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We are thrilled to share that Modernista has secured the Swedish rights to the bestselling MILO SERIES by Max Seeck in a three-book deal. The deal was closed by Chiara Stanziani at Ahlbäck Agency.
The MILO series is the latest creation of Finland’s #1 crime fiction author Max Seeck, whose previous books were sold in over 1 million copies globally and travelled to 41 language areas. The series follows Milo Perho, a gallerist and criminal profiler who is called in to consult the police on complex and chilling cases that put him on the trail of serial killers but also open the door to his mysterious past in the intelligence services and the events of his childhood. Amongst all this, he is struggling with his masculinity, and his marriage is falling apart. The pressure is on, and the series is distinctive for its ability to build tension without excessive gore, and for its erotic undertones as the series explores the personal life of the characters and its sometimes fatal consequences.
REQUEST MATERIALS FOR THE MILO SERIES HERE
In the first volume CHECKMATE (Milo #1), Milo Perho is called in by the police to help with a puzzling case: on a cold November evening, the body of a young woman is discovered on the shore of Seurasaari. The victim’s skin is covered with a thick layer of white paint, and during the autopsy, a chess piece is found lodged in the throat. Why would the murderer go to such lengths to disguise the body? And why wasn’t there any attempt to hide it? What follows is a nerve-wracking and deadly game of chess, and the killer is getting closer to checkmate with their every move.
In BETRAYED (Milo #2), Milo is approached by a beautiful woman on a night out but, suddenly, she leaves him after seeing something – or someone – over his shoulder. Soon after she is found dead, and the police are very curious to hear why Milo of all people was the last person to speak to see the victim alive. A new case is on, and as the truth starts to emerge the stakes get higher and higher.
In GUARDED (Milo #3) Milo is recovering from his injuries in hospital, while on the other side of town a young man thinks he got lucky when an online flirt suggests she could come over. When she arrives, however, the man realizes he made a fatal mistake. The next morning the man’s body is found in what is staged as a suicide with a sun, a symbol of joy and protection, around his neck. Soon the police connect this death to a string of suspicious deaths where the victim was found wearing a sun necklace and enlist Milo’s help with the case. To Milo’s surprise, however, the case brings him closer to truths he’d been trying to avoid about his past. Can he solve the case before it’s too late?
The MILO series has been an instant hit: with rights already sold to over 10 territories and a TV series in development, Milo has quickly established itself as a readers’ favourite. CHECKMATE was a #1 bestseller in Finland, and book #3, GUARDED, sold over 20.000 copies in under two weeks after its release.
Modernista is a Swedish publishing house whose list boasts a selection of bestselling crime and mystery fiction and literary titles. They are the proud Swedish publishers of, among others, Freida McFadden, Tana French, V. E. Schwab, Liz Moore, Sara Strömberg, Holly Jackson, and literary authors Ottessa Moshfegh and Samantha Harvey.
Warm congratulations to the author and the publisher, and don’t miss out on this series!
MILO SERIES: CHECKMATE & BETRAYED & GUARDED
MERKITTY & PETETTY & VARJELTU
Tammi 2024-2026, 350-399 pp.
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Mera Editions
GERMANY: Bastei Luebbe
GREECE: Memento LP
ITALY: Piemme
JAPAN: Kodansha Ltd.
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Terra Publica
NORWAY: Aschehoug
RIGHTS FILM & TV: Solar Films
SWEDEN: Modernista
UKRAINE: Laboratory LLC
Reading materials:
English sample + full English draft translation,
English synopsis
French edition, German edition, Finnish edition
