Italian rights for THE ICE COVEN sold!

We are thrilled to announce that New York Times bestselling author Max Seeck’s second Jessica Niemi thriller THE ICE COVEN has been acquired by his Italian publisher PiemmeThe deal was closed by Elsa Lindström at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

“I am delighted to be publishing in Italy the second installment in this incredible series, which has been a huge worldwide success and which we hope to build in Italy as well. I think Max Seeck is an immensely talented writer, and he deserves to be read everywhere!”
–Giulia DeBiase, Foreign Fiction editor

THE ICE COVEN was published in English last September, to praising reviews:

“Seeck’s outstanding sequel to THE WITCH HUNTER. [–] Seeck throws in
a murder that definitely happened, human trafficking, frog toxin, and somnophilia
into the mix, masterfully ratcheting up the tension. Ragnar Jónasson fans will be
mesmerized”

– Publisher’s Weekly 

“All distinct characters, and the tension within the Unit is wonderfully drawn and contributes to the tension within the book. [–] A cracker of a read and I loved it.”
–  Kerry Hood on Crimereview.co.uk 

The cover and Finnish title – LOUKKO – of the 4th Jessica Niemi thriller were revealed in Finland in the beginning of May and the book itself will be released in Finland in September. The rights for the 4th Jessica Niemi thriller have already been sold to 7 territories!

The rights for the Jessica Niemi series have been acquired in over 40 countries and a TV show is in development in Hollywood. The rights are still available in Japan, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, Georgia etc.

Download the English manuscript for THE ICE COVEN here


THE ICE COVEN (Jessica Niemi #2)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2020, 370 pp

Standalone sequel to New York Times Best Seller, Faithful Reader aka The Witch Hunter – rights sold to 40 countries and Hollywood!

Jessica Niemi has another mystery on her hands: Two famous Instagram bloggers go missing, and a strange picture is uploaded
on both of their accounts. It’s a picture of an old lighthouse on a rocky island. And underneath there’s a poem. A poem that describes their deaths…

Jessica starts to investigate the disappearances and soon she finds out that the two bloggers have been sharing a secret that got them involved in something very mystical and dark.

BAD BLOOD (Jessica Niemi #3)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2021, 390 pp

A prominent business executive Eliel Rosenström is found brutally murdered in his home in Helsinki. The company he led has just announced drastic cutbacks and Rosenström gained hundreds of enemies and death threats in the process.

But the murder motive become less clear, when the police finds out that the murderer had other targets as well. The only clue the police has is a photo of Rosenström with three other men, whose faces are all scratched off. Who are the faceless men, and why can’t the police identify them? Are they other victims? Or something more sinister?

While Jessica Niemi suffers from a mental breakdown after her encounter with the witch coven, Jusuf gets a chance to lead the investigations and prove his skills as a police officer, while helping Jessica battle her demons that seem to come closer and closer…


Jessica Niemi #4
by Max Seeck
Tammi, September 2022

A month after solving the Zetterborg case, Jessica struggles to hold on to everyday life. Due to a violent incident in her civil life, she is ordered on a unpaid leave. She eventually decides to travel out of town for a month and ends up on a small island on Åland archipelago.More than 70 years ago there was an orphanage on the island, and one girl disappeared without a trace. Jessica also finds out many people have drowned on the shore ever since. Soon, one of the hostel guests is also found drowned on the shore. Does this have something to do with the legend, was it the ghost girl in the blue overcoat? Although being uncertain about what is real and what is not, Jessica needs to find out the truth.

THE WITCH HUNTER (Jessica Niemi #1)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2019, 400 pp

Detective Jessica Niemi is called to investigate a murder case that is out of ordinary. The wife of a famous writer, Roger Koponen, seems to have been killed in a bizarre ritual. As more ritual murders occur, it becomes obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer.
But the murders are not random – they follow a pattern taken from Roger’s bestselling trilogy. Has a fan gone mad, or is this case more personal? How can Jessica stop a criminal who knows every detail of the book even better than the author?

PAHAN VERKKO – THE ICE COVEN
Jessica Niemi #2
Tammi, 2020, 370 pp

Reading materials:
English manuscript

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Tammi
ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: EMAS
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe GmbH & Co. KG
GREECE: Livanis
HUNGARY: Animus
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna
NORTHERN MACEDONIA: MATICA MAKEDONSKA
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda
ROMANIA: Litera
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck Publishing
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific

 

KAUNA – BAD BLOOD
Jessica Niemi #3

Tammi, 2021, 390 pp

Reading materials:
English manuscript

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers
BULGARIA: EMAS
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers
UK: Welbeck
US: Berkley

 

LOUKKO
Jessica Niemi #4

Tammi, September 2022

Reading materials:
English synopsis

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers
UK: Welbeck
US: Berkley

 

USKOLLINEN LUKIJA – THE WITCH HUNTER
Jessica Niemi #1

Tammi, 2019, 400 pp

Reading materials:
English edition

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers (World Arabic)
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna (2-book deal)
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada (2-book-deal)
DENMARK: Gutkind (2-book-deal)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (2-book-deal)
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (2-book-deal)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji (2-book-deal)
LATIN AMERICA (World Spanish): Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica (2-book-deal)
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book-deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UKRAINE: Family Leisure Club
UNITED KINGDOM: Welbeck Publishing UK (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck - New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Big Hollywood film & TV news coming soon!

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! 2024 will see the release of his independent novel MILO, which is already creating buzz internationally with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Bibliography


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck