Midsummer must-reads from Finland’s finest authors: Juha Itkonen, Martta Kaukonen, Kaisu Tuokko, Elina Backman & Joona Keskitalo

As Midsummer approaches, Finns everywhere prepare for bonfires, feasts, and the beloved sauna tradition — and what better time to dive into some outstanding new books? This summer, we’re proud to present an exciting lineup of remarkable books from some of Finland’s finest authors, each bringing something unique to the table.

Juha Itkonen – Tomorrow I’ll Tell You Everything

Acclaimed author Juha Itkonen returns with a deeply psychological and beautifully crafted novel that explores love, and the contradictions of human nature. The first print run sold out within days of publication, underscoring his status as a beloved voice in Finnish literature.

  • Helsingin Sanomat:
    An intense and wise psychological novel that cuts deep into the contradictions of human nature. [–] A confessional odyssey that disorients, unsettles, and lingers long after the final page. [–] Itkonen gives us a narrator we can’t trust, yet can’t stop listening to. [–] A love story, a lament, and a late-life reckoning, all in one.”

  • Anna magazine:
    “A love story between two adults, full of deep emotion and doubt: is the present moment enough for love, or must one truly know the other completely.”

  • Tuijata blog:
    “A satisfying companion for the reading chair, the corner of the sofa, or a summer evening’s porch swing. Itkonen’s flowing prose gently and precisely draws the reader into the narrator’s world, a true reader’s novel. [–] Executed with elegance. It brings to mind American literary fiction — think Jonathan Franzen — or even Nick Hornby. Most of all, it feels like a cousin to Kjell Westö: character-driven, male-perspective, relationship-focused fiction tinged with quiet melancholy.”

Martta Kaukonen – Free

The thrilling conclusion to the internationally bestselling Follow the Butterfly trilogy has arrived, receiving glowing praise from critics and readers alike.

  • Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s leading daily:
    Free is one of the best crime novels of the spring, and the entire trilogy ranks among the finest ever written in Finland. [–] Kaukonen’s strengths have always been not only her morally complex characters but also her unpredictable and unprecedented plot turns. [–] Kaukonen’s Dies irae – her day of wrath – is more than escapist entertainment: it moves from secrets to trust, from the past to the future, from hate to hope.”
  • Kulttuuritoimitus:
    “Author Martta Kaukonen masterfully manipulates events in a way that keeps the reader constantly on alert. […] Her writing is carefully crafted yet effortlessly readable.”
  • Keskisuomalainen:
    Free also works as a standalone, thanks especially to its well-crafted characters. [–] But the real highlight is how the novel disorients the reader — can you always trust the narrator? All in all, the story forms a clever web that manages to surprise.”

Kaisu Tuokko – Lies

Our queen of crimance delivers her highly anticipated third novel in a series that has now sold over 50,000 copies. Lies is the perfect summer read, rich with tension and atmospheric storytelling.

  • Anna Magazine:
    “Finland crime fiction scene is rich, but Kaisu Tuokko’s Lies shines like a pearl among them.
  • Kirsin Book Club blog:
    Rich with atmosphere and simmering tension, Lies weaves a gripping tale of buried truths, fractured relationships, and the lingering weight of deception. Kaisu Tuokko paints Kristinestad not just as a postcard-perfect idyll, but as a place where even the deepest shadows can hide in plain sight.”

Elina Backman – Who Wanders in the Dark

The fifth installment of the internationally bestselling Saana Havas series, sold to 17 countries and nearing 150,000 copies in Finland, continues to captivate readers.

  • Kirsin Book Club blog:
    Backman expertly builds tension from everyday situations, making the atmosphere thick with quiet menace. [–] The victims’ stories are told with depth and empathy, making them more than just random characters. [–] A perfect read for anyone interested in human psychology, relationships, and atmospheric settings.”

Joona Keskitalo – How of the Arctic Fell

The third book in the Outback series is here, following two well-received installments with over 20,000 copies sold. Keskitalo once again proves his versatility with a dark, gripping tale set in the wilds of Lapland.

  • Kirjoja Hyllystäni blog:
    “The reader can only gasp in awe at Keskitalo’s ingenuity and storytelling skill. [–] Keskitalo’s works share similarities with Antti Tuomainen’s mischievous thrillers. [–] At its darkest, How of the Arctic Fell approaches horror, and even after that, Keskitalo delivers an infernal twist. For fans of wild crime stories, How of the Arctic Fell is perfect entertainment for a rainy early summer.”

Get in touch with us for reading materials – and have a happy Midsummer!

About author


Elina Backman

Elina Backman is an author and a media & marketing professional living in Helsinki. Elina loves books (all sorts), traveling, cycling and is a host of a Book & Wine Club. She is a creative soul with a commercial mind, and her goal is to find readers globally.

Her debut novel All the King's Men was published in 2020 and immediately gained an enormous amount of attention from the Finnish media, including a praising review by the biggest daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. The Saana Havas series is now a best-selling series in Finland and an international TV series is in development. Elina's books have sold over 150 000 copies in Finland.

Together with Heidi Holmavuo, Elina has also narrated the true crime podcast Ratkaisematon (Unsolved), which turned into a full-length audio book as the two crime writers started investigating the murder of a young girl in 1955. They were able to uncover new evidence and their research led the police to reopen the investigation. This story is narrated in the book Unsolved - The Case of Elli Immo.

Photo credit: Jonne Räsänen

About author


Joona Keskitalo

Joona Keskitalo was born in Oulu, grew up in Hämeenlinna and now lives with his family in Espoo. His work experience includes everything from storage work to managing athletes and developing products for marketing companies. He now works as a full-time writer. As a writer, he is known for being a skilled plot developer, adding humor and well-drawn characters to his gripping stories.

Keskitalo's literary career began with The Disobedient crime trilogy, which follows the journey of former schoolmates to the top of the drug trade.

Keskitalo's The Outback series connects stories of crimes occurring in remote villages across Finland and their resolution by the local community's colorful characters. The Outback books can be read in any order. The series includes the works The Island Torn Apart and The Swamp That Sank, as well as Howl of the Arctic Fell. The fourth book, The Lake That Cracked, will be published in November 2025.

Photo credit: Uupi Tirronen

About author


Juha Itkonen

Juha Itkonen (b. 1975) is one of the most recognized voices in contemporary Finnish literature. He has published eight novels, a novella collection, a children’s book, several plays, and an epistolary novel co-written with Kjell Westö. His works often explore themes of family, generations, and parenthood, and are known for their emotional depth, energy, and a touch of melancholy.

He has received the Finnish State Prize for Literature, the Kalevi Jäntti Prize, and the Veijo Meri Prize, and has twice been nominated for the prestigious Finlandia Prize. In 2019, his novel Beyond Our Reach (Ihmettä kaikki, Otava in 2018).) was nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize.

Itkonen loves music, both as a listener and a player, which shows in his books. The passing of time is an eternal mystery at the core of his writing – his novels tend to have a melancholy undertone, yet they are also filled with life, humor, and energy. He lives in the Arabianranta district of Helsinki with his wife, Maija Itkonen, and their four children.

A film based on his novel The More Loving One (Anna minun rakastaa enemmän, Teos 2005) will be released in Fall 2025.

About author


Kaisu Tuokko

Kaisu Tuokko is a bestselling Finnish crime author and publishing professional whose fresh, emotionally intelligent voice is reshaping what Nordic Noir can be. With a strong background in the book industry, she understands not only how to craft a compelling novel, but how to build a lasting literary brand.

Her stories don’t just ask “whodunnit,” but “why do we stay silent?” Crimes are never just plot points; they’re rooted in empathy, social fault lines, and the moral complexity of everyday life.

Set against the eerie beauty of small-town Finland, her Kristinestad Murders series explores what lies beneath idyllic surfaces: buried secrets, fractured families, and relationships haunted by longing, silence, and shame. At its core is the idea that we may never truly know the people closest to us — and that some secrets are more dangerous than others.

Tuokko lives in Helsinki, loves rainy autumn evenings, small-town mysteries, and Swedish language, and named her unforgettable lead characters after her grandparents.

Photo credit: Maria Metsäranta

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Longanesi acquires Italian rights to Martta Kaukonen’s MEET ME IN THE DARKNESS!

We’re starting the week with fantastic news about Martta Kaukonen’s internationally bestselling Follow the Butterfly trilogy.

Following the announcement that German publisher Heyne acquired the rights to the upcoming third book FREE, we are thrilled to share that Longanesi has now acquired the Italian rights to book two, Meet Me in the Darkness!

Longanesi published the first book in the trilogy, Follow the Butterfly, this January with a great success! The book has sold over 20,000 copies and stayed several weeks on the bestseller list.

Follow the Butterfly has been sold to 16 territories!

Rights are available in, e.g., France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Japan, Spain, Romania…

Click here to request reading materials for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY trilogy!

Book #1: Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

Can she cure a killer? An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn!

Ira, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ira becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

Book #2: Meet me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen

Nothing is as it seems.

Four years have passed since the events of Follow the Butterfly. Ira and Arto have teamed up, and both work as crime journalists for the Helsinki Today. Everything’s going nicely, until Ira starts suspecting there’s a serial killer on the loose in Helsinki.

The murders are investigated by Senior Crime Inspector Kerttu Leppänen, who leads the murder unit and eagerly waits for retirement. Unsolved cases haunt Kerttu, who is unable to forgive herself.

The past catches up with all of them – if they were ever free from its clutches in the first place…

 

Book #3: Free

Martta Kaukonen

Is it worth digging up the truth?

It’s 1995. Detective Chief Inspector Kerttu Leppänen and her spouse, Inspector Esko Koivuvyö, are tasked with investigating the murder of a middle-aged woman. However, the crime scene presents a mystery that complicates the investigation: beside the body, there is a bloody knife on a pillow, even though it cannot be the murder weapon.

Thirty years later, Ira is determined to uncover the truth about her parents’ marriage. Why did her mother Marja fear her father Arto? And why does Arto refuse to answer Ira’s questions? Across different decades, Kerttu and Ira each come to the same realization: if you uncover the truth, you must be prepared to face its consequences.

Meet me in the Darkness
HENGISSÄ
WSOY, 2023, 272 pp.

Reading materials:
German edition, unedited English manuscript

Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECHIA: Albatros Media
DENMARK: Forlaget Falco
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
FILM & TV: Legendary Tobis TV
GERMANY: Heyne (3 books)
GREECE: Psichogios (2 books)
HUNGARY: Partvonal Kiadó (2 books)
ICELAND: Storytel (3 books)
ITALY: Longanesi (2 books)
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca (2 books)
UNITED KINGDOM: Pushkin Press (2 books)
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press (2 books)
WORLD ARABIC: Al Arabi Publishing
WORLD ENGLISH (Audio): Audible

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

3rd book in FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY trilogy by Spiegel Bestselling author Martta Kaukonen sold to Germany!

We are very excited to announce that Spiegel bestselling author Martta Kaukonen’s 3rd Follow the Butterfly thriller, Free, has been acquired by her German publisher Heyne in a pre-publication dealThe deal was closed by Martti Berner.

Congratulations to Martta Kaukonen, and Heyne! The anticipated third book in FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY trilogy will be published in Finland in May 2025.

Published as Therapiert in Germany, the first book has sold close to 30,000 copies and it hit the Spiegel bestseller list. The sequel, Traumatisiert, was just published in March.

Film and TV rights have been acquired by Legendary Tobis. Martta Kaukonen’s work has received glowing starred reviews everywhere it has been published. Last year Follow the Butterfly was nominated for Germany’s Viktor Crime Award  and for the prestigious Danish Glass Key Award.

 

Praise from UK authors of FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY:

“The premise is highly original and flawlessly executed, with an unexpected, ingenious twist at the end. The play between the patient and serial killer, Ida and her celebrity therapist, Clarissa, is deftly crafted, luring the reader in and entangling them in their web of deception. It is an utterly compelling, gripping read with an explosive conclusion.
Danielle Ramsay, author novel the Perfect Husband

“Dark, clever and hugely suspenseful, Follow the Butterfly is a breathtakingly fast-paced, original debut with vivid, intriguing characters and a masterfully constructed, compelling plotline that sinks its teeth into you from the first and doesn’t let go. Kaukonen’s writing is flawless, poignant and addictive, while the ending blew me away.”
-A. A. Chaudhuri, bestselling author of Under Her Roof

“Surprising, fresh and almost indecently fun, with two brilliantly original female leads and a sinuous plot that keeps you guessing until the very last page.”
-Tammy Cohen, author of The Wedding Party

“Breathlessly plotted, deviously constructed, and brought to vivid, twisted life by an antiheroine for the ages, FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY is an utterly beguiling debut. This isn’t just a thriller you sink your teeth into—it’s a thriller that sinks its teeth right back into you.”
-Elizabeth Little, author of Pretty as a Picture

 

Want to be part of this phenomenon? Rights are still available in Sweden, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Japan, Ukraine and more!

Click here to request reading materials for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY trilogy!

 


Book #1: FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY

by Martta Kaukonen

An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn

Ira, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ira becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

Book #2: MEET ME IN THE DARKNESS
by Martta Kaukonen

Nothing is as it seems.

