Bastei Lübbe acquires Arttu Tuominen’s Crystal trilogy in a three-book-deal!

We are very thrilled to announce, that the German rights to Arttu Tuominen’s ALEC and its two sequels have been acquired by Bastei Lübbe in a three-book-deal. The deal was closed by Martti Berner at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Congratulations to Arttu and Bastei Lübbe! This is what Claudia Müller, Senior Editor from Bastei Lübbe had to say:

Arttu Tuominen’s novels are suspense-packed crime stories as well as stirring novels with powerful character portayals. After the excellent „Delta-series“ with the setting Pori (the hometown of Arttu) we are at Lübbe very much looking forward to publishing the new trilogy.

The first book in this gripping Crystal trilogy, Alec, was published by Otava two weeks ago. And it is a great success – selling close to 10 000 copies in two weeks and receiving excitingly positive reviews!

Tuominen’s storytelling is cinematic, the plot moves at the speed of a snowmobile, and in the end, all the loose ends are beautifully tied together.

– Mari Paalosalo-Jussinmäki, Eeva magazine

“The reader is swept along in a way rarely encountered in these circles.”

– Kai Hirvasnoro, Kulttuuriuutiset magazine

“Liina Aho has the makings of a new Lisbeth Salander.“

– Kirsin Book Club blog

Alec kicks off a new thriller trilogy from Arttu Tuominen, bestselling author of the River Delta series, taking the reader to the fells of Lapland, deep into the world of crime, addictions, and the drug trade.

The rights are still available in the UK, Sweden, Poland, Italy, Czechia…

Request the materials for ALEC here!

ALEC (Otava, 2025)

The destructive power of the criminal underworld meets vulnerable humanity in Arttu Tuominen’s new crime series.

During the economic recession of the 1990s, illegal businesses flow into Finland from across the eastern border. A drug war rages on Finnish soil, where human life has no value.

The quiet life of the village community in Salla is shattered when more than a dozen partygoers are murdered at a remote farm. Fourteen-year-old Liina, who witnesses the massacre, is forced to grow up quickly as senseless violence invades her childhood world

CRYSTAL #2 (Otava, 2026)

A novel about the destructive power of money and addiction.

Juhani Roine, a gambling-addicted bank director, falls into massive debt to international drug syndicates. Julia, a flight attendant and sister to Liina, tries to help him. Their fates intertwine with devastating consequences in a Parisian suburb.

CRYSTAL #3 (Otava, 2027)

A novel about the morality of revenge.

At the heart of the story is Liina Aho, whose past is marked by trauma. Members of a notorious drug cartel are being killed in brutal ways across Helsinki. Tommi Kivi, drowning in personal grief, believes he knows who’s behind it – and is determined to hold them accountable.