| Leena Lehtolainen is Finland’s bestselling female crime writer, known for her Maria Kallio and Bodyguard series that are both successful in Finland and internationally.
Her novels have been translated into 30 languages and have sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide.
We are really happy to announce that Leena Lehtolainen’s German publisher Rowohlt has now acquired both THE LYNX FACTOR, the 5th title in the Bodyguard series, and the upcoming 16th title in her Maria Kallio series
German praise for THE LYNX FACTOR:
In her new case, we travel with bodyguard Hilja to the far reaches of Lapland, to a place that looks harmless but turns out to be more dangerous than expected. What is so special about this great text is not only the main character Hilja, for whom this journey will be more than a simple job, but also the spectacular scenery that awaits us in Lapland. We are incredibly excited about this text and are thrilled to be able to publish it in Germany.
– Lea Daume, Editor, Rowohlt, Germany
That is not all for THE LYNX FACTOR! Today, the official Finnish bestseller list announced that it was also the #1 Fiction title in Finland in August!
Read more about both of the series below and feel free to ask for English materials!
THE BODYGUARD SERIES
by Maria Kallio
The Bodyguard Series stars a New York-trained bodyguard Hilja Ilveskero who is fiercely self-sufficient, highly alert to her surroundings, and haunted by horrific violence in her past.
The series has 7 international publishers, but the rights are still available in Estonia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Hungary, Greece, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Netherlands etc.
Download the reading materials for Bodyguard series here.
BOOK I: THE BODYGUARD: In Russia, when bodyguard Hilja Ilveskero’s client is killed, Hilja becomes a suspect. She sets out to prove her innocence, but soon realizes that someone is after her.
BOOK II: THE LION OF JUSTICE: Hilja visits her lover, David Stahl in Italy where he is hiding from a Belorussian mobster. After he suddenly disappears, Hilja returns to Finland to help out a former client.
BOOK III: THE DEVIL’S CUBS: At the wedding of Hilja’s client, uninvited guests show up. A mystery soon begins to unravel and hidden truths are revealed: Hilja comes face-to-face with horrific events from her childhood.
BOOK IV: THE EYE OF THE TIGER: When the 92-year-old textile industry magnate Lovisa Johnson, who lives in a mansion that’s rumored to be haunted, offers Hilja a job as her bodyguard, she does not hesitate. Johnson is childless, but her grandnephews and -nieces are eager for their cut of the inheritance.BOOK IV:
BOOK V: THE LYNX FACTOR: Hilja Ilveskero is hired for a secret nature holiday center for the super-rich in Eastern Lapland called Ilvesvaara. The owner of the place fears the worst security threat is coming from the inside. When millionaire Aku mysteriously disappears, everyone in the resort comes under suspicion, including Hilja. Why doesn’t Aku’s wife want to report the disappearance to the police? Why did so many people in Ilvesvaara know Aku?
The Maria Kallio mysteries follow the career of a tough, down-to-earth and emotionally intelligent police officer who starts working in the Helsinki violent crimes unit. Every book centers around a murder, but there are also elements of social issues, and through the series Maria’s personal development is present, as we follow her struggle to balance police work and motherhood.
There are 11 Maria Kallio titles in English, and in the US, only Jo Nesbø has more translated crime titles than Lehtolainen.
The rights are currently available in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Turkey, Netherlands etc.
Maria Kallio just had a fresh launch in a Finnish TV series premiering in August 2021.
Download the reading materials for Maria Kallio series here.
THE BOOKS:
#1 MY FIRST MURDER (Ensimmäinen murhani, Tammi 1993, 251 pp.
When a member of a student choir is found dead, young police sergeant Maria Kallio is given the opportunity to prove herself.
#2 HER ENEMY (Harmin paikka, Tammi 1994, 244 pp.)
Maria Kallio has left the Helsinki police force to work for a law office. When a new acquaintance is found strangled in her home, Maria is pulled back into the world of criminal investigation.
#3 COPPER HEART (Kuparisydän, Tammi 1995, 248 pp.)
Maria has returned to her old home town to serve as the summer replacement for the local sheriff. But her peace is disturbed, first by her old flame, and then by the discovery of a body.
#4 SNOW WOMAN (Luminainen, Tammi 1996, 352 pp.)
Elina Rosberg, the director of a women’s therapy center disappears. Clues point to murder, and the list of suspects includes participants of the current therapy group.
#5 DEATH SPIRAL (Kuolemanspiraali, Tammi 1997, 359 pp.)
A 16-year-old skating sensation is found slain with her own skates.
#6 FATAL HEADWIND (Tuulen puolella, Tammi 1998, 348 pp.)
Maria Kallio spends a weekend on the island of Rödskär, where one of her former boyfriends fell to his death. Soon another man loses his life.
#7 BEFORE I GO (Ennen lähtöä, Tammi 2000, 375 pp.)
An openly homosexual Green Party politician is savagely beaten: was this a personal grudge, a random act of violence or a hate crime?
#8 BELOW THE SURFACE (Veren vimma, Tammi, 2003, 314 pp.)
When a woman’s body turns up in a lake—with a bullet to the back of her head—Violent Crime Unit commander Maria Kallio, freshly back from maternity leave, is fast to get on the case.
#9 THE NIGHTINGALE MURDER (Rivo Satakieli, Tammi, 2005, 346 pp.)
When well-known prostitute Lulu Nightingale is murdered on live television, Maria dives into the convolutions of sex for hire and politics.
#10 DERAILED (Väärän jäljillä, Tammi, 2008, 378 pp.)
Maria Kallio is called back to investigate the murder of a sports official. The case appears to connect to recent threats against a journalist and a track-and-field doping scandal. A new house and an opportunity to play bass in a rock band with some other cops add some light to Maria’s life.
#11 WHERE HAVE ALL THE YOUNG GIRLS GONE (Minne tytöt kadonneet, Tammi, 2010, 342 pp.)
After returning from Afghanistan with a heavy heart, Maria Kallio starts investigating the mystery of several missing immigrant girls, and one of them turns up dead.
#12 THE IRON TRIANGLE (Rautakolmio, Tammi 2013, 352 pp.)
Two bodies turn up wrapped in plastic out in the archipelago: the man was shot and the woman drowned.
#13 A STROKE OF SADNESS (Surunpotku, Tammi 2015, 432 pp.)
The dead body of a diamond dealer is found at a church. The murderer appears to also have stolen a set of diamonds. The hunt leads the police into an international web of crime.
#14 THE END OF INNOCENCE (Viattomuuden loppu, Tammi, August 2017, 457 pp.)
Maria begins work in a new unit investigating crimes commited by and affecting minors and youths. When the body of a recently-released serial sex crimes offender is found in an abandoned traffic park in Espoo, Maria has a homicide investigation on her hands.
#15 RIPPLE EFFECT (Jälkikaiku, Tammi, August 2020, 450 pp.)
Maria and her team are assigned to investigate a rape of a young woman when things start to heat up. The accused rapist is a young man with an immigrant background, which causes a lot of racism and heated discussions in the papers and media.
Maria and her team are working to solve a new case, but online trolls are targeting them and doing everything to distract them. But when Maria is almost killed by an earless driver, it makes her wonder if all the harassment is related to the case, or could it be something more personal? |
Loukko by 