Four years have passed since the events of Follow the Butterfly. Ira and Arto have teamed up, and both work as crime journalists for the Helsinki Today. Everything’s going nicely, until Ira starts suspecting there’s a serial killer on the loose in Helsinki.

The murders are investigated by Senior Crime Inspector Kerttu Leppänen, who leads the murder unit and eagerly waits for retirement. Unsolved cases haunt Kerttu, who is unable to forgive herself.

The past catches up with all of them – if they were ever free from its clutches in the first place…

Book #3: FREE
by Martta Kaukonen

Is it worth digging up the truth?

It’s 1995. Detective Chief Inspector Kerttu Leppänen and her spouse, Inspector Esko Koivuvyö, are tasked with investigating the murder of a middle-aged woman. However, the crime scene presents a mystery that complicates the investigation: beside the body, there is a bloody knife on a pillow, even though it cannot be the murder weapon.

Thirty years later, Ira is determined to uncover the truth about her parents’ marriage. Why did her mother Marja fear her father Arto? And why does Arto refuse to answer Ira’s questions? Across different decades, Kerttu and Ira each come to the same realization: if you uncover the truth, you must be prepared to face its consequences.

Book #1: Follow the Butterfly
TERAPIASSA
WSOY, 2021, 471 pp.

Reading materials: English edition, German Edition

Book #2: Meet me in the Darkness
HENGISSÄ
WSOY, 2023, 272 pp.

Reading materials: German edition, unedited English manuscript

Book #3: Free
POISSA
WSOY, 2025, 300 pp.

Reading materials: English synopsis, Finnish edition

Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECHIA: Albatros Media
DENMARK: Forlaget Falco
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
FILM & TV: Legendary Tobis TV
GERMANY: Heyne (3 books)
GREECE: Psichogios (2 books)
HUNGARY: Partvonal Kiadó (2 books)
ICELAND: Storytel (3 books)
ITALY: Longanesi (2 books)
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca (2 books)
UNITED KINGDOM: Pushkin Press (2 books)
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press (2 books)
WORLD ARABIC: Al Arabi Publishing
WORLD ENGLISH (Audio): Audible

 

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by Martta Kaukonen a bestseller in Italy!

We are excited to let you know that Butterfly, the Italian edition of Martta Kaukonen‘s international bestseller Follow the Butterfly, has sold more than 20,000 copies in Italy!

On top of this excellent sales success, Martta Kaukonen was interviewed by fellow crime and thriller author Nadine Matheson on her The Conversation with Nadine Matheson podcast! They discussed topics such as Martta’s original inspiration for the main character of her novel Follow the Butterfly and how we are often stopped from pursuing our dreams by obstacles that we have set ourselves.

You can listen to the podcast her: Martta Kaukonen: The Voice in –The Conversation with Nadine Matheson – Apple Podcasts

Follow the Butterfly has been sold to 16 territories!
Rights are available in, e.g., France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Japan, Spain, Romania…

Download materials for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY here!

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

Can she cure a killer? An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn!

Ira, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ira becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
TERAPIASSA
WSOY, 2021, 471 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English edition
German edition
Italian edition
Finnish edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECHIA: Kniha Zlin/Albatros
DENMARK: Falco
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne
GREECE: Psichogios
HUNGARY: Partvonal
ITALY: Longanesi
ICELAND: Storytel
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca
UNITED KINGDOM: Pushkin Press
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press
WORLD ARABIC: Al Arabi Publishing
WORLD ENGLISH (Audio): Audible

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen’s Follow the Butterfly soars: Bestseller in Germany and rave reviews from Italy!

We are thrilled to announce the phenomenal success of Martta Kaukonen’s Follow the Butterfly (Therapiert, Heyne 2023) in Germany! The Spiegel bestseller has sold close to 30,000 copies and is now on its 4th print run. Congratulations to Martta Kaukonen and Heyne!

This milestone comes just in time for the highly anticipated release of the sequel, Traumatisiert (Meet Me in the Darkness), which hits shelves on March 12.

Sold to 16 territories, Martta Kaukonen’s international acclaim continues to grow. Earlier this month, Follow the Butterfly was published in Italy by Longanesi, accompanied by a feature interview with Martta Kaukonen in La Repubblica. In the interview, she delves into the feminist themes of her book, which focuses on strong female characters, the psychological toll of abuse, and a deliberate departure from conventional crime storytelling.

Rights are still available in the Netherlands, Sweden, France, World Spanish, Norway… Stay tuned as Martta Kaukonen continues to captivate readers in new languages!

Italian online magazine Zetatielle hailed the novel as a genre-defying masterpiece. Journalist Monica Col wrote:

“Kaukonen demonstrates an extraordinary mastery of language, using it like a scalpel to dissect human frailties. The writing is dense, evocative, full of metaphors and symbolisms that transform each scene into a small enigma to be deciphered. The descriptions are so vivid that they are almost tangible, but instead of offering certainties, they amplify the sense of bewilderment, making Butterfly more similar to a surrealist painting than to a conventional plot. — Butterfly is a hypnotic and disturbing journey, which requires the reader to abandon all expectations and be transported into a world where nothing is as it seems. Martta Kaukonen has created a work of art that challenges the conventions of the genre, proving that the thriller can be much more than a simple game of suspense.”

 

Click here to request reading materials for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and its sequels!

TERAPIASSA
WSOY, 2021, 471 pp.

Reading materials: Full English manuscript, German Edition

HENGISSÄ:
WSOY, 2023, 272 pp.

Reading materials: Full unedited English manuscript, Full unedited German manuscript

POISSA
WSOY, 2025, 300 pp.

Reading materials: English synopsis, Finnish manuscript (March 2025)

Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECHIA: Albatros Media
DENMARK: Forlaget Falco
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
FILM & TV: Legendary Tobis TV
GERMANY: Heyne (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Psichogios (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Partvonal Kiadó (2-book-deal)
ICELAND: Storytel (3-book-deal)
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca (2-book-deal)
UNITED KINGDOM: Pushkin Press (2-book-deal)
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press (2-book-deal)
WORLD ARABIC: Al Arabi Publishing
WORLD ENGLISH (Audio): Audible

 

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

Literary Review selects Martta Kaukonen’s Follow the Butterfly as one of the top crime novels of 2024!

We’re so proud of Martta Kaukonen for her bestselling thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY appearing in the prestigious UK literary magazine Literary Review! In their December 2024/January 2025 Crime Round-up, Natasha Cooper selected 8 of the best crime novels, including the likes of Paula Hawkins.

She described FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY as follows:

A fascinating study of guilt, shame, blame and the stories we tell ourselves to make life bearable.This is Finnish film critic Kaukonen’s first novel and features seductive portraits of characters both monstrous and admirable.

Click here to download all reading materials for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY!

 

About FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY:

Ira, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ira becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

TERAPIASSA
WSOY, 2021, 471 pp.

Reading materials: Full English manuscript, German Edition

HENGISSÄ:
WSOY, 2023, 272 pp.

Reading materials: Full English manuscript, German MS

POISSA
WSOY, 2025, 300 pp.

Reading materials: English synopsis

Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECHIA: Albatros Media
DENMARK: Forlaget Falco
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
FILM & TV: Legendary Tobis TV
GERMANY: Heyne (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Psichogios (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Partvonal Kiadó (2-book-deal)
ICELAND: Storytel (3-book-deal)
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca (2-book-deal)
UNITED KINGDOM: Pushkin Press (2-book-deal)
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press (2-book-deal)
WORLD ARABIC: Al Arabi Publishing
WORLD ENGLISH (Audio): Audible

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen’s FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY trilogy travels to Iceland!

We are thrilled to announce that Storytel has acquired the Icelandic rights to Martta Kaukonen’s FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY, MEET ME IN THE DARKNESS and FREE (working title). The deal was closed by Martti Berner. This is Kaukonen’s first three-book deal. Follow the Butterfly has now sold to 16 territories, with a full English manuscript available!

Congratulations to Martta Kaukonen, and Storytel!

Martta Kaukonen’s international acclaim continues to grow. Follow the Butterfly was recently nominated for Germany’s Viktor Crime Award and previously for the prestigious Glass Key Award. Published as Therapiert in Germany, the book has sold over 24,000 copies and it hit the Spiegel bestseller list. Film and TV rights have been acquired by Legendary Tobis. Martta Kaukonen’s work has received glowing starred reviews everywhere it has been published.

The eagerly anticipated third book in the Follow the Butterfly series is set for Finnish publication in May 2025, and its stunning cover has just been revealed! Heyne Verlag is set to release the second book, Traumatisiert, in Spring 2025, with Pushkin Press planning to publish the English edition of the second book around the same time.

English and German editions are available!

Click here to download all reading materials for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY!

Want to be part of this global phenomenon? Rights are still available in Sweden, France, World Spanish, the Netherlands, Portugal, China, Thailand, and more!

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY offers a brilliant cat and mouse game between the author and the reader. Regardless of which narrator you choose to believe, the pieces of this psychological thriller ultimately click into place like a jigsaw puzzle. – The Times


FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY

by Martta Kaukonen

An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn

Ira, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ira becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

MEET ME IN THE DARKNESS
by Martta Kaukonen

Nothing is as it seems.

Four years have passed since the events of Follow the Butterfly. Ira and Arto have teamed up, and both work as crime journalists for the Helsinki Today. Everything’s going nicely, until Ira starts suspecting there’s a serial killer on the loose in Helsinki.

The murders are investigated by Senior Crime Inspector Kerttu Leppänen, who leads the murder unit and eagerly waits for retirement. Unsolved cases haunt Kerttu, who is unable to forgive herself.

The past catches up with all of them – if they were ever free from its clutches in the first place…

FREE
by Martta Kaukonen

Is it worth digging up the truth?

It’s 1995. Detective Chief Inspector Kerttu Leppänen and her spouse, Inspector Esko Koivuvyö, are tasked with investigating the murder of a middle-aged woman. However, the crime scene presents a mystery that complicates the investigation: beside the body, there is a bloody knife on a pillow, even though it cannot be the murder weapon.

Thirty years later, Ira is determined to uncover the truth about her parents’ marriage. Why did her mother Marja fear her father Arto? And why does Arto refuse to answer Ira’s questions? Across different decades, Kerttu and Ira each come to the same realization: if you uncover the truth, you must be prepared to face its consequences.

TERAPIASSA
WSOY, 2021, 471 pp.

Reading materials: Full English manuscript, German Edition

HENGISSÄ:
WSOY, 2023, 272 pp.

Reading materials: Full English manuscript, German MS

POISSA
WSOY, 2025, 300 pp.

Reading materials: English synopsis

Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECHIA: Albatros Media
DENMARK: Forlaget Falco
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
FILM & TV: Legendary Tobis TV
GERMANY: Heyne (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Psichogios (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Partvonal Kiadó (2-book-deal)
ICELAND: Storytel (3-book-deal)
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca (2-book-deal)
UNITED KINGDOM: Pushkin Press (2-book-deal)
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press (2-book-deal)
WORLD ARABIC: Al Arabi Publishing
WORLD ENGLISH (Audio): Audible

 

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY nominated for Viktor Crime Award!

Exciting news! First up, FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by Martta Kaukonen has been nominated for the Viktor Crime Award, a prestigious prize hosted by Germany’s most successful thriller author Sebastian Fitzek. Congratulations Martta!

Follow the Butterfly, aka “Therapiert”, was published by Heyne Verlag in February 2023 and it hit the Spiegel Bestseller list. The sequel, Meet Me in the Darkness (Traumatisiert), will be published in Spring 2025.

More information about the Viktor Crime Award in the organizer’s words:

 “The prize is awarded in the categories “international” and “national” and honors new, successful voices who have achieved the best debut in the genre of thriller literature in the last two years on the German-language market and who are also expected to achieve further success in the future. The prize is endowed with EUR 6,666 (EUR 3,333 per category).”

The book is on the shortlist with two other nominees in the international category. The winner will be announced on November 1st, at Europe’s biggest international Crime fiction festival, Mord am Hellweg.

Also…

Last Spring Martta Kaukonen was also nominated for the prestigious Glass Key Award!

The Glass Key Award (Glasnyckeln/Glasnøglen) is an award by the Scandinavian Crime Novel Society and is given out to a book written by a Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian or Swedish author each year. Previous winners include Henning Mankell, Peter Høeg, Jo Nesbø, Stieg Larsson, Karin Fossum, and last year Max Seeck! FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY has been sold to 16 territories. In Denmark, the title has been published by Falco in 2023 as Hvad ser du, translated by René Semberlund Jensen, which was the edition read by the international jury.

“A tense, unsettling, gripping serial killer narrative that takes some very unexpected turns… Such a clever book that juxataposes serial killing with some very profound points – my favourite kind of crime fiction. Highly recommended!'”
– Harriet Tyce

Finally, we’re excited to talk about Martta Kaukonen’s international press campaign! While details aren’t finalized yet for the other countries, we can talk about the book bloggers meet happening in Hungary.

Thanks to the lovely people at Martta’s Hungarian publisher Partvonal for helping us organize and setting up the event! This online chat will be conducted in English, happening October 17th 2024 at 16.00-17.00 CET.

