Bastei Lübbe acquires the German rights to MILO 2 by Max Seeck!

We are happy to share, that the German rights to MILO #2: BETRAYED by New York Times & Spiegel Bestselling Author Max Seeck has been sold to Bastei Lübbe! The deal was negotiated by Martti Berner at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Warmest Congratulations, Max Seeck and Bastei Lübbe!

Milo #2: Betrayed is a gripping thriller and part #2 of the bestselling Milo series. The book will be published in Finland this September, with Estonian rights previously sold to Pegasus.

The first book Milo #1: Checkmate sold over 45,000 copies in Finland, rights for the novel have been sold to 9 territories, and a TV series based on the novel is in pre-production with Solar Films, shooting slated to start in 2025/2026 for a 6-episode TV series with focus on international sales & distribution.

The French edition of Milo, titled Échec et Mat, was published by Mera Editions in January, and the German edition, titled Blindspiel, was published just few weeks ago. Latvijas Mediji, will publish the book soon in Latvia. With more publishers to follow in 2026.

Request materials for MILO here!

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck

How to survive in a world where nothing is as it seems?

They know your every step.

When a breathtakingly beautiful woman sits opposite art gallery owner Milo Perho on a terrace in Helsinki, Milo has no way of anticipating where their meeting leads. Soon, the Helsinki police are dealing with several murders and Milo is being chased by someone for whom Milo’s past is no mystery. A pursuit ensues where the hunter can be anyone and finding a place where to hide is impossible.

Milo #2: Betrayed is a hardened thriller about the world of espionage and part #2 of the Milo series.

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck

Bodies with chess pieces in their mouth – Milo needs to understand the game of chess in order to catch a killer.

The game has only just begun.

On a cold November evening, a body is discovered on the shore of Seurasaari. The victim’s skin is covered with a thick layer of white paint, and during the autopsy, a chess piece is found lodged in its throat.  The police are baffled. Why would the murderer go to such lengths to disguise the body? And why wasn’t there any attempt to hide it?  Milo Perho, an art gallery owner specializing in profiling killers, is called in to assist. What follows is a nerve-wracking game where every move costs a life, and no-one wants it to end in checkmate.

Milo is the gripping debut of the Milo series by internationally acclaimed author Max Seeck. Even before its release, the book’s translation rights were sold to numerous countries, and a TV series adaptation is already in the works.

Milo is a slightly different Seeck detective story and, as such, a quality piece of work. More than that, it’s an outright masterpiece in how to breathe new life into an oft-treated narrative and raise the tension with wit, not brutal violence.

MILO series publication info:

MILO #1: Checkmate
Merkitty, Tammi, September, 2024

Reading materials: English sample, English synopsis, German edition, French edition, Finnish edition

 

MILO #2: Betrayed
Petetty, Tammi, September, 2025

Reading materials: English synopsis, Finnish edition

Rights sold MILO series:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (2 books)
FRANCE: Mera Editions
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2 books)
ITALY: Piemme
JAPAN: Kodansha Ltd.
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NORWAY: Aschehoug
UKRAINE: Laboratoria
FILM & TV RIGHTS: Solar Films

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Hollywood News: THE FAITHFUL READER series adaptation moving to production with Stampede Ventures!

We’re thrilled to announce that Max Seeck’s internationally bestselling thriller THE FAITHFUL READER (The Witch Hunter), a New York Times and Spiegel bestseller, is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures.

This gripping Nordic Noir series is set in Helsinki, Finland. It follows Jessica Niemi as she investigates a disturbing copycat killer, one that forces her to confront haunting memories and a chilling ancestral secret.

Max’s agent, Elina Ahlbäck, shares her excitement:

“Finally, we can share the amazing news that Greg Silverman, CEO of Stampede Ventures will produce Max Seeck’s New York Times and Spiegel Bestseller THE FAITHFUL READER (The Witch Hunter) alongside John-Paul Sarni, Max Seeck, and Gudrun Giddings as an English-language series. Brilliant team, Brilliant TV Show! We are so excited and grateful. Huge congratulations, Max Seeck!”

Max Seeck added:

“I’m very honoured to have the chance to work on the Jessica Niemi TV series with Stampede Ventures and Greg Silverman. I couldnt think of a better home for my novels. Thanks especially to JP Sarni, my agent Elina Ahlbäck and Gudrun Giddings.”

Originally published in Finland by Tammi (orig. Uskollinen lukija, 2019), New York Times and Spiegel bestselling author Max Seeck’s books have sold over 1 million copies, and published in 41 countries.

The Faithful Reader series is earmarked for a production start in Europe later this year. Stampede Ventures initially optioned the rights in 2019 and eventually purchased the book. “We couldn’t be more excited to have Chris and Maria adapting this phenomenal piece of IP,” said Silverman. “Their mastery of the genre will enthral audiences as we explore the gripping and suspenseful world Seeck has created.”

Stampede Ventures is an independent entertainment media company founded by Greg Silverman, the former President of Warner Bros. Pictures. Read more from Screendaily.

Further inquiries:
CEO & Agent Elina Ahlbäck, elina@ahlbackagency.com

“One of the best books I have read. Ever. Absolutely thrilling, well-written, and oh-so-hard to put down.”

—Emelie Schepp, author of Slowly We Die

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck

A book-inspired serial killer is on the loose. Jessica Niemi – a detective with a mysterious past – steps up. A chase for the faithful reader has begun.

Detective Jessica Niemi is called to investigate a murder case that is out of ordinary. The wife of a famous writer, Roger Koponen, seems to have been killed in a bizarre ritual. As more ritual murders occur, it becomes obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer.
But the murders are not random – they follow a pattern taken from Roger’s bestselling trilogy. Has a fan gone mad, or is this case more personal? How can Jessica stop a criminal who knows every detail of the book even better than the author?

The Faithful Reader is the first book of the four part Jessica Niemi series.

Join the success story of FAITHFUL READER and click here to request the full English PDF.

THE WITCH HUNTER / THE FAITHFUL READER
Uskollinen lukija
Tammi, 2019, 400 pp.

Reading materials:
English edition and synopsis

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BULGARIA: EMAS
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FILM & TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe GmbH & Co. KG
GREECE: Livanis
HUNGARY: Animus
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books/ Steimatzky
ITALY: Edizioni Piemme S.p.a
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna
NORTHERN MACEDONIA: MATICA MAKEDONSKA dooel
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda
ROMANIA: GRUP MEDIA LITERA
RUSSIA: AST Publishers
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motyl
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SOUTH KOREA: Cheongmirae
SPAIN & LATIN AMERICA: Maeva Ediciones
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UK: Welbeck Publishing
UKRAINE: Family Leisure Club
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers, Inc.

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Ukrainian rights sold for MILO by Max Seeck!

We’re excited to let you know that the Ukrainian rights for Milo, the latest novel by The New York Times and Spiegel bestselling author Max Seeck, have been acquired by Laboratoria! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Published in Finland last September, Max’s latest novel has sold more than 45,000 copies in Finland, rights for the novel have been sold to 9 territories, and a TV series based on the novel is in pre-production with Solar Films, with the script being finalized and shooting slated to start in 2025/2026 for a 6-episode TV series with focus on international sales & distribution.

The French edition of Milo, titled Échec et Mat, was published by Mera Editions in January, and the German edition, titled Blindspiel, will be published by Bastei Lübbe in June.

Max is currently working on the sequel to Milo, titled Petetty, which is slated to be published in Finland this September.

Download materials for MILO here!

Milo

Max Seeck

Bodies with chess pieces in their mouth – Milo needs to understand the game of chess in order to catch a killer.

The game has only just begun.

On a cold November evening, a body is discovered on the shore of Seurasaari. The victim’s skin is covered with a thick layer of white paint, and during the autopsy, a chess piece is found lodged in its throat.  The police are baffled. Why would the murderer go to such lengths to disguise the body? And why wasn’t there any attempt to hide it?  Milo Perho, an art gallery owner specializing in profiling killers, is called in to assist. What follows is a nerve-wracking game where every move costs a life, and no-one wants it to end in checkmate.

Milo is the gripping debut of the Milo series by internationally acclaimed author Max Seeck. Even before its release, the book’s translation rights were sold to numerous countries, and a TV series adaptation is already in the works.

Milo is a slightly different Seeck detective story and, as such, a quality piece of work. More than that, it’s an outright masterpiece in how to breathe new life into an oft-treated narrative and raise the tension with wit, not brutal violence.

MILO
MERKITTY
Tammi, 2024, 400 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English sample and synopsis
French edition
German manuscript
Finnish edition

English synopsis for book #2 (Petetty)

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (2 books)
FRANCE: Mera Editions
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
ITALY: Piemme
JAPAN: Kodansha Ltd.
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NORWAY: Aschehoug
UKRAINE: Laboratoria
FILM & TV RIGHTS: Solar Films

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

THE LAST GRUDGE and GHOST ISLAND by NYT bestselling author Max Seeck sold to Turkey!

We are happy to let you know that the Turkish rights to The Last Grudge and Ghost Island, books #3 and #4 in the Jessica Niemi series by The New York Times and Spiegel bestselling author Max Seeck, have been acquired by Doğan Kitap! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlbäck Literary Agency.

Doğan Kitap is part of Doğan Yayınları, one of Turkey’s leading book and magazine publishers. Doğan Kitap’s authors include Ragnar Jónasson, Lars Kepler, Tess Gerritsen, Camilla Läckberg, Jo Nesbø, Jean-Christopher Grangé, etc.

Rights for Max Seeck’s novels, including the Jessica Niemi series, have been sold to 41 territories, Max Seeck’s novels have sold more than 1,000,000 copies internationally, and have earned Max the Glass Key Award of 2023 (for The Last Grudge)! Additionally, a TV series based on the Jessica Niemi novels is in development by Greg Silverman/Stampede Ventures, while Solar Films is adapting Max’s latest novel Milo as an international TV series!

Download materials for the JESSICA NIEMI series here!

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck

Winner of the Glass Key Award 2023! The third installment in the NYT-bestselling series!

A prominent business executive Eliel Zetterborg is found brutally murdered in his home in Helsinki. The company he led has just announced drastic cutbacks and Zetterborg gained hundreds of enemies and death threats in the process.

But the murder motive become less clear, when the police finds out that the murderer had other targets as well. The only clue the police has is a photo of Zetterborg with three other men, whose faces are all scratched off. Who are the faceless men, and why can’t the police identify them? Are they other victims? Or something more sinister?

While Jessica Niemi suffers from a mental breakdown after her encounter with the witch coven, Jusuf gets a chance to lead the investigations and prove his skills as a police officer, while helping Jessica battle her demons that seem to come closer and closer…

Ghost Island

Max Seeck

The fourth title in the NYT-bestselling Jessica Niemi series!

A month after solving the Zetterborg case, Jessica Niemi is ordered on paid leave after an altercation, and she decides to travel to a small island in the Åland archipelago to escape the attention and find some peace. Meanwhile, a group of old people arrive on the same island, and Jessica learns that they are the remaining members of the Doves, the people who had to flee from Finland to Sweden during World War II and ended up living in an orphanage on the very same island.

One evening, Jessica hears a local legend about a girl who also inhabited the orphanage once, but who was mentally ill. Every night at two o’clock, the girl put on her blue coat and went to stand on the pier, waiting for something that never showed up. One night she disappeared and was never found. That same night, one of the remaining Doves dies.

Jessica soon finds out that two other people have previously faced the same fate on the same island, and all three people seem to have something to do with the girl in the blue coat. A chain of events starts to escalate, and we don’t know whether we’re facing a killer or – just like the legend says – a ghost, the girl in the blue coat.

Jessica Niemi is once again facing a scary mystery where the stakes are considerable. Whilst battling her own demons, uncertain what is real and what is not, she needs to find out the truth.

THE WITCH HUNTER
USKOLLINEN LUKIJA
Tammi, 2019, 400 pp.

THE ICE COVEN
PAHAN VERKKO
Tammi, 2020, 370 pp.

THE LAST GRUDGE
KAUNA
Tammi, 2021, 390 pp.

GHOST ISLAND
LOUKKO
Tammi, 2022, 358 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English editions

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers (World Arabic)
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna
BULGARIA: EMAS
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House
CROATIA: Fokus (Book 1)
CZECHIA: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (Books 1-2)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
GREECE: Livanis (Book 1-2)
HUNGARY: Animus
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books (Book 1)
ITALY: Piemme (Books 1-2)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATIN AMERICA: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos (Book 1)
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORTH MACEDONIA: Matica
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga (Books 1-2)
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora (Books 1-2)
ROMANIA: Litera (Books 1-2)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir (Book 1)
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UKRAINE: Family Leisure Club’
UNITED KINGDOM & COMMONWEALTH: Welbeck Publishing UK
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House
FILM & TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures (Greg Silverman)

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

MILO 2 by Max Seeck cover reveal

We are excited to share the amazing cover for Max Seeck’s bestselling MILO series, book #2: PETETTY.

New York Times & Spiegel Bestselling Author Max Seeck and his books have sold over 1 million copies worldwide and published in 41 countries!

Finland’s no. 1 Bestseller MILO, a psychological suspense novel with surprising twists and interesting facts about the game of chess, has sold over 45,000 copies, and starts a new series with a sequel publishing in September 2025.

Request reading materials for MILO series here!

about MILO:

MILO is a criminal profiler and art gallery owner struggling with sexual frustration who needs to understand the game of chess better in order to catch a killer.

The game has only just begun.

On a cold November evening, a body is discovered on the shore of Seurasaari. The victim’s skin is covered with a thick layer of white paint, and during the autopsy, a chess piece is found lodged in its throat.  The police are baffled. Why would the murderer go to such lengths to disguise the body? And why wasn’t there any attempt to hide it? Milo Perho, an art gallery owner specializing in profiling killers, is called in to assist. What follows is a nerve-wracking game where every move costs a life, and no one wants it to end in checkmate.

 

About MILO 2:

They know your every step.

When a strikingly beautiful woman sits across from art gallerist Milo Perho at a restaurant terrace in Helsinki, he has no idea where the meeting will lead. Soon, the Helsinki police are dealing with multiple murders, and someone is after Milo, someone who knows his past all too well. A deadly chase begins, where the predator could be anyone, and there’s nowhere to hide.

MILO 2 is a razor-sharp thriller set in the world of espionage. It continues the Milo series, following the story begun in book #1.

MILO
MERKITTY
Tammi, 2024, 400 pp.

Rights sold for MILO series:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (2 books)
FRANCE: Mera Editions
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
ITALY: Piemme / Mondadori Group
JAPAN: Kodansha
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NORWAY: Aschehoug
FILM & TV: Solar Films

READING MATERIALS:
50 p. English sample + synopsis, Finnish edition, German edition, French Edition, Synopsis of Book #2

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Bestselling MAX SEECK 1 Million Copies Sold Globally!

We are over the moon to share the news that our International and New York Times & Spiegel Bestselling Author MAX SEECK and his novels are published in 41 countries, selling 1 million copies around the world!

Max Seeck ‘s books have been included in Vogue’s list of the best Nordic noir books of all time! Max Seeck is the Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award. Recently, we announced that Kodansha in Japan will start publishing Max Seeck.

Hollywood calling – international TV news!

An international TV adaptation of THE WITCH HUNTER (a New York Times bestseller!) is in development with Stampede Ventures! Big news coming soon!

For the new series by Max Seeck, MILO, Solar Films is adapting Milo as an international TV series for global distribution, with production slated to commence in 2026!

Finland’s no. 1 Bestseller MILO, a psychological suspense novel with surprising twists and interesting facts about the game of chess, has sold over 45,000 copies, and starts a new series with a sequel publishing in September 2025.

In France, Méra Editions has just published “Echec et Mat” and in Germany, Bastei Lübbe will publish “Blindspiel” in June 2025, with Piemme/Mondadori in Italy, Aschehoug in Norway, Kodansha in Japan, Latvijas Medijii in Latvia, and Pegasus in Estonia to follow in 2026.

Request reading materials for JESSICA NIEMI series here!

Request reading materials for MILO series here!

About MILO:

MILO is a criminal profiler and art gallery owner struggling with sexual frustration who needs to understand the game of chess better in order to catch a killer.

The game has only just begun.

On a cold November evening, a body is discovered on the shore of Seurasaari. The victim’s skin is covered with a thick layer of white paint, and during the autopsy, a chess piece is found lodged in its throat.  The police are baffled. Why would the murderer go to such lengths to disguise the body? And why wasn’t there any attempt to hide it?  Milo Perho, an art gallery owner specializing in profiling killers, is called in to assist. What follows is a nerve-wracking game where every move costs a life, and no one wants it to end in checkmate.

About MILO 2:

They know your every step.

When a strikingly beautiful woman sits across from art gallerist Milo Perho at a restaurant terrace in Helsinki, he has no idea where the meeting will lead. Soon, the Helsinki police are dealing with multiple murders, and someone is after Milo, someone who knows his past all too well. A deadly chase begins, where the predator could be anyone, and there’s nowhere to hide.

MILO 2 is a razor-sharp thriller set in the world of espionage. It continues the Milo series, following the story begun in book #1.

Rights sold for MILO series:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (2 books)
FRANCE: Mera Editions
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
ITALY: Piemme / Mondadori Group
JAPAN: Kodansha
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NORWAY: Aschehoug
FILM & TV: Solar Films

Reading Materials:

50 p. English sample + synopsis, Finnish edition, German edition, French Edition, Synopsis of Book #2

Rights sold for Jessica Niemi series:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza (3 books)
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers (World Arabic) (3 books)
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna (4 books)
BULGARIA: EMAS (4 books)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada (2 books)
DENMARK: Gutkind (4 books)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (4 books)
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori (2 books)
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (2 book)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (4 books)
GREECE: Livani (2 books)
HUNGARY: Animus (4 books)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji (4 books)
LATIN AMERICA (World Spanish): Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica (2 booksl)
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (4 books)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (4 books)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora (2 books)
ROMANIA: Litera (2 books)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan (2 books)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2 books)
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ (2 books)
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag (4 books)
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap (2 books)
UKRAINE: Family Leisure Club
UNITED KINGDOM: Welbeck Publishing UK (4 books)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (4 books)
TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

Reading Materials:
English editions, German editions, Finnish editions

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

MILO by Max Seeck published in France!

We are so excited about the French publication of Milo, Échec et Mat, by our internationally bestselling author Max Seeck at Méra éditions! Milo is out as an e-book already and the physical book will be published February 14th! Milo has also been sold to Bastei Lübbe in Germany and Kodansha in Japan and many more. The German edition, BLINDSPIEL, will be published in June 2025.

Download the materials for Milo here!

Milo

✓ FINLAND’S NO. 1 BESTSELLER! Total sales 45,000 copies! 

✓ Solar Films will adapt Milo to an international TV series for global distribution, with development starting in 2024 and a planned release in 2026!

✓ Rights to Milo have been sold to Bastei Lübbe in Germany, Aschehoug in Norway, Mera Éditions in France, Latvijas Medijii in Latvia, Piemme/Mondadori in Italy, Pegasus in Estonia!

✓ Max Seeck won the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for The Last Grudge!

✓ Max Seeck’s books have sold over 400,000 copies in Finland! Big Hollywood news coming!

The game has only just begun.

On a cold November evening, a body is discovered on the shore of Seurasaari. The victim’s skin is covered with a thick layer of white paint, and during the autopsy, a chess piece is found lodged in its throat.

The police are baffled. Why would the murderer go to such lengths to disguise the body? And why wasn’t there any attempt to hide it?

Milo Perho, an art gallery owner specializing in profiling killers, is called in to assist. What follows is a nerve-wracking game where every move costs a life, and no one wants it to end in checkmate.

MILO is the gripping debut of the Milo series by internationally acclaimed author Max Seeck. Even before its release, the book’s translation rights were sold to numerous countries, and a TV series adaptation is already in the works.

“We are very honored to introduce the highly popular Max Seeck from Finland to Japan. Nordic mysteries is one of the most popular genre of crime fictions among Japanese readers, and we are very much looking forward to their reactions!”

— Yutaro Ichikawa, Editor at Kodansha, Japan

MILO
Merkitty – Tammi 2024 – 400 p.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FILM & TV: Solar Films
FRANCE: Mera Editions
GERMANY: Bastei Luebbe
ITALY: Piemme
JAPAN: Kodansha Ltd.
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NORWAY: Aschehoug

Reading Materials:
50 p. English sample + long synopsis, Finnish edition, synopsis of book 2

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

10 titles represented by Ahlback Agency nominated for Storytel Awards

We are thrilled to let you know that ten different titles represented by the Ahlback Agency have been nominated for the Storytel Awards 2025 in three different categories!

Storytel will honour the best audiobooks of the year and their readers in Finland at the Storytel Awards Gala in March 2025, now for the sixth time. The Storytel Awards and the Great Audiobook Prize aim to promote the development of the audiobook market, share the joy of listening and raise awareness of the importance of professional authors in creating listening experiences. The awards will be presented and the winners announced at the Storytel Awards on March 13th, 2025.

Storytel picks the most listened to and best reviewed audiobooks from January to December 2024. Only books published during 2024 are included. The five most voted books in each category will go through to the final and a jury selects the winners. You can vote for the nominees on Storytel’s website from January 20th to February 3rd.

On the fiction category our nominees are:

Pine Bark by Tommi Kinnunen

How We Met Your Mother by Kaj Korkea-aho

Treatment by Hanna-Riikka Kuisma

Push, Pace, Position, Pray by Miika Nousiainen

On Children’s Fiction and Young Adult category our nominee is:

Dad Man and the Doppelgänger Disaster by Arttu Unkari and Kai Vaalio

On Crime and Thrillers category our nominees are:

How to Face Death by Elina Backman

The Eagle by Tuomas Oskari

Milo by Max Seeck

THE KRISTINESTAD MURDERS #2: Alone by Kaisu Tuokko

The Stager by Arttu Tuominen

About author


Arttu Tuominen

Arttu Tuominen (b. 1981) is a Spiegel bestselling author and environmental inspector based in Pori, Finland. During the evenings, he writes dark and tough crime novels. He is best known for his psychologically nuanced and gripping crime novels. Tuominen's novels are acclaimed for their intense atmosphere, compelling plots, and richly drawn characters.

His River Delta series has sold over 230,000 copies in Finland alone and has been published in six different languages. Tuominen has received numerous accolades, including the Vuoden Johtolanka (Clue of the Year) award for The Oath and the Palle Rosenkrantz Prize from the Danish Crime Academy for Jeopardy. In addition he has been nominated for the prestigious Glass Key Award. His novels have earned praise from both critics and readers, firmly establishing him as a leading voice in Finnish crime fiction.

About author


Arttu Unkari

Arttu Unkari is a teacher from Helsinki and a Master of Education (University of Helsinki, 2015) who majored in ethics and philosophy.  He combines his educational background and experience as a teacher in his books – his stories are anarchist and zany, but at the same time the humour often revolves around profound and intriguing concepts such as honesty, obedience, and morality in ways that speak to children in their own language. His books are enjoyed by adults as well because they contain layers that open up differently to readers of all ages. This is one of the reasons Dad Man is such a great series for the whole family.

As an author Unkari is a Runeberg prize nominee 2023 for the third instalment of the Dadman series: Dad Man and the Horrible Hypnosis (Isämies ja hyytävä hypnoosi, Otava 2022). The Runeberg Prize is a literary prize awarded by the newspaper Uusimaa, the City of Porvoo, the Finnish Writers' Union, the Finnish Critics' Association and the Finland’s-Swedish Writer’s Association. The prize was established in 1986 and it is awarded annually in Porvoo on 5th February, the day when Finland celebrates their national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg.  All of his previous books (Dad Man and the Exploding poop, Dad Man and the Evil Little Brother,  Dad Man and the Horrible Hypnosis and Dad Man and the Impossible Time Warp) have been nominated for best children’s audiobook in the 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 Finnish Storytel awards. He’s also participated in making a Finnish language schoolbook (Loikka 3, Otava 2022).

Unkari is a sought after inspirational speaker in his home country. He’s visited schools all over Finland advocating for the importance of reading.

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


Hanna-Riikka Kuisma

Hanna-Riikka Kuisma (b. 1978) is a Pori-based writer, art critic and columnist. Kuisma is known for exploring the darkness of the human mind and our contemporary society. She has published seven novels and a collection of short stories. Her latest novel Treatment was nominated for the 2024 Finlandia Prize in Fiction.

Kuisma's fifth novel, High-Rise, was nominated for the Finlandia Prize for Fiction in 2019, and in the same year she was awarded the Satakunta Arts Council's Art Prize. In 2021, she was awarded the Nortamo Prize for Literature.

Kuisma's debut collection of short stories, Life Sentence (Elinkautinen), was published in 2005. Since then, she has published the novels Snake's Nest, Heart Shadow, White Light, Fifth Season, High-Rise, Guilty and Treatment. The Fifth Season was nominated for the Tiiliskivi Literary Prize.

The blackly intense atmosphere and surgical precision of Kuisma's works are counterbalanced by colourful visuals and poetic language. Her literary contemporaries include Juha Seppälä, Asko Sahlberg and Hanna Marjut Marttila.

Photo credit: Sami Kokko

About author


Kai Vaalio

Kai Vaalio (b. 1986) is an illustrator, comic artist, and a bit of a cosmopolitan as well. He’s written and illustrated underground comic books for adults about his travels in South-East Asia and Latin America — the latter won Mondo magazine’s Travel book of the year award back in 2014. Recently he’s ventured into the world of illustrating children’s books mainly with Arttu Unkari’s Dad Man Series. Together they’ve made several books about this goofy detective and his clever little posse. The Dad Man Series has received Storytel Awards and Runeberg Junior 2023 award nominations. Vaalio’s been on and off in the graphic industry since 2005 when he graduated as a graphic designer from Lahti College of Arts and Crafts. In 2018 he got his bachelor’s degree from Lahti University of Applied Science.

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


Kaj Korkea-aho

Kaj Korkea-aho (b. 1983) is a writer, columnist and a comedian. Moreover, he has a career as an actor and a host in TV and radio. In his varied acting roles, he has often taken a stand for the rights of queer people, and his texts often discuss themes such as growing up, sexual minorities, religious revival communities and literature.

Korkea-aho has published four novels: Se till mig som liten är (God Who Holds The Little Dear) (2009), Gräset är mörkare på andra sidan (The Grass Is Darker on the Other Side) (2012), Onda boken (The Evil Book) (2015) which has been already translated into six languages and sold to Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Germany and Denmark, and Röda rummet (The Red Room) (2021). His books have attained wide readership in Finland and have scored several prizes, such as the The Swedish Literary Society’s prize in 2010 and 2013, the Thanks for the Book Award in 2016 and the Längmans Cultural Foundation’s prize in 2018. In 2017, Korkea-aho’s YA book Virala genier (Viral Geniuses) was nominated for the prestigious Finlandia Prize for children’s and young adult’s literature.

Since 2005, together with Ted Forsström, Korkea-aho has created comedy in Swedish for radio, TV and plays, whilst also writing the YA series Zoo! (the basis for the TV series Virala genier). Together, they also run the Ted & Kaj podcast, one of the biggest podcasts in Finland.

Kaj Korkea-aho was born and raised in the small town of Esse in Ostrobothnia, but now lives in Helsinki.

Photo credit: Niklas Sandström

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

About author


Miika Nousiainen

Miika Nousiainen (b. 1973 in Säynätsalo) has worked as a news and current affairs journalist for MTV3's news department. In addition, he has written for several popular TV-shows.

Nousiainen’s debut novel, Raspberry Boat Refugee (2007), tells the story of Mikko Virtanen, a man who desperately wants to become Swedish at any cost. In this tragicomic work, Nousiainen makes sharp observations about our western neighbor and illustrates that we’re all self-proclaimed experts on Sweden.

Roots (2016) follows the search for a missing father, taking readers across continents from Lieksa, Finland, to Australia. The book was also well-received internationally.

In Facelift (2020), Nousiainen gently explores themes of family and the longing for connection.

In addition, he has written The Danger of the Long Distance Runner (2009) and Forrest Giant (2011).

Nousiainen's novels have been adapted countless times and translated into languages such as Swedish, German, Dutch, Italian, and Estonian.

Miika Nousiainen have been awarded with: Laila Hirvisaari Foundation Grant (2008), Kalevi Jäntti Prize (2009) and Honorable Mention in the Sports Museum Foundation’s Sports Book of the Year Competition (2010)

Photo credit: Jonne Räsänen / Otava 2020

About author


Tommi Kinnunen

Tommi Kinnunen (1973) was born in Kuusamo in northeastern Finland and currently lives in Turku, where he works as a teacher of Finnish language and literature. His works include novels, opera librettos, short stories, and a non-fiction title on the changes taking place in the Finnish school system.

Kinnunen’s novels give a voice to those whose stories have been kept untold. He made a stellar debut with Where Four Roads Meet (orig. Neljäntienristeys) which was nominated for the Finlandia Prize and won the Young Aleksis Prize in 2015. The following novels The Light Behind the Eyes (orig. Lopotti), The Glass River (orig. Pintti), and Defiance (orig. Ei kertonut katuvansa) have been both critical and commercial successes. His books have been translated into 22 languages. Several filmatisations of his novels are currently in the making!

During his spare time, Kinnunen likes to refurbish old buildings.

Photo credit: Ofer Amir

About author


Tuomas Oskari

Tuomas Oskari is the international pen name of Tuomas Niskakangas, a crime author and a politics and economics journalist for Helsingin Sanomat, the biggest newspaper in Finland. He has a Master in Economics. Formerly Niskakangas has worked in Washington, D.C. as the USA correspondent for Helsingin Sanomat.

Photo credit: Jonne Räsänen/Otava

Bulgarian rights sold for GHOST ISLAND by Max Seeck!

We are happy to announce that EMAS has acquired the Bulgarian rights to GHOST ISLAND, book #4 in the Jessica Niemi series by Max Seeck! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe.

Jessica Niemi series by the New York Times bestselling author Max Seeck is a true international phenomenon – the rights for the series have been sold to 41 territories and a TV series based on the titles is in development. Additionally, book #3 in the series, THE LAST GRUDGE, won the prestigious Glass Key Award in 2023.

In addition to the Jessica Niemi series, Max’s new crime series, focusing on the investigations of criminal profiler and art gallerist Milo Perho, has also gained traction, with rights sold to 7 territories and a TV series based on the first novel in pre-production.

We are also happy to remind you that the latest FILI translation grant application round is ongoing and will last until February 1st!
You can find more information here: Translation and printing grants for publishers outside Finland – FILI

Now is the perfect time to acquire the rights for this or any of the other amazing titles on our list!

Download materials for GHOST ISLAND here!

Ghost Island

Max Seeck

The fourth title in the NYT-bestselling Jessica Niemi series!

A month after solving the Zetterborg case, Jessica Niemi is ordered on paid leave after an altercation, and she decides to travel to a small island in the Åland archipelago to escape the attention and find some peace. Meanwhile, a group of old people arrive on the same island, and Jessica learns that they are the remaining members of the Doves, the people who had to flee from Finland to Sweden during World War II and ended up living in an orphanage on the very same island.

One evening, Jessica hears a local legend about a girl who also inhabited the orphanage once, but who was mentally ill. Every night at two o’clock, the girl put on her blue coat and went to stand on the pier, waiting for something that never showed up. One night she disappeared and was never found. That same night, one of the remaining Doves dies.

Jessica soon finds out that two other people have previously faced the same fate on the same island, and all three people seem to have something to do with the girl in the blue coat. A chain of events starts to escalate, and we don’t know whether we’re facing a killer or – just like the legend says – a ghost, the girl in the blue coat.

Jessica Niemi is once again facing a scary mystery where the stakes are considerable. Whilst battling her own demons, uncertain what is real and what is not, she needs to find out the truth.

GHOST ISLAND
LOUKKO
Tammi, 2022, 358 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
BULGARIA: EMAS
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Kirjastus Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Bestselling Max Seeck heads to Japan!

Great news for our internationally bestselling author, Max Seeck. MILO will be published in Japan by Kodansha! Marking as Max’s first-ever Japanese deal. We are very proud to see Japan added to the long list of countries where his work has been translated. The deal was closed by Elina Ahlbäck and Julia Bogen in collaboration with Tuttle-Mori Agency. Congratulations Max and Kodansha!

 Yutaro Ichikawa, Editor at Kodansha shared his excitement:

We are very honored to introduce the highly popular Max Seeck from Finland to Japan. Nordic mysteries is one of the most popular genre of crime fictions among Japanese readers, and we are very much looking forward to their reactions!
– Yutaro Ichikawa, Editor at Kodansha

That is not the only good news! Since its release September, his latest book, MILO, has sold over 40,000 copies domestically.

Max’s French publisher Méra Editions will publish Echec et Mat on January 15, as the first publisher outside Finland to publish MILO. Bastei Lübbe will publish BLINDSPIEL in German in June 2025. Check their stunning cover here.

TV series is now in pre-production with Solar Films, script is being finalized, and shooting starts in 2025/2026 for a 6-episodes TV series with focus on international sales & distribution.

Click here to request reading materials for MILO series here!

About MILO:

Milo, a 38-year-old art enthusiast, gallery owner and criminal profiler struggles with sexual frustration that are both the cause and consequence for his marital problems with his wife Ronja. A body of a young woman is found painted in all-white representing a piece of chess. The chief inspector receives an anonymous letter with a short message: Bxc6. This indicates a chess move and along the location where the body was found the investigators feel that more chess moves might be on the way.

Milo struggles to form a clear picture of the killer. He soon understands that in order to help the police force to catch the killer he needs to understand the game of chess better. As much as he hates it, he decides to face the ghost of the past: her mother’s former partner Stanislav who happens to be a European champion in chess…

MILO
Merkitty – Tammi 2024 – 400 p.

Rights Sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Mera Editions
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
ITALY: Piemme / Mondadori Group
JAPAN: Kodansha
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NORWAY: Aschehoug
FILM & TV: Solar Films

Reading Materials:
50 p. English sample + long synopsis, Finnish edition, synopsis of book 2

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Five of our talented authors nominated for the Adlibris Prize

We are delighted to announce that five of our authors have been nominated for the prestigious Adlibris Prize 2024! These nominations celebrate outstanding achievements in suspense, fiction, and children’s literature.

Fiction Category

  • Finlandia nominee Kaj Korkea-aho for his autobiographical novel HOW WE MET YOUR MOTHER.
  • Finlandia nominee Tommi Kinnunen for his sixth novel PINE BARK.

 

Children’s Category

    • Riikka Jäntti, whose beloved LITTLE MOUSE series has been translated into 21 languages, for her latest book LITTLE MOUSE GOES ON A CRUISE.

Suspense Category

  • New York Times bestselling author Max Seeck for his MILO.
  • Spiegel bestseller Arttu Tuominen for his THE STAGER.

About the Adlibris Prize

The winner is chosen by readers across Finland. The Adlibris Prize was launched in Finland last year, and this year’s winners in each category will be revealed on February 5. Congratulations to all the nominees!

Congratulations to all the nominees!

About author


Arttu Tuominen

Arttu Tuominen (b. 1981) is a Spiegel bestselling author and environmental inspector based in Pori, Finland. During the evenings, he writes dark and tough crime novels. He is best known for his psychologically nuanced and gripping crime novels. Tuominen's novels are acclaimed for their intense atmosphere, compelling plots, and richly drawn characters.

His River Delta series has sold over 230,000 copies in Finland alone and has been published in six different languages. Tuominen has received numerous accolades, including the Vuoden Johtolanka (Clue of the Year) award for The Oath and the Palle Rosenkrantz Prize from the Danish Crime Academy for Jeopardy. In addition he has been nominated for the prestigious Glass Key Award. His novels have earned praise from both critics and readers, firmly establishing him as a leading voice in Finnish crime fiction.

About author


Kaj Korkea-aho

Kaj Korkea-aho (b. 1983) is a writer, columnist and a comedian. Moreover, he has a career as an actor and a host in TV and radio. In his varied acting roles, he has often taken a stand for the rights of queer people, and his texts often discuss themes such as growing up, sexual minorities, religious revival communities and literature.

Korkea-aho has published four novels: Se till mig som liten är (God Who Holds The Little Dear) (2009), Gräset är mörkare på andra sidan (The Grass Is Darker on the Other Side) (2012), Onda boken (The Evil Book) (2015) which has been already translated into six languages and sold to Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Germany and Denmark, and Röda rummet (The Red Room) (2021). His books have attained wide readership in Finland and have scored several prizes, such as the The Swedish Literary Society’s prize in 2010 and 2013, the Thanks for the Book Award in 2016 and the Längmans Cultural Foundation’s prize in 2018. In 2017, Korkea-aho’s YA book Virala genier (Viral Geniuses) was nominated for the prestigious Finlandia Prize for children’s and young adult’s literature.

Since 2005, together with Ted Forsström, Korkea-aho has created comedy in Swedish for radio, TV and plays, whilst also writing the YA series Zoo! (the basis for the TV series Virala genier). Together, they also run the Ted & Kaj podcast, one of the biggest podcasts in Finland.

Kaj Korkea-aho was born and raised in the small town of Esse in Ostrobothnia, but now lives in Helsinki.

Photo credit: Niklas Sandström

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

About author


Riikka Jäntti

Riikka Jäntti, a 2003 graduate of University of Industrial Art of Helsinki, now part of Aalto University, is a Helsinki-based illustrator and author who has created art for both nonfiction and fairy tale books for children. Her first children’s book was published in 2005. Jäntti is best known for the adorable Little Mouse series that has publishers in 20 territories, including Australia, Nepal, and China!

In her illustrations, she uses pen and ink as well as watercolor and gouache. In 2009 Jäntti won the first-ever Tieto-Lauri, an award for children’s and juvenile non-fiction, for her illustrations in Viidakkotanssi (Jungle Dance). The book was written by Markku Löytönen about the explorer Rafael Karsten in Ecuador.

About author


Tommi Kinnunen

Tommi Kinnunen (1973) was born in Kuusamo in northeastern Finland and currently lives in Turku, where he works as a teacher of Finnish language and literature. His works include novels, opera librettos, short stories, and a non-fiction title on the changes taking place in the Finnish school system.

Kinnunen’s novels give a voice to those whose stories have been kept untold. He made a stellar debut with Where Four Roads Meet (orig. Neljäntienristeys) which was nominated for the Finlandia Prize and won the Young Aleksis Prize in 2015. The following novels The Light Behind the Eyes (orig. Lopotti), The Glass River (orig. Pintti), and Defiance (orig. Ei kertonut katuvansa) have been both critical and commercial successes. His books have been translated into 22 languages. Several filmatisations of his novels are currently in the making!

During his spare time, Kinnunen likes to refurbish old buildings.

Photo credit: Ofer Amir

Max Seeck’s new MILO series secures a two-book deal!

Max Seeck’s MILO series is on fire, securing a two-book deal in Estonia! The Estonian rights for the recently published first installment and its upcoming sequel have been acquired by Pegasus. The deal was closed by Elina Ahlbäck and Julia Bogen.

The first book of the series has already been sold to Bastei Lübbe in GermanyAschehoug in NorwayMéra Editions in FranceLatvijas Medijii in Latvia and Piemme in Italy. Solar Films adapts the book to an international TV show for global distribution. Pegasus joins this impressive list of publishers and by being the first to acquire the sequel, solidifiying Milo’s status as an international must-read in crime fiction.

Pegasus is proud to continue its collaboration with Max, whose previous books have also been published by the imprint. With this latest addition, readers can expect more thrilling narratives that highlight Seeck’s touch for suspense. Pegasus is known for its impressive list of Scandinavian crime authors, already home to heavyweights such as Camilla Läckberg, Lars Kepler, Viveca Sten, and Jussi Adler-Olsen.

Max Seeck is a New York Times and Spiegel Bestselling Author, and with MILO, he begins a new crime series, with a complex and relatable main character. Selling over  30,000 copies in Finland, and for the first time Max Seeck has claimed the top spot in Finland’s bestseller charts across all formats (print, e-book & audio) and genres. Just recently Max confirmed his status as the most translated Finnish author between 2020 and 2024, with 96 translations.

Rights still available in the UK, Spain, Poland, Czechia, Iceland, Japan, China…

Click here to download all reading materials for MILO!

About MILO:
Milo, a 38-year-old art enthusiast, gallery owner and criminal profiler struggles with sexual frustration that are both the cause and consequence for his marital problems with his wife Ronja. A body of a young woman is found painted in all-white representing a piece of chess. The chief inspector receives an anonymous letter with a short message: Bxc6. This indicates a chess move and along the location where the body was found the investigators feel that more chess moves might be on the way.

Milo struggles to form a clear picture of the killer. He soon understands that in order to help the police force to catch the killer he needs to understand the game of chess better. As much as he hates it, he decides to face the ghost of the past: her mother’s former partner Stanislav who happens to be a European champion in chess…

About MILO 2:
It’s early September in Helsinki, Finland. Ten months have passed since the events of the first book, and a lot has happened. Our hero Milo Perho, an art gallerist and a criminal profiler, has divorced and moved on with his life. While his marriage has fallen apart, he actually has gained some more confidence and is happier single. Milo has given up his dreams of becoming a father, and he tries to enjoy life as it is.

MILO
Merkitty – Tammi 2024 – 400 p.

Rights Sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Mera Editions
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
ITALY: Piemme / Mondadori Group
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NORWAY: Aschehoug
FILM & TV: Solar Films

Reading Materials:
50 p. English sample + synopsis, Finnish edition

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

MILO Italian rights sold at auction to PIEMME/MONDADORI GROUP!

Max Seeck’s MILO is on fire, with another deal – this time rights were acquired in Italy at auction, conducted and closed by Elina Ahlback and Julia Bogen. The Italian rights to Max Seeck’s brand new series MILO has gone to his previous publisher Piemme/Mondadori Group. Solar Films adapts Milo to an international TV show for global distribution. Rights were previously sold to Bastei Lübbe in Germany, Aschehoug in Norway, Mera Éditions in France and Latvijas Medijii in Latvia. Huge congratulations, Max!

Max Seeck is a New York Times and Spiegel Bestselling Author, and MILO is currently Finland’s #1 Bestseller!! MILO has sold over 25,000 copies since publication in September! MILO begins a new crime series, with a complex and relatable main character, criminal profiler and art gallerist Milo Perho. Bodies with chess pieces in their mouth – Milo needs to understand the game of chess in order to catch a killer.

Praise for MILO:  

Milo is a slightly different Seeck detective story and as such a quality piece of work. More than that, it’s an outright masterpiece  (…)  Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year’s winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction.

Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

About MILO:
Milo, a 38-year-old art enthusiast, gallery owner and criminal profiler struggles with sexual frustration that are both the cause and consequence for his marital problems with his wife Ronja. A body of a young woman is found painted in all-white representing a piece of chess. The chief inspector receives an anonymous letter with a short message: Bxc6. This indicates a chess move and along the location where the body was found the investigators feel that more chess moves might be on the way.

Milo struggles to form a clear picture of the killer. He soon understands that in order to help the police force to catch the killer he needs to understand the game of chess better. As much as he hates it, he decides to face the ghost of the past: her mother’s former partner Stanislav who happens to be a European champion in chess…

Rights still available in the UK, Spain, Poland, Czechia, Iceland, Japan, China…

Click here to download all reading materials for MILO!

MILO
Merkitty – Tammi 2024 – 400 p.

Rights Sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.), FRANCE: Mera Editions, GERMANY: Bastei Luebbe, ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori Group, LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji, NORWAY: Aschehoug, FILM & TV: Solar Films

Reading Materials:
50 p. English sample + synopsis, Finnish edition

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

MILO #1 bestselling book in September

Great news for MILO by our international bestselling author Max Seeck. The book was #1 bestselling book in Finland in September. Congratulations Max!

Since its publication in early September the newest book by the NY Times bestselling author has sold over 25 000 copies and continues to dominate the top charts in print, e-book, and audio formats.

For those who don’t know, Max Seeck is one of Finland’s top selling crime authors, with over 400,000 copies sold. His popular Jessica Niemi series has sold in 40 territories and Hollywood, where Stampede Ventures is developing The Witch Hunter an international TV series. Solar Films is develeloping a feature film targeted towards an international audience.

MILO is following in the footsteps of Seeck’s previous successes, captivating readers!

About MILO:

Milo, a 38-year-old art enthusiast, gallery owner and criminal profiler struggles with sexual frustration that are both the cause and consequence for his marital problems with his wife Ronja. A body of a young woman is found painted in all-white representing a piece of chess. The chief inspector receives an anonymous letter with a short message: Bxc6. This indicates a chess move and along the location where the body was found the investigators feel that more chess moves might be on the way.

Milo struggles to form a clear picture of the killer. He soon understands that in order to help the police force to catch the killer he needs to understand the game of chess better. As much as he hates it, he decides to face the ghost of the past: her mother’s former partner Stanislav who happens to be a European champion in chess…

Join the success all Max Seeck publishers around the world! And for our other Hot Frankfurt crime & thriller titles browse our rights guide here.

The rights are still available for Poland, Italy, the UK/US etc.. Get in touch with us and acquire your next bestseller!

Click here to access all reading materials for MILO!

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Fantastic new praise for MILO, WOLF CUB, and OUR LAST GAME!

To round off the week, we have some fantastic praise for our hot titles: MILO by NY Times bestseller Max Seeck, our wilderness noir WOLF CUB by award-winning author Johanna Holmström, and OUR LAST GAME by Finland’s literary favorite Riikka Pulkkinen!

MILO

“I found Seeck’s choice to deal with infertility from a male perspective particularly commendable. In the book, a child is precisely Milo’s dream, and when that dream doesn’t come true, it leads to many unexpected consequences.”

– Amman lukuhetki blog

*****

“The most important thing for a detective story is, of course, a well-rolling, addictive plot that reveals just the right amount: not too much, not too little. (-) As before, Seeck draws both the characters and the milieu with such force that everything can be seen as a film before your eyes. Not surprisingly, a TV series is already in the pipeline.”

– Amman lukuhetki blog

You can download materials for MILO here!

WOLF CUB

“We end up in the middle of the primeval forest, the wilderness. The best writers create their own genre. Like Johanna Holmström. Understanding half of what Johanna Holmström means and wants is enough to think that “Vargens unge” is a really good novel, even the best Swedish-language detective, crime, police and suspense novel of the year. A crime novel and novel critical of civilization.

– Bengt Eriksson, Opulens magazine, Sweden

*****

“Johanna Holmström succeeds in telling a strong story about lost and lonely people, about children who are both loved and hurt, about living both inside and outside society, and also makes strong contemporary events such as the pandemic and the Ukrainian war into thought-provoking parts of the story. At the same time, she also writes a classic crime novel with police investigation, suspense and unexpected disputes. The mix of all this makes “The Wolf’s Cub” a great read for everyone, whether you like crime fiction or not.”

– Nerikes Allehanda newspaper, Örebro, Sweden

You can download materials for WOLF CUB here!

OUR LAST GAME

Pulkkinen masters the distinctive voices of the characters, right down to the narrator. The work poses ethical and philosophical questions through the mouths of its numerous characters… OUR LAST GAME asks how much of what was broken in childhood can be repaired with medicine. Above all, it asks what is ultimately broken in us and what is the fabric of life itself.

– Maija Alander, Helsingin Sanomat newspaper

*****

Riikka Pulkkinen’s OUR LAST GAME is a masterpiece of psychiatric power. It is a stunningly beautiful cry for help for the mentally broken. The novel has the makings of a Finlandia nominee.

– Maaseudun Tulevaisuus newspaper, Finland

You can download materials for OUR LAST GAME here!

MILO
Merkitty – Tammi 2024 – 400 p.
Rights Sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.), FRANCE: Mera Editions, GERMANY: Bastei Luebbe, LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji, NORWAY: Aschehoug, FILM & TV: Solar Films
Reading Materials: 50 p. English sample + synopsis, Finnish edition

WOLF CUB
Vargens unge – Albert Bonniers Förlag 2024 – 428 p.
Rights Sold:
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag (orig.), FINLAND: Förlaget (Swedish) & Otava (Finnish)
Reading Materials: English sample & 27-page synopsis, Swedish edition, Finnish edition

OUR LAST GAME
Viimeinen yhteinen leikki – Otava 2024 – 411 p.
Reading Materials: English sample & synopsis, Finnish edition

About author


Johanna Holmström

Johanna Holmström is one of the most successful Finnish-Swedish writers of her generation. Her works have been published in over 10 countries.

She made her debut at 21 years old with the short story collection Inlåst och andra noveller in 2003, and was nominated for Sveriges Radio’s award. She had her literary breakthrough in 2009 with her fourth book, the short story collection Camera Obscura, which received both Svenska Dagbladet's literature prize in Sweden and Svenska YLE's literature prize in Finland.

Her novel Asfaltsänglar (2013) has been published in seven countries.  With Själarnas ö (2017), her acclaimed novel centered around women in a mental hospital in the Finnish archipelago from the late 1800s–1962, Holmström was nominated for the prestigious Runeberg Prize in 2018. Her short story collection Handbok i klardrömmar (2022) was the first Finnish-Swedish title to receive the Karin Boye prize in Sweden. Vargens unge (2024) is published by Albert Bonniers.

In her writing, Johanna Holmström explores the darker sides of human nature in a psychologically credible way. She writes about relationships and power structures within the family and society. Holmström is one of Finland's most skilled at environmental portrayal, and for her the environment is at least as central as the characters when it comes to creating drama. She has a narrative drive that few can match, without forgetting to maintain a top class and wayward language.

Photo credit: Thron Ullberg / Otava

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

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

FILI Grants Fall 2024 open from now until November 1st!

The FILI Fall 2024 grant application period is now open and will last until November 1st 2024! Now is the perfect time to acquire your Finnish bestseller and award-winner! Check out our Fall Catalogue here:  Ahlback Agency Fall 2024 – and latest news here: Ahlback Agency News

FILI offers grants to support the translation of Finnish literature. These grants are intended for publishers outside Finland and are to be applied towards the translator’s fee. Grants are awarded for translating works of fiction and general non-fiction, children’s and young adult (YA) books, and comics and graphic novels from the Finnish, Finland-Swedish and Sámi languages. Grants are awarded to cover part of the translation cost, on average, 50 to 70 per cent. Grants are also available for printing costs for comics and graphic novels and for children’s picture books. Read more here: APPLY FOR FILI GRANTS

Good news for German publishers: there is an extra guarantee of a 70% grant for German publishers.

FILI grants can be applied for all Ahlback Agency titles. Below are some picks of our bestsellers, award-winners & new titles. We look forward to spreading Finnish literature together!

 

Wolf Cub

Johanna Holmström

“Finland-Swedish Holmström’s suspense debut is unusually literary, also atmospheric, dense and unpredictable. In an instant, the mood can change from calming to unsafe. Whether it’s due to nature’s whims, threatening people or unkempt things that we suddenly imagine. Johanna Holmström manages to capture that. She is even more skilled at the relationships between people, when trust is there and when it is lacking. When everything breaks down.”

– Bella Stenberg, Ystads Allehanda newspaper, Sweden

“Vargens unge” is a really good novel, even the best Swedish-language detective, crime, police and suspense novel of the year. A crime novel and novel critical of civilization.

– Bengt Eriksson, Opulens magazine, Sweden

 

Our Last Game

Riikka Pulkkinen

“Pulkkinen masters the distinctive voices of the characters, right down to the narrator. The work poses ethical and philosophical questions through the mouths of its numerous characters… OUR LAST GAME asks how much of what was broken in childhood can be repaired with medicine. Above all, it asks what is ultimately broken in us and what is the fabric of life itself.”

– Maija Alander, Helsingin Sanomat newspaper

 

Daughter of Two Bloods

 S. K. Rostedt

“An addictive and titillating domestic fantasy novel that is just as good as all the hype suggests. Smooth storytelling, with just the right amount of plot twists and surprises. This book is on your mind when you can’t read it and you get sucked in as soon as you pick it up.”

– Kirjoihin kadonnut bookstagram

 

The Kristinestad Murders #1: Revenge

 Kaisu Tuokko

”Will Kaisu Tuokko’s Kristinestad be Finland’s equivalent to Camilla Läckberg’s Fjällbacka or Mari Jungstedt’s Visby? Tuokko has taken a model from another classic author, namely Agatha Christie. The reader has no real chance to identify the killer, although clearly the most important question is ”who dunnit”. The key thing is that Tuokko succeeds in creating excitement and suspense by bringing up current social phenomena against an idyllic setting.”

– Taika Dahlbom, Helsingin Sanomat newspaper

 

The Kristinestad Murders #2: Alone

 Kaisu Tuokko

“Kaisu Tuokko perfectly balances the combination of a gorgeous, atmospheric setting and the aftermath of a terrible crime that exposes the eerie underbelly below the shiny surface of lovely Kristinestad. Mats and Eevi, a police investigator and a journalist, complement each other so well because one of them can always keep digging where the other one reaches their limits. Her investigative team is capable and likeable – what more could you ask for?”

– Sarah Mainke, Editor, Aufbau Verlage, Germany

 

Milo

Max Seeck

“Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year’s winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction.”

– Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper
“The most important thing for a detective story is, of course, a well-rolling, addictive plot that reveals just the right amount: not too much, not too little. (-) As before, Seeck draws both the characters and the milieu with such force that everything can be seen as a film before your eyes. Not surprisingly, a TV series is already in the pipeline.”

– Amman lukuhetki blog

WOLF CUB
Vargens Unge
Albert Bonniers, 2024, 428 p.
Rights sold:
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag (orig.)
FINLAND: Förlaget (Swedish) & Otava (Finnish)
Reading materials:
English sample & 27-page synopsis
Swedish edition
Finnish edition

OUR LAST GAME
Viimeinen yhteinen leikki
Otava, 2024, 411 p.
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis
Finnish edition

DAUGHTER OF TWO BLOODS
Kahden veren tytär
Otava, 2024, 509 p.
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis
Finnish edition

Kristinestad Murders 1: REVENGE
Kosto
Otava 2023, 298 p.
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
Reading materials:
Full English translation
English sample and synopsis; series presentation

Kristinestad Murders 2: ALONE
Yksin
Otava, 2024, 300 p.
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
Reading materials:
English synopsis and series presentation
Finnish edition

MILO
Merkitty
Tammi, September 2024, 400 p.
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.), FRANCE: Mera Editions, GERMANY: Bastei Luebbe, LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji, NORWAY: Aschehoug, FILM & TV: Solar Films
Reading materials:
Longer English sample + synopsis
Finnish edition

About author


Johanna Holmström

Johanna Holmström is one of the most successful Finnish-Swedish writers of her generation. Her works have been published in over 10 countries.

She made her debut at 21 years old with the short story collection Inlåst och andra noveller in 2003, and was nominated for Sveriges Radio’s award. She had her literary breakthrough in 2009 with her fourth book, the short story collection Camera Obscura, which received both Svenska Dagbladet's literature prize in Sweden and Svenska YLE's literature prize in Finland.

