We are excited to announce that Italian publisher Newton Compton Editori have bought the rights to Elina Backman’s “reindeer noir crime” BEFORE THE POLAR NIGHT FALLS (book 3 in the Saana Havas crime series). The Italian deal was closed by Julia Bogen at Ahlback Agency.

Elina Backman’s books have been nominated twice for the Best Translated Crime Novel by the Swedish Crime Writers’ Academy, and for the Best Crime Novel of the Year 2022 by the Finnish Crime Writers’ Society. To top it off, an international TV series based on the novels is in development by Aurora Studios!

Unsurprisingly, her work has garnered rave reviews, comparing her to Stieg Larsson, Jo Nesbø, and Agatha Christie, among other brilliant authors.

Elina Backman continues to be an international favorite, but we still have gaps in Greece, Spain, Israel, Iceland…

We invite you to start this atmospheric and deeply layered series from Book 1: All the King’s Men by downloading materials here!

Before the Polar Night Falls

Elina Backman

The past and the present intertwine in this arresting novel with unforgettable characters – Book 3 in internationally bestselling and award-winning crime series by Elina Backman, sold to 17 territories!

A woman working for a law firm approaches Saana Havas to help with the mystery of her sister’s death. Her sister was found dead in a swamp near the Angeli village in Northern Lapland in 1998, and the murderer has never been caught. The police have given up on the case, no witnesses were ever found in the area of Lapland that covers hundreds of kilometers.

Saana promises to help her and receives all the material the client has collected. Part of this is a manuscript the woman wrote when investigating the case herself years ago. Saana travels to the North and investigates as the winter and polar night keeps creeping closer.

Though part of the Saana Havas series, it’s not necessary to have read the previous installments in the series.

Still Waters Run Deep

Elina Backman

Is evil lurking beneath the calm waters? Still Waters Run Deep is an awaited sequel to the bestselling All the Kings Men!

Three young men are making a documentary film about a mystical hermit, living in the Isle of Sheep in Helsinki. First, one of them disappears, then another one. When one of them is found dead in the nearby nature reserve, the police becmes involved.

Saana Havas, recovering from burnout, hears that her colleague’s younger brother has gone missing and decides to set up a true crime podcast to help with the search. Meanwhile, police commissioner Jan Leino and his team are investigating the disappearance and possible murder of the documentary makers.

When young men disappear and die, it’s ofter regarded just an accident. But could it be that someone is actually hunting for them?

All the King’s Men

Elina Backman

Beginning of a new detective series – already an international hit! A fresh new voice in Scandinavian crime in the vein of Jø Nesbo, Camilla Läckberg, and Tana French!

Saana Havas is a strong female character who is a journalist in Finland solving crime cases, setting up true crime podcasts and more. Saana has been fired from her job as a click-bait journalist, so she decides to spend a summer with her aunt in a small town named Hartola. It sounds like a perfect opportunity to take it easy and recover. But when Saana begins to dig into a case of a teenage girl who died 30 years earlier, the peace of the small town is shaken.

Meanwhile in Helsinki a fire-marked body is found at Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, and crime investigator Jan Leino and his team have a new case in their hands. However, the investigation isn’t going anywhere, and Jan fears that the murder at King’s Gate is just the beginning…

Saana and Jan continue working on their own cases until their paths cross – for more than one reason.