Click here for event details and registration on Facebook!

For any of you who aren’t familiar with FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY, here’s a little bit about the book:

Ira, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ira becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

Click here to download all reading materials for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY!

Publication Info:
Terapiassa, WSOY 2021, 407 p.

Rights sold: FINLAND: WSOY (orig.) CROATIA: Znanje, CZECHIA: Albatros Media, DENMARK: Forlaget Falco, ESTONIA: Hea Lugu, FILM & TV: Legendary Tobis TV, GERMANY: Heyne, GREECE: Psichogios,  HUNGARY: Partvonal Kiadó, ITALY: Longanesi, LATVIA: Jumava, LITHUANIA: Obuolys, POLAND: Czarna Owca, WORLD ARABIC: Al Arabi, WORLD ENGLISH: Pushkin Press, Audible (audio)

Rights for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY still available in the Netherlands, France, Spain, Sweden, Norway…

Reading Materials:
Full English manuscript and German edition

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen joins bestselling crime authors, former Prime Minister, and former FBI director, at the UK’s Harrogate Festival!

Back in May we announced that Martta Kaukonen, international bestseller of FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY (Pushkin Press), joined the superstar lineup invited to the big Harrogate Festival in the UK this July…and that day has finally arrived!

It was an amazing weekend, and we were able to get some great photos – among them other bestselling authors, a former FBI director, and Scotland’s former prime minister, and more.

She also attended the New Blood panel, officially described: “This perennial Festival favourite provides a showcase for outstanding first-time authors and this year it comes with a twist. Some of the UK’s top crime fiction critics have selected four terrific debuts and the authors will discuss them with 2024 Festival Programming Chair, Ruth Ware.”

Now for the festival photos! Clockwise, from left to right:

1. Martta with Scotland’s former prime minister Nicola Sturgeon, 2. Martta with the former director of FBI James Comey, 3. The New Blood panel attendees: From left to right: Jonny Sweet, panel chair Ruth Ware, Claire Coughlan, Colin Walsh, 4. Martta with bestselling crime writer Harriet Tyce, 5. Martta with CBE Lynda La Plante, 6. Martta with bestselling crime writer Erin Kelly,  7.  Martta with bestselling crime writer Peter James

                                                                 

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen among superstar lineup in UK crime writing festival

We’re so proud of our globally bestselling Martta Kaukonen, who has been invited to the internationally prestigious Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival taking place this July in Harrogate! Yesterday she attended the launch with other international favorites, including Chris Carter, Elly Griffiths, Harriet Tyce, and Lauren Beukes, as you’ll see from our event photos.

For any interested in learning more about the festival, here is info about the Harrogate Festival and Programme Revealedhttps://harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/news/theakston-old-peculier-crime-writing-festival-full-programme-revealed/

 

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by Martta Kaukonen published in the UK to great reviews!

We are excited to announce that Martta Kaukonen’s internationally successful psychological thriller Follow the Butterfly is now out in English, translated by David Hackston and published by Pushkin Press! Simultaneously with the UK edition, Audible US has published the audiobook version of Follow the Butterfly.

Read more about the English edition of Follow the Butterfly here.

Congratulations to Martta Kaukonen and Pushkin Press!

Follow the Butterfly has already received its first, outstanding reviews in the United Kingdom and Ireland:

“Follow the Butterfly is the portrait of a failing marriage, a demonstration of the perils and pitfalls of “the talking cure” and a brilliant game of cat and mouse between author and reader. [–] Whether, in the end, you believe either of them, there’s no denying the pieces of this psychological thriller fit together as ingeniously as those in a Chinese puzzle box.”
– Mark Sanderson, The Times, UK

This first novel by Finnish film critic Martta Kaukonen is a fascinating study in guilt, shame, blame and the stories we tell ourselves to make life bearable. [–] The delivery of information, both real and false, is beautifully handled. The portrait of the vain and self-deceiving therapist is chilling, and the ultimate revelation of what has been going on in all four lives is horribly convincing.
Natasha Cooper, Literary Review, UK

Told from the points of view of Ida, Clarissa and her husband Pekka, and newspaper journalist Arto, the twists and turns accumulate, and we’re soon wondering which of the narrators, if any, is telling the truth. A slow burn to start, this dark tale packs a punch when the deadly cat-and-mouse game culminates in a host of shattering revelations.
Breda Brown, Sunday Independent, Ireland

Follow the Butterfly has been a critical success and bestseller both in Finland and abroad:

  • Rights for the title have been sold to 16 territories!
  • Film and TV rights have been acquired by Legendary Tobis TV!
  • The German edition of Follow the Butterfly was a Spiegel bestseller with more than 24,000 copies sold!
  • It is currently nominated for the Glass Key Award of 2024 and has previously been nominated for the Savonia Prize!

The sequel to Follow the Butterfly, Meet Me In the Darkness, was published in Finland last December and has also been met with critical acclaim.

Rights for Follow the Butterfly are still available in France, Spain, Sweden, Japan, Romania, the Netherlands, etc!

Download the materials for Follow the Butterfly here!

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn

An international bestseller with rights sold to 16 territories and TV rights sold to Legendary Tobis
A critical success and bestseller in Finland!
✓ Nominated for the Glass Key Award of 2024!
✓ A Spiegel bestseller in Germany!

Ira, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ira becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
TERAPIASSA
WSOY, 2021, 407 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English edition
Finnish edition
German edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECHIA: Albatros Media
DENMARK: Forlaget Falco
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Penguin Random House / Heyne
GREECE: Psichogios
HUNGARY: Partvonal Kiadó
ITALY: Longanesi
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca
UNITED KINGDOM: Pushkin Press
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press
WORLD ARABIC: Al Arabi
WORLD ENGLISH (audio): Audible
FILM & TV RIGHTS: Legendary Tobis TV

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by Martta Kaukonen is the Finnish nominee for the prestigious Glass Key Award!

We are thrilled to to announce that the Finnish nominee for the Glass Key Award is Martta Kaukonen’s best-selling thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY!

Congrats, Martta! 

The Glass Key Award (Glasnyckeln/Glasnøglen) is an award by the Scandinavian Crime Novel Society and is given out to a book written by a Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian or Swedish author each year. Previous winners include Henning Mankell, Peter Høeg, Jo Nesbø, Stieg Larsson, Karin Fossum, and last year Max Seeck!

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY has been sold to 16 territories. In Denmark, the title has been published by Falco in 2023 as Hvad ser du, translated by René Semberlund Jensen, which is the edition the international jury will read. The winner will be announced in summer.

The other known nominees are those of Sweden and Iceland:

SwedenLevande och döda by Christoffer Carlsson
IcelandStorebror by Skúrli Sigurðsson

Heyne Verlag in Germany published Follow the Butterfly, aka Therapiert, in February 2023 and it hit the Spiegel Bestseller list, has sold more than 24,000 copies, and has received multiple starred reviews! UK & US publisher Pushkin Press will launch Follow the Butterfly in March 2024. Book 2: Meet Me in the Darkness has been received in Finland with buzzing reviews!

Rights to this unique international bestseller are still available e.g. in France, Spain, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, etc.

Download the materials for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY here!

 

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn

  • An international bestseller by author-journalist Martta Kaukonen, sold to 16 territories and TV rights to Legendary Tobis
  • A critical success and bestseller in Finland!
  • Savonia Prize nominee!
  • A Spiegel bestseller in Germany!

Ira, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ira becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

Terapiassa
WSOY, March 2021, 407 pp.
Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECHIA: Albatros Media
DENMARK: Forlaget Falco
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Penguin Random House / Heyne
GREECE: Psichogios
HUNGARY: Partvonal Kiadó
ITALY: Longanesi
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca
UNITED KINGDOM: Pushkin Press
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press
WORLD ARABIC: Al Arabi
WORLD ENGLISH (audio): Audible
FILM & TV RIGHTS: Legendary Tobis TV

Reading materials:
English edition
German edition

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

The Italian rights to Martta Kaukonen’s bestselling thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY acquired by Longanesi!

We are thrilled to tell that we’ve closed an Italian deal for Martta Kaukonen’s FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY! The rights to the Spiegel-bestselling thriller were acquired in a pre-empt by Longanesi, who praised the title saying:

“Clever, surprising, rich with both plot twists and emotional nouances. What more could you ask for from a great thriller? We were totally taken by the masterfully conducted shifts of point of view which leaves the reader guessing and questioning the moral compass of all the characters right to the end. What a fun and engaging read!”
– Giuseppe Strazzeri, Editorial Director Longanesi

Martta Kaukonen’s internationally bestselling psychological thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERLY has been sold to 16 territories  Film & TV rights acquired by Legendary Tobis!
Heyne Verlag in Germany published THERAPIERT in February 2023 and it hit the Spiegel Bestseller list, has sold more than 24,000 copies, and has received multiple starred reviews! UK & US publisher Pushkin Press will launch FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY in March 2024. Book 2: RETURN OF THE BUTTERLY has been received in Finland with buzzing reviews!

Rights to this unique international bestseller are still available e.g. in France, Spain, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, etc.

English and German editions are available!

Download the materials for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY here!

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn

  • An international bestseller by author-journalist Martta Kaukonen, sold to 16 territories and TV rights to Legendary Tobis
  • A critical success and bestseller in Finland!
  • Savonia Prize nominee!
  • A Spiegel bestseller in Germany!
  • US & UK release in Spring 2024 by Pushkin Press!
  • Full English text available!

Ira, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ira becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

Terapiassa
WSOY, March 2021, 407 pp.
Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECHIA: Albatros Media
DENMARK: Forlaget Falco
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Penguin Random House / Heyne
GREECE: Psichogios
HUNGARY: Partvonal Kiadó
ITALY: Longanesi
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca
UNITED KINGDOM: Pushkin Press
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press
WORLD ARABIC: Al Arabi
WORLD ENGLISH (audio): Audible
FILM & TV RIGHTS: Legendary Tobis TV
Reading materials:
English edition
German edition

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

Legendary Tobis TV has acquired the TV & Film rights to Martta Kaukonen’s THERAPIERT aka FOLLOW TO BUTTERFLY!

German series production company Legendary Tobis TV has acquired the rights to Martta Kaukonen’s internationally bestselling, exceptional thriller debut THERAPIERT aka FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and will develop it into a German language series.  

We are very excited to start working on THERAPIERT by Martta Kaukonen, which is one of the most thrilling debuts of this year. With its strong female characters and surprising twists, it is perfect for a series adaption”, says Isabel Hund, CEO of Legendary Tobis.

The offers have been coming in from abroad since FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY was published in 2021. Now, a production company  Legendary Tobis that understands my novel the way I intended, even between the lines, has been found. I feel as if my protagonist, the 20-year-old serial killer Ida, has finally found her way home.
– Martta Kaukonen, Author

Legendary Tobis TV is a Joint Venture between leading German producer-distributor Tobis and the Los Angeles based Legendary Entertainment. The Munich based company was founded in 2022 and focuses on high-end scripted series and mini-series driven by local stories and talent.

Martta Kaukonen’s internationally bestselling psychological thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERLY has been sold to 15 territories and is creating buzz wherever published, recently in Germany, Poland, Greece, Denmark etc. Heyne Verlag in Germany published THERAPIERT in February 2023 and it hit the Spiegel Bestseller list, has sold more than 24,000 copies, and has received multiple starred reviews! UK & US publisher Pushkin Press will launch FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY in March 2024. Book 2: RETURN OF THE BUTTERLY will be published in Finland in December 2023 by WSOY.

Rights to this unique international bestseller are still available e.g. in France, Spain, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, etc.

English and German editions are available!

Download the materials for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY here!

TERAPIASSA
WSOY, March 2021, 471 pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECHIA: Albatros Media
DENMARK: Forlaget Falco
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Psichogios (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Partvonal Kiadó (2-book-deal)
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca (2-book-deal)
UNITED KINGDOM: Pushkin Press (2-book-deal)
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press (2-book-deal)
WORLD ARABIC: Al Arabi Publishing
WORLD ENGLISH (Audio): Audible
FILM & TV RIGHTS: Legendary Tobis TV

Reading materials: English edition, German edition

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by Martta Kaukonen World Arabic rights sold!

We are happy to announce the World Arabic rights for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY have sold to Al Arabi Publishing. The deal was closed by Mimi Matinpalo at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.  FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY has now sold in 15 territories! Full English MS is available! 

Al Arabi Publishing and Distributing, established in 1975, is specializing in publishing translated literature, such as Finnish author Leena Lehtolainen’s novels.  The Arabic publisher Sherif Bakr said:

“The Arab readers are quite thrilled waiting for the most remarkable psychological thriller by Martta Kaukonen Follow the Butterfly ” – Al Arabi

Congratulations Al Arabi Publishing and Martta Kaukonen!

The long-awaited sequel to FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY will be released in December 2023.

Want to join this international success story? Rights are still available in France, Italy, World Spanish, Sweden, Netherlands, Portugal, China, Thailand etc. 

Download the materials for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY here!

Praise from foreign publishers and media of FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY:

“We couldn’t be more excited to have acquired Martta Kaukonen’s twisty addictive psychological thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and its sequel. Ida has to be the most sympathetic serial killer in crime fiction, and is one of the most original protagonists we’ve come across in a very long time.”
– Daniel Seton, Pushkin Press, United Kingdom

“This is an extremely addictive, plot-driven and immensely twisty novel. This book keeps suspense until the end. I’m very glad I could deeply dive into Follow the Butterfly.”
– Dominika Dudarew-Osiecka, Czarna Owca, Poland

”I have never read a thriller like this. A female serial killer whom we root for and not one unreliable narrator but four whose narratives are woven into each other with such skill. This plot-driven, emotional and wonderfully written book is what our readers have been waiting for.”
–Janina Dyballa, Heyne Verlag

“Interesting, mysterious, and gripping story told from the perspective of serial killer which makes it original and unique.”
–Dijana Orsolic, Znanje publishing, Croatia

“One of the most suspenseful thrillers I have ever read [–] incredibly captivating [–] well-thought-out and well-written [–] really magnificent”.
– Nicole List in ORF TV programme Studio 2, Austria

“The most suspenseful and surprising book in a long time. Only a few sentences in I realised: I am the fly in the spider net.”
– Ulla Müller, Bayern 1 radio (24. March 2023), Germany

 

TERAPIASSA
WSOY, March 2021, 471 pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECHIA: Albatros Media
DENMARK: Forlaget Falco
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Psichogios (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Partvonal Kiadó (2-book-deal)
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca (2-book-deal)
UNITED KINGDOM: Pushkin Press (2-book-deal)
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press (2-book-deal)
WORLD ARABIC: Al Arabi Publishing
WORLD ENGLISH (Audio): Audible

Reading materials: Full English manuscript

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen on the SPIEGEL BESTSELLER list!

We are thrilled to announce that just one week after its publication in Germany, FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY aka THERAPIERT (Heyne Verlag) by Martta Kaukonen has entered the German bestsellers lists! Currently, it is on place 15 of the SPIEGEL BESTSELLER LIST for paperpacks – and German publisher Heyne have already ordered a second edition! What a start for the book on the German market!

Readers have been buzzing about the book as well:

Martta Kaukonen constructs a masterfully narrated psychological thriller, that doesn’t cease to amaze us as it gradually reveals more and more of its characters’ secrets. FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY is a somewhat different, very psychologically constructed thriller, that convinces with soft tones and big feelings. Exciting until the very last page.” – Silke Schröder on hallo-buch.de

Nothing is as it seems. The topic of therapy takes center stage and offers readers an exciting insight into the depths of the human psyche – a truly successful thriller!” – myautumnofbooks

The ending then even outdid all the previous twists. After finishing the book, I was left with a feeling of “Wow!”.” – JS Booklover

Congratulations to Martta Kaukonen and Heyne for this impressive achievement! 

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY has been a critical success and bestseller in Finland, and was nominated for the Savonia Prize. The rights were sold to to 14 territories and the book will be published in the UK and US next year by Pushkin Press. A sequel is coming out in November 2023.

We now have a full English manuscript for you to review. Rights are still available for France, Italy, World Spanish, Sweden, Netherlands, Norway and many more!

Download the full English text here! 

Terapiassa / Follow the Butterfly

Rights sold:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECH REPUBLIC: Kniha Zlin/Albatros
DENMARK: Falco
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne (2-book deal)
GREECE: Psichogios (2-book deal)
HUNGARY: Partvonal (2-book-deal)
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca (2-book deal)
UNITED KINGDOM: Pushkin Press (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press (2-book deal)
WORLD ENGLISH (Audio): Audible

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY now published in German!

Publication news! 

We are excited to announce that Martta Kaukonen’s international success crime novel FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY is now out in German, published by Heyne this week! And we love their cover! 

THERAPIERT has already been praised by German bloggers:

The thriller was able to surprise me with many plot twists, fool me and was simply a great read, because especially the frequent changes between the different perspectives made me incredibly curious again and again and everything came together bit by bit and yet in suspenseful manner (…) Ultimately, in my opinion, a successful debut by the author and I am already incredibly excited to see what I can read from her next!” – Gedankenlabor blog

It’s exciting how the author succeeded in her novel to present the events as present, but the characters spoke to you as if they were reflecting on the events with us in a Netflix series. That was definitely the icing on the cake for me! (…) FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY [was] a real page turner. Every twist hits you cold and every solution you come up with is destroyed by the author in one sentence. A thriller that will take your breath away. You can no longer trust your own thoughts and the individual characters. Recommended reading for psychological thriller fans!” – Lisa Albrecht on academicworld.net

Kaukonen’s debut novel is in its structure and narrative style reminiscent of thrillers by Gillian Flynn (amongst others “Gone Girl”), Paula Hawkins (“Girl on the train”) or A. J. Finn (“The woman in the window”). The novel really toys with the reader. (…) A clever game of confusion that draws its subtle tension from the constant changes in perspective and the numerous twists and turns. The special narrative style makes Kaukonen’s novel so worth reading. A psychological thriller that really gets under your skin and subliminally, but sometimes ironically, also criticizes the media and psychotherapy.” – Thomas Gisbertz on Krimicouch.de

Congratulations to Heyne and Martta Kaukonen! 

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY has been a critical success and bestseller in Finland, and was nominated for the Savonia Prize. The rights were sold to to 14 territories and the book will be published in the UK and US next year by Pushkin Press. A sequel is coming out in November 2023.

We now have a full English manuscript for you to review. Rights are still available for France, Italy, World Spanish, Sweden, Netherlands, Norway, …

Download the full English text here!

Terapiassa / Follow the Butterfly

Rights sold:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECH REPUBLIC: Kniha Zlin/Albatros
DENMARK: Falco
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne (2-book deal)
GREECE: Psichogios (2-book deal)
HUNGARY: Partvonal (2-book-deal)
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca (2-book deal)
UNITED KINGDOM: Pushkin Press (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press (2-book deal)
WORLD ENGLISH (Audio): Audible

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

FILI grants and latest reviews

We wish to remind you that the final FILI grant application period is open from 1st October to 1st November!

In the previous application period of Spring 2022, over 90 projects received the FILI grant with over 150 000 EUR awarded in total! See the previously awarded projects here.

Up to 70% of translation costs from Finnish, Finland-Swedish and Sámi languages can be covered by a FILI translation grant. There are three application periods per year, and the fall application period is 1.10.-1.11.2022.

This is a perfect time to acquire exciting new Finnish titles – see some of our fall highlights below, and access our whole catalogue here!

Inherited Land by Maria Turtschaninoff

Following in the tradition of family sagas like One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez.

The roots of man and forest are intertwined in the depths of the earth.

Maria Turtschaninoff’s first adult fiction novel Inherited Land explores a current topic, climate crisis, in a unique way. It depicts human relationship with nature across centuries, across generations and is a reminder of human’s relationship to the nature and what it could possibly look like in the future.

 The book is beautiful like a piece of jewellery and rich like a forest. [–] The episodic grip and the enormous reach of time makes Inherited Land a string of stories rather than one single one. In this world, Turtschaninoff paints the weight of historical reality heavier than that of fantasy even though there are fantasy elements too.”
Freja Rudels, Åbo Underrättelser newspaper

Download the English materials for INHERITED LAND here!

 

The Enchantment by Riikka Pulkkinen

This shiningly beautiful novel is an autopsy of girlhood, power, and truth.

Philippa Laakso, aged seventeen, is found dead in her home yard. Nothing suggests a crime, and everyone who knew her is certain she wasn’t suicidal. On the other hand, everyone who knew her seems to hold a differing view of her. The investigation sees everyone who knew her being interviewed, but behind every view and story there is Philippa’s influence. She still has the people around her in a sharp grip: her friend, ex-boyfriend, teacher, neighbours.   Riikka Pulkkinen’s anticipated novel examines the power and comfort of make-believe and the thin line between love and play.

 I’d want to write long and in-depth about [the novel], but I’ll try to hold myself in check. Simply put: The Enchantment impressed me. [–] The reader is given a lot to think about with both the content and the narration.”
Tuijata culture blog

Download the English materials for THE ENCHANTMENT here! 

 

The Italian Game by Vera Vala

“The heart of darkness is in the human mind.”
Elena Ferrante meets Jo Nesbø in this new crime series!

The Greater Milan area lives in fear. A mysterious stalker is terrorizing people, and a serial killer called the Harlequin is picking their victims, branding them with jewellery. Are the two cases connected?

Salla Kotka, starting her career as a forensic psychologist, gets pulled into the threatening chain of events as she begins working for a defense attorney. Their client is the suspected serial killer, and Salla needs to help the defense uncover the truth.

 The Italian Game is a true cornucopia. I loved the descriptions of Italy, its society and the lifestyle of the Italians. [–] I liked the charaters, they are considerably more well-rounded and psychologically more sound than those usually seen in crime novels. [The Finnish] Salla Kotka is an interesting protagonist both for her intelligence and for her traumas and darkness..”
 Marin kirjaillat blog

Download the English materials for THE ITALIAN GAME here!

 

The Night of Ancient Lights by Hanna Meretoja

For readers of Rachel Cusk and Maggie Nelson

Elea has just heard that she is seriously ill and wants to share with friends the sense of urgency that shakes her to her core. The push-and-pull of hope and despair permeates the narration that flows in the rhythm of the sea, in dialogue with Virginia Woolf’s Waves and Tove Jansson’s Summer Book. It captures the soul of the Finnish archipelago – the world’s largest island labyrinth.

The tensions between the characters live and find new ways, as they need to come face-to-face with painful ideas of loss, ending and the limitations of life. [–] Despite everything, in the night of the ancient lights, there is hope and a strong lust for life.”
Anna Ferrante in Anna Magazine

Download the English materials for THE NIGHT OF ANCIENT LIGHTS here!

 

In Your Shadow by Martta Kaukonen

A new thriller by Martta Kaukonen whose debut Follow the Butterfly sold to 13 territories! 

The harassment of women should be kept silent no longer, a small group of activists declares and demands justice. But at what price?   When #metoo spread through the media like wildfire, many victims of harassment felt hopeful – now we can talk about it, now the change begins. But the fire died and things did not change. Traumas did not disappear and justice is yet to come.

Martta Kaukonen’s In Your Shadow is an irresistibly convincing work. Narratively it’s gripping: the story reveals, in a well-thoughtout order, small pieces of the characters’ past and motives. A recommendation.”
Dekkarihelmenkalastaja bookstagram

Download the English materials for IN YOUR SHADOW here!

INHERITED LAND

Arvejord
Förlaget, August 2020, 371 pp.

Rights sold: FINLAND (Swedish): Förlaget (orig.), FINLAND (Finnish): Tammi, AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran

 

 

THE ENCHANTMENT

Lumo
Otava, September 2022, 383 pp.

Rights sold: FINLAND: Otava (orig.)

 

 

THE ITALIAN GAME

Italialainen peli
WSOY, August 2022, 414 pp.

Rights sold: FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

 

 

THE NIGHT OF THE ANCIENT LIGHTS

Elotulet
WSOY, June 2022, 462 pp.

Rights sold: FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

 

 

IN YOUR SHADOW

Sinun varjossasi
WSOY, July 2022, 276 pp.

Rights sold: FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

About author


Hanna Meretoja

Hanna Meretoja is an internationally renowned literary scholar, a professor of comparative literature, and narrative theorist whose work has been published by prestigious academic publishers. Her monographs include The Ethics of Storytelling: Narrative Hermeneutics, History, and the Possible (2018, Oxford University Press). Her work is mainly in the fields of narrative studies, cultural memory studies, and trauma studies. As a novelist, Meretoja has a unique lyrical voice that seamlessly threads cultural theory and philosophy into a poetic, ruptured narrative with an acute sense of lived experience.

About author


Maria Turtschaninoff

Maria Turtschaninoff is known for crafting lyrical, historically inspired fantasy stories starring strong female protagonists. In addition to J.R.R. Tolkien, she counts Philip Pullman, Ursula K. Le Guin and C.S. Lewis among her favorite authors. She is a two-time winner of the Society of Swedish Literature Prize, winner of the Swedish YLE Literature Prize, winner of the Thank You for the Book Award, a nominee for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (2020-2024), and winner of the 2014 Finlandia Junior Prize. In 2024, Maria Turtschaninoff won the Eeva Joenpelto Literary Prize (10,000 euro award) for her literary masterpiece Tangled Roots.

Her Red Abbey Chronicles YA trilogy has been sold into 30 languages, while her first adult novel Tangled Roots has been sold to 23 territories. Maria has a Master of Arts in human ecology and works full-time as a writer.

Photo credit: Veikko Somerpuro/Tammi

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

About author


Riikka Pulkkinen

Riikka Pulkkinen (b. 1980) is one of the top names in Finnish literature. Her debut novel The Limit (2006) gained wide attention, was a bestseller, and was adapted into a play and a TV series in Finland. Her international breakthrough came with her second novel, True (2010), which was the one novel everyone was talking about that year at the Frankfurt book fair. The novel has been published in 17 countries to date.

Pulkkinen’s novels are characterized by the precision with which she describes the psychology of the characters, and the philosophical themes that reflect from the characters into the refined structure of the novels and culminate on the level of the plot. The main questions she explores in her novels concern power, responsibility, and justice.

Pulkkinen has an M.A. in Literary Studies from the University of Helsinki, and she lives in Helsinki with her husband and her two children. She enjoys dancing and running in the forest or by the seaside. If she weren’t a writer, she would be a psychologist or a baker.

For her works, Riikka Pulkkinen has received the Kaarle award in 2007, the Laila Hirvisaari Fund stipend in 2007, the Veijo Meri Award in 2019, and her novel True was nominated for the Finlandia Prize in 2010. Her acclaimed novel The Enchantment (Otava, 2022) will be published in English by Scribe in 2025, and her new novel Our Last Game (Otava, 2024), published in Finland in August 2024, has gained starred reviews.

Photo credit: Jonne Räsänen / Otava

About author


Vera Vala

Vera Vala’s roots are in Finnish forests, but her soul belongs to Italy, where she has been living for over 25 years. She has an infinite thirst for knowledge that has taken her to study various academic subjects from Physics to Assyriology and Romance Languages, and the information acquired during those years has been useful as background research for her novels.

Vera’s adventurous spirit has taken her from diving with sharks while living in Seychelles to rafting in Italian Alps and exploring the shadier parts of her former hometown, Rome: the diverse experiences have come in handy while creating intriguing plot twists.

Currently, Vera lives with her family in Milan where she is studying to become a clinical psychologist with a special interest in Forensic Psychology. Vera creates novel scenes in her mind while cooking Italian meals, and she loves slow chess games and meditation.

The great post-#MeToo thriller by Martta Kaukonen now published in Finland!

Martta Kaukonen’s newest thriller IN YOUR SHADOW has now been published in Finland! 

Kaukonen’s debut FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY earned her the nickname “Finland’s Gillian Flynn” for her plot twists and suspenseful style. Follow the Butterfly has sold to 13 territories so far! IN YOUR SHADOW is a standalone thriller, a page-turner, dealing with post trauma and hunger for justice.  


Ask for the English synopsis and Finnish pdf for IN YOUR SHADOW here! 
 

IN YOUR SHADOW
by Martta Kaukonen

The great post-#MeToo thriller

The harassment of women should be kept silent no longer, a small group of activists declares and demands justice. But at what price?

When #metoo spread through the media like wildfire, many victims of harassment felt hopeful – now we can talk about it, now the change begins. But the fire died and things did not change. Traumas did not disappear and justice is yet to come.

Sixty-year-old Anne hosts meetings for a group of people who will not be silenced. Among them are acclaimed actress Minna who has spoken about her experiences publicly, former straight-A student Suvi who doesn’t want to leave her home anymore out of fear, and performance artist Roni who’s looking to upgrade his feminism from words to actions. Can they trust each other? Are they driven by a desire for justice or a wish for revenge?

FIRST PRAISE:

Martta Kaukonen’s IN YOUR SHADOW is an undeniably impactful work. Narratively, the book is compelling: the story reveals clues about the characters’ past and motives in small pieces and in a carefully thought-out sequence. 

– Dekkarihelmenkalastaja Instagram, Finland

IN YOUR SHADOW
Sinun varjossasi
WSOY, July 2022, 276pp

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

Now World English Audio rights sold for Martta Kaukonen’s debut thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY

Martta Kaukonen’s award-winning thriller, FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY, with “the most sympathetic serial killer” continues to amaze readers!

We are very excited to announce a wonderful World English Audio rights deal for Martta Kaukonen’s internationally bestselling thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY.  Audible in the US has acquired exclusive World English Audio rights to Follow the Butterfly for simultaneous publication with Pushkin Press in 2023. Previously Pushkin Press acquired UK & US/World English print and e-book rights to Follow the Butterly.  Pushkin is distributed in the US by Penguin Random House. Audible is an Amazon company.
The deal was closed by Rhea Lyons at HG Literary and Elina Ahlbäck at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency

Download the English sample and synopsis for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by clicking here

Previously, the rights have been sold to the UK and US (Pushkin Press), Germany (Heyne), Greece (Psichogios), Croatia (Znanje), Denmark (Falco), Estonia (Hea Lugu), Latvia (Jumava), Lithuania (Obuolys), Czech Republic (Albatros), Poland (Czarna Owca), and Hungary (Partvonal).

Rights are still available in France, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Russia, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Turkey, etc.

US PRAISE FOR FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY:

Pushkin is proud to have acquired US rights in addition to UK rights for this incredible debut and is excited for English readers everywhere to experience the twisty, addictive thrill of Martta Kaukonen’s Follow The Butterfly.
– Adam Freudenheim |Publisher and Managing Director,  Pushkin Press


FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
by Martta Kaukonen

An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn

Ida, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ida becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

PRAISE:

“Based on its flair, this mercurial thriller could be described as the Finnish cousin of works by Paula Hawkins, Clare Mackintosh and Caroline Kepnes. The author moves the story forward in a sure-handed manner whilst whirling the reader as if in a carousel. The thriller has been written in a fast-paced and vivid style that compels you to gulp down the story like cotton candy. Follow the Butterly will satisfy anyone’s hunger for suspense.”
– Anette Jaakonaho, Psykologi Magazine“Kaukonen started writing her thriller a year before the #metoo campaign and now she hits the bullseye with her theme of sexual abuse. “
– Heidi Lakkala, Lapin Kansa newspaperMartta Kaukonen’s pencil mark is confident and her work even has a humoristic take on therapy as a theme. ‘Follow the Butterfly’ is a thriller with nothing unnecessary. It builds settings through its four narrators but doesn’t doubt dismantling them over and over again. Film Critic Kaukonen’s debut is an ambitious piece.”
– Maaria Ylikangas, Helsingin Sanomat Culture – five star praise

“This is an extremely addictive, plot-driven and immensely twisty novel. This book keeps suspense until the end. I’m very glad I could deeply dive into Follow the Butterfly.’
– Dominika Dudarew-Osiecka, Czarna Owca, Poland

I have never read a thriller like this. A female serial killer whom we root for and not one unreliable narrator but four whose narratives are woven into each other with such skill. This plot-driven, emotional and wonderfully written book is what our readers have been waiting for.”
–Janina Dyballa, Heyne Verlag

“Interesting, mysterious, and gripping story told from the perspective of serial killer which makes it original and unique.”
– Dijana Orsolic, Znanje publishing, Croatia

“We couldn’t be more excited to have acquired Martta Kaukonen’s twisty addictive psychological thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and its sequel. Ida has to be the most sympathetic serial killer in crime fiction, and is one of the most original protagonists we’ve come across in a very long time.”   – Daniel Seton, Pushkin Press, United Kingdom

“We are really excited with GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY! It is full of twists and turns, and the reading experience is like standing on moving sand. You do not know what to expect! We strongly believe that Martta Kaukonen belongs to the Psichogios catalogue with our other leading authors such as Emma Donoghue, Paula Hawkins, A. J. Finn, Emma Cline, etc.”
– Irene Christopoulou, editor, Psichogios, Greece

“Martta Kaukonen’s „Follow the Butterfly“ offers readers many sudden twists. The main character is one of a kind, captivating like a butterfly.”- Maire Kasemaa, Editor, Hea Lugu, Estonia

”…Martta Kaukonen keeps spinning the suspense tighter and tighter, one chapter at a time. This entertaining debut novel is like a box of candy for all friends of psychological thrillers.” – Me Naiset magazine

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

CROATIA: Znanje
CZECH REPUBLIC:
Kniha Zlin/Albatros
DENMARK: Falco
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne Verlag
(two-book deal)
GREECE: Psichogios
(two-book deal)
HUNGARY: Partvonal
(two-book deal)
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca
(two-book deal)
UNITED KINGDOM:
Pushkin Press
(two-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press(two-book deal)
WORLD ENGLISH (Audio): Audible

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen’s debut thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY now the winner of the Shadow-Savonia Prize!

Martta Kaukonen’s award-winning thriller, FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY, with “the most sympathetic serial killer” continues to amaze readers!

We couldn’t be happier to announce World English rights sale a few weeks ago:  the US rights for Martta Kaukonen’s debut thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY  acquired by Pushkin Press! 

Now we are also happy to let you know that this year’s Shadow-Savonia prize went to Martta Kaukonen’s FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY!
Shadow-Savonia Prize is awarded to the readers’ favorite title in the Finnish Savonia Prize competition.

Download the English sample and synopsis for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by clicking here

In the last 3 months, the rights have been sold to the UK and US (Pushkin Press), Germany (Heyne), Greece (Psichogios), Croatia (Znanje), Denmark (Falco), Estonia (Hea Lugu), Latvia (Jumava), Lithuania (Obuolys), Czech Republic (Albatros), Poland (Czarna Owca), and Hungary (Partvonal).Rights are still available in France, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Russia, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Turkey, etc.

US PRAISE FOR FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY:

Pushkin is proud to have acquired US rights in addition to UK rights for this incredible debut and is excited for English readers everywhere to experience the twisty, addictive thrill of Martta Kaukonen’s Follow The Butterfly.
– Adam Freudenheim |Publisher and Managing Director,  Pushkin Press

SAVONIA PRIZE JURY PRAISE FOR FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY:

Kaukonen’s debut is such a skillfully constructed psychological thriller and it holds the reader in its grip offering her surprises until the very last line. The gruesome plot speeds forward seemingly lightly in short paragraphs. The perspectives change swiftly between the characters and the ambiance intensifies with the ending that flips the tables completely.


FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
by Martta Kaukonen

An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn

Ida, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ida becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

PRAISE:

“Based on its flair, this mercurial thriller could be described as the Finnish cousin of works by Paula Hawkins, Clare Mackintosh and Caroline Kepnes. The author moves the story forward in a sure-handed manner whilst whirling the reader as if in a carousel. The thriller has been written in a fast-paced and vivid style that compels you to gulp down the story like cotton candy. Follow the Butterly will satisfy anyone’s hunger for suspense.”
– Anette Jaakonaho, Psykologi Magazine“Kaukonen started writing her thriller a year before the #metoo campaign and now she hits the bullseye with her theme of sexual abuse. “
– Heidi Lakkala, Lapin Kansa newspaperMartta Kaukonen’s pencil mark is confident and her work even has a humoristic take on therapy as a theme. ‘Follow the Butterfly’ is a thriller with nothing unnecessary. It builds settings through its four narrators but doesn’t doubt dismantling them over and over again. Film Critic Kaukonen’s debut is an ambitious piece.”
– Maaria Ylikangas, Helsingin Sanomat Culture – five star praise

“This is an extremely addictive, plot-driven and immensely twisty novel. This book keeps suspense until the end. I’m very glad I could deeply dive into Follow the Butterfly.’
– Dominika Dudarew-Osiecka, Czarna Owca, Poland

I have never read a thriller like this. A female serial killer whom we root for and not one unreliable narrator but four whose narratives are woven into each other with such skill. This plot-driven, emotional and wonderfully written book is what our readers have been waiting for.”
–Janina Dyballa, Heyne Verlag

“Interesting, mysterious, and gripping story told from the perspective of serial killer which makes it original and unique.”
– Dijana Orsolic, Znanje publishing, Croatia

“We couldn’t be more excited to have acquired Martta Kaukonen’s twisty addictive psychological thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and its sequel. Ida has to be the most sympathetic serial killer in crime fiction, and is one of the most original protagonists we’ve come across in a very long time.”   – Daniel Seton, Pushkin Press, United Kingdom

“We are really excited with GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY! It is full of twists and turns, and the reading experience is like standing on moving sand. You do not know what to expect! We strongly believe that Martta Kaukonen belongs to the Psichogios catalogue with our other leading authors such as Emma Donoghue, Paula Hawkins, A. J. Finn, Emma Cline, etc.”
– Irene Christopoulou, editor, Psichogios, Greece

“Martta Kaukonen’s „Follow the Butterfly“ offers readers many sudden twists. The main character is one of a kind, captivating like a butterfly.”- Maire Kasemaa, Editor, Hea Lugu, Estonia

”…Martta Kaukonen keeps spinning the suspense tighter and tighter, one chapter at a time. This entertaining debut novel is like a box of candy for all friends of psychological thrillers.” – Me Naiset magazine

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
Terapiassa
WSOY, March 2021, 407pp

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

CROATIA: Znanje
CZECH REPUBLIC:
Kniha Zlin/Albatros
DENMARK: Falco
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne Verlag
(two-book deal)
GREECE: Psichogios
(two-book deal)
HUNGARY: Partvonal
(two-book deal)
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca
(two-book deal)
UNITED KINGDOM:
Pushkin Press
(two-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press(two-book deal)

 

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki and is a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset.

Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her future husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen’s debut thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY now acquired in Denmark!

Martta Kaukonen’s amazing thriller of this season, FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY, continues conquering the World!

We couldn’t be happier to announce Danish rights sale for Martta Kaukonen’s debut thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY! The happy publisher is Falco – a brand new Danish publisher, launched in 2021!
Falco has high ambitions, taking on literature that can be placed in the intersection of pop and art. They publish top-tier commercial fiction and nonfiction that reaches a broad audience while also challenging the status quo.

DANISH PRAISE FOR FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY:

I’m beyond thrilled that Falco got the Danish rights for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY. The novel is a perfect combination of timely themes, a horrifying thrill, and a good narrative. I think it’s refreshing with a female lead, and that we get to see which traumas create that person. Also, Martta writes with such ease, and I like all the references to the modern culture that surrounds us. That makes the novel not only a page-turner but also a contemporary piece of art.
– Ditte Haugstrup, Editor, Forlaget Falco

In the last 3 months, the rights have been sold to the UK and US (Pushkin Press), Germany (Heyne), Greece (Psichogios), Croatia (Znanje), Estonia (Hea Lugu), Latvia (Jumava), Lithuania (Obuolys), Czech Republic (Albatros), Poland (Czarna Owca), and Hungary (Partvonal).

Rights are still available in France, Spain, Italy, Russia, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Netherlands etc.

Download the English sample and synopsis for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by clicking here

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
by Martta Kaukonen

An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn

Ida, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ida becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

PRAISE:

“Pushkin is proud to have acquired US rights in addition to UK rights for this incredible debut, and are excited for English readers everywhere to experience the twisty, addictive thrill of Martta Kaukonen’s ‘Follow The Butterfly.´”
– Adam Freudenheim, Publisher and Managing Director, Pushkin Press

“Kaukonen’s debut is such a skillfully constructed psychological thriller and it holds the reader in its grip offering her surprises until the very last line. The gruesome plot speeds forward seemingly lightly in short paragraphs. The perspectives change swiftly between the characters and the ambiance intensifies with the ending that flips the tables completely.”
– Savonia Prize Jury, Finland

“Based on its flair, this mercurial thriller could be described as the Finnish cousin of works by Paula Hawkins, Clare Mackintosh and Caroline Kepnes. The author moves the story forward in a sure-handed manner whilst whirling the reader as if in a carousel. The thriller has been written in a fast-paced and vivid style that compels you to gulp down the story like cotton candy. Follow the Butterly will satisfy anyone’s hunger for suspense.”
– Anette Jaakonaho, Psykologi Magazine

“Kaukonen started writing her thriller a year before the #metoo campaign and now she hits the bullseye with her theme of sexual abuse. “
– Heidi Lakkala, Lapin Kansa newspaper

“Martta Kaukonen’s pencil mark is confident and her work even has a humoristic take on therapy as a theme. ‘Follow the Butterfly’ is a thriller with nothing unnecessary. It builds settings through its four narrators but doesn’t doubt dismantling them over and over again. Film Critic Kaukonen’s debut is an ambitious piece.”
– Maaria Ylikangas, Helsingin Sanomat Culture – five star praise

“This is an extremely addictive, plot-driven and immensely twisty novel. This book keeps suspense until the end. I’m very glad I could deeply dive into Follow the Butterfly.’
– Dominika Dudarew-Osiecka, Czarna Owca, Poland

”I have never read a thriller like this. A female serial killer whom we root for and not one unreliable narrator but four whose narratives are woven into each other with such skill. This plot-driven, emotional and wonderfully written book is what our readers have been waiting for.”
–Janina Dyballa, Heyne Verlag

“Interesting, mysterious, and gripping story told from the perspective of serial killer which makes it original and unique.”
– Dijana Orsolic, Znanje publishing, Croatia

“We couldn’t be more excited to have acquired Martta Kaukonen’s twisty addictive psychological thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and its sequel. Ida has to be the most sympathetic serial killer in crime fiction, and is one of the most original protagonists we’ve come across in a very long time.” – Daniel Seton, Pushkin Press, United Kingdom

“We are really excited with GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY! It is full of twists and turns, and the reading experience is like standing on moving sand. You do not know what to expect! We strongly believe that Martta Kaukonen belongs to the Psichogios catalogue with our other leading authors such as Emma Donoghue, Paula Hawkins, A. J. Finn, Emma Cline, etc.”
– Irene Christopoulou, editor, Psichogios, Greece

“Martta Kaukonen’s „Follow the Butterfly“ offers readers many sudden twists. The main character is one of a kind, captivating like a butterfly.”– Maire Kasemaa, Editor, Hea Lugu, Estonia

”…Martta Kaukonen keeps spinning the suspense tighter and tighter, one chapter at a time. This entertaining debut novel is like a box of candy for all friends of psychological thrillers.– Me Naiset magazine

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
Terapiassa, WSOY, 2021, 407 pp.

Rights sold:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECH REPUBLIC:
Kniha Zlin/Albatros
DENMARK: Forlaget Falco
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne Verlag
(two-book deal)
GREECE: Psichogios
(two-book deal)
HUNGARY: Partvonal
(two-book deal)
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca
(two-book deal)
UNITED KINGDOM:
Pushkin Press
(two-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press(two-book deal)

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen’s debut thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY now sold in the US! Nomination for the coveted Savonia Literary Prize announced!

Martta Kaukonen’s amazing thriller of this season, FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY, continues its World Conquest!

We couldn’t be happier to announce World English rights sale:  the US rights for Martta Kaukonen’s debut thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY have been acquired by Pushkin Press!

US PRAISE FOR FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY:

Pushkin is proud to have acquired US rights in addition to UK rights for this incredible debut, and are excited for English readers everywhere to experience the twisty, addictive thrill of Martta Kaukonen’s Follow The Butterfly.
Adam Freudenheim, Publisher and Managing Director,  Pushkin Press

Download the English sample and synopsis for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by clicking here

We are also really happy to let you know that FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY has now been shortlisted for the prestigious Finnish Savonia Literary Prize!

The prize is 12 000€ and this time out of the 103 participants, 6 titles were shortlisted. The winner will be announced on 9th of December.

In the last 3 months, the rights have been sold to the UK and US (Pushkin Press), Germany (Heyne), Greece (Psichogios), Croatia (Znanje), Estonia (Hea Lugu), Latvia (Jumava), Lithuania (Obuolys), Czech Republic (Albatros), Poland (Czarna Owca), and Hungary (Partvonal).

Rights are still available in France, Spain, Italy, Russia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Netherlands etc.
US PRAISE FOR FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY:

Pushkin is proud to have acquired US rights in addition to UK rights for this incredible debut, and are excited for English readers everywhere to experience the twisty, addictive thrill of Martta Kaukonen’s Follow The Butterfly.
– Adam Freudenheim |Publisher and Managing Director,  Pushkin Press

SAVONIA PRIZE JURY PRAISE FOR FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY:

Kaukonen’s debut is such a skillfully constructed psychological thriller and it holds the reader in its grip offering her surprises until the very last line. The gruesome plot speeds forward seemingly lightly in short paragraphs. The perspectives change swiftly between the characters and the ambiance intensifies with the ending that flips the tables completely.


FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
by Martta Kaukonen

An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn

Ida, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ida becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

PRAISE:

“Based on its flair, this mercurial thriller could be described as the Finnish cousin of works by Paula Hawkins, Clare Mackintosh and Caroline Kepnes. The author moves the story forward in a sure-handed manner whilst whirling the reader as if in a carousel. The thriller has been written in a fast-paced and vivid style that compels you to gulp down the story like cotton candy. Follow the Butterly will satisfy anyone’s hunger for suspense.”
– Anette Jaakonaho, Psykologi Magazine“Kaukonen started writing her thriller a year before the #metoo campaign and now she hits the bullseye with her theme of sexual abuse. “
– Heidi Lakkala, Lapin Kansa newspaperMartta Kaukonen’s pencil mark is confident and her work even has a humoristic take on therapy as a theme. ‘Follow the Butterfly’ is a thriller with nothing unnecessary. It builds settings through its four narrators but doesn’t doubt dismantling them over and over again. Film Critic Kaukonen’s debut is an ambitious piece.”
– Maaria Ylikangas, Helsingin Sanomat Culture – five star praise

“This is an extremely addictive, plot-driven and immensely twisty novel. This book keeps suspense until the end. I’m very glad I could deeply dive into Follow the Butterfly.’
– Dominika Dudarew-Osiecka, Czarna Owca, Poland

I have never read a thriller like this. A female serial killer whom we root for and not one unreliable narrator but four whose narratives are woven into each other with such skill. This plot-driven, emotional and wonderfully written book is what our readers have been waiting for.”
–Janina Dyballa, Heyne Verlag

“Interesting, mysterious, and gripping story told from the perspective of serial killer which makes it original and unique.”
– Dijana Orsolic, Znanje publishing, Croatia

“We couldn’t be more excited to have acquired Martta Kaukonen’s twisty addictive psychological thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and its sequel. Ida has to be the most sympathetic serial killer in crime fiction, and is one of the most original protagonists we’ve come across in a very long time.”   – Daniel Seton, Pushkin Press, United Kingdom

“We are really excited with GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY! It is full of twists and turns, and the reading experience is like standing on moving sand. You do not know what to expect! We strongly believe that Martta Kaukonen belongs to the Psichogios catalogue with our other leading authors such as Emma Donoghue, Paula Hawkins, A. J. Finn, Emma Cline, etc.”
– Irene Christopoulou, editor, Psichogios, Greece

“Martta Kaukonen’s „Follow the Butterfly“ offers readers many sudden twists. The main character is one of a kind, captivating like a butterfly.”- Maire Kasemaa, Editor, Hea Lugu, Estonia

”…Martta Kaukonen keeps spinning the suspense tighter and tighter, one chapter at a time. This entertaining debut novel is like a box of candy for all friends of psychological thrillers.” – Me Naiset magazine

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
Terapiassa
WSOY, March 2021, 407pp

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

CROATIA: Znanje
CZECH REPUBLIC:
Kniha Zlin/Albatros
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne Verlag
(two-book deal)
GREECE: Psichogios
(two-book deal)
HUNGARY: Partvonal
(two-book deal)
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca
(two-book deal)
UNITED KINGDOM:
Pushkin Press
(two-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Pushkin Press(two-book deal)

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

Lithuanian rights pre-empted for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY! Now 11 territories for this debut thriller!

We are so happy to announce another deal for the amazing thriller of this season, FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY!

Lithuanian rights for Martta Kaukonen’s debut thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY have been acquired by Obuolys. Obuolys is the Lithuanian publisher for Stieg Larsson, Jussi-Adler Olsen, Lars Kepler etc.

In the last 3 months, the rights have been sold to the UK (Pushkin Press), Germany (Heyne), Greece (Psichogios), Croatia (Znanje), Estonia (Hea Lugu), Latvia (Jumava) Czech Republic (Albatros), Poland (Czarna Owca), and Hungary (Partvonal). Lithuania is already the 11th territory for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY.

Rights still available in Russia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Romania, Turkey, France, Netherlands etc.

Download the English sample and synopsis for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by clicking here


FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
by Martta Kaukonen

An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn

Ida, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ida becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

FINNISH PRAISE:

“Based on its flair, this mercurial thriller could be described as the Finnish cousin of works by Paula Hawkins, Clare Mackintosh and Caroline Kepnes. The author moves the story forward in a sure-handed manner whilst whirling the reader as if in a carousel. The thriller has been written in a fast-paced and vivid style that compels you to gulp down the story like cotton candy. Follow the Butterly will satisfy anyone’s hunger for suspense.”
– Anette Jaakonaho, Psykologi Magazine“Kaukonen started writing her thriller a year before the #metoo campaign and now she hits the bullseye with her theme of sexual abuse. “
– Heidi Lakkala, Lapin Kansa newspaperMartta Kaukonen’s pencil mark is confident and her work even has a humoristic take on therapy as a theme. ‘Follow the Butterfly’ is a thriller with nothing unnecessary. It builds settings through its four narrators but doesn’t doubt dismantling them over and over again. Film Critic Kaukonen’s debut is an ambitious piece.”
– Maaria Ylikangas, Helsingin Sanomat Culture – five star praise

PUBLISHERS’ PRAISE:

“This is an extremely addictive, plot-driven and immensely twisty novel. This book keeps suspense until the end. I’m very glad I could deeply dive into Follow the Butterfly.’
– Dominika Dudarew-Osiecka, Czarna Owca, Poland

I have never read a thriller like this. A female serial killer whom we root for and not one unreliable narrator but four whose narratives are woven into each other with such skill. This plot-driven, emotional and wonderfully written book is what our readers have been waiting for.”
–Janina Dyballa, Heyne Verlag

“Interesting, mysterious, and gripping story told from the perspective of serial killer which makes it original and unique.”
– Dijana Orsolic, Znanje publishing, Croatia

“We couldn’t be more excited to have acquired Martta Kaukonen’s twisty addictive psychological thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and its sequel. Ida has to be the most sympathetic serial killer in crime fiction, and is one of the most original protagonists we’ve come across in a very long time.”   – Daniel Seton, Pushkin Press, United Kingdom

“We are really excited with GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY! It is full of twists and turns, and the reading experience is like standing on moving sand. You do not know what to expect! We strongly believe that Martta Kaukonen belongs to the Psichogios catalogue with our other leading authors such as Emma Donoghue, Paula Hawkins, A. J. Finn, Emma Cline, etc.”
– Irene Christopoulou, editor, Psichogios, Greece

“Martta Kaukonen’s „Follow the Butterfly“ offers readers many sudden twists. The main character is one of a kind, captivating like a butterfly.”- Maire Kasemaa, Editor, Hea Lugu, Estonia

”…Martta Kaukonen keeps spinning the suspense tighter and tighter, one chapter at a time. This entertaining debut novel is like a box of candy for all friends of psychological thrillers.” – Me Naiset magazine

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
Terapiassa
WSOY, March 2021, 407pp

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

CROATIA: Znanje
CZECH REPUBLIC:
Kniha Zlin/Albatros
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne Verlag
(two-book deal)
GREECE: Psichogios
(two-book deal)
HUNGARY: Partvonal
(two-book deal)
LATVIA: Jumava
LITHUANIA: Obuolys
POLAND: Czarna Owca
(two-book deal)
UNITED KINGDOM:
Pushkin Press
(two-book deal)

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

Latvian rights acquired for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY – 10 territories sold!