Her novel Asfaltsänglar (2013) has been published in seven countries.  With Själarnas ö (2017), her acclaimed novel centered around women in a mental hospital in the Finnish archipelago from the late 1800s–1962, Holmström was nominated for the prestigious Runeberg Prize in 2018. Her short story collection Handbok i klardrömmar (2022) was the first Finnish-Swedish title to receive the Karin Boye prize in Sweden. Vargens unge (2024) is published by Albert Bonniers.

In her writing, Johanna Holmström explores the darker sides of human nature in a psychologically credible way. She writes about relationships and power structures within the family and society. Holmström is one of Finland's most skilled at environmental portrayal, and for her the environment is at least as central as the characters when it comes to creating drama. She has a narrative drive that few can match, without forgetting to maintain a top class and wayward language.

Photo credit: Thron Ullberg / Otava

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


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

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


S. K. Rostedt

S. K. Rostedt aka Saara Rostedt (1993) is an author and marketing professional who grew up in Finland's book capital Sastamala. Now based in Helsinki, she is an avid romantasy reader who loves to spend time in nature and at her summer cabin. She has popular BookTok and Bookstagram social channels, where she talks about her writing and reading experiences. S. K. Rostedt, who gave up reading as a teenager, rediscovered the world of books in her twenties with the help of romantasy. Saara is known in social media as @skrostedt.

Photo credit: Jonne Räsänen/Otava

20,000 copies sold for Milo and Latvian deal!

Since its publication, MILO by crime superstar Max Seeck has sold over 20,000 copies in Finland! Considering the international success of New York Times Bestseller Seeck’s Jessica Niemi series, however, we can’t say we’re surprised. It’s also the #1 bestseller in audio and e-book!

Adding on to the good news: the Latvian publisher for the Jessica Niemi series Latvijas Mediji has acquired Latvian rights to Milo, in a deal closed by Elina Ahlbäck and Julia Bogen! This is the 5th territory Milo has sold too, including TV rights with Solar Films.

About MILO:

Milo, a 38-year-old art enthusiast, gallery owner and criminal profiler struggles with sexual frustration that are both the cause and consequence for his marital problems with his wife Ronja. A body of a young woman is found painted in all-white representing a piece of chess. The chief inspector receives an anonymous letter with a short message: Bxc6. This indicates a chess move and along the location where the body was found the investigators feel that more chess moves might be on the way.

Milo struggles to form a clear picture of the killer. He soon understands that in order to help the police force to catch the killer he needs to understand the game of chess better. As much as he hates it, he decides to face the ghost of the past: her mother’s former partner Stanislav who happens to be a European champion in chess…

Join the success all Max Seeck publishers around the world! And for our other Hot Frankfurt crime & thriller titles browse our rights guide here.

Click here to access all reading materials for MILO!

This week you can meet us at Gothenburg Book Fair, at IRC table K-A07 – see you there!

Publication Info:
Merkitty, Tammi Sep 2024, 400 p.

Rights Sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.), FRANCE: Mera Editions, GERMANY: Bastei Luebbe, LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji, NORWAY: Aschehoug, FILM & TV: Solar Films

Reading Materials:
Long English sample + synopsis, original Finnish edition

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Happy Publication Day to MILO! Film updates, extended English sample, and more…

It’s official: MILO by Max Seeck, New York Times bestselling author and Spiegel bestselling author, has hit the shelves in Finland, and we’re thrilled to say it’s his best work yet!

If you’re not fluent in Finnish, don’t worry – we have a new extended English sample of 50 pages for you.

For those who don’t know, Max Seeck is one of Finland’s top selling crime authors, with over 400,000 copies sold. His popular Jessica Niemi series has sold in 40 territories and Hollywood, where Stampede Ventures is developing The Witch Hunter an international TV series. Needless to say, MILO does a great job following in these footsteps!

By the way, the launch party Wednesday night was a blast, and you can see our great photo of Elina and Max on the sidebar!

 

Also stay tuned (forgive the pun) for some film updates. But first, a little bit about the new series…

From New York Times and Spiegel bestseller Max Seeck, MILO begins a new crime series, with a complex and relatable main character, criminal profiler and art gallerist Milo Perho. Bodies with chess pieces in their mouths – Milo needs to understand the game of chess in order to catch a killer.

A body of a young woman is found painted in all-white representing a piece of chess. The chief inspector receives an anonymous letter with a short message: Bxc6. This indicates a chess move and along the location where the body was found the investigators feel that more chess moves might be on the way.

Milo struggles to form a clear picture of the killer. He soon understands that in order to help the police force to catch the killer he needs to understand the game of chess better. As much as he hates it, he decides to face the ghost of the past: her mother’s former partner Stanislav who happens to be a European champion in chess…

Book 2: The sequel to MILO will deepen the story between Milo and Stanislav and enlighten the past events that led to current situation. The main storyline will happen in the present and will be about espionage and assassination of a person of high status.

As for film updates: the adaptation is quickly progressing! Solar Films is developing this feature film targeted toward an international audience. As of Fall 2024, the film will already be in pre-production, with shooting tentatively planned for 2025/2026.

Rights to MILO have already sold to Bastei Luebbe in Germany, Mera Editions in France, and Aschehoug in Norway!

Click here to download English reading materials for MILO!

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Max Seeck listed on Vogue’s “19 best Nordic noir of all time”!

New York Times Bestselling Author Max Seeck has been included in Vogue’s list of the 19 best Nordic noir books of all time!!! According to Vogue: there are plenty of stellar authors who have made a lasting impression on the world, their works being read by millions across the globe. Such iconic Nordic noir writers include names like Stieg Larsson, Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbø, Camilla Läckberg, Jussi Adler-Olsen and Max Seeck.

Here’s what Vogue had to say: “Finnish author Max Seeck has a knack for crafting gripping crime narratives, demonstrated in his novel The Witch Hunter, which swiftly garnered international acclaim upon its release in 2019.

As the inaugural instalment of Seeck’s Jessica Niemi series, The Witch Hunter follows a bestselling author whose wife is discovered dead, her body adorned in a black gown and her face frozen in a chilling smile. Investigator Jessica takes charge of the case, initially suspecting a copycat emulating the macabre murders depicted in the victim’s husband’s bestseller, The Witch Hunter. However, Jessica soon discerns that a different malevolent force is at play. With the body count rising, Jessica races against the clock to solve the case.”

 

That said, we invite crime and thriller fans to hop on the bandwagon and download materials for THE WITCH HUNTER (Jessica Niemi #1) here! While THE WITCH HUNTER has sold to over 40 countries–plus Hollywood!–we still have gaps in China, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

 

 

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.); ALBANIA: Muza; AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran; BULGARIA: EMAS; CROATIA: Fokus; CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada; DENMARK: Gutkind; ESTONIA: Pegasus; FRANCE: Michel Lafon; GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe GmbH & Co. KG; GREECE: Livanis; HUNGARY: Animus; ICELAND: Forlagid; ISRAEL: Tchelet Books/ Steimatzky; ITALY: Edizioni Piemme S.p.a; LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji; LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos; NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna; NORTHERN MACEDONIA: MATICA MAKEDONSKA dooel; NORWAY: Aschehoug; POLAND: Sonia Draga; PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda; ROMANIA: GRUP MEDIA LITERA; RUSSIA: AST Publishers; SERBIA: Vulkan; SLOVAKIA: Motyl; SLOVENIA: Didakta; SOUTH KOREA: Cheongmirae; SPAIN & LATIN AMERICA: Maeva Ediciones; SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag; TURKEY: Doğan Kitap; TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures; UK: Welbeck Publishing; UKRAINE: Family Leisure Club; USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House; WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers, Inc.

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Max Seeck nominated for the Glass Knife Award!

Norway has a new crime fiction award: Glasskniven or the Glass Knife – and we are thrilled to share that THE WITCH HUNTER by Max Seeck has been nominated! THE WITCH HUNTER is the first title in the New York Times bestselling Jessica Niemi series, published in Norway by Aschehoug.

The prize will be awarded to the best translated crime novel published in Norway in last three years, and it is the first award international crime writers can win in the country.
The jury – which has selected the five finalists – consists of big names:  Editor of Hverdagsnett Magasinet, Anne Lise Johannessen; author and cultural journalist for Adresseavisen, Ole Jacob Hoel; festival director of Osterøy Crime Festival, Bent Arild Raknes; reviewer and journalist Simen Ingemundsen; and journalist for Agderposten, Siri Fossing.

The jury said of THE WITCH HUNTER:

“An easy to read and immersive crime novel with many surprising twists. It is not rare for the reader to feel chills run down their spine when reading this book by the Finnish grandmaster. [The Witch Hunter] is stylistic crime that manipulates you as a reader. Nothing is random, and the author writes playfully. The killings themselves are both disgusting and simple, but what really makes this a page-turner is the pacing. Here it is driven in top gear until the solution is a fact. A different and driving crime novel, which is a joy to read.”

The other nominees are Pascal Engman, Sara Ströberg, Anders de la Motte and Sam Lloyd.

The winner will be announced on May 15th, although the prize ceremony is in autumn. The award is created by glassblower Pål Roland Janssen, and is a literal glass knife that will be stuck into the winning book. 

Massive congrats, Max!

 

The Jessica Niemi series by Max Seeck has sold to 40 territories and Hollywood – but rights are still available in e.g. Japan, Brazil, Thailand, Armenia…

Download the English materials for the Jessica Niemi series here!

USKOLLINEN LUKIJA
Tammi, 2019, 395 pp.

PAHAN VERKKO
Tammi, 2020, 448 pp.

KAUNA
Tammi, 2021, 430 pp.

LOUKKO
Tammi, 2022, 358 pp.

Reading material:
English editions

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers (World Arabic)
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna
BULGARIA: EMAS
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House
CROATIA: Fokus (Book 1)
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (Books 1-2)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
GREECE: Livanis (Book 1-2)
HUNGARY: Animus
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books (Book 1)
ITALY: Piemme (Books 1-2)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATIN AMERICA: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos (Book 1)
MACEDONIA: Matica
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga (Books 1-2)
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora (Books 1-2)
ROMANIA: Litera (Books 1-2)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir (Book 1)
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UKRAINE: Family Leisure Club
UNITED KINGDOM & COMMONWEALTH: Welbeck Publishing UK
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House

FILM & TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures (Greg Silverman)

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Cover for Max Seeck’s new crime series revealed!

We are thrilled to share with you the cover and more information on the New York Times bestselling author Max Seeck’s upcoming novel MILO!

Milo, a 38-year-old art enthusiast, gallery owner and criminal profiler struggles with sexual frustration that are both the cause and consequence for his marital problems with his wife Ronja. A body of a young woman is found painted in all-white representing a piece of chess. The chief inspector receives an anonymous letter with a short message: Bxc6. This indicates a chess move and along the location where the body was found the investigators feel that more chess moves might be on the way.

Milo struggles to form a clear picture of the killer. He soon understands that in order to help the police force to catch the killer he needs to understand the game of chess better. As much as he hates it, he decides to face the ghost of the past: her mother’s former partner Stanislav who happens to be a European champion in chess…

MILO starts a new thriller series, with a complex and relatable main character. The first book includes surprising twists and interesting facts about the game of chess – and, in a typical Max Seeck style, a thrilling crime plot: a serial killer uses Helisnki as a chess board and corpses as the chess pawns.

Milo’s is also a story of complex human relationships, sex and issues people are facing when they approach the middle-age. The novel also covers a lot of art and other cultural references, maintaining the erotic vibe that stems from Milo’s and Ronja’s sexual adventures.

The rights to MILO have been sold to France, Germany, and Norway pre-publication!
Furthermore, the TV rights have been acquired by Solar Films! 

Rights to MILO are still available in e.g. World English, Iceland, Italy, Spain…

Download the English materials for MILO here!

MILO
Tammi, September 2024

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
FRANCE: Mera éditions
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
NORWAY: Aschehoug

FILM & TV rights: Solar Films

Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis
Finnish manuscript in December 2023

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Lovely reception for INHERITED LAND in France and GHOST ISLAND in the US!

Maria Turtschaninoff’s award-winning INHERITED LAND has been published in France by Éditions Paulsen, and the reception has been wonderful!

“With inventiveness and finesse, the novelist analyses the evolution of  the relationships [between human and nature] without didacticism. [–] Each era is painted from the inside, bathing in its own atmosphere, the transitions from one to another taking place smoothly, without forcing or erasing anything. [–] This unforgettable portrait of Finland through the centuries is based on solid scholarship. Even if it is fiction, Maria Turtschaninoff has no equal when it comes to diving deep into the spirit of an era.”
– Elena Balzamo in Le Monde des Livres, France

“The very beautiful [Inherited Land] by the Finnish writer Maria Turtschaninoff [tells the story of] a cabin built four centuries ago by a soldier on the shores of the Gulf of Ostrobothnia, of the families that succeed one another and of a curse that awakens when the men of the family do not respect the promise made to the creatures living in the bogs. [–] An immersive reading experience guaranteed.”
– Isabelle Falconnier in Le Matin Dimanche, France

INHERITED LAND is the first adult novel by Turtschaninoff who rose to fame with her YA series Maresi. Having sold to 23 territories, INHERITED LAND has charmed readers in Finland and abroad. It is an episodic work of literary fiction depicting human relationships with nature across generations, following in the tradition of family sagas like One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez.

The rights to INHERITED LAND are still available in e.g. Spain, Japan, Portugal, Greece…

Download the English materials for INHERITED LAND here!

Furthermore, GHOST ISLAND by Max Seeck has now been published in the US by Berkley!

The fourth and final installment of the New York Times bestselling and Glass Key Award-winning series sees the protagonist Jessica Niemi travel to a  remote island, hoping to find some peace. But alas, what she finds instead is suspicious deaths and ghosts from the past…

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [–] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines.”
–Publisher’s Weekly, starred review

“Jessica Niemi is anything but ordinary, sort of a spiritual daughter of Lisbeth Salander [–] Seeck likes to play with the supernatural, which he does effectively here. [–] If you like your Scandi noir with a splash of horror, Ghost Island is a don’t-miss destination.”
—Lisa Henricksson on Air Mail

“A chilling psychological mystery whose complex heroine deserves some peace of mind.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Fans of the series and of Nordic mysteries in general will enjoy this frosty, enigmatic tale with its chilly atmosphere and subtle twists.”
—Booklist

The Jessica Niemi series by Max Seeck has sold to 40 territories and Hollywood – but rights are still available in e.g. Japan, Brazil, Thailand, Armenia…

Download the English materials for the series here!

Arvejord
Forlaget, August 2022, 371 pp.

Rights sold: FINLAND: Förlaget (orig. Finland-Swedish)
FINLAND: Tammi (Finnish)
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BULGARIA: Izida
CHINA: Rentian Ulus
CROATIA: Hena Com
CZECH REPUBLIC: Argo
DENMARK: Alpha Forlag
ESTONIA: Rahva Raamat
FRANCE: Éditions Paulsen
GERMANY: Rowohlt
HUNGARY: L’Harmattan
ISRAEL: Hakibbutz Hameuchad – Sifriat Poalim
ITALY: Bompiani
NETHERLANDS: Atlas Contact
NORWAY: Bonnier Norsk Forlag
POLAND: Poznańskie
ROMANIA: Editura Univers
SWEDEN: Förlaget
TURKEY: Timas Yayinlari
UKRAINE: Old Lion Publishing House
UNITED KINGDOM & COMMONWEALTH: Pushkin Press
UNITED STATES & CANADA: Pushkin Press
WORLD ALBANIAN: Shkupi Publishing House

 

Jessica Niemi series
Tammi, 2019-2022
Series rights sold:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers (World Arabic)
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna
BULGARIA: EMAS
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House
CROATIA: Fokus (Book 1)
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (Books 1-2)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
GREECE: Livanis (Book 1-2)
HUNGARY: Animus
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books (Book 1)
ITALY: Piemme (Books 1-2)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATIN AMERICA: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos (Book 1)
MACEDONIA: Matica
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga (Books 1-2)
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora (Books 1-2)
ROMANIA: Litera (Books 1-2)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir (Book 1)
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UKRAINE: Family Leisure Club
UNITED KINGDOM & COMMONWEALTH: Welbeck Publishing UK
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House

FILM & TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures (Greg Silverman)

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


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Three new fiction deals! Katja Kettu sold in Germany, GHOST ISLAND in the Netherlands & MEMORY OF WATER in Albania!

We are thrilled to share three new fiction deals with you!

The German rights for Katja Kettu’s bestselling novel THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT have been sold to Weissbooks Verlag in a deal closed by Anna Kappauf at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency. This is the 9th language this title will be published in.

Weissbooks Verlag are an independent publisher with a well-curated literary list that includes Booker-Prize shortlisted author Cheon Myeong-kwan, Heinrich-Böll-Prize winning author José F. A. Oliver, and critically acclaimed author Mary Miller.

This is what Weissbooks Publisher Bärbel Brands said about acquiring Katja Kettu’s novel:

“The Investigations of a Certain Cat” is for me a text that is as historical as it is topical, as feminine as it is universal, one that entertains in the most intelligent way and at the same time inspires and shakes us up. I am particularly interested in two (three) things that I find highly topical and existential for every society: the deep understanding of  human nature (motherhood and loss) and nature itself in contrast to over-civilised humanity, and the power of language, words and communication, which seems at least as important to me. Even across generations. When we look at the current crises, indeed wars, we know that there is a lack of willingness to enter into negotiations, to find the right words. And formally, not to forget the dramaturgical twist of giving the cat a perspective and an instance of its own, which has both a commentary character and elegantly connects the different narratives. (…) In terms of positioning, I see it close to Cheon’s “The Whale“ (short-listed for the International Booker Prize 23), this exuberant novel full of dream images, dominated by two strong female protagonists, which described a Korea on the threshold of modernity in disguise of a Korean Thousand and One Nights. There is no doubt about it, “Investigations of a Certain Cat” will be our most important title, to which we devote all our persuasive power and passion.”

Download the materials for THE INVESTIGATIONS OF A CERTAIN CAT here!

 

We are also happy to report that A.W. Bruna acquired the Dutch rights to Max Seeck’s GHOST ISLAND in a deal closed by Anna Kappauf at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

This is the 4th instalment in the New-York-Times-bestselling Jessica Niemi crime series, which has been sold to 40 countries and Hollywood. In 2023, Max Seeck was won the prestigious Glass Key Award for the third book in the series, THE LAST GRUDGE. Finnish publisher Tammi will publish Max Seeck’s new and independent title MILO in September 2024 and the rights have already been pre-empted for 3 territories and Film & TV.

Download the materials for GHOST ISLAND here!

 

And last but not least, Emmi Itäranta’s THE MEMORY OF WATER was sold to Dituria in Albania in a deal closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency. The rights for this speculative fiction title, originally published in Finland in 2012, have already been sold in over 25 territories and its environmental message is today more topical than ever.

Dituria, founded in 1991, publishes literature for both adults and children, and about 60% of their publications are by foreign authors. Their mission is to spread the pleasure of reading and become a companion for social change. Their authors include Hilary Mantel, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Per Olov Enquist, Lucinda Riley, J.K. Rowling, Maria Parr, Milan Kundera, Philip Roth,  Rosa Liksom, Roald Dahl, and Umberto Eco.

Download the materials for THE MEMORY OF WATER here!

Erään kissan tutkimuksia
Otava, September 2023, 380 pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
CZECHIA: ARGO
DENMARK: Lindhardt og Ringhof
ESTONIA: Koolibri
GERMANY: Weissbooks Verlag
ITALY: Mondadori
NORWAY: Pax Forlag
ROMANIA: Humanitas Fiction
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag

Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis
Finnish edition

 

Loukko
Tammi, September 2022, 358 pp.

Rights sold in series:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BULGARIA: EMAS
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
GREECE: Livanis
HUNGARY: Animus
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books/Steimatzky
ITALY: Piemme
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna
NORTH MACEDONIA: Matica Makedonska
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda
ROMANIA: Litera
RUSSIA: AST Publishers
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motyl
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SOUTH KOREA: Cheongmirae
SPAIN & LATIN AMERICA: Maeva Ediciones
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UK: Welbeck
UKRAINE: Family Leisure Club
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific
TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

Reading materials:
English edition

 

Teemestarin kirja
Teos, November 2012, 266 pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Teos (orig.)
ALBANIA: Dituria
ARABIC: Dar Al Muna
BRAZIL: Record
BULGARIA: Perseus
CHINA: Sichuan People’s Publishing House
CROATIA: VBZ
CZECH REPUBLIC: Albatros Media/Plus
DENMARK: Turbine
ESTONIA: Koolibri
FRANCE: Place des Editeurs
GEORGIA: Palitra L Publishing
HUNGARY: Metropolis Media
ITALY: Sperling&Kupfer
JAPAN: Nishimura Shoten
KOREA: The Book in My Life
LATVIA: Janis Roze
LITHUANIA: Nieko Rimto
NETHERLANDS: Atlas Contact
NORWAY: Gresvik Forlag
RUSSIA: Text Publishers
SERBIA: Heliks
SPAIN: Ediciones B.
SWEDEN: Modernista
TURKEY: Dogan Egmont
WORLD ENGLISH: HarperCollins
FILM & TV RIGHTS: Bufo

Reading materials:
English edition

About author


Emmi Itäranta

Emmi Itäranta (b.1976) holds two MA degrees, one in Drama and another in Creative Writing. Her award-winning debut novel Memory of Water (Teemestarin kirja) was published in Finland in 2012 to great accolades, followed by The Weaver (Kudottujen kujien kaupunki) in 2015. Her latest novel The Moonday Letters (Kuunpäivän kirjeet) was published in September 2020.

Itäranta’s writing has been compared to that of Ursula K. Le Guin. Her honours include the Young Aleksis Kivi Prize 2013, the Kalevi Jäntti Literary Prize 2012 and first place in the Teos Fantasy and Sci-Fi Literary Contest 2011.

Memory of Water has sold to over 25 languages to date, and it has also been nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award recognizing the best science fiction novel published in the UK in 2014, and the Golden Tentacle award. In addition, Itäranta has been included on the Honor List of the Otherwise Award (formerly James Tiptree, Jr. Award).

Itäranta’s CV is an eclectic mix of writing-related activities, including stints as a columnist, theatre critic, press officer and dramaturge. Her poems, short stories, articles and essays have appeared in anthologies, film magazines and science fiction magazines in the UK and Finland. She now lives in Finland after 14 years in the United Kingdom.

Photo credit: Liisa Takala

About author


Katja Kettu

Katja Kettu is an acclaimed and award-winning writer with a strong, unique voice from Northern Finland. Originally from Rovaniemi, Lapland, she graduated from the Turku Academy of Arts in 2001 as an animation director and has also studied in the University of Tampere and in the National Film and Television School in the UK. She has worked as a columnist for numerous Finnish newspapers and magazines.

Her debut novel Surujenkerääjä (2005) was nominated for the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize and won the Tiiliskivi Prize, but her breakthrough came with The Midwife (orig. Kätilö, 2011), which won the Kalevi Jäntti Prize, the Runeberg Prize and the Thank You for the Book Medal. The rights for the novel have been sold to 19 countries, it has sold more than 160,000 copies in Finland, and in 2015 it was adapted into a film.

To date, she has published five novels, written or edited two collections of short stories, authored a graphic novel, edited a fiction/non-fiction book on women’s experiences with sexual harassment and violence, and a biography of Ismo Alanko, a Finnish musician. In addition, she has collaborated with photographer Meeri Koutaniemi and documentarist Maria Seppälä on a book and a TV series about Finnish emigrants in North America and their relationships with the Ojibwe people. Outside of literature, Kettu has directed, written or helped produce 10 animations and been a singer in the punk band Confusa.

Kettu’s works have been characterized as “Laplandic magical realism”. Kettu is meticulous in the research for her works and she is interested in microhistory, especially the fates of women caught up in conflicts where individuals have a limited influence on their lives.

Her novel Rose on poissa was a Finlandia Prize 2018 nominee. Kettu's works have been translated into 23 languages.

Katja Kettu's literary works:

Surujenkerääjä, 2005 WSOY

Hitsaaja, 2008 WSOY

Kätilö, 2011 WSOY

Piippuhylly, novelleja, 2013 WSOY

Novelli palaa! Matkanovelleja, co-edited with Aki Salmela, 2013 WSOY

Yöperhonen, 2015 WSOY

Peräkammarin poika, illustrated by Jan Andersson, 2015 Otava

Rose on poissa, 2018 WSOY

Erään kissan tutkimuksia, 2023 Otava

Photo credit: Niclas Mäkelä / Otava

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Arabic rights to GHOST ISLAND by Max Seeck sold!

We are happy to announce that the Arabic rights for GHOST ISLAND (Loukko), the fourth title in the Jessica Niemi series by The New York Times bestselling author and Glass Key Award winner Max Seeck, have been acquired by Arab Scientific Publishers! The deal was closed by Elsa Lindström at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Fans of the series and of Nordic mysteries in general will enjoy this frosty, enigmatic tale with its chilly atmosphere and subtle twists.”
–Booklist, USA

GHOST ISLAND is the fourth novel in the internationally bestselling Jessica Niemi series which has been sold to 40 territories and Hollywood  an international TV-show is in development. GHOST ISLAND was included in Hasty Book List’s Most Anticipated 2024!
Max Seeck’s books have sold more than 400,000 copies in Finland alone, THE LAST GRUDGE (Jessica Niemi #3) won the Glass Key Award of 2023. Max Seeck is currently writing a new, independent crime novel, MILO, which has already been sold to Germany and will be published in Finland in September 2024.

Download the materials for GHOST ISLAND here!

Loukko
Tammi, September 2022, 358 pp.
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó Kft.
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures
Reading materials:
English edition

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

SOLAR FILMS acquires Film & TV Rights to MILO by Glass Key Award winner and NYT bestselling author Max Seeck!

The auction for Film & TV rights of MILO, the forthcoming crime novel by NYT bestselling author Max Seeck, has been closed and the winner is SOLAR FILMS Inc. Oy.  Solar Films will adapt MILO to an international TV-series for global distribution, with development starting in 2024 for a planned release in 2025.The deal was negotiated by Elina Ahlbäck at the Ahlback Agency.
Max Seeck and Ahlback Agency are absolutely thrilled about this collaboration!

Rights to MILO have been sold pre-publication to Bastei Lübbe in Germany, to Aschehoug in Norway and to Mera Éditions in France – with more offers expected! In Finland, MILO (orig. title Merkitty) will be published in July 2024 by Tammi Publishers. Congratulations, Max and Solar Films, and all Max Seeck publishers!

Join the global success of MILO now!

Download the materials for MILO here!

Solar Films CEO Jukka Helle said:
”The development and writing process for the series begins in 2024 with the real production starting in 2025 the earliest. The timing will naturally become clearer as the project progresses. We at Solar are very happy to continue our cooperation with Max.”

Our CEO & Founder Elina Ahlbäck said:
Max Seeck has created a totally unique and universal world, ready to the silver screen, and I can only admire his wild, visual imagination and exceptional talent! Milo, a criminal profiler and art gallery owner who struggles with sexual frustration, tries to form a clear picture of the killer. A body of a young woman is found painted in all-white representing a piece of chess, with more chess moves and bodies on the way. Milo needs to understand the game of chess better in order to catch the killer.”

 

Milo (working title)

Max Seeck

New independent crime novel by the New York Times Bestselling and Spiegel Bestselling Author Max Seeck, winner of the Glass Key Award 2023!

MILO is a psychological suspense novel with surprising twists and interesting facts about the game of chess. It’s also a story of complex human relationships, sex and issues people are facing when they approach the middle-age. The novel also covers a lot of art and other cultural references, maintaining the erotic vibe that stems from Milo’s and Ronja’s sexual adventures.

Milo, a 38-year-old art enthusiast, gallery owner and criminal profiler struggles with sexual frustration that are both the cause and consequence for his marital problems. A body of a young woman is found painted in all-white representing a piece of chess. The chief inspector receives an anonymous letter with a short message: dxe5. This indicates a chess move and along the location where the body was found the investigators feel that more chess moves might be on the way. Milo struggles to form a clear picture of the killer. He soon understands that in order to help the police force to catch the killer he needs to understand the game of chess better. As much as he hates it, he decides to face the ghost of the past: her mother’s former partner Stanislav who happens to be a European champion in chess…

Orig. publication
Merkitty
Tammi, July 2024

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
FRANCE: Mera Éditions
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
NORWAY: Aschehoug
FILM & TV rights: Solar Films

Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis
Finnish manuscript in Spring 2024

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

New accolades for Elina Pitkäkangas, Maria Turtschaninoff, and Max Seeck!

We have many happy news from last week’s Helsinki Book Fair to share with you!

First up, Elina Pitkäkangas won the Kuvastaja award for best Finnish fantasy title published in 2022 with her genre-breaking novel SANG! The jury said:

“The author challenges our perception of what is a fantasy world in different ways, especially by including elements that remind us of modern technology, such as geren and HeavenNet. Why should fantasy worlds be only pre-industrial societies? [–] There are also other interesting elements in the book, such as the use of sign language and the matriarchal succession.” 

Massive congrats, Elina!
SANG has sold to Germany, Denmark, and Turkey – rights in other territories are still available!

Download the materials for SANG here!

 

Secondly, Maria Turtschaninoff received flowers and the Young Aleksis award for her novel INHERITED LAND! The award is given by the high schoolers in Finland, and the jury said:

“Inherited Land is a beautiful recounting of Finnishness, nature, and folk traditions. The winning work is an easily approachable nature description. [–] The title fits for many different readers and is interesting in its narration and style.”

Huge congrats, Maria!
INHERITED LAND has sold to 23 territories – rights are still free in Spain, Portugal, Japan, Lithuania…

Download the materials for INHERITED LAND here!

 

Last but not least, Max Seeck finally received the physical award for the Glass Key win! THE LAST GRUDGE was chosen as the best Nordic crime title in August, and this was celebrated at the Helsinki Book Fair. The Glass Key jury said:

The Last Grudge combines a classic locked room mystery and an action plot with murders and all, thus reminding one of both the world of Peter Wimsey, by Dorothy L. Sayers, and of the media-sexy descriptions of a battle of power within a powerful family, as evidenced by HBO’s Succession-series. The title is written in a gripping and exciting way, merging homeliness and horror in a way that’s very popular in crime literature at the moment.

The Jessica Niemi series has so far sold to over 40 territories, but the rights are still available in e.g. Japan, China, Brazil, Georgia…

Download the materials for JESSICA NIEMI series here!

About author


Elina Pitkäkangas

Elina Pitkäkangas is an author from Nokia, Finland, and an active advocate of YA literature. She has studied creative writing and did hermaster's degree in the University of Helsinki majoring in literature. Her works seamlessly combine elements of fantasy, social criticism and moral questions. Her accolades include winning the Topelius Award 2023, the City of Tampere Literature Prize 2023, and the Kuvastaja Prize 2023. Pitkäkangas has written five novels and produces book-related videos to TikTok and Instagram on her channel @elinapitkakangas.

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


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Two new deals for MILO by Glass Key Award winner and NYT bestselling author Max Seeck!

We are thrilled to announce two new pre-publication deals for MILO, the new standalone crime novel by star author Max Seeck! The French rights have been acquired by Mera éditions in a deal closed by Elina Ahlbäck at Elina Ahlbäck Literary Agency. And the Norwegian rights have been acquired by Aschehoug in a deal closed by Anna Kappauf at Elina Ahlbäck Literary Agency.

Mera éditions was founded at the beginning of 2022 and is dedicated to introducing international thrillers to a French audience. They publish internationally bestselling authors like Antonio Lanzetta, Andrea Mara. and Vish Dhamija.

Aschehoug, founded in 1872, is one of Norway’s leading publishing house and home to bestselling crime authors like Jo Nesbø, Hjorth & Rosenfeldt, and of course, Max Seeck!

Max Seeck won the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his crime novel THE LAST GRUDGE (orig. Kauna, Tammi 2021), which is part of the Jessica Niemi crime series that has sold into 40 territories and Hollywood: an international TV-show is in developement. Over 400,000 copies of his books have been sold in Finland alone.

About the book: 

Milo, a 38-year-old art enthusiast and criminal profiler struggles with sexual frustration. A body of a young woman is found painted in all-white representing a piece of chess. The chief inspector receives an anonymous letter with a short message: dxe5. This indicates a chess move and along the location where the body was found the investigators feel that more chess moves might be on the way.

MILO will be published in Finland by Tammi in September 2024. The German rights have previously been sold to Bastei Lübbe. There is also strong film & TV interest for MILO – watch this space for more on this soon!

The rights are still available for UK, Spain, Italy, Poland, etc.. Get in touch with us and acquire your next bestseller!

Download the materials for MILO here!

MILO
Tammi, September 2024

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
FRANCE: Mera éditions
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
NORWAY: Aschehoug

Reading materials:
English sample and synopsis
Finnish manuscript in December 2023

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Turkish sale for THE ICE COVEN by Max Seeck!

We’re thrilled to announce a new deal for Max Seeck! The second title in the Jessica Niemi series, THE ICE COVEN, has been acquired by Dogan Yayinlari in Turkey. In THE ICE COVEN, Detective Jessica Niemi is on a hunt to save the life of a missing blogger in the icy Helsinki winter. But is it already too late? And why is Jessica having nightmares about her mother?
The deal was closed by Elsa Lindström at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

The Jessica Niemi series has so far sold to over 40 territories, including US and Hollywood, but the rights are still available in e.g. Japan, China, Brazil, Georgia…

Download the materials for THE JESSICA NIEMI SERIES here!

The Jessica Niemi series

THE WITCH HUNTER, THE ICE COVEN, THE LAST GRUDGE and GHOST ISLAND
Max Seeck

New York Times Bestseller!
Winner of the Glass Key award! 

In The Witch Hunter, book 1 of the Jessica Niemi series, Helsinki Police Detective Jessica Niemi hunts an occultist serial killer. In The Ice Coven, Jessica and her team follow clues hidden on Instagram to solve the disappearance of a young influencer and a manga artist. In The Last Grudge, a prominent business executive Eliel Zetterborg is found brutally murdered in his home in Helsinki. In Ghost Island, Jessica Niemi is ordered on paid leave after an altercation, and she decides to travel to a small island in the Aland archipelago to escape the attention and find some peace.

“THE WITCH HUNTER, translated with icy precision by Kristian London, is written in short, sharp, present tense chapters, a technique which adds to its relentless tension. Flashbacks to earlier episodes in Jessica’s life suggest that the strangeness currently unfolding is tied to her personal history. Discovering the how and why of it brings a resolution as bleak as anything Poe might have conjured.”
– The Wall Street Journal

“An intricate, beautifully written, character-driven page-turner with some shocking twists.”
– Kirkus Reviews

The Jessica Niemi series
Tammi, 2019-2022.

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BULGARIA: EMAS
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
GREECE: Livanis
HUNGARY: Animus
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books/Steimatzky
ITALY: Piemme
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna
NORTH MACEDONIA: Matica Makedonska
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda
ROMANIA: Litera
RUSSIA: AST Publishers
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motyl
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SOUTH KOREA: Cheongmirae
SPAIN & LATIN AMERICA: Maeva Ediciones
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UK: Welbeck
UKRAINE: Family Leisure Club
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific
TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

Reading materials:

English edition

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

GHOST ISLAND by Max Seeck sold to Hungary!

We are happy to announce that the Hungarian rights for GHOST ISLAND (Loukko), the fourth title in the Jessica Niemi series by The New York Times bestselling author and Glass Key Award winner Max Seeck, have been acquired by Animus! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

We are very happy to acquire the 4th book by the fantastic Max Seeck, whose talent deserves the amazing Glass Key award! More precise storytelling, more thrilling books, a more professional author book by book. We will be ready for the next ones!”
László Marosi, Senior Publishing Editor, Animus, Hungary

GHOST ISLAND is the fourth novel in the internationally bestselling Jessica Niemi series which has been sold to 40 territories and Hollywood  an international TV-show is in development. Max Seeck’s books have sold more than 400,000 copies in Finland alone, THE LAST GRUDGE (Jessica Niemi #3) won the Glass Key Award of 2023 two weeks ago, and Max Seeck is currently writing a new, independent crime novel, MILO, which has already been sold to Germany and will be published in Finland in September 2024.

Download the materials for GHOST ISLAND here!

The Archipelago

Max Seeck

The fourth title in the NYT-bestselling Jessica Niemi series!

A month after solving the Zetterborg case, Jessica Niemi is ordered on paid leave after an altercation, and she decides to travel to a small island in the Åland archipelago to escape the attention and find some peace. Meanwhile, a group of old people arrive on the same island, and Jessica learns that they are the remaining members of the Doves, the people who had to flee from Finland to Sweden during World War II and ended up living in an orphanage on the very same island.

One evening, Jessica hears a local legend about a girl who also inhabited the orphanage once, but who was mentally ill. Every night at two o’clock, the girl put on her blue coat and went to stand on the pier, waiting for something that never showed up. One night she disappeared and was never found. That same night, one of the remaining Doves dies.

Jessica soon finds out that two other people have previously faced the same fate on the same island, and all three people seem to have something to do with the girl in the blue coat. A chain of events starts to escalate, and we don’t know whether we’re facing a killer or – just like the legend says – a ghost, the girl in the blue coat.

Jessica Niemi is once again facing a scary mystery where the stakes are considerable. Whilst battling her own demons, uncertain what is real and what is not, she needs to find out the truth.

 

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck

The third title in the NYT-bestselling Jessica Niemi series! Winner of the Glass Key Award of 2023!

A prominent business executive Eliel Zetterborg is found brutally murdered in his home in Helsinki. The company he led has just announced drastic cutbacks and Zetterborg gained hundreds of enemies and death threats in the process.

But the murder motive become less clear, when the police finds out that the murderer had other targets as well. The only clue the police has is a photo of Zetterborg with three other men, whose faces are all scratched off. Who are the faceless men, and why can’t the police identify them? Are they other victims? Or something more sinister?

While Jessica Niemi suffers from a mental breakdown after her encounter with the witch coven, Jusuf gets a chance to lead the investigations and prove his skills as a police officer, while helping Jessica battle her demons that seem to come closer and closer…

 

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck

Standalone sequel to The New York Times bestseller, The Witch Hunter – rights sold to 40 countries and Hollywood!

Jessica Niemi has another mystery on her hands: Two famous Instagram bloggers go missing, and a strange picture is uploaded
on both of their accounts. It’s a picture of an old lighthouse on a rocky island. And underneath there’s a poem. A poem that describes their deaths…

Jessica starts to investigate the disappearances and soon she finds out that the two bloggers have been sharing a secret that got them involved in something very mystical and dark.

 

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck

The New York Times bestseller!

Detective Jessica Niemi is called to investigate a murder case that is out of ordinary. The wife of a famous writer, Roger Koponen, seems to have been killed in a bizarre ritual. As more ritual murders occur, it becomes obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer.

But the murders are not random – they follow a pattern taken from Roger’s bestselling trilogy. Has a fan gone mad, or is this case more personal? How can Jessica stop a criminal who knows every detail of the book even better than the author?

GHOST ISLAND
LOUKKO
Tammi, 2022, 358 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English manuscript

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó Kft.
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

 

THE LAST GRUDGE
KAUNA
Tammi, 2021, 390 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: EMAS
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó Kft.
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific
TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

 

THE ICE COVEN
PAHAN VERKKO
Tammi, 2020, 370 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: EMAS
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
GREECE: Livanis
HUNGARY: Animus
ITALY: Piemme
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna
NORTH MACEDONIA: Matica Makedonska
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda
ROMANIA: Litera
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motýl
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific
TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

 

THE WITCH HUNTER
USKOLLINEN LUKIJA
Tammi, 2019, 400 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BULGARIA: EMAS
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
GREECE: Livanis
HUNGARY: Animus
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books/Steimatzky
ITALY: Piemme
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna
NORTH MACEDONIA: Matica Makedonska
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda
ROMANIA: Litera
RUSSIA: AST Publishers
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motyl
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SOUTH KOREA: Cheongmirae
SPAIN & LATIN AMERICA: Maeva Ediciones
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UK: Welbeck
UKRAINE: Family Leisure Club
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific
TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

THE LAST GRUDGE by Max Seeck has won the prestigious Glass Key Award! 

We are beyond thrilled to announce that THE LAST GRUDGE (orig. Kauna, Tammi 2021)  by New York Times Bestselling Author Max Seeck won the Glass Key Award 2023! 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 many more. The members of the jury read the Danish edition of the book, Zetterborg-sagen (Gutkind, 2022), translated by Siri Nordborg Møller.

Please join us in congratulating Max Seeck and his 40+ publishers to this amazing —  and well deserved — achievement! 

The jury’s motivations were as follows:

The Last Grudge combines a classic locked room mystery and an action plot with murders and all, thus reminding one of both the world of Peter Wimsey, by Dorothy L. Sayers, and of the media-sexy descriptions of a battle of power within a powerful family, as evidenced by HBO’s Succession-series. The title is written in a gripping and exciting way, merging homeliness and horror in a way that’s very popular in crime literature at the moment.

I’m very honored by the win, for I know all the titles nominated are deserving of the win. I want to thank my family, my Finnish publisher Tammi, my Danish publisher Gutkind, my agency the Ahlback Agency, and the board of the Whodunnit society who chose The Last Grudge as the Finnish nominee for the Glass Key Award! I rate this award at the very top and it’ll have an honorary spot on my bookshelf in my office”, said Max Seeck right as he heard of the win.

Our CEO Elina Ahlbäck commented:
We are overjoyed for Max Seeck’s world-class win of the Glass Key Award. Finnish crime literature is now permanently on the world map.The Last Grudge (orig. Kauna) is a gem of world-class crime literature and Max Seeck the brightest-shining star in crime literature.

This is only the second time a Finnish crime or thriller novel has been awarded the Glass Key Award. The previous Finnish winner was Ystävät kaukana (“Friends far away”) by Matti Rönkä in 2007.

The Last Grudge is the third novel in the Jessica Niemi series. Rights sold in 40 territories and Hollywood: an international TV-show is in development. Over 400,000 copies of his books have been sold in Finland alone. Max Seeck is currently writing a new, independent crime novel, MILO, which has already been sold to Germany and will be published in Finland in September 2024.

Download the materials for THE LAST GRUDGE here!

Get in touch with us for first materials of MILO here!

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Milo (working title), the brand new novel by Max Seeck is sold to Germany pre-publication!

We are very excited to announce that New York Times Bestselling Author Max Seeck is working on a new independent crime novel, MILO (working title)! And the good news don’t stop there, we are also thrilled to share that Bastei Lübbe have just acquired the German rights to Max Seeck’s new novel! The deal was negotiated by Anna Kappauf and Elina Ahlback at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency. Warmest Congratulations, Max Seeck and Bastei Lübbe!

MILO will be published by Tammi in Finland in September 2024. Rights for Max Seeck’s previous Jessica Niemi crime series have been sold into 40 territories and Hollywood: an international TV-show is in developementOver 350,000 copies of his books have been sold in Finland alone. Book 3 in the series, THE LAST GRUDGE (orig. Kauna, Tammi 2021), is nominated for the Glass Key Award 2023 – the winner will be announced this summer.

Here is what Max Seeck said about writing MILO:

I’m so very excited and grateful for the confidence and commitment by both Bastei Lübbe and the Ahlback Agency. This gives me a great boost to finish the novel and make it as good as I can.

We believe MILO has all the potential to outdo Max Seeck’s already very impressive sales records – get in touch with us if you would like to receive first materials and acquire the rights!

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

THE LAST GRUDGE by Max Seeck is nominated for the prestigious Glass Key Award!

We are beyond thrilled to announce that THE LAST GRUDGE (orig. Kauna, Tammi 2021)  by New York Times Bestselling Author Max Seeck is nominated for the Glass Key Award 2023! 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 many more.

The 2023 nominees are:

Finland: Max SeeckKauna
Iceland: Ragnheidur GestsdóttirFarangur (engl. Baggage)
Norway: Torkil DamhaugHund uten grav
Sweden: Sara StrömbergSkred
Denmark: Torben MunksgaardDamevennens død

The winner will be announced in mid-June 2023. The Last Grudge, the third novel in the Jessica Niemi series,  has been published in Danish (Gutkind) as Zetterborg-sagen and in Swedish (Albert Bonniers) as Djävulspakten. Rights sold in 40 territories and Hollywood (TV-show). Max Seeck continues to be one of the top bestselling authors in Finland with over 300,000 copies of his books sold!

Praise for THE LAST GRUDGE:

An intricate, beautifully written, character-driven page-turner with some shocking twists.
—  Kirkus Reviews, USA

“Max Seeck has done it again. — The Last Grudge is an example of both his knowledge of the suspense thriller tradition and his meticulous way of building a story. — Seeck offers the readers incorrect clues and bluffs that are part of the suspense genre tradition, along with various references from film and literary works throughout the plot line – which is meandering and surprising in an exemplary way.” 
— Pertti Avola,Helsingin Sanomat newspaper, Finland

Download the full Englishtext for THE LAST GRUDGE here!

Kauna
Tammi, September 2021, 390 pp.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: EMAS
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó Kft.
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific
TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

Reading materials: English edition

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

THE ARCHIPELAGO by Max Seeck sold to Latvia!

We are happy to announce that the Latvian rights for THE ARCHIPELAGO (Loukko), the fourth title in the Jessica Niemi series by The New York Times bestselling author Max Seeck have been acquired by Latvijas Mediji! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

THE LAST GRUDGE, book #3 in the Jessica Niemi series, will be published in the US next week, February 7, 2023 by Berkley Penguin Random House. A Hollywood TV series, based on THE WITCH HUNTER, is in development.

Helsingin Sanomat, the leading newspaper in Finland, has praised THE ARCHIPELAGO, published in Finland in 2022, as Seeck’s finest to date:
Max Seeck’s earlier novels in the Jessica Niemi series have been impressive, but the series’ fourth book, THE ARCHIPELAGO, is the best to date. This is because it is a seamless and constrained whole that works superbly and also because in this work Seeck imbues his protagonist’s character with new, deeper sides.
– Pertti Avola, Helsingin Sanomat, Finland

Max Seeck continues to be one of the bestselling authors in Finland – in 2022, his books sold over 100,000 copies across all formats in Finland! In addition, Max’s books have been sold to 40 countries and a Hollywood TV series is in development, based on THE WITCH HUNTER.

Download the materials for THE ARCHIPELAGO here!

The Archipelago

Max Seeck

The fourth title in the NYT-bestselling Jessica Niemi series!

A month after solving the Zetterborg case, Jessica Niemi is ordered on paid leave after an altercation, and she decides to travel to a small island in the Åland archipelago to escape the attention and find some peace. Meanwhile, a group of old people arrive on the same island, and Jessica learns that they are the remaining members of the Doves, the people who had to flee from Finland to Sweden during World War II and ended up living in an orphanage on the very same island.

One evening, Jessica hears a local legend about a girl who also inhabited the orphanage once, but who was mentally ill. Every night at two o’clock, the girl put on her blue coat and went to stand on the pier, waiting for something that never showed up. One night she disappeared and was never found. That same night, one of the remaining Doves dies.

Jessica soon finds out that two other people have previously faced the same fate on the same island, and all three people seem to have something to do with the girl in the blue coat. A chain of events starts to escalate, and we don’t know whether we’re facing a killer or – just like the legend says – a ghost, the girl in the blue coat.

Jessica Niemi is once again facing a scary mystery where the stakes are considerable. Whilst battling her own demons, uncertain what is real and what is not, she needs to find out the truth.

 

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck

A prominent business executive Eliel Zetterborg is found brutally murdered in his home in Helsinki. The company he led has just announced drastic cutbacks and Zetterborg gained hundreds of enemies and death threats in the process.

But the murder motive become less clear, when the police finds out that the murderer had other targets as well. The only clue the police has is a photo of Zetterborg with three other men, whose faces are all scratched off. Who are the faceless men, and why can’t the police identify them? Are they other victims? Or something more sinister?

While Jessica Niemi suffers from a mental breakdown after her encounter with the witch coven, Jusuf gets a chance to lead the investigations and prove his skills as a police officer, while helping Jessica battle her demons that seem to come closer and closer…

 

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck

Standalone sequel to The New York Times bestseller, The Witch Hunter – rights sold to 40 countries and Hollywood!

Jessica Niemi has another mystery on her hands: Two famous Instagram bloggers go missing, and a strange picture is uploaded
on both of their accounts. It’s a picture of an old lighthouse on a rocky island. And underneath there’s a poem. A poem that describes their deaths…

Jessica starts to investigate the disappearances and soon she finds out that the two bloggers have been sharing a secret that got them involved in something very mystical and dark.

 

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck

Detective Jessica Niemi is called to investigate a murder case that is out of ordinary. The wife of a famous writer, Roger Koponen, seems to have been killed in a bizarre ritual. As more ritual murders occur, it becomes obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer.

But the murders are not random – they follow a pattern taken from Roger’s bestselling trilogy. Has a fan gone mad, or is this case more personal? How can Jessica stop a criminal who knows every detail of the book even better than the author?

THE ARCHIPELAGO
LOUKKO
Tammi, 2022, 358 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English manuscript

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

 

THE LAST GRUDGE
KAUNA
Tammi, 2021, 390 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: EMAS
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó Kft.
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific
TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

 

THE ICE COVEN
PAHAN VERKKO
Tammi, 2020, 370 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: EMAS
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
GREECE: Livanis
HUNGARY: Animus
ITALY: Piemme
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna
NORTH MACEDONIA: Matica Makedonska
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda
ROMANIA: Litera
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motýl
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific
TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

 

THE WITCH HUNTER
USKOLLINEN LUKIJA
Tammi, 2019, 400 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English edition

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BULGARIA: EMAS
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
GREECE: Livanis
HUNGARY: Animus
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books/Steimatzky
ITALY: Piemme
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna
NORTH MACEDONIA: Matica Makedonska
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda
ROMANIA: Litera
RUSSIA: AST Publishers
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motyl
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SOUTH KOREA: Cheongmirae
SPAIN & LATIN AMERICA: Maeva Ediciones
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UK: Welbeck
UKRAINE: Family Leisure Club
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific
TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Excellent Kirkus review of THE LAST GRUDGE by Max Seeck in the US!

We are happy to share that THE LAST GRUDGE by New York Times bestselling Max Seeck was featured in the Kirkus Review and received glowing praise. The US publication date is February 7, 2023 by Berkley Penguin Random House, and the press is already buzzing:

“An intricate, beautifully written, character-driven page-turner with some shocking twists.” – Kirkus Review, 14 December 2022

You can read the full review HERE.

Max Seeck was recently nominated for the Finnish Crime Writers’ Society’s Clue of the Year Award for best crime novel published in 2022!
New York Times bestselling author Max Seeck is nominated for ARCHIPELAGO, the 4th book in the Jessica Niemi series.

Max Seeck is Finland’s no.1 bestselling fiction author in e-books and no. 2 bestselling author in all formats.  Over 300,000 copies of all his books have been sold in Finland. Max’s books have been sold to 40 countries and a Hollywood TV Show is in development based on THE WITCH HUNTER. THE LAST GRUDGE is the 3rd book in his Jessica Niemi series.

Congratulations, Max!

Download the materials for THE LAST GRUDGE here. 

Max Seeck Jessica Niemi Series

Rights sold
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna
BULGARIA: EMAS
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
GREECE: Livani
HUNGARY: Animus
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATIN AMERICA: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora
ROMANIA: Litera
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UKRAINE: Family Leisure Club
UNITED KINGDOM & COMMONWEALTH: Welbeck Publishing UK
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House
FILM & TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures (Greg Silverman)

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Award Nomination News: Backman and Seeck both nominated for the Finnish Crime Writers’ Society’s Clue of the Year Award

Award nomination news!

We are thrilled to announce that two of our agency’s authors have been nominated for the Finnish Crime Writers’ Society’s Clue of the Year Award for best crime novel published in 2022!

Elina Backman is nominated for BEFORE THE POLAR NIGHT FALLS, the third instalment in the Saana Havas crime series which is currently no. 3 in Audio Books. Elina Backman is now Finland’s no. 4 bestselling fiction author (all formats). Over 60 000 copies of Elina’s books have been sold in Finland, rights have been sold for 16 territories, and an international TV-series based on Elina Backman’s books is in development by Aurora Studios

New York Times bestselling author Max Seeck is nominated for ARCHIPELAGO, the 4th book in the Jessica Niemi series. Max Seeck is Finland’s no.1 bestselling fiction author in e-books and no. 2 bestselling author in all formats. Over 20,000 copies of ARCHIPELAGO and over 300,000 copies of all his books have been sold in Finland. Max’s books have been sold to 40 countries and Hollywood.

Here is the jury’s motivation for the nominations:

About BEFORE THE POLAR NIGHT FALLS by Elina Backman:

Saana Havas, who has gained a reputation with her podcast, travels to northern Lapland to seek new content and to investigate the case of a girl who disappeared and was then found murdered years ago. The book deserves special recognition for its descriptions of the milieu and the people living north of the Arctic Circle. Elina Backman succeeds in portraying Havas’ role in the strange environment which the “amateur detective” observes with sympathy.

About ARCHIPELAGO by Max Seeck: 

In ARCHIPELAGO, Max Seeck offers the reader an original and very appealing plot. Seeck’s detective, police officer Jessica Niemi, hopes to find a peaceful recovery on Åland’s most remote island due to her work setbacks. In the idyllic boarding house, which follows the tradition of a good detective story, Jessica meets people who share a painful past from decades ago. Soon a body is found on the beach, and Jessica can’t settle for the observer’s part. The story is strongly edged by the big turning point in Jessica’s own life.

The winner will be announced in January 2023.

Congratulations to our Authors!

Download the materials for WHEN THE POLAR NIGHT FALLS here!

Download the materials for THE ARCHIPELAGO here!

Elina Backman Saana Havas Series

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
ALBANIA: Dritan
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gyldendal
ESTONIA: Varrak
GERMANY: Piper Verlag
HUNGARY: Maxim
ITALY: Newton Compton
LITHUANIA: BALTO
NETHERLANDS: De Bezige Bij/Cargo
NORWAY: Cappelen Damm
POLAND: Czarna Owca
ROMANIA: Lebada Neagra
RUSSIA: Mann, Ivanov, Ferber
SLOVAKIA: Arkus
SWEDEN: Bokfabriken
FILM & TV RIGHTS: Aurora Studios

Max Seeck Jessica Niemi Series

Rights sold
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna
BULGARIA: EMAS
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
GREECE: Livani
HUNGARY: Animus
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATIN AMERICA: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora
ROMANIA: Litera
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UKRAINE: Family Leisure Club
UNITED KINGDOM & COMMONWEALTH: Welbeck Publishing UK
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House
FILM & TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures (Greg Silverman)

 

 

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


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Finnish crime rules: Max Seeck, Elina Backman, and Vera Vala news!

Exciting news! Max Seeck, the New York Times bestselling author with his crime novels, has sold over 300 000 copies in Finland in all formats! Warmest congratulations, Max and Tammi!

