s pencil mark is confident and her work even has a humoristic take on therapy as a theme. ‘Follow the Butterfly’ is a thriller with nothing unnecessary. It builds settings through its four narrators but doesn’t doubt dismantling them over and over again. Film Critic Kaukonen’s debut is an ambitious piece.”
– Maaria Ylikangas, Helsingin Sanomat Culture – five star praise

“This is an extremely addictive, plot-driven and immensely twisty novel. This book keeps suspense until the end. I’m very glad I could deeply dive into Follow the Butterfly.’
– Dominika Dudarew-Osiecka, Czarna Owca, Poland

I have never read a thriller like this. A female serial killer whom we root for and not one unreliable narrator but four whose narratives are woven into each other with such skill. This plot-driven, emotional and wonderfully written book is what our readers have been waiting for.”
–Janina Dyballa, Heyne Verlag

“Interesting, mysterious, and gripping story told from the perspective of serial killer which makes it original and unique.”
– Dijana Orsolic, Znanje publishing, Croatia

“We couldn’t be more excited to have acquired Martta Kaukonen’s twisty addictive psychological thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and its sequel. Ida has to be the most sympathetic serial killer in crime fiction, and is one of the most original protagonists we’ve come across in a very long time.”   – Daniel Seton, Pushkin Press, United Kingdom

“We are really excited with GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY! It is full of twists and turns, and the reading experience is like standing on moving sand. You do not know what to expect! We strongly believe that Martta Kaukonen belongs to the Psichogios catalogue with our other leading authors such as Emma Donoghue, Paula Hawkins, A. J. Finn, Emma Cline, etc.”
– Irene Christopoulou, editor, Psichogios, Greece

“Martta Kaukonen’s „Follow the Butterfly“ offers readers many sudden twists. The main character is one of a kind, captivating like a butterfly.”- Maire Kasemaa, Editor, Hea Lugu, Estonia

”…Martta Kaukonen keeps spinning the suspense tighter and tighter, one chapter at a time. This entertaining debut novel is like a box of candy for all friends of psychological thrillers.” – Me Naiset magazine

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
Terapiassa
WSOY, March 2021, 407pp

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

CROATIA: Znanje
CZECH REPUBLIC:
Kniha Zlin/Albatros
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne Verlag
(two-book deal)
GREECE: Psichogios
(two-book deal)
HUNGARY: Partvonal
(two-book deal)
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca
(two-book deal)
UNITED KINGDOM:
Pushkin Press
(two-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press(two-book deal)

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling. Martta’s debut novel FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY was published in March 2021. FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY is an Instagram sensation in Finland, and the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper released a highly-praising review of it. During the first two months, the audiobook was listened to an awe-inspiring 2000 times and over. FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY  has been compared to Gillian Flynn’s novel ‘Gone Girl’. 

Bibliography


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In Your Shadow

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Follow the Butterfly

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