We are so happy to announce another deal for the hot thriller of the season, FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY!

Latvian rights for Martta Kaukonen’s debut thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY are acquired by Jumava. Jumava is the Latvian publisher for Camilla Läckberg, Salman Rushdie, Sofi Oksanen, Catherine Hagen, Timothy Schneider, Michael Talbot, and Joanna Ralbot.

In the last 2 months, the rights have been sold to the UK (Pushkin Press), Germany (Heyne), Greece (Psichogios), Croatia (Znanje), Estonia (Hea Lugu), Czech Republic (Albatros), Poland (Czarna Owca), and Hungary (Partvonal). Latvia is already the 10th territory for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY.

Rights still available in Russia, Denmark, Sweden, US, Norway, Lithuania, Iceland, Romania, Turkey, France, Netherlands etc.

Download the English sample and synopsis for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by clicking here

“Based on its flair, this mercurial thriller could be described as the Finnish cousin of works by Paula Hawkins, Clare Mackintosh and Caroline Kepnes. The author moves the story forward in a sure-handed manner whilst whirling the reader as if in a carousel. The thriller has been written in a fast-paced and vivid style that compels you to gulp down the story like cotton candy. Follow the Butterly will satisfy anyone’s hunger for suspense.”
– Anette Jaakonaho, Psykologi Magazine

“Kaukonen started writing her thriller a year before the #metoo campaign and now she hits the bullseye with her theme of sexual abuse. “
– Heidi Lakkala, Lapin Kansa newspaper

Martta Kaukonen’s pencil mark is confident and her work even has a humoristic take on therapy as a theme. ‘Follow the Butterfly’ is a thriller with nothing unnecessary. It builds settings through its four narrators but doesn’t doubt dismantling them over and over again. Film Critic Kaukonen’s debut is an ambitious piece.”
– Maaria Ylikangas, Helsingin Sanomat Culture – five star praise

Download the English sample and synopsis for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by clicking here


FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
by Martta Kaukonen

An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn

Ida, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ida becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.


PUBLISHERS’ PRAISE:

“This is an extremely addictive, plot-driven and immensely twisty novel. This book keeps suspense until the end. I’m very glad I could deeply dive into Follow the Butterfly.’
– Dominika Dudarew-Osiecka, Czarna Owca, Poland

I have never read a thriller like this. A female serial killer whom we root for and not one unreliable narrator but four whose narratives are woven into each other with such skill. This plot-driven, emotional and wonderfully written book is what our readers have been waiting for.”
–Janina Dyballa, Heyne Verlag

“Interesting, mysterious, and gripping story told from the perspective of serial killer which makes it original and unique.”
– Dijana Orsolic, Znanje publishing, Croatia

“We couldn’t be more excited to have acquired Martta Kaukonen’s twisty addictive psychological thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and its sequel. Ida has to be the most sympathetic serial killer in crime fiction, and is one of the most original protagonists we’ve come across in a very long time.”   – Daniel Seton, Pushkin Press, United Kingdom

“We are really excited with GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY! It is full of twists and turns, and the reading experience is like standing on moving sand. You do not know what to expect! We strongly believe that Martta Kaukonen belongs to the Psichogios catalogue with our other leading authors such as Emma Donoghue, Paula Hawkins, A. J. Finn, Emma Cline, etc.”
– Irene Christopoulou, editor, Psichogios, Greece

“Martta Kaukonen’s „Follow the Butterfly“ offers readers many sudden twists. The main character is one of a kind, captivating like a butterfly.”- Maire Kasemaa, Editor, Hea Lugu, Estonia

”…Martta Kaukonen keeps spinning the suspense tighter and tighter, one chapter at a time. This entertaining debut novel is like a box of candy for all friends of psychological thrillers.” – Me Naiset magazine

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
Terapiassa
WSOY, March 2021, 407pp

Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECH REPUBLIC:
Kniha Zlin/Albatros
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne Verlag
(two-book deal)
GREECE: Psichogios
(two-book deal)
HUNGARY: Partvonal
(two-book deal)
LATVIA: SIA Jumava
POLAND: Czarna Owca
(two-book deal)
UNITED KINGDOM:
Pushkin Press
(two-book deal)

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

Hungarian rights pre-empted for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and the sequel!

We are so happy to announce another pre-empt for the thriller of this Frankfurt season:

Partvonal pre-empted the Hungarian rights of Martta Kaukonen’s debut thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and its sequel!

Partvonal is the Hungarian publisher for Agatha Christie, Tom Clancy, Mattias Edvardsson, Roberto Saviano etc.

In the last 2 months, the rights have been already sold to the UK (Pushkin Press), Germany (Heyne), Greece (Psichogios), Croatia (Znanje), Estonia (Hea Lugu), Czech Republic (Albatros), Poland (Czarna Owca) Hungary is already the 9th territory for the series!

Rights still available in Russia, Denmark, Sweden, US, Norway, Lithuania, Romania, Turkey, France, Netherlands etc.

Download the English sample and synopsis for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by clicking here

“Based on its flair, this mercurial thriller could be described as the Finnish cousin of works by Paula Hawkins, Clare Mackintosh and Caroline Kepnes. The author moves the story forward in a sure-handed manner whilst whirling the reader as if in a carousel. The thriller has been written in a fast-paced and vivid style that compels you to gulp down the story like cotton candy. Follow the Butterly will satisfy anyone’s hunger for suspense.”
– Anette Jaakonaho, Psykologi Magazine

“Kaukonen started writing her thriller a year before the #metoo campaign and now she hits the bullseye with her theme of sexual abuse. “
– Heidi Lakkala, Lapin Kansa newspaper

Martta Kaukonen’s pencil mark is confident and her work even has a humoristic take on therapy as a theme. ‘Follow the Butterfly’ is a thriller with nothing unnecessary. It builds settings through its four narrators but doesn’t doubt dismantling them over and over again. Film Critic Kaukonen’s debut is an ambitious piece.”
– Maaria Ylikangas, Helsingin Sanomat Culture – five star praise

Download the English sample and synopsis for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by clicking here


FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
by Martta Kaukonen

An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn

Ida, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ida becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

 

PUBLISHERS’ PRAISE:

“This is an extremely addictive, plot-driven and immensely twisty novel. This book keeps suspense until the end. I’m very glad I could deeply dive into Follow the Butterfly.’
– Dominika Dudarew-Osiecka, Czarna Owca, Poland

I have never read a thriller like this. A female serial killer whom we root for and not one unreliable narrator but four whose narratives are woven into each other with such skill. This plot-driven, emotional and wonderfully written book is what our readers have been waiting for.”
–Janina Dyballa, Heyne Verlag

“Interesting, mysterious, and gripping story told from the perspective of serial killer which makes it original and unique.”
– Dijana Orsolic, Znanje publishing, Croatia

“We couldn’t be more excited to have acquired Martta Kaukonen’s twisty addictive psychological thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and its sequel. Ida has to be the most sympathetic serial killer in crime fiction, and is one of the most original protagonists we’ve come across in a very long time.”   – Daniel Seton, Pushkin Press, United Kingdom

“We are really excited with GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY! It is full of twists and turns, and the reading experience is like standing on moving sand. You do not know what to expect! We strongly believe that Martta Kaukonen belongs to the Psichogios catalogue with our other leading authors such as Emma Donoghue, Paula Hawkins, A. J. Finn, Emma Cline, etc.”
– Irene Christopoulou, editor, Psichogios, Greece

“Martta Kaukonen’s „Follow the Butterfly“ offers readers many sudden twists. The main character is one of a kind, captivating like a butterfly.”- Maire Kasemaa, Editor, Hea Lugu, Estonia

”…Martta Kaukonen keeps spinning the suspense tighter and tighter, one chapter at a time. This entertaining debut novel is like a box of candy for all friends of psychological thrillers.” – Me Naiset magazine

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
Terapiassa
WSOY, March 2021, 407pp

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

CROATIA: Znanje
CZECH REPUBLIC:
Kniha Zlin/Albatros
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne Verlag
(two-book deal)
GREECE: Psichogios
(two-book deal)
HUNGARY: Partvonal
(two-book deal)
POLAND: Czarna Owca
(two-book deal)
UNITED KINGDOM:
Pushkin Press
(two-book deal)

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

Polish rights pre-empted for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and the sequel!

We are so happy to announce that Czarna Owca pre-empted the Polish rights of Martta Kaukonen’s debut thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and its sequel!

Czarna Owca is the Polish publisher for Stieg Larsson, Camilla Läckberg, Elina Backman, A.M. Ollikainen etc.

POLISH PRAISE:

This is an extremely addictive, plot-driven and immensely twisty novel. This book keeps suspense until the end. I’m very glad I could deeply dive into Follow the Butterfly.
– Dominika Dudarew-Osiecka, Czarna Owca, Poland

Previously the rights have been already sold to the UK (Pushkin Press), Germany (Heyne), Greece (Psichogios), Croatia (Znanje), Estonia (Hea Lugu), Czech Republic (Albatros), Poland is already the 8th territory for the series!

Download the English sample and synopsis for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by clicking here

“Based on its flair, this mercurial thriller could be described as the Finnish cousin of works by Paula Hawkins, Clare Mackintosh and Caroline Kepnes. The author moves the story forward in a sure-handed manner whilst whirling the reader as if in a carousel. The thriller has been written in a fast-paced and vivid style that compels you to gulp down the story like cotton candy. Follow the Butterly will satisfy anyone’s hunger for suspense.”
– Anette Jaakonaho, Psykologi Magazine

“Kaukonen started writing her thriller a year before the #metoo campaign and now she hits the bullseye with her theme of sexual abuse. “
– Heidi Lakkala, Lapin Kansa newspaper

Martta Kaukonen’s pencil mark is confident and her work even has a humoristic take on therapy as a theme. ‘Follow the Butterfly’ is a thriller with nothing unnecessary. It builds settings through its four narrators but doesn’t doubt dismantling them over and over again. Film Critic Kaukonen’s debut is an ambitious piece.”
– Maaria Ylikangas, Helsingin Sanomat Culture – five star praise

Download the English sample and synopsis for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by clicking here


FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
by Martta Kaukonen

An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn

Ida, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ida becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

 

PUBLISHERS’ PRAISE:

I have never read a thriller like this. A female serial killer whom we root for and not one unreliable narrator but four whose narratives are woven into each other with such skill. This plot-driven, emotional and wonderfully written book is what our readers have been waiting for.” –Janina Dyballa, Heyne Verlag

“Interesting, mysterious, and gripping story told from the perspective of serial killer which makes it original and unique.”
– Dijana Orsolic, Znanje publishing, Croatia

“We couldn’t be more excited to have acquired Martta Kaukonen’s twisty addictive psychological thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and its sequel. Ida has to be the most sympathetic serial killer in crime fiction, and is one of the most original protagonists we’ve come across in a very long time.”   – Daniel Seton, Pushkin Press, United Kingdom

“We are really excited with GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY! It is full of twists and turns, and the reading experience is like standing on moving sand. You do not know what to expect! We strongly believe that Martta Kaukonen belongs to the Psichogios catalogue with our other leading authors such as Emma Donoghue, Paula Hawkins, A. J. Finn, Emma Cline, etc.”
– Irene Christopoulou, editor, Psichogios, Greece

“Martta Kaukonen’s „Follow the Butterfly“ offers readers many sudden twists. The main character is one of a kind, captivating like a butterfly.”- Maire Kasemaa, Editor, Hea Lugu, Estonia

”…Martta Kaukonen keeps spinning the suspense tighter and tighter, one chapter at a time. This entertaining debut novel is like a box of candy for all friends of psychological thrillers.” – Me Naiset magazine

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
Terapiassa
WSOY, March 2021, 407pp

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

CROATIA: Znanje
CZECH REPUBLIC:
Kniha Zlin/Albatros
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne Verlag
(two-book deal)
GREECE: Psichogios
(two-book deal)
POLAND: Czarna Owca
(two-book deal)
UNITED KINGDOM:
Pushkin Press
(two-book deal)

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

The Croatian rights for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY now pre-empted by Znanje!

We are so happy to let you know that Znanje, the Croatian publisher for Stephen King, Lee Child, Karin Slaughter, Jussi Adler-Olsen etc has now pre-empted Martta Kaukonen’s debut thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY!