His newest title THE ARCHIPELAGO (Loukko, September 2022) is Finland’s #1 Fiction Bestseller, with over 20 000 copies sold, and received a starred review in Finland’s biggest daily:

“The fourth instalment of the Jessica Niemi series of detective novels is the best to date and proves Seeck’s mastery of the genre’s traditions.“
– Pertti Avola in Helsingin Sanomat newspaper

Download materials for the JESSICA NIEMI series here!
Furthermore, Elina Backman’s second title STILL WATERS RUN DEEP has been nominated in Sweden for the Best Translated Crime Novel of the Year 2022  by the Swedish Crime Writer’s Academy! We are so thrilled – this is the second time Elina receives this honour!

Elina Backman’s bestselling Saana Havas series, pitched as Tana French meets Jo Nesbo, have sold over 60 000 copies in Finland and rights have been sold to 16 territories and counting.  An international TV-series based on Elina Backman’s books is in development by Aurora Studios. ‘
Rights are still available in e.g. Spain, France, UK, USA, and Latvia.

Download materials for the SAANA HAVAS series here!
ITALIAN GAME by Vera Vala – Elena Ferrante meets Jo Nesbo

And if you’re looking for a new and exciting crime series with a strong female protagonist, complex characters, vivid descriptions and a gripping plot, why not take a look at Vera Vala’s new Salla Kotka series!

Pitched as Elena Ferrante meets Jo Nesbo, this series created a lot of buzz in Frankfurt and is an official bestseller in Finland! Readers love the psychological aspects and the strong female character.

The Italian Game begins a new crime series, and this opening title is impressing, the language and style are polished, and the narration keeps one in its grip until the end.” – Satakunnan Kansa newspaper

Download materials for the SALLA KOTKA series here!

THE ARCHIPELAGO
Loukko

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Kirjastus Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck
USA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
FILM & TV: Stampede Ventures, Hollywood

THE LAST GRUDGE
Kauna

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers
BULGARIA: EMAS
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó Kft.
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck
USA: Berkley / Penguin Random house
FILM & TV: Stampede Ventures, Hollywood

 

 

BEFORE THE POLAR NIGHT FALLS
Ennen kuin tulee pimeää

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)

DENMARK: Gyldendal

STILL WATERS RUN DEEP
Kun jäljet katoavat

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)

DENMARK: Gyldendal
ESTONIA: Varrak Publishers
GERMANY: Piper
HUNGARY: Maxim
ITALY: Newton Compton Editori
NETHERLANDS: Cargo
NORWAY: Cappelen Damm AS
POLAND: Czarna Owca
RUSSIA: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber
SLOVAKIA: Arkus
SWEDEN: Bokfabriken

 

 

ITALIAN GAME
Italialainen peli

Rights sold:
FINLAND: WSOY (orig.)

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


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

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.

Happy Publication Day Max Seeck: The 4th Jessica Niemi Title Now Out in Finland!

The 4th and newest installment of the New York Times bestselling Jessica Niemi series is published today in Finland! 

Titled Loukko in Finnish and called The Archipelago in English, the newest title sees Jessica relocate from Helsinki to the Åland Islands, and deals in-depth with the topic of bullying, in addition to being a gripping murder mystery you can’t put down!

Max Seeck’s Jessica Niemi series started in 2019 with the publication of THE WITCH HUNTER  – a phenomenal Finnish crime title that broke into both New York Times and Spiegel Bestseller Lists and has sold to over 40 territories and Hollywood. The rights are still available in Japan, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Brazil, Georgia, etc. 

Request the reading materials for Max Seeck here!

 

THE ARCHIPELAGO by Max Seeck

The fourth title in the NYT-bestselling Jessica Niemi series!

A month after solving the Zetterborg case, Jessica struggles to hold on to everyday life. Due to a violent incident in her civil life, she is ordered on a unpaid leave. She eventually decides to travel out of town for a month and ends up on a small island on Åland archipelago.

More than 70 years ago there was an orphanage on the island, and one girl disappeared without a trace. Jessica also finds out many people have drowned on the shore ever since. Soon, one of the hostel guests is also found drowned on the shore. Does this have something to do with the legend, was it the ghost girl in the blue overcoat? Although being uncertain about what is real and what is not, Jessica needs to find out the truth.

 

THE LAST GRUDGE a.k.a. BAD BLOOD by Max Seeck

A prominent business executive Eliel Zetterborg is found brutally murdered in his home in Helsinki. The company he led has just announced drastic cutbacks and Zetterborg gained hundreds of enemies and death threats in the process.

But the murder motive become less clear, when the police finds out that the murderer had other targets as well. The only clue the police has is a photo of Zetterborg with three other men, whose faces are all scratched off. Who are the faceless men, and why can’t the police identify them? Are they other victims? Or something more sinister?

While Jessica Niemi suffers from a mental breakdown after her encounter with the witch coven, Jusuf gets a chance to lead the investigations and prove his skills as a police officer, while helping Jessica battle her demons that seem to come closer and closer.

 

THE ICE COVEN by Max Seeck

Jessica Niemi has another mystery on her hands: Two famous Instagram bloggers go missing, and a strange picture is uploaded
on both of their accounts. It’s a picture of an old lighthouse on a rocky island. And underneath there’s a poem. A poem that describes their deaths…

Jessica starts to investigate the disappearances and soon she finds out that the two bloggers have been sharing a secret that got them involved in something very mystical and dark.

Seeck’s outstanding sequel to THE WITCH HUNTER. [–] Seeck throws in
a murder that definitely happened, human trafficking, frog toxin, and somnophilia
into the mix, masterfully ratcheting up the tension. Ragnar Jónasson fans will be
mesmerized
– Publisher’s Weekly 

 

THE WITCH HUNTER by Max Seeck

Detective Jessica Niemi is called to investigate a murder case that is out of ordinary. The wife of a famous writer, Roger Koponen, seems to have been killed in a bizarre ritual. As more ritual murders occur, it becomes obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer.

But the murders are not random – they follow a pattern taken from Roger’s bestselling trilogy. Has a fan gone mad, or is this case more personal? How can Jessica stop a criminal who knows every detail of the book even better than the author?

 One twist follows another, baffling the police and readers alike. Seeck imbues this riveting procedural with a deliciously creepy undertone. Readers will be excited to see what Seeck does next.
– Publishers Weekly (starred review)

LOUKKO, Tammi, September 2022, 358 pp.

Rights sold: FINLAND: Tammi (orig.), DENMARK: Gutkind, ESTONIA: Pegasus, GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
NORWAY: Aschehoug, SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers, UK: Welbeck, US: Berkley

 

 

KAUNA, Tammi, September 2021, 390 pp.

Rights sold: FINLAND: Tammi (orig.), ALBANIA: Muza, ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers, BULGARIA: EMAS, DENMARK: Gutkind, ESTONIA: Pegasus, GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe, HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó, LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji, NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna, NORWAY: Aschehoug, SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers, UK: Welbeck, US: Berkley

 

 

PAHAN VERKKO, Tammi, 2020, 370 pp.

Rights sold: FINLAND: Otava (orig.), ALBANIA: Muza, BULGARIA: EMAS, CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada, DENMARK: Gutkind, ESTONIA: Pegasus, FRANCE: Michel Lafon, GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe GmbH & Co. KG, GREECE: Livanis, HUNGARY: Animus, ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori, LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji, NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna, NORTHERN MACEDONIA: MATICA MAKEDONSKA, NORWAY: Aschehoug, POLAND: Sonia Draga, PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda, ROMANIA: Litera, SERBIA: Vulkan, SLOVAKIA: Motýľ, SLOVENIA: Didakta, SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag, UK: Welbeck Publishing, USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House, WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific

 

 

USKOLLINEN LUKIJA, Tammi, 2019, 400 pp.

Rights sold: FINLAND: Otava (orig.), ALBANIA: Muza, ARMENIA: Guitank, AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran, BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna, BULGARIA: EMAS, CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House, CROATIA: Fokus, CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada, DENMARK: Gutkind, ESTONIA: Pegasus, FRANCE: Michel Lafon, GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe GmbH & Co. KG, GREECE: Livanis, HUNGARY: Animus, ICELAND: Forlagid, ISRAEL: Tchelet Books, ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori, KOREA: Cheongmirae, LATIN AMERICA (World Spanish): Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir, LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos, LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji, NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna, NORTHERN MACEDONIA: MATICA MAKEDONSKA, NORWAY: Aschehoug, POLAND: Sonia Draga, PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda, ROMANIA: Litera, RUSSIA: AST, SERBIA: Vulkan, SLOVAKIA: Motýľ, SLOVENIA: Didakta, SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag, TURKEY: Doğan Kitap, UKRAINE: Family Leisure Club, UK: Welbeck Publishing, USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House, WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Italian rights for THE ICE COVEN sold!

We are thrilled to announce that New York Times bestselling author Max Seeck’s second Jessica Niemi thriller THE ICE COVEN has been acquired by his Italian publisher PiemmeThe deal was closed by Elsa Lindström at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

“I am delighted to be publishing in Italy the second installment in this incredible series, which has been a huge worldwide success and which we hope to build in Italy as well. I think Max Seeck is an immensely talented writer, and he deserves to be read everywhere!”
–Giulia DeBiase, Foreign Fiction editor

THE ICE COVEN was published in English last September, to praising reviews:

“Seeck’s outstanding sequel to THE WITCH HUNTER. [–] Seeck throws in
a murder that definitely happened, human trafficking, frog toxin, and somnophilia
into the mix, masterfully ratcheting up the tension. Ragnar Jónasson fans will be
mesmerized”

– Publisher’s Weekly 

“All distinct characters, and the tension within the Unit is wonderfully drawn and contributes to the tension within the book. [–] A cracker of a read and I loved it.”
–  Kerry Hood on Crimereview.co.uk 

The cover and Finnish title – LOUKKO – of the 4th Jessica Niemi thriller were revealed in Finland in the beginning of May and the book itself will be released in Finland in September. The rights for the 4th Jessica Niemi thriller have already been sold to 7 territories!

The rights for the Jessica Niemi series have been acquired in over 40 countries and a TV show is in development in Hollywood. The rights are still available in Japan, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, Georgia etc.

Download the English manuscript for THE ICE COVEN here


THE ICE COVEN (Jessica Niemi #2)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2020, 370 pp

Standalone sequel to New York Times Best Seller, Faithful Reader aka The Witch Hunter – rights sold to 40 countries and Hollywood!

Jessica Niemi has another mystery on her hands: Two famous Instagram bloggers go missing, and a strange picture is uploaded
on both of their accounts. It’s a picture of an old lighthouse on a rocky island. And underneath there’s a poem. A poem that describes their deaths…

Jessica starts to investigate the disappearances and soon she finds out that the two bloggers have been sharing a secret that got them involved in something very mystical and dark.

BAD BLOOD (Jessica Niemi #3)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2021, 390 pp

A prominent business executive Eliel Rosenström is found brutally murdered in his home in Helsinki. The company he led has just announced drastic cutbacks and Rosenström gained hundreds of enemies and death threats in the process.

But the murder motive become less clear, when the police finds out that the murderer had other targets as well. The only clue the police has is a photo of Rosenström with three other men, whose faces are all scratched off. Who are the faceless men, and why can’t the police identify them? Are they other victims? Or something more sinister?

While Jessica Niemi suffers from a mental breakdown after her encounter with the witch coven, Jusuf gets a chance to lead the investigations and prove his skills as a police officer, while helping Jessica battle her demons that seem to come closer and closer…


Jessica Niemi #4
by Max Seeck
Tammi, September 2022

A month after solving the Zetterborg case, Jessica struggles to hold on to everyday life. Due to a violent incident in her civil life, she is ordered on a unpaid leave. She eventually decides to travel out of town for a month and ends up on a small island on Åland archipelago.More than 70 years ago there was an orphanage on the island, and one girl disappeared without a trace. Jessica also finds out many people have drowned on the shore ever since. Soon, one of the hostel guests is also found drowned on the shore. Does this have something to do with the legend, was it the ghost girl in the blue overcoat? Although being uncertain about what is real and what is not, Jessica needs to find out the truth.

THE WITCH HUNTER (Jessica Niemi #1)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2019, 400 pp

Detective Jessica Niemi is called to investigate a murder case that is out of ordinary. The wife of a famous writer, Roger Koponen, seems to have been killed in a bizarre ritual. As more ritual murders occur, it becomes obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer.
But the murders are not random – they follow a pattern taken from Roger’s bestselling trilogy. Has a fan gone mad, or is this case more personal? How can Jessica stop a criminal who knows every detail of the book even better than the author?

PAHAN VERKKO – THE ICE COVEN
Jessica Niemi #2
Tammi, 2020, 370 pp

Reading materials:
English manuscript

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Tammi
ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: EMAS
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe GmbH & Co. KG
GREECE: Livanis
HUNGARY: Animus
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna
NORTHERN MACEDONIA: MATICA MAKEDONSKA
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda
ROMANIA: Litera
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck Publishing
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific

 

KAUNA – BAD BLOOD
Jessica Niemi #3

Tammi, 2021, 390 pp

Reading materials:
English manuscript

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers
BULGARIA: EMAS
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers
UK: Welbeck
US: Berkley

 

LOUKKO
Jessica Niemi #4

Tammi, September 2022

Reading materials:
English synopsis

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers
UK: Welbeck
US: Berkley

 

USKOLLINEN LUKIJA – THE WITCH HUNTER
Jessica Niemi #1

Tammi, 2019, 400 pp

Reading materials:
English edition

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers (World Arabic)
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna (2-book deal)
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada (2-book-deal)
DENMARK: Gutkind (2-book-deal)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (2-book-deal)
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (2-book-deal)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji (2-book-deal)
LATIN AMERICA (World Spanish): Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica (2-book-deal)
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book-deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UKRAINE: Family Leisure Club
UNITED KINGDOM: Welbeck Publishing UK (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Jessica Niemi #4 by New York Times bestselling author Max Seeck sold to Germany!

We are very excited to announce that New York Times bestselling author Max Seeck’s 4th Jessica Niemi thriller has been acquired by his German publisher Bastei LübbeThe deal was closed by Toomas Aasmäe and Elina Ahlbäck at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

The cover and Finnish title – LOUKKO – of the 4th Jessica Niemi thriller were revealed in Finland in the beginning of May and the book itself will be released in Finland in September.
The rights for the 4th Jessica Niemi thriller have already been sold to 8 territories!

The rights for the Jessica Niemi series have been acquired in over 40 countries and a TV show is in development in Hollywood. The rights are still available in Japan, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, Georgia etc.

Download the English materials for the title here!

Jessica Niemi #4
by Max Seeck
Tammi, September 2022

A month after solving the Zetterborg case, Jessica struggles to hold on to everyday life. Due to a violent incident in her civil life, she is ordered on a unpaid leave. She eventually decides to travel out of town for a month and ends up on a small island on Åland archipelago.

More than 70 years ago there was an orphanage on the island, and one girl disappeared without a trace. Jessica also finds out many people have drowned on the shore ever since. Soon, one of the hostel guests is also found drowned on the shore. Does this have something to do with the legend, was it the ghost girl in the blue overcoat? Although being uncertain about what is real and what is not, Jessica needs to find out the truth.

BAD BLOOD (Jessica Niemi #3)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2021, 390 pp

A prominent business executive Eliel Zetterborg is found brutally murdered in his home in Helsinki. The company he led has just announced drastic cutbacks and Zetterborg gained hundreds of enemies and death threats in the process.

But the murder motive become less clear, when the police finds out that the murderer had other targets as well. The only clue the police has is a photo of Zetterborg with three other men, whose faces are all scratched off. Who are the faceless men, and why can’t the police identify them? Are they other victims? Or something more sinister?

While Jessica Niemi suffers from a mental breakdown after her encounter with the witch coven, Jusuf gets a chance to lead the investigations and prove his skills as a police officer, while helping Jessica battle her demons that seem to come closer and closer…

THE ICE COVEN (Jessica Niemi #2)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2020, 370 pp

Standalone sequel to New York Times Best Seller, Faithful Reader aka The Witch Hunter – rights sold to 40 countries and Hollywood!

Jessica Niemi has another mystery on her hands: Two famous Instagram bloggers go missing, and a strange picture is uploaded
on both of their accounts. It’s a picture of an old lighthouse on a rocky island. And underneath there’s a poem. A poem that describes their deaths…

Jessica starts to investigate the disappearances and soon she finds out that the two bloggers have been sharing a secret that got them involved in something very mystical and dark.

THE WITCH HUNTER (Jessica Niemi #1)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2019, 400 pp

Detective Jessica Niemi is called to investigate a murder case that is out of ordinary. The wife of a famous writer, Roger Koponen, seems to have been killed in a bizarre ritual. As more ritual murders occur, it becomes obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer.
But the murders are not random – they follow a pattern taken from Roger’s bestselling trilogy. Has a fan gone mad, or is this case more personal? How can Jessica stop a criminal who knows every detail of the book even better than the author?

LOUKKO
Jessica Niemi #4

Tammi, September 2022

Reading materials:
English synopsis

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers
UK: Welbeck
US: Berkley

KAUNA – BAD BLOOD
Jessica Niemi #3

Tammi, 2021, 390 pp

Reading materials:
English manuscript

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers
BULGARIA: EMAS
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers
UK: Welbeck
US: Berkley

PAHAN VERKKO – THE ICE COVEN
Jessica Niemi #2

Tammi, 2020, 370 pp

Reading materials:
English edition

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi
ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: EMAS
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe GmbH & Co. KG
GREECE: Livanis
HUNGARY: Animus
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna
NORTHERN MACEDONIA: MATICA MAKEDONSKA
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda
ROMANIA: Litera
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck Publishing
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific

USKOLLINEN LUKIJA – THE WITCH HUNTER
Jessica Niemi #1

Tammi, 2019, 400 pp

Reading materials:
English edition

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers (World Arabic)
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna (2-book deal)
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada (2-book-deal)
DENMARK: Gutkind (2-book-deal)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (2-book-deal)
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (2-book-deal)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji (2-book-deal)
LATIN AMERICA (World Spanish): Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica (2-book-deal)
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book-deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UKRAINE: Family Leisure Club
UNITED KINGDOM: Welbeck Publishing UK (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

BAD BLOOD by New York Times bestselling author Max Seeck sold to the Netherlands!

We are thrilled to announce that New York Times bestselling author Max Seeck’s 3rd Jessica Niemi thriller BAD BLOOD has been acquired by his Dutch publisher A.W. BrunaThe deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

BAD BLOOD was published in Finland last September to great reviews and is already a huge bestseller in Finland with more than 34,000 copies sold in all formats! With the Netherlands, BAD BLOOD has now been sold to 14 territories!

BAD BLOOD has also garnered excellent reviews:

Swedish readers have discovered a new exciting thriller writer in Finnish Max Seeck. Albert Bonniers Förlag is enthusiastically planning to publish the third installment in the Jessica Niemi series, Kauna, in early 2023. Max Seeck’s pacy, intriguing and surprising plot twists combined with a female hero fits perfectly for the Swedish audience.
– Helena Ljungström, Senior editor, Albert Bonniers Förlag, Sweden

Becoming Max‘ German publisher of the first two Jessica Niemi novels was an excellent idea, I think. An even better idea was to pick up novel number 3, too. This series is outstanding. 
 Marco Schneiders, Publishing Director, Bastei Lübbe AG

The cover and Finnish title – LOUKKO – of the 4th Jessica Niemi thriller were revealed in Finland in the beginning of May and the book itself will be released in Finland in September. The rights for the 4th Jessica Niemi thriller have already been sold to 7 territories!

The rights for the Jessica Niemi series have been acquired in over 40 countries and a TV show is in development in Hollywood. The rights are still available in Japan, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, Georgia etc.

Download the English manuscript for BAD BLOOD here


BAD BLOOD (Jessica Niemi #3)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2021, 390 pp

A prominent business executive Eliel Rosenström is found brutally murdered in his home in Helsinki. The company he led has just announced drastic cutbacks and Rosenström gained hundreds of enemies and death threats in the process.

But the murder motive become less clear, when the police finds out that the murderer had other targets as well. The only clue the police has is a photo of Rosenström with three other men, whose faces are all scratched off. Who are the faceless men, and why can’t the police identify them? Are they other victims? Or something more sinister?

While Jessica Niemi suffers from a mental breakdown after her encounter with the witch coven, Jusuf gets a chance to lead the investigations and prove his skills as a police officer, while helping Jessica battle her demons that seem to come closer and closer…


Jessica Niemi #4
by Max Seeck
Tammi, September 2022

A month after solving the Zetterborg case, Jessica struggles to hold on to everyday life. Due to a violent incident in her civil life, she is ordered on a unpaid leave. She eventually decides to travel out of town for a month and ends up on a small island on Åland archipelago.

More than 70 years ago there was an orphanage on the island, and one girl disappeared without a trace. Jessica also finds out many people have drowned on the shore ever since. Soon, one of the hostel guests is also found drowned on the shore. Does this have something to do with the legend, was it the ghost girl in the blue overcoat? Although being uncertain about what is real and what is not, Jessica needs to find out the truth.

THE ICE COVEN (Jessica Niemi #2)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2020, 370 pp

Standalone sequel to New York Times Best Seller, Faithful Reader aka The Witch Hunter – rights sold to 40 countries and Hollywood!

Jessica Niemi has another mystery on her hands: Two famous Instagram bloggers go missing, and a strange picture is uploaded
on both of their accounts. It’s a picture of an old lighthouse on a rocky island. And underneath there’s a poem. A poem that describes their deaths…

Jessica starts to investigate the disappearances and soon she finds out that the two bloggers have been sharing a secret that got them involved in something very mystical and dark.

THE WITCH HUNTER (Jessica Niemi #1)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2019, 400 pp

Detective Jessica Niemi is called to investigate a murder case that is out of ordinary. The wife of a famous writer, Roger Koponen, seems to have been killed in a bizarre ritual. As more ritual murders occur, it becomes obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer.
But the murders are not random – they follow a pattern taken from Roger’s bestselling trilogy. Has a fan gone mad, or is this case more personal? How can Jessica stop a criminal who knows every detail of the book even better than the author?

KAUNA
Tammi, 2021, 390 pp

Reading materials:
English manuscript

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers
BULGARIA: EMAS
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers
UK: Welbeck
US: Berkley

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Swedish and Estonian deals for Max Seeck’s Jessica Niemi series #3 and #4!

We are extremely happy to announce know that New York Times bestselling author Max Seeck’s 3rd Jessica Niemi thriller BAD BLOOD has now been acquired by his Swedish publisher Albert Bonniers and the fourth title of the series by both Albert Bonniers in Sweden and Pegasus in Estonia! 
The deals were closed by Toomas Aasmäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Swedish readers have discovered a new exciting thriller writer in Finnish Max Seeck. Albert Bonniers Förlag is enthusiastically planning to publish the third installment in the Jessica Niemi series, Kauna, in early 2023. Max Seeck’s pacy, intriguing and surprising plot twists combined with a female hero fits perfectly for the Swedish audience.
Helena Ljungström, Senior editor, Albert Bonniers Förlag, Sweden

BAD BLOOD was published in Finland last September to great reviews and is already a huge bestseller in Finland with more than 34,000 copies sold in all formats! With Sweden added, BAD BLOOD has now been sold to 13 territories!

JESSICA NIEMI #4 will be published in Finland this autumn and has now already sold to 6 countries pre-publication!

The rights for the Jessica Niemi series have been acquired in over 40 countries and a TV show is in development in Hollywood. The rights are still available in Japan, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, Georgia etc.

Download the English manuscript for BAD BLOOD here


Jessica Niemi #4
by Max Seeck
Tammi, September 2022

A month after solving the Zetterborg case, Jessica struggles to hold on to everyday life.
Due to a violent incident in her civil life she is ordered on a unpaid leave. She eventually decides to travel out of town for a month and ends up on a small island on Åland archipelago.

More than 70 years ago there was an orphanage on the island, and one girl disappeared without a trace.
Jessica also finds out many people have drowned on the shore ever since. And soon one of the hostel guests is also found drowned on the shore. Has this something to do with the legend, was it the ghost girl in the blue overcoat? Although being uncertain about what is real and what is not, Jessica needs to find out the truth.


BAD BLOOD (Jessica Niemi #3)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2021, 390 pp

A prominent business executive Eliel Rosenström is found brutally murdered in his home in Helsinki. The company he led has just announced drastic cutbacks and Rosenström gained hundreds of enemies and death threats in the process.

But the murder motive become less clear, when the police finds out that the murderer had other targets as well. The only clue the police has is a photo of Rosenström with three other men, whose faces are all scratched off. Who are the faceless men, and why can’t the police identify them? Are they other victims? Or something more sinister?

While Jessica Niemi suffers from a mental breakdown after her encounter with the witch coven, Jusuf gets a chance to lead the investigations and prove his skills as a police officer, while helping Jessica battle her demons that seem to come closer and closer…

THE ICE COVEN (Jessica Niemi #2)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2020, 370 pp

Standalone sequel to New York Times Best Seller, Faithful Reader aka The Witch Hunter – rights sold to 40 countries and Hollywood!

Jessica Niemi has another mystery on her hands: Two famous Instagram bloggers go missing, and a strange picture is uploaded
on both of their accounts. It’s a picture of an old lighthouse on a rocky island. And underneath there’s a poem. A poem that describes their deaths…

Jessica starts to investigate the disappearances and soon she finds out that the two bloggers have been sharing a secret that got them involved in something very mystical and dark.

THE WITCH HUNTER (Jessica Niemi #1)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2019, 400 pp

Detective Jessica Niemi is called to investigate a murder case that is out of ordinary. The wife of a famous writer, Roger Koponen, seems to have been killed in a bizarre ritual. As more ritual murders occur, it becomes obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer.
But the murders are not random – they follow a pattern taken from Roger’s bestselling trilogy. Has a fan gone mad, or is this case more personal? How can Jessica stop a criminal who knows every detail of the book even better than the author?

JESSICA NIEMI #4
Loukko
Tammi, 2022

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers
UK: Welbeck
US: Berkley

 

BAD BLOOD (Jessica Niemi #3)
Tammi, 2021, 390 pp

Reading materials:
English manuscript

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers
BULGARIA: EMAS
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NORWAY: Aschehoug
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers
UK: Welbeck
US: Berkley

 

THE ICE COVEN (Jessica Niemi #2)
Tammi, 2020, 370 pp

Reading materials:
English edition

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi
ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: EMAS
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe GmbH & Co. KG
GREECE: Livanis
HUNGARY: Animus
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna
NORTHERN MACEDONIA: MATICA MAKEDONSKA
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda
ROMANIA: Litera
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck Publishing
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific

 

THE WITCH HUNTER (Jessica Niemi #1)
Tammi, 2019, 400 pp

Reading materials:
English edition

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers (World Arabic)
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna (2-book deal)
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada (2-book-deal)
DENMARK: Gutkind (2-book-deal)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (2-book-deal)
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (2-book-deal)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji (2-book-deal)
LATIN AMERICA (World Spanish): Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica (2-book-deal)
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book-deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UKRAINE: Family Leisure Club
UNITED KINGDOM: Welbeck Publishing UK (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

2 new deals for BAD BLOOD by New York Times bestselling author Max Seeck!

We are extremely happy to announce know that New York Times bestselling author Max Seeck’s 3rd Jessica Niemi thriller BAD BLOOD has now been acquired by his Bulgarian publisher EMAS and his Latvian publisher Latvijas Mediji! The deals were closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

The book was published in Finland last September to great reviews and is already a huge bestseller in Finland with more than 34,000 copies sold in all formats! With Bulgaria and Latvia, BAD BLOOD has now been sold to 12 territories!

The rights for the Jessica Niemi series have been acquired in over 40 countries and a TV show is in development in Hollywood. The rights are still available in Japan, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, Georgia etc.

Download the English manuscript for BAD BLOOD here


BAD BLOOD (Jessica Niemi #3)
by Max Seeck
Tammi, 2021, 390 pp

A prominent business executive Eliel Rosenström is found brutally murdered in his home in Helsinki. The company he led has just announced drastic cutbacks and Rosenström gained hundreds of enemies and death threats in the process.

But the murder motive become less clear, when the police finds out that the murderer had other targets as well. The only clue the police has is a photo of Rosenström with three other men, whose faces are all scratched off. Who are the faceless men, and why can’t the police identify them? Are they other victims? Or something more sinister?

While Jessica Niemi suffers from a mental breakdown after her encounter with the witch coven, Jusuf gets a chance to lead the investigations and prove his skills as a police officer, while helping Jessica battle her demons that seem to come closer and closer…

KAUNA
Tammi, 2021, 390 pp

Reading materials:
English manuscript

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers
BULGARIA: EMAS
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NORWAY: Aschehoug
UK: Welbeck
US: Berkley

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Albanian rights sold for BAD BLOOD (Jessica Niemi #3) – now 10 countries for this best-seller!

We are extremely happy to let you know that New York Times Best-selling Author Max Seeck’s 3rd Jessica Niemi thriller BAD BLOOD has now been acquired by his Albanian publisher Muza! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

The book was published in Finland last September to great reviews and is already a huge best-seller in Finland with more than 34 000 copies sold in all formats!

This is the 10th territory for the novel, with the rights having been previously acquired in the US, UK, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Estonia, Norway and the Arabic countries.

The rights for Jessica Niemi series have been acquired in over 40 countries and a TV show is in development in Hollywood, but rights are still available in Japan, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, Georgia etc.

Download the English manuscript for BAD BLOOD here


BAD BLOOD starts when a prominent business executive Eliel Rosenström is found brutally murdered in his home in Helsinki. The company he led has just announced drastic cutbacks and Rosenström gained hundreds of enemies and death threats in the process.

But the murder motive become less clear, when the police finds out that the murderer had other targets as well. The only clue the police has is a photo of Rosenström with three other men, whose faces are all scratched off. Who are the faceless men, and why can’t the police identify them? Are they other victims? Or something more sinister?

While Jessica Niemi suffers from a mental breakdown after her encounter with the witch coven, Jusuf gets a chance to lead the investigations and prove his skills as a police officer, while helping Jessica battle her demons that seem to come closer and closer…

BAD BLOOD
Kauna
Tammi, September 2021, 390pp

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishing
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó Kft.
NORWAY: Aschehoug
UK: Welbeck
US: Berkley/Penguin Random House

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Arabic rights sold for BAD BLOOD (Jessica Niemi #3) – now 9 countries for this bestseller!

We are very excited to let you know that Max Seeck’s 3rd Jessica Niemi thriller BAD BLOOD  has now been acquired by his Arabic publisher Arab Scientific Publishing!

This is the 9th territory for the novel, previously rights have been acquired in the US, UK, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Estonia and Norway.
The book was published in Finland in this September and is currently a TOP5 bestseller in all major bookstore chains!

The rights for Jessica Niemi series have been acquired in over 40 countries, but are still available in Japan, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Brazil, Vietnam, Georgia etc.

Download the Finnish pdf and English synopsis for  BAD BLOOD here

 


Max Seeck’s BAD BLOOD starts when a prominent business executive Eliel Rosenström is found brutally murdered in his home in Helsinki. The company he led has just announced drastic cutbacks and Rosenström gained hundreds of enemies and death threats in the process.

But the murder motive become less clear, when the police finds out that the murderer had other targets as well. The only clue the police has is a photo of Rosenström with three other men, whose faces are all scratched off. Who are the faceless men, and why can’t the police identify them? Are they other victims? Or something more sinister?

While Jessica Niemi suffers from a mental breakdown after her encounter with the witch coven, Jusuf gets a chance to lead the investigations and prove his skills as a police officer, while helping Jessica battle her demons that seem to come closer and closer…

 

BAD BLOOD
Kauna
Tammi, March 2021, 390pp

RIGHTS SOLD:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishing
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó Kft.
NORWAY: Aschehoug
UK: Welbeck
US: Berkley/Penguin Random House

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

BAD BLOOD (Jessica Niemi #3) published today in Finland! Congratulations Max Seeck!

We are so happy to let you know that the third title in Max Seeck’s Jessica Niemi series BAD BLOOD (“Kauna) is published today in Finland by Tammi Publishers.

Max Seeck’s Jessica Niemi series started in 2019 with the publication of THE WITCH HUNTER  – a phenomenal Finnish crime title that broke into both New York Times and Spiegel Bestseller Lists and was sold to over 40 territories and Hollywood!

The second title THE ICE COVEN will be published in the US on 28th of September 2021 and has already been sold to almost 30 countries!

The third title – BAD BLOOD is published today!

The series now has publishers in dozens of territories and an international TV series is in development. but rights are still available in Japan, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Brazil, Georgia, etc

If you are interested in Max Seeck rights, contact Elina Ahlback Literary Agency by clicking here.


BAD BLOOD (Jessica Niemi #3)
by Max Seeck

A prominent business executive Eliel Rosenström is found brutally murdered in his home in Helsinki. The company he led has just announced drastic cutbacks and Rosenström gained hundreds of enemies and death threats in the process.

But the murder motive become less clear, when the police finds out that the murderer had other targets as well. The only clue the police has is a photo of Rosenström with three other men, whose faces are all scratched off. Who are the faceless men, and why can’t the police identify them? Are they other victims? Or something more sinister?

While Jessica Niemi suffers from a mental breakdown after her encounter with the witch coven, Jusuf gets a chance to lead the investigations and prove his skills as a police officer, while helping Jessica battle her demons that seem to come closer and closer…

THE ICE COVEN (Jessica Niemi #2)
by Max Seeck

Standalone sequel to New York Times Best Seller, Faithful Reader aka The Witch Hunter – rights sold to 40 countries and Hollywood!

Jessica Niemi has another mystery on her hands: Two famous Instagram bloggers go missing, and a strange picture is uploaded
on both of their accounts. It’s a picture of an old lighthouse on a rocky island. And underneath there’s a poem. A poem that describes their deaths…

Jessica starts to investigate the disappearances and soon she finds out that the two bloggers have been sharing a secret that got them involved in something very mystical and dark.

“The heroine’s personal problems provide a fascinating counterpoint to a disturbing tale of murder and madness. — A desperate hunt for what may be a gang of serial killers flushes out a policewoman’s haunting past in Finnish author Seeck’s first English translation.” -Kirkus Review

THE WITCH HUNTER (Jessica Niemi #1)
by Max Seeck

First published in Finland in September 2019,  this exciting thriller has already been picked up by tens of very well-known crime publishers around the world including Jo Nesbo’s original publisher Aschehoug (Norway), Germany’s Bastei Lübbe, Italy’s Piemme/Mondadori, Berkley/Penguin Random House in the US etc.
There will also be a Hollywood TV series of the book!Detective Jessica Niemi is called to investigate a murder case that is out of ordinary. The wife of a famous writer, Roger Koponen, seems to have been killed in a bizarre ritual. As more ritual murders occur, it becomes obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer.
But the murders are not random – they follow a pattern taken from Roger’s bestselling trilogy. Has a fan gone mad, or is this case more personal? How can Jessica stop a criminal who knows every detail of the book even better than the author?
Max Seeck is the New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four years and four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

. His new Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! In The Witch Hunter, book 1 of the Jessica Niemi series, Helsinki Police Detective Jessica Niemi hunts an occultist serial killer. In The Ice Coven, Jessica and her team follow clues hidden on Instagram to solve the disappearance of a young influencer and a manga artist. In Book 3, Bad Blood, a prominent business executive Eliel Zetterborg is found murdered in his home in a luxury neighborhood of central Helsinki
Max Seeck’s third book of the Jessica Niemi series will be published in Finland in September 2021.

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

BAD BLOOD
by Max Seeck

(Kauna, Tammi 2021 390pp)

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó
NORWAY: Aschehoug
UK: Welbeck
US: Berkley

THE ICE COVEN
by Max Seeck

(Pahan verkko, Tammi 2020, 370pp)

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Tammi

ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: EMAS
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe GmbH & Co. KG
GREECE: Livanis
HUNGARY: Animus
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna
NORTHERN MACEDONIA: MATICA MAKEDONSKA
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda
ROMANIA: Litera
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck Publishing
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific

 

THE WITCH HUNTER
by Max Seeck

(Uskollinen lukija, Tammi 400pp)

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers (World Arabic)
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna (2-book deal)
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada (2-book-deal)
DENMARK: Gutkind (2-book-deal)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (2-book-deal)
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (2-book-deal)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji (2-book-deal)
LATIN AMERICA (World Spanish): Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica (2-book-deal)
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book-deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UKRAINE: Family Leisure Club
UNITED KINGDOM: Welbeck Publishing UK (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Max Seeck’s THE WITCH HUNTER sold to Ukraine!

Max Seeck’s New York Times Bestselling THE WITCH HUNTER continues its world-conquering tour – now the rights have been sold to Ukrainian Family Leisure Club publishing!

Download the full English pdf for THE WITCH HUNTER here!

 

THE WITCH HUNTER aka FAITHFUL READER
by Max Seeck

The series now has publishers in dozens of territories and an international TV series is in development. but rights are still available in Japan, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Brazil, Georgia, etc

First published in Finland in September 2019,  this exciting thriller has already been picked up by tens of very well-known crime publishers around the world including Jo Nesbo’s original publisher Aschehoug (Norway), Germany’s Bastei Lübbe, Italy’s Piemme/Mondadori, Berkley/Penguin Random House in the US etc.
There will also be a Hollywood TV series of the book! This is the thriller of the year!

Detective Jessica Niemi is called to investigate a murder case that is out of ordinary. The wife of a famous writer, Roger Koponen, seems to have been killed in a bizarre ritual. As more ritual murders occur, it becomes obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer.
But the murders are not random – they follow a pattern taken from Roger’s bestselling trilogy. Has a fan gone mad, or is this case more personal? How can Jessica stop a criminal who knows every detail of the book even better than the author?

 

Max Seeck is the New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four years and four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His new Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! In The Witch Hunter, book 1 of the Jessica Niemi series, Helsinki Police Detective Jessica Niemi hunts an occultist serial killer. In The Ice Coven, Jessica and her team follow clues hidden on Instagram to solve the disappearance of a young influencer and a manga artist. In Book 3, Bad Blood, a prominent business executive Eliel Zetterborg is found murdered in his home in a luxury neighborhood of central Helsinki
Max Seeck’s third book of the Jessica Niemi series will be published in Finland in September 2021.

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes

Rights sold for FAITHFUL READER
(US/UK title THE WITCH HUNTER)

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers (World Arabic)
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna (2-book deal)
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada (2-book-deal)
DENMARK: Gutkind (2-book-deal)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (2-book-deal)
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (2-book-deal)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji (2-book-deal)
LATIN AMERICA (World Spanish): Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica (2-book-deal)
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book-deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UKRAINE: Family Leisure Club
UNITED KINGDOM: Welbeck Publishing UK (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

AUTHORS’ AUGUST: How did NYT bestselling Max Seeck start as a writer? Watch the video!

Authors’ August continues!
How did a New York Times Bestselling Author find his way to writing?

Watch Max Seeck describing the road to becoming an NYT and Spiegel bestselling author!

 

Elina Ahlback Literary Agency has produced in collaboration with Kintsugi Agency five cinematic Author Videos.
In Authors’ August,
 we are extremely proud to launch these unique author videos one by one

Last week we launched Laura Lindstedt’s video (which you can watch here) and this week we are happy to present New York Times Bestselling Author Max Seeck!

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO HERE:

“Max Seeck: I have always wanted to be a storyteller”

We thank the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture for their financial support on the video project.

THE WITCH HUNTER, Book 1 in the Jessica Niemi series, has topped the bestseller lists in Denmark, Norway and Sweden and is already a New York Times and Spiegel Bestseller. Max Seeck’s WITCH HUNTER aka FAITHFUL READER has sold already 50.000 copies solely in Finland!

THE WITCH HUNTER, Book 1

The rights have been sold in 40 countries and a TV show is in development in Hollywood by Stampede Ventures’ Greg Silverman.

The rights are still available in Ukraine, Japan, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Georgia etc.

Download the full English ms for THE WITCH HUNTER here.

Praise

The Witch Hunter, translated with icy precision by Kristian London, is written in short, sharp, present-tense chapters, a technique which adds to its relentless tension. Flashbacks to earlier episodes in Jessica’s life suggest that the strangeness currently unfolding is tied to her personal history. Discovering the how and why of it brings a resolution as bleak as anything Poe might have conjured.”–Wall Street Journal

THE ICE COVEN, Book 2

will be published in the US and UK in September 2021 and rights have been sold to 24 territories around the world, the rights are still available in Russia, Lithuania, Turkey, Italy, Iceland, Korea, Spain, Croatia etc. 

Download the full English ms for THE ICE COVEN here.

BAD BLOOD, Book 3

The book will be published first in September 2021 by Tammi in Finland and has been acquired by publishers in the US, UK, Norway, Germany, Denmark and Estonia.

The full Finnish ms is now available!

Download the short English synopsis for BAD BLOOD here.

 

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR MAX SEECK

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four years and four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His debut trilogy following protagonist Daniel Kuisma sold over 40,000 copies in Finland. His new Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! In The Witch Hunter, book 1 of the Jessica Niemi series, Helsinki Police Detective Jessica Niemi hunts an occultist serial killer. In The Ice Coven, Jessica and her team follow clues hidden on Instagram to solve the disappearance of a young influencer and a manga artist. He is currently writing the 3rd book of Jessica Niemi series.

Max Seeck devotes his time to writing professionally. An avid reader of Nordic noir for personal pleasure, he listens to film scores as he writes. His accolades include the Finnish Whodunit Society’s Debut Thriller of the Year Award 2016. Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing and loves to promote his works, and is fluent in English and German.

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Max Seeck topping bestseller lists – already 50.000 copies sold in Finland!

THE WITCH HUNTER, Book 1 in the Jessica Niemi series, is topping the bestseller lists in Denmark, Norway and Sweden and is already a New York Times and Spiegel Bestseller. Max Seeck’s WITCH HUNTER aka FAITHFUL READER has sold already 50.000 copies solely in Finland!

THE WITCH HUNTER, Book 1

The rights have been sold in 40 countries and a TV show is in development in Hollywood by Stampede Ventures’ Greg Silverman.

The rights are still available in Japan, China, Ukraine, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Georgia etc.

Download the full English ms for THE WITCH HUNTER here.

Praise

The Witch Hunter, translated with icy precision by Kristian London, is written in short, sharp, present-tense chapters, a technique which adds to its relentless tension. Flashbacks to earlier episodes in Jessica’s life suggest that the strangeness currently unfolding is tied to her personal history. Discovering the how and why of it brings a resolution as bleak as anything Poe might have conjured.”–Wall Street Journal

THE ICE COVEN, Book 2 

will be published in the US and UK in September 2021 and rights have been sold to 24 territories around the world, the rights are still available in Russia, Lithuania, Turkey, Italy, Iceland, Korea, Spain, Croatia etc. 

Download the full English ms for THE ICE COVEN here.

BAD BLOOD, Book 3 

will be published in Finland this fall 2021 and has been acquired by publishers in the US, UK, Norway, Germany, Denmark and Estonia.

Download the short English synopsis for BAD BLOOD here.</a


NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR MAX SEECK

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four years and four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His debut trilogy following protagonist Daniel Kuisma sold over 40,000 copies in Finland. His new Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! In Faithful Reader, book 1 of the Jessica Niemi series, Helsinki Police Detective Jessica Niemi hunts an occultist serial killer. In Ice Coven, Jessica and her team follow clues hidden on Instagram to solve the disappearance of a young influencer and a manga artist. He is currently writing the 3rd book of Jessica Niemi series.

Max Seeck devotes his time to writing professionally. An avid reader of Nordic noir for personal pleasure, he listens to film scores as he writes. His accolades include the Finnish Whodunit Society’s Debut Thriller of the Year Award 2016. Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing and loves to promote his works, and is fluent in English and German.

THE WITCH HUNTER
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARMENIA: Guitank Publishing
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BULGARIA: EMAS
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe GmbH & Co. KG
GREECE: Livanis
HUNGARY: Animus
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books/ Steimatzky
ITALY: Edizioni Piemme S.p.a
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna
NORTHERN MACEDONIA: MATICA MAKEDONSKA dooel
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda
ROMANIA: GRUP MEDIA LITERA
RUSSIA: AST Publishers
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motyl
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SOUTH KOREA: Cheongmirae
SPAIN & LATIN AMERICA: Maeva Ediciones
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UK: Welbeck Publishing
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers, Inc.

THE ICE COVEN
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: EMAS
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe GmbH & Co. KG
GREECE: Livanis
HUNGARY: Animus
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna
NORTHERN MACEDONIA: MATICA MAKEDONSKA
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda
ROMANIA: Litera
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck Publishing
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific

BAD BLOOD
Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
HUNGARY: Animus Kiadó Kft.
NORWAY: Aschehoug
UK: Welbeck

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Today Elina Ahlback Literary Agency celebrates its 12th anniversary!

The story of the Elina Ahlback Literary Agency began in Manhattan, New York, in February 2009. While Elina’s son was skating in the skate park under the Brooklyn Bridge, the courageous decision to establish the agency was made — with its mission to build bridges between authors and publishers worldwide and with its passion to internationalize Finnish literature.

Elina Ahlback Literary Agency is Finland’s leading and first independent, international literary agency representing Finnish and Nordic authors’ and illustrators’ book, film & TV rights in international markets. The Agency also represents U.S. publishers and their authors exclusively in the Nordic countries.

We are enormously proud of the authors we have the honor to represent and  are celebrating with some of the best praises for our excellent authors and titles this Spring:

A New York Times Bestseller

Translated with icy precision, by Kristian London, is written in short, sharp, present-tense chapters, a technique which adds to its relentless tension.

– The Wall Street Journal on
The Witch Hunter by Max Seeck

 

 

 

 

 

Best Book of the Month

This provocative Finnish author enters the fray of American literature (thanks to translation from David Hackston) with a racy, wonderfully weird novel about a therapist’s sessions with a sex-obsessed woman.

– Entertainment Weekly on
My Friend Natalia by Laura Lindstedt

 

 

 

Best Travel Book of Year 2021

Packed with emotions, this book is like reading a travelogue, feminist’s manifesto and a self-help guide in one.

– The Independent on
The Women I Think About at Night by Mia Kankimäki

 

 

 

 

Best Debut Novel of the Year

By pushing her character into a crisis, a writer can sometimes observe the abyss of the mind. How eloquently we are led from the drama of a crisis into facing the questions of domination and subjugation. The intense mood is amplified by the close-knit style of expression. The general impression of this dense novel follows along the same lines as the communication between the characters: it surely is cold but it does emit some heat.

– Parnasso on
Arctic Mirage by Terhi Kokkonen

 

 

Winner of a National Crime competition 2019

Finland is the new Mecca of crime fiction. You need proof? Just read the first novel by A.M. Ollikainen. I couldn’t imagine a better start for a series. CARGO is outstanding.

– Marco Schneiders, Publishing Director, Bastei Lübbe on
Cargo by A.M.Ollikainen

 

 

 

Winner of The Best Crime Fiction Novel in 2020

This art detective thriller that is constructed around the masterpiece by Michaelangelo Caravaggio moves fluidly forward like an Italian little criminal on his scooter. The twists and turns are swift and the plot as intricate as the Sicilian courtly etiquette; yet the tranquil pace of the narration allows the reader to stay on board.

– KMV Magazine on
Lead White by Jyrki Erra

 

 

 

A national bestseller

Miika Nousiainen’s FACELIFT is first and foremost a fantastic humorous novel full of wit and charming characters. Moreover the author does not shy away from more serious issues and offers a refreshing perspective on many clichés and stereotypes. Reading Facelift is an experience not to be forgotten.

– Lucie Bregantová, Host Publishing on
Facelift by Miika Nousiainen

 

 

 

Winner of the Storytel Audio book Award 2020 for the Best Crime Novel
Winner of Elisa Kirja Book Award, Best Newcomer 2020

Our first impression after reading this wonderful book is ‘It is such a fascinating and engaging read, that your biggest challenge will be putting the book down.’ Scandinavian landscapes, 30-years old mystery, investigation, all the atmosphere – ideal mix. We even felt the True Detective vibes! We liked the masterful parallel storylines, the formed author`s style, and, of course, the perfect ending!

– Sofia Shramko, Mann Ivanov Ferber on
All The King’s Men by Elina Backman

 

A national bestseller

The title of this book immediately caught my eye, but it’s rare that a book delivers beyond its clever name. This book does. It’s an entertaining, thought-provoking read about the world we live in and the companies that, when unchecked, will shape our future.

– Joost van den Ossenblok, A.W. Bruna on
The 50 Most Dangerous Companies by Juha-Pekka Raeste and Hannu Sokala

 

 

 

An immediate national bestseller

Love is not – although abstruse – irrational….These two things, the search for love at the same time as you are escaping from it and the process of observing and describing it, are at the core of Irrational Things. — Little by little, all these irrational things are presented by Turunen to the reader in her endearing way that takes notice of the smallest details. Time flies, the narrator changes and becomes more and more aware. As a cunning writer, Turunen has fooled the reader into fearing how a distant relationship can survive. And suddenly, I as a reader, realize that all the while I’ve been following an artist’s development story.

– Suvi Ahola, Helsingin Sanomat on
Irrational Things by Saara Turunen

About author


A.M. Ollikainen

A. M. Ollikainen is a pseudonym for author duo Aki and Milla Ollikainen. Aki Ollikainen has published three novels and won the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize in 2012. He has also been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and Prix Femina in 2016. Milla Ollikainen has published three crime novels and won Like Publishing and the Finnish Detective Society’s Crime novel writing competition in 2012. Cargo is their first novel together and the Winner of a National Crime Novel Competition.

Photo credit: Marja Kokkonen

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


Juha-Pekka Raeste & Hannu Sokala

Juha-Pekka Raeste covers international and domestic business for Helsingin Sanomat, the biggest newspaper in Finland. He focuses on the biggest corporations and the IT industry.

Hannu Sokala has worked as a financial journalist for over 30 years, starting at the daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and, lastly, as an investigative reporter for the Finnish National Broadcasting Company YLE. He enjoys digging into the biggest banks and corporations and the most powerful industries.

About author


Laura Lindstedt

Laura Lindstedt (b. 1976) became a critical darling with her adoption-themed debut novel Scissors (Sakset, Teos 2007), which earned her a nomination for the Finlandia Prize, the country’s most prestigious literary honour. Lindstedt’s second novel Oneiron (Teos 2015), a work of speculative fiction that takes place in the mysterious moments that follow one’s death, earned her the coveted Finlandia Prize of 2015 and was nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 2017. Lindstedt’s success has continued with My Friend Natalia (Teos 2019) which has earned critical acclaim and has been sold to 12 territories. Together with author Sinikka Vuola, she has authored 101 tapaa tappaa aviomies (101 Ways to Kill Your Husband, Siltala 2022) which has been nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize of 2024.

She is currently completing her Ph.D. thesis on French author Nathalie Sarraute.

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

About author


Mia Kankimäki

Mia Kankimäki is the author of two best-selling books which blend travelogue, memoir, biography, and women’s history. After taking a master’s degree in comparative literature at the University of Helsinki and working diligently in Finnish publishing, in 2010 she left her job and traveled to Japan to write her first book. Her books have received several literary awards, for example the Best Travel Book of the Year 2013, the HelMet Award 2015, and Otava Book Foundation’s Non-Fiction Award 2020. She currently lives in Helsinki, Finland, whenever she’s not traveling for her next book project.

Mia has been enthusiastic about Japanese culture for years and is a qualified ikebana teacher of the Sogetsu school. Her first book Things That Make One’s Hear Beat Faster took her to Kyoto where she has spent long periods of writing and making research ever since. Kankimäki’s second book The Women I Think About at Night has sold over 55,000 copies in Finland and the translation rights have been sold to 21 territories, including USA and China.

Mia's both books have been aqcuired by Japanese publisher Soshisha:

"I am delighted to share that Mia Kankimäki’s debut title, THINGS THAT MAKE ONE’S HEART BEAT FASTER, is embraced and loved by many Japanese readers. A cross between an autobiography and a travelogue, the author finds an emotional connection with a woman geographically far apart and from a different era and tries to discover who she really was. I believe this style is reflected in THE WOMEN I THINK ABOUT AT NIGHT as well. Though some of the female figures in this second book might not be well-known locally, I am looking forward to seeing how our readers will react to their lifestyles." - Daisuke Watanabe, Editor, Soshisha

About author


Miika Nousiainen

Miika Nousiainen (b. 1973 in Säynätsalo) has worked as a news and current affairs journalist for MTV3's news department. In addition, he has written for several popular TV-shows.

Nousiainen’s debut novel, Raspberry Boat Refugee (2007), tells the story of Mikko Virtanen, a man who desperately wants to become Swedish at any cost. In this tragicomic work, Nousiainen makes sharp observations about our western neighbor and illustrates that we’re all self-proclaimed experts on Sweden.

Roots (2016) follows the search for a missing father, taking readers across continents from Lieksa, Finland, to Australia. The book was also well-received internationally.

In Facelift (2020), Nousiainen gently explores themes of family and the longing for connection.

In addition, he has written The Danger of the Long Distance Runner (2009) and Forrest Giant (2011).

Nousiainen's novels have been adapted countless times and translated into languages such as Swedish, German, Dutch, Italian, and Estonian.

Miika Nousiainen have been awarded with: Laila Hirvisaari Foundation Grant (2008), Kalevi Jäntti Prize (2009) and Honorable Mention in the Sports Museum Foundation’s Sports Book of the Year Competition (2010)

Photo credit: Jonne Räsänen / Otava 2020

About author


Terhi Kokkonen

Terhi Kokkonen (1974) is a Helsinki-based musician and pop lyricist. She is known for the band Scandinavian Music Group, as well as being one of the singers of the band Ultra Bra. Kokkonen has studied dramaturgy at the Theater Academy and screenwriting and film editing at the Department of Cinematography and Stage Design at Aalto University. Arctic Mirage is her debut novel, and it was awarded as the best debut novel of 2020.

Danish rights sold for novels #3 and #4 in the Max Seeck’s Jessica Niemi series!

We are really happy to announce that the Danish rights for titles #3 and #4 of Jessica Niemi series by New York Times Bestselling Author Max Seeck have now been sold to Gutkind Forlag.

Denmark is now the 7th territory where the 3rd title of Jessica Niemi series – BAD BLOOD  – will be published, previously the rights have already been sold to the US, UK, Norway, Germany and Estonia.
The book will be first published in September 2021 by Tammi in Finland.

Download the short English synopsis for BAD BLOOD here.

Max Seeck’s Danish publisher is excited:

With THE FAITHFUL READER, Max Seeck has made quite an entry on the Danish market and has been equally noticed by the readers, booksellers and even the critics (who can be hard to get when it comes to the genre) – as the important new name in Nordic Noir. So we do look immensely forward building up the series, and getting to know better the complex character of Jessica Niemi in Max Seeck’s intricate and captivating storytelling.
– Esthi Kunz, Associate Publisher, Gutkind Forlag, Denmark
THE WITCH HUNTER, Book 1 in Jessica Niemi series, is topping the bestseller lists now in Denmark and Sweden and is already a New York Times and Spiegel Bestseller. Rights have been sold in 40 countries and TV show is in development in Hollywood by Stampede Ventures’ Greg Silverman.
The rights are still available in Japan, China, Ukraine, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Georgia etc.
Download the full English ms for THE WITCH HUNTER here.
THE ICE COVEN, Book 2 will be published in the US and UK in September 2021 and rights have been sold to 24 territories around the world, the rights are still available in Russia, Lithuania, Turkey, Italy, Iceland, Korea, Spain, Croatia etc. 
Download the full English ms for THE ICE COVEN here.

BAD BLOOD, Book 3 will be published in Finland this fall 2021 and has been acquired by publishers in the US, UK, Norway, Germany and Estonia.
Download the short English synopsis for BAD BLOOD here.


NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR MAX SEECK

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four years and four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His debut trilogy following protagonist Daniel Kuisma sold over 40,000 copies in Finland. His new Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! In Faithful Reader, AKA The Witch Hunter (US title), book 1 of the Jessica Niemi series, Helsinki Police Detective Jessica Niemi hunts an occultist serial killer. In Evil’s Net, AKA Ice Coven, Jessica and her team follow clues hidden on Instagram to solve the disappearance of a young influencer and a manga artist. He is currently writing the 3rd book of Jessica Niemi series.

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes

The Witch Hunter
(Jessica Niemi series #1)

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARMENIA: Guitank Publishing
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BULGARIA: EMAS
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe GmbH & Co. KG
GREECE: Livanis
HUNGARY: Animus
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books/ Steimatzky
ITALY: Edizioni Piemme S.p.a
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna
NORTHERN MACEDONIA: MATICA MAKEDONSKA dooel
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda
ROMANIA: GRUP MEDIA LITERA
RUSSIA: AST Publishers
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motyl
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SOUTH KOREA: Cheongmirae
SPAIN & LATIN AMERICA: Maeva Ediciones
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kita
UK: Welbeck Publishing
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers, Inc.

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

US and UK rights sold for New York Times Bestselling author Max Seeck’s novels #3 and #4 in the Jessica Niemi series!

We are glad to announce new deals for New York Times and international bestselling author Max Seeck’s third and fourth novels featuring Jessica Niemi, a Finnish police detective who is haunted by the occult forces that have shaped her dark past. The UK and US rights are sold to Michelle Vega at Berkley and Jon Elek at Welbeck for publication in Fall 2022 (Book 3). The deal was negotiated by Rhea Lyons at HG Literary on behalf of Elina Ahlback of Elina Ahlback Literary Agency. Rights have been previously sold to Bastei Luebbe in Germany (Book3) and to Aschehoug in Norway (Book 3 & 4) and to Pegasus in Estonia (Book 3).  In Finland, Tammi will publish Book 3 “Kauna” (Bad Blood) in August 2021.

Max Seeck’s US publisher Michelle Vega at Berkley is excited:

“Everyone at Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House, is incredibly excited to publish two more fantastic thrillers by New York Times and international bestselling author of THE WITCH HUNTER Max Seeck featuring Finnish police Detective Jessica Niemi. Max gives the term ‘unputdownable’ all new meaning with his razor sharp writing, unforgettable characters, and edge-of your-seat plot twists. Berkley is honored to be his US publisher and I am absolutely overjoyed to be his editor.” – Michelle Vega, Executive Editor, Berkley.

THE WITCH HUNTER, Book 1 in Jessica Niemi series, is topping the bestseller lists now in Denmark and Sweden and is a New York Times and Spiegel Bestseller. Rights have been sold in 40 countries and TV show is in development in Hollywood by Stampede Ventures’ Greg Silverman.

Download reading materials (English edition) here

THE ICE COVEN, Book 2 the series, will be published in September 2021 in the US and UK and in 24 territories around the world.

Download reading materials (Full English translation) here

Praise:
“The Witch Hunter, translated with icy precision by Kristian London, is written in short, sharp, present tense chapters, a technique which adds to its relentless tension. Flashbacks to earlier episodes in Jessica’s life suggest that the strangeness currently unfolding is tied to her personal history. Discovering the how and why of it brings a resolution as bleak as anything Poe might have conjured.” – Wall Street Journal

the witch hunter

THE WITCH HUNTER
Rights sold:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARMENIA: Guitank Publishing
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BULGARIA: EMAS
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe GmbH & Co. KG
GREECE: Livanis
HUNGARY: Animus
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books/ Steimatzky
ITALY: Edizioni Piemme S.p.a
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna
NORTHERN MACEDONIA: MATICA MAKEDONSKA dooel
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda
ROMANIA: GRUP MEDIA LITERA
RUSSIA: AST Publishers
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motyl
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SOUTH KOREA: Cheongmirae
SPAIN & LATIN AMERICA: Maeva Ediciones
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UK: Welbeck Publishing
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers, Inc.

THE ICE COVEN
Rights sold:

FINLAND: Tammi
ALBANIA: Muza
BULGARIA: EMAS
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
DENMARK: Gutkind
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe GmbH & Co. KG
GREECE: Livanis
HUNGARY: Animus
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna
NORTHERN MACEDONIA: MATICA MAKEDONSKA
NORWAY: Aschehoug
POLAND: Sonia Draga
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora Lda
ROMANIA: Litera
SERBIA: Vulkan
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SLOVENIA: Didakta
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
UK: Welbeck Publishing
USA & CANADA: Berkley / Penguin Random House
WORLD ARABIC: Arab Scientific

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Max Seeck launched in Sweden with great success

Max Seeck launched in Sweden with great success!

Max Seeck’s Witch Hunter’s Swedish launch follows the footsteps of his US launch that got Seeck into New York Times Betselling list, and German launch, where Hexenjäger made it to the Spiegel’s Betseller list. In Sweden Den Trogne Läsaren is one of the most listened audio books, and amazing reviews keep flying in!

You can request the full English ms of books 1 and 2 from here. The rights are still free in Brazil, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Belarus, Georgia and Ukraine

Seeck’s Swedish publisher Albert Bonniers Förlag just acquired rights to the book 2: The Ice Coven, which continues Jessika Niemi and her team’s crime investigations in Helsinki. We are proud to share the US cover of book 2:

Swedish praise:

“A crime novel in the style of Lars Kepler, with a plot that gives “Da Vinci Code” vibes, with a main character reminiscent of Lisbeth Salander? Sounds too crzy to wrokk Still, I am literally enchanted by this thriller!”
– Dagens Nyheter Newspaper, Sweden

“Max Seeck has created an international police thriller, a page turner and bestseller! I turned the pages as fast as I could. It is so well-constructed and skillfully executed. As soon as an occultist event fades out, something else just s incredible happens.” – Smålandsposten newspaper, Sweden

“Guaranteed binge-reading!” – Göteborgs post newspaper, Sweden

“Well-written and exciting! Seeck is a star.” -Gefle Dagblad newspaper, Sweden

“Perfect for those who want a little extra fireworks in their crime reading!” – Vimmerby Tiding newspaper, Sweden

Max was also interviewed for the biggest Swedish newspaper in Finland, Huvudstadsbladet, who yesterday published an extensive article about Seeck and his career.

Rights sold (Faihtful Reader a.k.a. The Witch Hunter):

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza (2-book deal)
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers (World Arabic, 2-book deal)
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna (2-book deal)
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada (2-book-deal)
DENMARK: Gutkind (2-book-deal)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (3-book-deal)
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (2-book-deal)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (3 booksl)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATIN AMERICA: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji (2-book-deal)
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica (2-book-deal)
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (4 booksl)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ (2 books)
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag (2 books)
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UNITED KINGDOM & COMMONWEALTH: Welbeck Publishing UK (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

EALA Spring 2021 Fiction Rights Guide

We are happy and proud to share our spring 2021 Fiction Rights Guide and announce amazing new titles from bestselling crime to award-winning literary fiction and heartwarming feel-good!

Browse our full Spring 2021 Fiction Rights Guide here.

 


Cargo by A.M. Ollikainen
Winner of National Crime Novel Competition

The first in a fast-paced and addictive Nordic Noir series. A.M. Ollikainen is Finland’s Lars Kepler!

A cargo container is found in Helsinki with a dead body inside.The container and the property where it’s found belongs to one of the most notorious businessmen in Finland. As Police Commissioner Paula Pihlaja begins to investigate the case, traces lead back to the businessman’s family, revealing decades of suspicious business ventures in Africa.

Reading materials coming in April

 

Bad Blood (Jessica Niemi #3) by Max Seeck
New York Times Bestselling Author
A prominent business executive Eliel Rosenström is found brutally murdered in his home in Helsinki. The murder motive become less clear, when the police finds out that the murderer had other targets as well. The only clue the police has is a photo of Rosenström with three other men, whose faces are all scratched off. Who are the faceless men, and why can’t the police identify them? Are they other victims? Or something more sinister?

Full English coming in September

 

Still Waters Run Deep by Elina Backman
A standalone sequel to All the King’s Men
Is evil lurking beneath the calm waters? Three young men are making a documentary film about a mystical hermit, living in the Isle of Sheep in Helsinki. First one of them disappears, then another one. When one of them is found dead in the nearby nature reserve, the police becomes involved.

Download the English synopsis from here

 

 Bechi by Koko Hubara

A groundbreaking debut novel from one of the most interesting authors of the generation. This is the story of a simultaneously close and destructive relationship between a mother and a daughter, and of a desire to belong somewhere while also wanting to break free.

Bechi is in her thirties, and lives in Helsinki, where she is trying to finish her master’s thesis. Her mother Shoshana is a writer of Yemeni Jewish heritage. Her autobiographical novel shocked readers in Finland, but she has also burned all the bridges between her family in Israel.

When Bechi tells her mother about her pregnancy, many years of tension come to a head. How can two people remember everything so differently? More importantly, what are the things that they would rather forget?

English sample coming soon!

 

Irrational Things by Saara Turunen

Autofictive story of love, death and life between two countries. Turunen’s funny, witty and melancholic voice examines the contradiction of sense and sensibility.

What if you are in love with a good man – a man you have always wanted to fall in love with? But what if this man lives in one country and you in another? Should you be sensible and leave the man to be free and independent? Or should you follow your heart, burn the bridges behind, and go after him?

Download 100-page English sample & synopsis from here

 

Homestead by Ann-Luise Bertell
Finlandia Prize and Runeberg Award Nominee 2020
When Elof is ten years old, his father dies, leaving him and his little brother Ivar alone at the mercy of their relatives. Elof learns that he must never show fear, especially not in front of others and never to his wife Olga, whom he never really gets close to. Pride is the most important thing to Elof, as is their homestead, Heiman, which is all the family has ever truly owned.

Download English sample and synopsis from here or request the Swedish ms

Arctic Mirage by Terhi Kokkonen
Winner of the Debut Novel competition 2020

Literary mystery with a “Twin Peaks” vibe set in Finnish Lapland.

Karo and Risto go on holiday in Lapland to give themselves time to fix their stressful marriage. However, on their way back home, they’re involved in a car accident and are subsequently forced to stay at the only accommodation in the area; Hotel Arctic Mirage. Once inside, they find that the hotel has a rather strange atmosphere and it starts to have a peculiar effect on them. Karo begins to doubt her own memories and tries her best to escape the snowbound hotel holiday village whereas Risto starts to feel strange and refuses to leave.

Download English sample and synopsis from here

 

My Friend Natalia by Laura Lindstedt
US Debut in March 23rd, 2021 by W.W. Norton/Liveright

A bold, and brave novel about young woman’s sexuality, the power of narration, and identity.

Natalia starts to see a therapist to help solve the problems in her sex life. It is clear from the beginning that she is not going to play by the rules of the therapy. The weekly sessions combine art, philosophy, literature, childhood memories, and erotic experiences as a method of treatment, and slowly they make Natalia lose all her inhibitions. She starts to enjoy the therapy – maybe too much?

Download the full English pdf from here

 

Charming Duke by Sara Medberg

Bridgerton meets Jane Austen in 19th century Sweden

The lady of Blackthorn Castle, beautiful Arabella, has been widowed and fallen into poverty. In the midst of all adversity, she is encouraged by Jane Austen’s literary heroines. However, the shadows of the past won’t leave Arabella alone: she encounters a dazzling English duke who claims to know a fatal secret about Arabella’s late spouse.

Download the English synopsis from here – sample coming soon

About author


A.M. Ollikainen

A. M. Ollikainen is a pseudonym for author duo Aki and Milla Ollikainen. Aki Ollikainen has published three novels and won the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize in 2012. He has also been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and Prix Femina in 2016. Milla Ollikainen has published three crime novels and won Like Publishing and the Finnish Detective Society’s Crime novel writing competition in 2012. Cargo is their first novel together and the Winner of a National Crime Novel Competition.

Photo credit: Marja Kokkonen

About author


Ann-Luise Bertell

Ann-Luise Bertell is a versatile artist who, with sensitivity, precision, and authenticity, has enriched both literature and the theater scene. Ann-Luise was born in Oravais in 1971 and lives in Vörå, and her artistry has deep roots in Ostrobothnia, with her heart beating for the power of storytelling.
She debuted as a poet in 1997 and has since written everything from children’s books and drama to acclaimed novels such as Vänd om min längtan, Glöm bort din saknad, and Heiman, which was nominated for the Finlandia Prize and the Runeberg Prize in 2020. Her latest novel, Skuggas, was published in the spring of 2025.
Her works are characterized by strong emotional depth, historical themes, and often deal with longing and sorrow, identity, and family ties. Her authorship has been compared to the great Västerbotten storytellers such as Sara Lidman and Torgny Lindgren, as well as Selma Lagerlöf. Ann-Luise herself admires authors such as Sofi Oksanen and Sara Stridsberg. She has also dramatized both Vänd om min längtan and Heiman for the stage.
As former director of Wasa Theatre (2010–2015 and 2020–2025), she has also demonstrated leadership and artistic vision, and her contributions have been recognized with several awards, including Svenska Yle’s Literature Prize, an award from the Swedish Academy, the Choraeus Prize, and in the spring of 2025, the Cultural Prize from the Swedish Ostrobothnian Society.

Photo credit: Linus Lindholm

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


Koko Hubara

Koko Hubara (MSSc., 1984) is the founder of Brown Girls Media (Ruskeat Tytöt Media), the first for us by us media for people of color in Finland. She is the first editor-in chief of color in the history of Finland. She is also a freelance journalist, essayist, translator and creative writing teacher. Hubara is a native of Vantaa, with origins in Vyborg, Karelia; Kemijärvi, Lapland, Israel and Yemen. Her debut work, the essay collection Brown Girls (Ruskeat Tytöt – Tunne-esseitä), was released in 2017, and has been translated into Swedish. Hubara has won many awards for her antiracist work in the Finnish context. She is working on her PhD on narratives of Brown daughters of White mothers at the University of Turku. Bechi is Hubara’s first novel.

About author


Laura Lindstedt

Laura Lindstedt (b. 1976) became a critical darling with her adoption-themed debut novel Scissors (Sakset, Teos 2007), which earned her a nomination for the Finlandia Prize, the country’s most prestigious literary honour. Lindstedt’s second novel Oneiron (Teos 2015), a work of speculative fiction that takes place in the mysterious moments that follow one’s death, earned her the coveted Finlandia Prize of 2015 and was nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 2017. Lindstedt’s success has continued with My Friend Natalia (Teos 2019) which has earned critical acclaim and has been sold to 12 territories. Together with author Sinikka Vuola, she has authored 101 tapaa tappaa aviomies (101 Ways to Kill Your Husband, Siltala 2022) which has been nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize of 2024.

She is currently completing her Ph.D. thesis on French author Nathalie Sarraute.

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

About author


Saara Turunen

Saara Turunen is an internationally acclaimed award-winning author, playwright and director. Much of her work examines the themes of art, identity and social norms. Turunen is known for her four highly acclaimed novels: Hyena Days (2024), Irrational Things (2021), The Bystander (2018), and Love/Monster (2015), but also for her work in theatre. Her works have been translated into 16 languages and performed all around the world. Turunen has received the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize in 2015, the Finland Prize in 2016, the City of Helsinki’s The Artist of the Year Award in 2018 and the Lea-Prize in 2020, all high-profile awards given in Finland.

Photo credit: Ilkka Saastamoinen

About author


Sara Medberg

Sara Medberg is a historian, who has just finished her doctoral dissertation about the education of highborn girls in the 18th century. The ideas for her novels come from her research. In her thesis she studies young womens' conduct manuals in Sweden in the 18th century from the perspective of the modernising ideals for women and the upbringing of girls.

Sara has received academic scholarships from the Swedish Cultural Foundation, Waldemar von Frenckell's Foundation and the Swedish Literature Society. Including others, her literary work is sponsored by the Finnish Author Association and Otava's Book Foundation.

Medberg enjoys costume dramas, fashion from the past, castles, mansions, shopping and running. Her novels have sold over 90,000 copies across all territories.

About author


Terhi Kokkonen

Terhi Kokkonen (1974) is a Helsinki-based musician and pop lyricist. She is known for the band Scandinavian Music Group, as well as being one of the singers of the band Ultra Bra. Kokkonen has studied dramaturgy at the Theater Academy and screenwriting and film editing at the Department of Cinematography and Stage Design at Aalto University. Arctic Mirage is her debut novel, and it was awarded as the best debut novel of 2020.

Aschehoug acquires Max Seeck’s Book 3 & Book 4 in Jessica Niemi Series – Hexenjäger in the Spiegel Bestsellerliste!

New York Times Bestselling author Max Seeck is now also a German bestseller! In Germany Hexenjäger  was published in the end of December, and is now on the Spiegel’s bestseller list! What a launch! Bastei Lübbe has also recently acquired Book 3 in the Jessica Niemi series.

In Norway,  Aschehoug is excited about the forthcoming launch of Heksejakt and has acquired rights to Book 3 and Book 4 in the Jessica Niemi series! They are certain of Seeck’s success in Norway, and committed to the rest of the series.

In Slovakia, Max Seeck’s publisher Motyl has acquired Slovakian rights of Book 2, Evil’s Net.

Congratulations, Max Seeck and his foreign publishers! Max is finishing up Book 3, while Book 2, Evil’s Net is currently shortlisted for the Best 2020 Crime Novel in Storytel Awards in Finland.

In Hollywood, the TV Series based on THE WITCH HUNTER is fast progressing, so stay tuned for some big news in the coming weeks.

Praise from Germany:

“Becoming Max‘ German publisher of the first two Jessica Niemi novels was an excellent idea, I think. An even better idea was to pick up novel number 3, too. This series is outstanding.“ Marco Schneiders, Publishing Director, Bastei Lübbe AG

Join the success and make sure to acquire all four Max Seeck book in the Jessica Niemi series, if you haven’t already! FILI grants are available to cover up to 70% of translation costs.


Jessica Niemi series

Book 1: The Witch Hunter, a.k.a. Faithful Reader – Jessica Niemi series #1 (2019, Tammi)
Detective Jessica Niemi is called to investigate a murder case that is out of ordinary. The wife of a famous writer, Roger Koponen, seems to have been killed in a bizarre ritual. As more ritual murders occur, it becomes obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer.

Book 2: Evil’s Net – Jessica Niemi series #2 (September 2020, Tammi)
Six months have passed since Jessica’s encounter with the mysterious and serial-killing coven of cult members, and her team has a new assignment. Two Instagram influencers have gone missing, and a dead woman is found on the beach dressed up in manga outfit – an outfit that was featured on the missing blogger’s Instagram.

Book 3: Eliel Rosenström, a prominent business executive, is found brutally murdered in his Kaivopuisto home. After the trauma Jessica Niemi experienced at the end of Book 2, she has taken a leave of absence from the force, leaving Yusuf in charge. But something about Rosenström’s brutal murder feels eerily familiar, and soon, Yusuf is caught between needing Jessica’s help and trying to keep Jessica away for her own good.

Get in touch with us to acquire books 3 and 4.

WHO IS MAX SEECK? A New York Times Bestselling Author and Spiegel Bestselling Author

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” stated Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four years and four books later Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

Read an interview with Max Seeck in Lithub.

Rights sold (Faihtful Reader a.k.a. The Witch Hunter):
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

ALBANIA: Muza (2-book deal)
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers (World Arabic, 2-book deal)
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna (2-book deal)
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada (2-book-deal)
DENMARK: Gutkind (2-book-deal)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (3-book-deal)
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (2-book-deal)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (3 booksl)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATIN AMERICA: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji (2-book-deal)
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica (2-book-deal)
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (4 booksl)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ (2 books)
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UNITED KINGDOM & COMMONWEALTH: Welbeck Publishing UK (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Year 2020 at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency: New York Times Bestselling Author Max Seeck, Award-winners and Bestsellers

The year 2020 marks a historic moment for Finnish Literature Exports: Elina Ahlback Literary Agency’s author Max Seeck and his US debut The Witch Hunter became an instant New York Times Bestseller in November 2020. Congratulations to Max Seeck, New York Times Bestselling Author, for writing his way into Finnish literary history! Furthermore, a Hollywood TV series based on The Witch Hunter is in development by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures.

The year 2020 brought more bestsellers, award-winners and nominees from Finland to the World’s Literary Map.

We are grateful to our wonderful authors, to our great publishers and collaborators around the world, and wish everyone a Happy Holiday season!

 The Witch Hunter by Max Seeck
Uskollinen lukija, Tammi 2019AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Rights sold to 40 territories

“The Witch Hunter, translated with icy precision by Kristian London, is written in short, sharp, present-tense chapters, a technique which adds to its relentless tension. Flashbacks to earlier episodes in Jessica’s life suggest that the strangeness currently unfolding is tied to her personal history. Discovering the how and why of it brings a resolution as bleak as anything Poe might have conjured.” –Wall Street Journal

AWARD WINNERS:
Arctic Mirage by Terhi Kokkonen
Rajamaa, Otava 2020Winner of the 2020 Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize – Prestigious award for the best debut novel of the year.

 

“In a rich and sensitive novel in which people can be strange, lewd, and at the same time infinitely ordinary. Contradictions and a mystery-like atmosphere remain after finishing the book – as happens in the best and most fascinating novels.” – Helsingin Sanomat newspaper

When the King Dies by Elina Backman
Kun kuningas kuolee, Otava 2020Winner of the Elisa Audio Book Award 2020: Best newcomer

“A Star is Born”. – Iltalehti newspaper

Ripple Effect by Leena Lehtolainen
Jälkikaiku, Tammi 2020Winner of the Elisa Audio Book Awards 2020: The Best Crime Novel

Pro Finlandia Medal awarded by the Order of the Lion of Finland as a lifetime achievement.

 

“In Ripple Effect everything really works. The curtains of secrets sway appropriately, sometimes covering, sometimes revealing. The daily life of the police and the civilian life is mixed in an appropriate proportion.” – Amman lukuhekiä blog

Homestead by Ann-Luise Bertell
Heiman, Förlaget 2020Nominated for Finlandia Prize 2020
Nominated for Runeberg Prize 2021

“Homestead is a captivating and rooted story that takes us through Ostrobothnia for four generations in a spacious landscape. The language of the book is accurate but gestureless, the characters carry pain under the cross-pressure of who they are and who they desire to be. Bertell looks at her characters gently, even when they least deserve it.”  – Finlandia Prize Jury

Stormseye by Meri Luttinen
Myrskynsilmä, WSOY 2020Nominated for Finlandia Prize for Children’s & YA Literature 2020
Nominated for Topelius Prize 2021

“In the age-old rite, young girls find their life mission. Kainu’s fate turns out to be to become a sage, which brings with it a great deal of responsibility. She has to solve the riddle of the Stormseye pendant to find herself and her place in the community. Set in the ancient Finnish fantasy world, the debut novel is a great growth story that deals with difference, loneliness and overcoming one’s own fears.” – Topelius Prize Jury

Agnes and the Garden of Dreams by Tuutikki Tolonen
Agnes ja unien avain, WSOY 2020Nominated for Arvid Lydecken Prize 2021

”This book has the reader hooked up from the beginning! One has to read a chapter after chapter – even though it would be time to sleep.” – Maaseudun tulevaisuus newspaper

A Beautiful Day to Die by Veera Salmi
Kaunis ilma kuolla, Otava 2020Nominated for Topelius prize 2021

“The road trip-inspired book realistically and credibly describes the lives of young people in situations from which there seems to be no way out. The novel challenges us to think about the significance of starting points for life and its direction. At the same time, it tells a resounding story about the difficulty of making choices, getting to know yourself, and taking responsibility.” – Topelius Prize Jury

NATIONAL BETSELLERS:
Greatest of All is Love. The Marimekko Story by Ulla-Maija Paavilainen
Suurin niistä on rakkaus, Otava 2020 

“The Marimekko story is entertaining read. Sometimes you laughs and sometimes you cry as this glamorous lady makes things happen at her own way. However, the biography written by Ulla-Maija Paavilainen is not just a song of praise for a business guru, but it also depicts Kirsti Paakkanen’s weaknesses and painful moments, such as infertility and loneliness.” – Helsingin Sanomat newspaper

Extraordinary Women of History by Maria Pettersson
Historian jännät naiset, Atena 2020 

“Inspiring book! It is well written and made me want to learn more. I have found myself googling many of these women afterwards. This book can really be recommended to anyone. Personally I read it in two days. Please, read it! ” – Anikó Lehtinen, journalist

Facelift by Miika Nousiainen

Pintaremontti, Otava 2020

 

“Facelift is a perfect feel-good novel. It meets the high expectations that we have learned to expect from Nousiainen: it’s funny, dark, entertaining and very timely.” – Helsingin Sanomat newspaper

About author


Ann-Luise Bertell

Ann-Luise Bertell is a versatile artist who, with sensitivity, precision, and authenticity, has enriched both literature and the theater scene. Ann-Luise was born in Oravais in 1971 and lives in Vörå, and her artistry has deep roots in Ostrobothnia, with her heart beating for the power of storytelling.
She debuted as a poet in 1997 and has since written everything from children’s books and drama to acclaimed novels such as Vänd om min längtan, Glöm bort din saknad, and Heiman, which was nominated for the Finlandia Prize and the Runeberg Prize in 2020. Her latest novel, Skuggas, was published in the spring of 2025.
Her works are characterized by strong emotional depth, historical themes, and often deal with longing and sorrow, identity, and family ties. Her authorship has been compared to the great Västerbotten storytellers such as Sara Lidman and Torgny Lindgren, as well as Selma Lagerlöf. Ann-Luise herself admires authors such as Sofi Oksanen and Sara Stridsberg. She has also dramatized both Vänd om min längtan and Heiman for the stage.
As former director of Wasa Theatre (2010–2015 and 2020–2025), she has also demonstrated leadership and artistic vision, and her contributions have been recognized with several awards, including Svenska Yle’s Literature Prize, an award from the Swedish Academy, the Choraeus Prize, and in the spring of 2025, the Cultural Prize from the Swedish Ostrobothnian Society.

Photo credit: Linus Lindholm

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


Maria Pettersson

As a child, Maria Pettersson’s dream job was to be an international adventurer. Instead, she became an award-winning journalist, the editor-in-chief of several magazines and a serious history geek. She has worked for the biggest newspapers, radio stations and TV channels in Finland. She has travelled in over 70 countries, got married in Vegas and spent her honeymoon in North Korea. Her hobbies include games and roleplaying, observing big machines, studying small Slavic languages and visiting dead dictators. She currently lives in Helsinki, Finland.

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

About author


Meri Luttinen

Meri Luttinen is an award-winning Finnish debut writer from Tampere. Her debut Stormseye won the Topelius prize and was nominated for both Kuvastaja Award and Finlandia Prize for Children's & YA literature in 2020.