The rights for the title have been quickly sold to Estonia (Hea Lugu), Germany (Heyne Verlag), UK (Pushkin Vertigo), Czech Republic (Kniha Zlin/Albatros) and Greece (Psichiogos), now Martta Kaukonen has publishers in 7 territories and the worldwide interest remains really high!

CROATIAN PRAISE:

Interesting, mysterious, and gripping story told from the perspective of serial killer which makes it original and unique.
– Dijana Orsolic, Znanje publishing, Croatia

FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY is an exciting debut thriller about a 20-year old female serial killer Ida, that starts visiting a celebrity therapist, to avoid a seemingly inevitable jail sentence.
Told by 4 different narrators, the story unfolds and twists at neck-breaking speed, not all is how it seems and even the most trustworthy people can let you down.

Download the English sample and synopsis for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by clicking here

PRAISE:

I have never read a thriller like this. A female serial killer whom we root for and not one unreliable narrator but four whose narratives are woven into each other with such skill. This plot-driven, emotional and wonderfully written book is what our readers have been waiting for.” –Janina Dyballa, Heyne Verlag

“We couldn’t be more excited to have acquired Martta Kaukonen’s twisty addictive psychological thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and its sequel. Ida has to be the most sympathetic serial killer in crime fiction, and is one of the most original protagonists we’ve come across in a very long time.”   – Daniel Seton, Pushkin Press, United Kingdom

“We are really excited with GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY! It is full of twists and turns, and the reading experience is like standing on moving sand. You do not know what to expect! We strongly believe that Martta Kaukonen belongs to the Psichogios catalogue with our other leading authors such as Emma Donoghue, Paula Hawkins, A. J. Finn, Emma Cline, etc.”
– Irene Christopoulou, editor, Psichogios, Greece

“Martta Kaukonen’s „Follow the Butterfly“ offers readers many sudden twists. The main character is one of a kind, captivating like a butterfly.”- Maire Kasemaa, Editor, Hea Lugu, Estonia

”…Martta Kaukonen keeps spinning the suspense tighter and tighter, one chapter at a time. This entertaining debut novel is like a box of candy for all friends of psychological thrillers.” – Me Naiset magazine


FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
by Martta Kaukonen

An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn

Ida, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ida becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

Terapiassa
WSOY, March 2021, 407pp

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

CROATIA: Znanje
CZECH REPUBLIC:
Kniha Zlin/Albatros
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne Verlag
(two-book deal)
GREECE: Psichogios
(two-book deal)
UNITED KINGDOM:
Pushkin Press
(two-book deal)

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

The Czech rights for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY acquired, now 6 territories for the debut thriller!

We are so happy to let you know that Kniha Zlin, the Czech publisher for Jo Nesbø, Jens Lapidus and Robert Galbraith and an imprint of Albatros Media has now acquired Martta Kaukonen’s debut thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY!

The rights for the title have been quickly sold to Estonia (Hea Lugu), Germany (Heyne Verlag), UK (Pushkin Vertigo) and Greece (Psichiogos), now Martta Kaukonen has publishers in 6 territories and the worldwide interest remains really high!
FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY is an exciting debut thriller about a 20-year old female serial killer Ida, that starts visiting a celebrity therapist, to avoid a seemingly inevitable jail sentence.
Told by 4 different narrators, the story unfolds and twists at neck-breaking speed, not all is how it seems and even the most trustworthy people can let you down.

Download the English sample and synopsis for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY by clicking here

PRAISE:

I have never read a thriller like this. A female serial killer whom we root for and not one unreliable narrator but four whose narratives are woven into each other with such skill. This plot-driven, emotional and wonderfully written book is what our readers have been waiting for.” –Janina Dyballa, Heyne Verlag

“We couldn’t be more excited to have acquired Martta Kaukonen’s twisty addictive psychological thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and its sequel. Ida has to be the most sympathetic serial killer in crime fiction, and is one of the most original protagonists we’ve come across in a very long time.”   – Daniel Seton, Pushkin Press, United Kingdom

“We are really excited with GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY! It is full of twists and turns, and the reading experience is like standing on moving sand. You do not know what to expect! We strongly believe that Martta Kaukonen belongs to the Psichogios catalogue with our other leading authors such as Emma Donoghue, Paula Hawkins, A. J. Finn, Emma Cline, etc.”
– Irene Christopoulou, editor, Psichogios, Greece

“Martta Kaukonen’s „Follow the Butterfly“ offers readers many sudden twists. The main character is one of a kind, captivating like a butterfly.”- Maire Kasemaa, Editor, Hea Lugu, Estonia

”…Martta Kaukonen keeps spinning the suspense tighter and tighter, one chapter at a time. This entertaining debut novel is like a box of candy for all friends of psychological thrillers.” – Me Naiset magazine


FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
by Martta Kaukonen

An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn

Ida, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ida becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

Terapiassa
WSOY, March 2021, 407pp

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

CZECH REPUBLIC: Kniha Zlin/Albatros
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne Verlag
(two-book deal)
GREECE: Psichogios
(two-book deal)
UNITED KINGDOM:
Pushkin Press
(two-book deal)

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

The UK rights for FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY acquired by Pushkin Press at auction in a two-book deal!

We are absolutely amazed to let you know that Pushkin Vertigo, the crime and thrillers imprint of Pushkin Press has now acquired, at auction, the UK rights for both Martta Kaukonen’s debut thriller and its upcoming sequel

Founded in 2015, Pushkin Vertigo presents the best crime fiction from all four corners of the globe. Their list spans classic crime writers like Margaret Millar and Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Japanese masters of mystery like Seishi Yokomizo, and contemporary award winners such as Emma Viskic and Jonathan Ames.

Not only did Pushkin Vertigo acquire Martta Kaukonen’s FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY but also its upcoming sequel.

The deal was negotiated by Rhea Lyons at HG Literary, New York, on behalf of Elina Ahlback of Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Download the English materials for both FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY, and its sequel by clicking here

Here’s what the Pushkin Press said:

“We couldn’t be more excited to have acquired Martta Kaukonen’s twisty addictive psychological thriller FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY and its sequel. Ida has to be the most sympathetic serial killer in crime fiction, and is one of the most original protagonists we’ve come across in a very long time”
– Daniel Seton, Pushkin Press, United Kingdom

The very first rights for the title have just been sold to Estonia (Hea Lugu), Germany (Heyne) and Psichiogos (Greece) and the worldwide interest is really high!
FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY is an exciting debut thriller about a 20-year old female serial killer Ida, that starts visiting a celebrity therapist, to avoid a seemingly inevitable jail sentence.
Told by 4 different narrators, the story unfolds and twists at neck-breaking speed, not all is how it seems and even the most trustworthy people can let you down.

FINNISH PRAISE:
”Kaukonen succeeds in tricking the reader time and again: just when you think you’ve figured it out, the narrator changes and the tables turn.”
– Maaseudun tulevaisuus newspaper


FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY
by Martta Kaukonen

An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn

Ida, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ida becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

 

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki and is a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her future husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Martta’s debut novel FOLLOW THE BUTTERFLY was published in March 2021.

Terapiassa
WSOY, March 2021, 407pp

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne Verlag
(two-book deal)
GREECE: Psichogios
(two-book deal)
UNITED KINGDOM:
Pushkin Press
(two-book deal)

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

The Greek rights for GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY pre-empted by Psichogios in a two-book deal!

 The Greek rights for GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY pre-empted by Psichogios in a two-book deal!

We are beyond happy to let you know that the Greek publisher Psichogios has now pre-empted both Martta Kaukonen’s debut thriller and its upcoming sequel.

Psichogios is the Greek publisher for Paula Hawkins, A.J. Finn, and Emma Donoghue and they couldn’t praise Martta Kaukonen highly enough!
Not only did they acquire Martta Kaukonen’s Guide me, Butterfly (March 2021) but also her upcoming thriller (2022-2023).
Download the English materials for both GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY  and its sequel by clicking here

Here’s what the Greek publisher said:

“We are really excited with GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY! It is full of twists and turns, and the reading experience is like standing on moving sand. You do not know what to expect! We strongly believe that Martta Kaukonen belongs to the Psichogios catalogue with our other leading authors such as Emma Donoghue, Paula Hawkins, A. J. Finn, Emma Cline, etc.
– Irene Christopoulou, editor, Psichogios, Greece

The very first rights for the title were sold only last week to Estonia (Hea Lugu) and Germany (Heyne) and the worldwide interest is really high!
GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY is an exciting debut thriller about a 20-year old female serial killer Ida, that starts visiting a celebrity therapist, to avoid a seemingly inevitable jail sentence.
Told by 4 different narrators, the story unfolds and twists at neck-breaking speed, not all is how it seems and even the most trustworthy people can let you down.

 

FINNISH PRAISE:
”Kaukonen succeeds in tricking the reader time and again: just when you think you’ve figured it out, the narrator changes and the tables turn.”
– Maaseudun tulevaisuus newspaper

 

GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY
by Martta Kaukonen

An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn

Ida, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ida becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

 

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki and is a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her future husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Martta’s debut novel GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY was published in March 2021.

 

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne
(two-book deal)
GREECE: Psichogios
(two-book deal)

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

German three-way auction over for Martta Kaukonen’s debut thriller GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY! The winner is Heyne Verlag!

We are over the moon to let you know that the three-way auction in Germany for the Thriller of the Fall – Martta Kaukonen’s GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY has now happily ended!

Three amazing publishers taking part were really enthusiastic about the title and we now can announce the winner: Heyne Verlag!

Heyne is the German Stephen King and Stieg Larsson publisher and they couldn’t praise Martta Kaukonen highly enough!
Not only did they acquire Martta Kaukonen’s Guide me, Butterfly (March 2021) but also her upcoming thriller (2022-2023).
Download the English synopsis and sample for GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY by clicking here

Here’s what the German publisher said:

I have never read a thriller like this. A female serial killer whom we root for and not one unreliable narrator but four whose narratives are woven into each other with such skill. This plot-driven, emotional and wonderfully written book is what our readers have been waiting for.
– Janina Dyballa, Editor, Heyne Verlag, Germany

The very first rights for the title were sold only yesterday to Estonia (Hea Lugu).

GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY is an exciting debut thriller about a 20-year old female serial killer Ida, that starts visiting a celebrity therapist, to avoid a seemingly inevitable jail sentence.
Told by 4 different narrators, the story unfolds and twists in neck-breaking speed, not all is how it seems and even the most trustworthy people can let you down.

FINNISH PRAISE:
”Kaukonen succeeds in tricking the reader time and again: just when you think you’ve figured it out, the narrator changes and the tables turn.”
– Maaseudun tulevaisuus newspaper


GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY
by Martta Kaukonen

An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn

Ida, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ida becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

 

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki and is a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her future husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Martta’s debut novel GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY was published in March 2021

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

ESTONIA: Hea Lugu
GERMANY: Heyne
(two-book deal)

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen

Estonian rights sold for Martta Kaukonen’s debut thriller GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY!

We are extremely happy to announce that our newest thriller author Martta Kaukonen now has the first international publisher!

The Estonian rights were quickly acquired by Hea Lugu, the Estonian publisher for Stephen King, Emelie Schepp, Khaled Hosseini, Liane Moriarty, Ray Bradbury, Vladimir Nabokov etc.

Both the publisher and the author cannot be happier!
GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY is an exciting debut thriller about a 20-year old serial killer Ida, that starts visiting a celebrity therapist, to avoid a seemingly inevitable jail sentence.
Told by 4 different narrators, the story unfolds and twists in neck-breaking speed, not all is how it seems and even the most trustworthy people can let you down.

FINNISH PRAISE:
”Kaukonen succeeds in tricking the reader time and again: just when you think you’ve figured it out, the narrator changes and the tables turn.”
– Maaseudun tulevaisuus newspaper

Download the English synopsis and sample by clicking here


GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY
by Martta Kaukonen

An addictive psychological thriller in the spirit of Gillian Flynn

Ida, 20, a serial killer who was abducted as a child, starts therapy with celebrity therapist Clarissa. Only one of them knows that they share a mutual secret from the past. Will the other one realize it before she gets murdered?

Clarissa is a middle-aged psychotherapist, the best in her field. She is familiar to everyone from her TV appearances and from glossy magazines. For her, every patient is a princess. And someone only she can save. Or can she? Clarissa already has one suicide to answer for; a teenage boy’s death never seizes to haunt her.

When Ida becomes Clarissa’s patient, a cat-and-mouse game begins in which rules are followed by no one. The kind of game that never ends well.

 

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki and is a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her future husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Martta’s debut novel GUIDE ME, BUTTERFLY was published in March 2021

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)
ESTONIA: Hea Lugu

About author


Martta Kaukonen

Martta Kaukonen (1976) lives in Helsinki. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a film critic, whose reviews have been published in both Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and a popular women’s weekly magazine Me Naiset. Martta has a master’s degree in arts. She has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Martta met her husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Free

Martta Kaukonen


2023, Crime & Suspense

Meet Me in the Darkness

Martta Kaukonen


2022, Crime & Suspense

In Your Shadow

Martta Kaukonen


2021, Crime & Suspense

Follow the Butterfly

Martta Kaukonen