She has a Master's degree in Finnish language and literature and has worked teaching Finnish and creating study materials. Luttinen is fascinated by everyday life in different eras and wants to transport readers to other worlds with her texts.

About author


Miika Nousiainen

Miika Nousiainen (b. 1973 in Säynätsalo) has worked as a news and current affairs journalist for MTV3's news department. In addition, he has written for several popular TV-shows.

Nousiainen’s debut novel, Raspberry Boat Refugee (2007), tells the story of Mikko Virtanen, a man who desperately wants to become Swedish at any cost. In this tragicomic work, Nousiainen makes sharp observations about our western neighbor and illustrates that we’re all self-proclaimed experts on Sweden.

Roots (2016) follows the search for a missing father, taking readers across continents from Lieksa, Finland, to Australia. The book was also well-received internationally.

In Facelift (2020), Nousiainen gently explores themes of family and the longing for connection.

In addition, he has written The Danger of the Long Distance Runner (2009) and Forrest Giant (2011).

Nousiainen's novels have been adapted countless times and translated into languages such as Swedish, German, Dutch, Italian, and Estonian.

Miika Nousiainen have been awarded with: Laila Hirvisaari Foundation Grant (2008), Kalevi Jäntti Prize (2009) and Honorable Mention in the Sports Museum Foundation’s Sports Book of the Year Competition (2010)

Photo credit: Jonne Räsänen / Otava 2020

About author


Terhi Kokkonen

Terhi Kokkonen (1974) is a Helsinki-based musician and pop lyricist. She is known for the band Scandinavian Music Group, as well as being one of the singers of the band Ultra Bra. Kokkonen has studied dramaturgy at the Theater Academy and screenwriting and film editing at the Department of Cinematography and Stage Design at Aalto University. Arctic Mirage is her debut novel, and it was awarded as the best debut novel of 2020.

About author


Tuutikki Tolonen

Tuutikki Tolonen is the author of several acclaimed children’s books, plays and academic articles. She teaches creative writing and has worked as an editor and reporter at Vinski, a Finnish literary magazine for children. For Monster Nanny she received the Arvid Lydecken award.  Her inspiration for the Monster Nanny trilogy sparked during a family breakfast. “My son Leo, then six, said: ‘I heard on the radio yesterday that all moms have to go on vacation and monsters will take their places,” she says.

Her other bestselling series is the Agnes-series, of which the first book "Agnes and the Garden of Dreams" was in 2021 nominated for the Arvid Lydecken Award, received an honorable mention for the Runeberg Junior Award, and won the Luku Varkaus Award. Tolonen tells that the inspiration for Agnes comes for her interest for weird and inexpicable tales, ghost stories and mysteries: "I wanted to write a book my daughter Aili, then nine, would like to read - not too long, not too scary, but very curious."

About author


Ulla-Maija Paavilainen

Ulla-Maija Paavilainen, award-winning journalist, is the author of several well-received novels and non-fiction books. She has worked as the editor-in-chief at several top Finnish magazines over the past 25 years. One of her specific areas of interest is the role of women in working life and analysing the power structure and what is required for women to have successful careers.

Paavilainen’s most recent work is the moving biography of the legendary entrepreneur Kirsti Paakkanen, who took over Marimekko, one of Finland’s most famous design brands. Kirsti Paakkanen: Greatest of All is Love is the story of Marimekko, an authentic rags-to riches tale of how a poor girl from the countryside first founded the world’s first all-women’s advertising agency, Womena. Selling Womena when she was 62, Paakkanen bought Marimekko, a global design company that was on the verge of bankruptcy and turned it around into an international iconic fashion house.

About author


Veera Salmi

Veera Salmi is a Helsinki-based writer, who has worked over 15 years as a kindergarten teacher. The real starting point for her career as a writer was given by the children in the kindergarten, who said they wanted to hear stories of children who live in the city. So she started writing such stories. Now Veera Salmi is a bestselling author of over 20 books.

Max Seeck’s Book 3 in Jessica Niemi Series Sold to Bastei Luebbe in Germany!

CONGRATULATIONS to New York Times Bestselling Author Max Seeck and his German publisher for buying the upcoming Jessica Niemi series book 3!

Our New York Times Bestselling Author Max Seeck is writing the third book in his Jessica Niemi series, and his German publisher, Bastei Lübbe has already bought the rights to Book 3! Previously, Estonian publisher, Pegasus also acquired the rights to Book 3, which will be published in Finland in August 2021 by Tammi Publishers.

The praise for Max from Germany is glowing:

“Becoming Max’s German publisher of the first two Jessica Niemi novels was an excellent idea, I think. An even better idea was to pick up novel number 3, too. This series is outstanding.“ – Marco Schneiders, Publishing Director, Bastei Lübbe

And we have more excellent news:  EVIL’S NET, Book 2 has been acquired in Albania by Muza, and World Arabic rights by Arab Scientific Publishers!

Book 1, THE WITCH HUNTER  instantly hit the New York Times Bestseller List, after publication in the US on October 27, 2020 with sales exceeding 14,400 copies in three weeks!
The New York Times, November 29, 2020

In Hollywood, the TV Series based on THE WITCH HUNTER is fast progressing, and the series producers, Stampede Ventures and Gudrun Giddings, have brought on an incredible writer to adapt THE WITCH HUNTER as an ongoing series, which will be shot in English.

Join the global success, and get in touch with us for reading materials!

Ask for full English manuscripts for Book 1 and Book 2, and material for Book 3, by clicking here

New praise from New Zealand!

“This is an exciting thriller, well written, plotted to keep the reader guessing and wanting to read on despite the horror and madness… Finnish noir in the style of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code.” – Otago Daily Times, full review here

The Witch Hunter, translated with icy precision by Kristian London, is written in short, sharp, present-tense chapters, a technique which adds to its relentless tension. Flashbacks to earlier episodes in Jessica’s life suggest that the strangeness currently unfolding is tied to her personal history. Discovering the how and why of it brings a resolution as bleak as anything Poe might have conjured.”  – The Wall Street Journal full review here.

The title is still available in: China, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, etc.

MAX SEECK BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jessica Niemi series

Book 1: The Witch Hunter, a.k.a. Faithful Reader – Jessica Niemi series #1 (2019, Tammi)
Detective Jessica Niemi is called to investigate a murder case that is out of ordinary. The wife of a famous writer, Roger Koponen, seems to have been killed in a bizarre ritual. As more ritual murders occur, it becomes obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer.

Ask for the full English manuscript by clicking here

Book 2: Evil’s Net – Jessica Niemi series #2 (September 2020, Tammi)
Six months have passed since Jessica’s encounter with the mysterious and serial-killing coven of cult members, and her team has a new assignment. Two Instagram influencers have gone missing, and a dead woman is found on the beach dressed up in manga outfit – an outfit that was featured on the missing blogger’s Instagram.

Ask for the full English manuscript by clicking here

Book 3: Eliel Rosenström, a prominent business executive, is found brutally murdered in his Kaivopuisto home. After the trauma Jessica Niemi experienced at the end of Book 2, she has taken a leave of absence from the force, leaving Yusuf in charge. But something about Rosenström’s brutal murder feels eerily familiar, and soon, Yusuf is caught between needing Jessica’s help and trying to keep Jessica away for her own good.

Rights sold (Faihtful Reader a.k.a. The Witch Hunter):
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

ALBANIA: Muza (2-book deal)
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers, World Arabic (2-book deal)
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna (2-book deal)
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada (2-book-deal)
DENMARK: Gutkind (2-book-deal)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (3-book-deal)
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (2-book-deal)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (3-book-deal)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATIN AMERICA: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji (2-book-deal)
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica (2-book-deal)
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book-deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UNITED KINGDOM & COMMONWEALTH: Welbeck Publishing UK (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

It’s official: Max Seeck is a NY Times Bestselling author!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to Max Seeck for writing his way onto the NY Times Bestseller list, and into Finnish literary history, with THE WITCH HUNTER!

Debuting today at #11 on the NY Times Bestseller list for trade paperback fiction, “The Witch Hunter,” by Max Seeck, is on a meteoric rise up multiple bestseller charts. At Barnes & Noble, where “The Witch Hunter” is a featured novel, it has soared to # 5 for paperback fiction and # 51 overall. He is one of only two Finnish authors ever to crack the NY Times bestseller list; Mika Waltari is the other, who topped the list in 1949 with The Egyptian.

We hope you’ll join us in offering a tremendous CONGRATULATIONS to Max for this historic moment! As you can see, his accomplishment certainly demands a champagne toast… with many more to come! A Hollywood TV series based on The Witch Hunter is in development by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures; stay tuned for updates!

The Witch Hunter, AKA Faithful Reader (Jessica Niemi #1) was translated from Finnish to English by Kristian London and published in the US on October 27. It was immediately selected by Barnes & Noble as a Monthly Crime pick, shooting up the B&L charts 40 places just yesterday alone to number 51! The next installment in the Jessica Niemi series, “Evil’s Net,” was recently published in Finland, and rights to the title have been sold to 22 countries. Read below if you can still obtain it.

The Wall Street Journal gave Max Seeck’s US debut high praise:
The Witch Hunter, translated with icy precision by Kristian London, is written in short, sharp, present-tense chapters, a technique which adds to its relentless tension. Flashbacks to earlier episodes in Jessica’s life suggest that the strangeness currently unfolding is tied to her personal history. Discovering the how and why of it brings a resolution as bleak as anything Poe might have conjured.”  – The Wall Street Journal full review here.

The title is still available in: China, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, etc.

Ask for the full English manuscript for THE WITCH HUNTER by clicking here

Evil's Net, Jessika Niemi #2
Evil’s Net, Jessika Niemi #2

Full English manuscript for EVIL’S NET (Jessica Niemi series #2) is now available!

Six months have passed since Jessica’s encounter with the mysterious and serial-killing coven of cult members, and her team has a new assignment. Two Instagram influencers have gone missing, and a dead woman is found on the beach dressed up in manga outfit – an outfit that was featured on the missing blogger’s Instagram.

Ask for the English manuscript by clicking here

Rights sold in 22 countries.

Rights available in China, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, etc.

Option publishers for: Albania, Arabic, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Korea, Latin America, Lithuania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey

 

MAX SEECK BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jessica Niemi series

Faithful Reader – Jessica Niemi series #1 (2019, Tammi)
Detective Jessica Niemi is called to investigate a murder case that is out of ordinary. The wife of a famous writer, Roger Koponen, seems to have been killed in a bizarre ritual. As more ritual murders occur, it becomes obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer.

Ask for the full English manuscript by clicking here

Evil’s Net – Jessica Niemi series #2 (September 2020, Tammi)
Six months have passed since Jessica’s encounter with the mysterious and serial-killing coven of cult members, and her team has a new assignment. Two Instagram influencers have gone missing, and a dead woman is found on the beach dressed up in manga outfit – an outfit that was featured on the missing blogger’s Instagram.

Ask for the full English manuscript pages by clicking here


Daniel Kuisma series

Rights sold for the series:
FINLAND, Tammi (Original publisher) ALBANIA: Muza ESTONIA, Pegasus GERMANY, Blanvalet ICELAND, Forlagid ITALY, Newton Compton SLOVENIA, Didakta

The Angels of Hammurabi – Daniel Kuisma series #1 (2016 Tammi)
An employee of the Finnish Embassy in Zagreb goes missing, and Daniel Kuisma from the Finnish Defence Forces is sent to investigate, along with Annika Lehto from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
The investigation gets unexpectedly complicated when the mysteries of the past start to unravel on the stony shores of the Adriatic Sea. It all seems to boil down to a group called The Angels of Hammurabi. Who are they – and who is killing them off, one by one?

Mephisto’s Touch – Daniel Kuisma series #2 (2017, Tammi)
Missing-presumed-dead Finnish diplomat, Jare Westerlund has fled from Croatia on a forged passport, leaving behind a decapitated body and his trail goes cold at Stockholm airport.
When Interpol officer Annika Lehto hears of his escape, she abandons her sick leave to go off in pursuit, with the aid of special forces specialist Daniel Kuisma. What follows is a dramatic chain of events, from northern Norway, to San Francisco, to The Hague, as the pair continue the chase.

Call of Hades – Daniel Kuisma series #3 (2018, Tammi)
Final installment of the  trilogy begins with four executed men found in a Zagreb apartment. The place is owned by the U.K. government, but no one seems to know anything about the case. When Daniel Kuisma receives an unexpected guest from Southern Europe he hears something that makes him board the next plane to Zagreb: the lives of thousands of people might be at risk. Meanwhile Annika Lehto is recovering from an assault, but offers him all the help she can from her sickbed.

Ask for the English samples for the Daniel Kuisma series by clicking here

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Max Seeck’s THE WITCH HUNTER is Barnes & Noble’s November Pick, WSJ recommends, and English ms. available for EVIL’S NET

Max Seeck’s THE WITCH HUNTER is Barnes & Noble’s November Pick, WSJ recommends, and English ms. available for EVIL’S NET

We are very happy to let you know that Max Seeck’s The Witch Hunter AKA Faithful Reader (Jessica Niemi #1) has now been published in the US and immediately picked up by the biggest bookstore chain Barnes & Noble as Monthly Crime pick!

“One twist follows another, baffling the police and readers alike. Seeck imbues this riveting procedural with a deliciously creepy undertone. Readers will be excited to see what Seeck does next.”
–Publisher’s Weekly STARRED REVIEW

The Wall Street Journal has discovered the talented Finnish author Max Seeck and his U.S. debut giving the thrilling novel high praise:
The Witch Hunter, translated with icy precision by Kristian London, is written in short, sharp, present-tense chapters, a technique which adds to its relentless tension. Flashbacks to earlier episodes in Jessica’s life suggest that the strangeness currently unfolding is tied to her personal history. Discovering the how and why of it brings a resolution as bleak as anything Poe might have conjured.”
– 
The Wall Street Journal full review here.

The title is still available in: China, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, etc.

Ask for the full English manuscript by clicking here


First English sample for EVIL’S NET (Jessica Niemi series #2) is now available!

Six months have passed since Jessica’s encounter with the mysterious and serial-killing coven of cult members, and her team has a new assignment. Two Instagram influencers have gone missing, and a dead woman is found on the beach dressed up in manga outfit – an outfit that was featured on the missing blogger’s Instagram.

Ask for the English sample for the first 226 pages by clicking here

Rights sold in 22 countries.

Rights available in China, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, etc.

Option publishers for: Albania, Arabic, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Korea, Latin America, Lithuania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey


MAX SEECK BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jessica Niemi series

Faithful Reader – Jessica Niemi series #1 (2019, Tammi)
Detective Jessica Niemi is called to investigate a murder case that is out of ordinary. The wife of a famous writer, Roger Koponen, seems to have been killed in a bizarre ritual. As more ritual murders occur, it becomes obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer.

Ask for the full English manuscript by clicking here

Evil’s Net – Jessica Niemi series #2 (September 2020, Tammi)
Six months have passed since Jessica’s encounter with the mysterious and serial-killing coven of cult members, and her team has a new assignment. Two Instagram influencers have gone missing, and a dead woman is found on the beach dressed up in manga outfit – an outfit that was featured on the missing blogger’s Instagram.

Ask for the English sample for the first 226 pages by clicking here


Daniel Kuisma series

Rights sold for the series:
FINLAND, Tammi (Original publisher) ALBANIA: Muza ESTONIA, Pegasus GERMANY, Blanvalet ICELAND, Forlagid ITALY, Newton Compton SLOVENIA, Didakta

The Angels of Hammurabi – Daniel Kuisma series #1 (2016 Tammi)
An employee of the Finnish Embassy in Zagreb goes missing, and Daniel Kuisma from the Finnish Defence Forces is sent to investigate, along with Annika Lehto from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
The investigation gets unexpectedly complicated when the mysteries of the past start to unravel on the stony shores of the Adriatic Sea. It all seems to boil down to a group called The Angels of Hammurabi. Who are they – and who is killing them off, one by one?

Mephisto’s Touch – Daniel Kuisma series #2 (2017, Tammi)
Missing-presumed-dead Finnish diplomat, Jare Westerlund has fled from Croatia on a forged passport, leaving behind a decapitated body and his trail goes cold at Stockholm airport.
When Interpol officer Annika Lehto hears of his escape, she abandons her sick leave to go off in pursuit, with the aid of special forces specialist Daniel Kuisma. What follows is a dramatic chain of events, from northern Norway, to San Francisco, to The Hague, as the pair continue the chase.

Call of Hades – Daniel Kuisma series #3 (2018, Tammi)
Final installment of the  trilogy begins with four executed men found in a Zagreb apartment. The place is owned by the U.K. government, but no one seems to know anything about the case. When Daniel Kuisma receives an unexpected guest from Southern Europe he hears something that makes him board the next plane to Zagreb: the lives of thousands of people might be at risk. Meanwhile Annika Lehto is recovering from an assault, but offers him all the help she can from her sickbed.

Ask for the English samples for the Daniel Kuisma series by clicking here


WHO IS MAX SEECK?

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” stated Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four years and four books later Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His debut trilogy following protagonist Daniel Kuisma sold over 40,000 copies in Finland, and his new Jessica Niemi series is conquering the world! In Faithful Reader detective Jessica Niemi from Helsinki police forces finds herself hunting an occultist serial killer. In Evil’s Net (published in September 2020) Jessika and her team follow clues hidden on Instagram to solve a disappearance of a young influencer and a manga artist.


Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Read an interview with Max Seeck in Lithub.

Rights sold (Faihtful Reader a.k.a. The Witch Hunter):
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers (World Arabic)
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna (2-book deal)
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada (2-book-deal)
DENMARK: Gutkind (2-book-deal)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (2-book-deal)
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (2-book-deal)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATIN AMERICA: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji (2-book-deal)
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica (2-book-deal)
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book-deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UNITED KINGDOM & COMMONWEALTH: Welbeck Publishing UK (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Finnish author Max Seeck shares the secret of his success as a novelist in an exclusive webinar hosted by the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce – Los Angeles.

You are invited to an exclusive webinar “The Secret of My Success” featuring bestselling author Max Seeck and guest speaker film and TV executive JP Sarni from Stampede Ventures in Hollywood.

JP Sarni is adapting Seeck’s thrilling new book “The Witch Hunter” for television via Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures.  The webinar is hosted by The Swedish American Chamber of Commerce in Los Angeles in collaboration with Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Date: Tuesday, October 27th  Time: 11 am PST/ 2 pm EST / 7 pm CET / 8 pm EET.

Register by emailing info@sacc-la.org. The event is free. Welcome!

Seeck’s latest novel “The Witch Hunter” has been called “[a] rich, intensely suspenseful thriller. Seeck’s debut is dark and intricate—the moments of revelation are as vividly cinematic and impactful every time. Seeck has an uncanny ability to unspool reveals at just the right pace to get the reader’s heart pounding as they make the connection at the same moment as the detective on page. His expertise with pacing, his careful plotting, and his choice to use short, quick chapters all combine to create a vivid, robust thriller.”–Booklist STARRED REVIEW

“One twist follows another, baffling the police and readers alike. Seeck imbues this riveting procedural with a deliciously creepy undertone. Readers will be excited to see what Seeck does next.”–Publisher’s Weekly STARRED REVIEW

“One of the best books I have read. Ever. Absolutely thrilling, well-written, and oh-so-hard to put down.”—Emelie Schepp, author of “Slowly We Die”

#MaxSeeck #WitchHunter #Finland #author #crimenovel #webinar #secret #success #EALA

Rights sold (Faihtful Reader a.k.a. The Witch Hunter):
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers (World Arabic)
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna (2-book deal)
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada (2-book-deal)
DENMARK: Gutkind (2-book-deal)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (2-book-deal)
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (2-book-deal)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATIN AMERICA: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji (2-book-deal)
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica (2-book-deal)
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book-deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UNITED KINGDOM & COMMONWEALTH: Welbeck Publishing UK (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

EVIL’S NET by Max Seeck published in Finland today

Max Seeck’s new thriller EVIL’S NET was published in Finland today. The rights of this book have already been sold to over 20 languages, and it’s a sequel to FAITHFUL READER – rights sold to 40 territories.

Congratulations to Max and Tammi publisher!


About the book:

Jessica Niemi has another mystery on her hands: Two famous Instagram bloggers go missing, and a strange picture is uploaded
on both of their accounts. It’s a picture of an old lighthouse on a rocky island. And underneath there’s a poem. A poem that describes their deaths…

Jessica starts to investigate the disappearances and soon she finds out that the two bloggers have been sharing a secret that got them involved in something very mystical and dark.

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna (2-book deal)
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book deal)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book deal)
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada (2-book deal)
DENMARK: Gutkind (2-book deal)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (2-book deal)
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (2-book deal)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2-book deal)
GREECE: Livani (2-book deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book deal)
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji (2-book deal)
MACEDONIA: Matica (2-book deal)
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book deal)
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora (2-book deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book deal)
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book deal)
UNITED KINGDOM: Welbeck Publishing UK (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book deal)

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Advance Praise for THE WITCH HUNTER in Kirkus Reviews

Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER a.k.a. THE WITCH HUNTER has been sold to 40 territories, and there’s a Hollywood TV series under development. The independent sequel EVIL’S NET will be published in Finland in September, and has already been sold to over 20 territories as well.

The Witch Hunter will be pulished in the US in the end of October by Berkley, and has just received an amazing praise in Kirkus Reviews!

“The heroine’s personal problems provide a fascinating counterpoint to a disturbing tale of murder and madness.”

A desperate hunt for what may be a gang of serial killers flushes out a policewoman’s haunting past in Finnish author Seeck’s first English translation.”

“The body of a famous author’s wife is discovered in what appears to be a deliberately staged pose, dressed in a black gown with black painted nails and a ghastly grin. Another almost identical woman is found under the ice of a nearby lake. The author, Roger Koponen, is out of town at a book signing, where an audience member asks some odd questions. While a police officer is driving him back to Helsinki, communications are lost, and two bodies are soon found burned in the woods. The police realize that the deaths are re-created scenes from Koponen’s popular Witch Hunt trilogy and fear that more may follow. Sgt. Jessica Niemi’s dying boss, Erne Mikson, the only person on the Helsinki police force who knows she’s a very wealthy woman, puts her in charge of the case. Mikson, long Jessica’s father figure, knows her disturbingly dysfunctional background, which is slowly revealed as she’s personally drawn into the mystifying case by her striking resemblance to several of the victims. Jessica’s team works tirelessly to uncover suspects and motives as more gruesome murders related to witches occur until Mikson fears that Jessica herself may be a target. The apparent resurrection of Koponen’s cellphone and his image caught on surveillance cameras only make the case more confusing for the officers, who have very different thoughts about who’s involved.”

– Kirkus Reviews, August 19th, 2020

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers (World Arabic)
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna (2-book deal)
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada (2-book-deal)
DENMARK: Gutkind (2-book-deal)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (2-book-deal)
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (2-book-deal)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATIN AMERICA: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji (2-book-deal)
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica (2-book-deal)
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book-deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UNITED KINGDOM & COMMONWEALTH: Welbeck Publishing UK (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Maria Kallio and Daniel Kuisma are conquering the world!

This Friday we have excellent news for crime fiction enthusiasts!

Leena Lehtolainen’s Maria Kallio series has now another language! Arabic rights for the first title MY FIRST MURDER were acquired by Al Arabi Publishing.
Finland’s bestselling female crime writer for over 30 years, Leena Lehtolainen has published 14 Maria Kallio novels, and the 15th book will be published in August 2020. Maria Kallio series has sold over 2 million copies worldwide, and there is a TV Series in development.

Ask for English materials of Maria Kallio series by clicking here.

The bestselling Maria Kallio Series, which has brought an enthusiastically received female perspective to the male-dominated detective genre through its distinctively down-to-earth heroine Maria Kallio.

In the US, 11 Maria Kallio novels have been published so far by AmazonCrossing, and in Germany  Rowohlt has published all 14 Maria Kallio novels.
The rights for the Maria Kallio series are now available in AzerbaijanBrazil,  Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Denmark, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Korea, Macedonia, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Vietnam, World Spanish, and more!


Nordic crime series are getting more attention and international sales!

THE DANIEL KUISMA TRILOGY by internationally bestselling Max Seeck has now been acquired by Muza in Albania.

Muza are also Albanian publishers of Max’s recent international phenomenon FAITHFUL READER  that has sold to 38 territories since September 2019.

Ask for English materials of Daniel Kuisma trilogy by clicking here.

‘The Angels of Hammurabi’, the first book of Max Seeck’s Daniel Kuisma trilogy, is an intense and cinematic thriller, that immerses the reader in a mystical and dark world. The second book ‘The Mephisto Touch’ had the excitement intensified, while developing the side characters, giving the reader the expression of a crime and adventure combination. The third, and last, book of the trilogy, ‘Call of Hades’ is thrilling.
The author’s skill to develop characters, makes them realistic enough to engage the readers mind. The plot development is an amazing experience, intriguing the readers to ‘solve’ the mystery.

– Irini Plaka, Muza publishing, Albania

Ask for Maria Kallio rights in your territory!

Rights available in: AzerbaijanBrazil,  Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Denmark, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Korea, Macedonia, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Vietnam, World Spanish, and more!

 

Rights sold for Daniel Kuisma series:

FINLAND, Tammi (orig.)

ALBANIA:Muza
ESTONIA, Pegasus
GERMANY, Blanvalet
ICELAND, Forlagid
ITALY, Newton Compton
SLOVENIA, Didakta

About author


Leena Lehtolainen

Leena Lehtolainen is the top female crime author in Finland: her new titles always head straight to #1 on the Finnish bestseller lists.

Lehtolainen created her successful protagonist, detective Maria Kallio, in 1993. Having already featured in 16 novels and a complete TV series, a new Maria Kallio TV reboot series was launched in Fall 2021 on C More. Lehtolainen’s novels have been translated into 30 languages and have sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide.

And just like the events in Bodyguard, a that takes the heroine Hilja Ilveskero all around Europe, Lehtolainen’s own work takes her to book festivals, exhibitions and other events across the globe.

Leena Lehtolainen has also published outside the crime genre; her book The Charm of Figure Skating was voted sports book of the year 2010 in Finland, and A Life in Six Scenes showed her return to literary fiction.

The Crossing of the Green Dragon is her first title for YA audiences.

In her free time, Lehtolainen enjoys all kinds of music and follows lynx trails in the forests – just like Maria Kallio.

Photo credit: Ville Juurikkala

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER (aka THE WITCH HUNTER) wins the Storytel Award

Storytel Finland awarded the best audio books of 2019 in four categories: literary fiction, crime fiction, children & YA fiction and in nonfiction. The jury chose Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER (Orig. Uskollinen lukija, Tammi 2019) as the best crime novel of 2019 out of Storytel’s wide selection of Finnish and foreign Crime and Suspense stories.Congratulations Max Seeck!

The plot, characters and description of the police work is written so professionally that it was easy to pick a winner. Faithful Reader is a great example of the genre and has a lot of international potential.
– Storytel Awards Jury

Faithful Reader (aka The Witch Hunter) has been sold to 38 territories now, and the upcoming sequel Evil’s Net to 22 countries! The TV rights have been sold to Stampede Ventures in Hollywood. In the US, Berkley/Penguin Random House will publish The Witch Hunter in November 2020.


MAX SEECK BIBLIOGRAPHY

Evil’s Net – Jessica Niemi series #2 (September 2020, Tammi)
Six months have passed since Jessica’s encounter with the mysterious and serial-killing coven of cult members, and her team has a new assignment. Two Instagram influencers have gone missing, and a dead woman is found on the beach dressed up in manga outfit – an outfit that was featured on the missing blogger’s Instagram.

Faithful Reader – Jessica Niemi series #1 (2019, Tammi)
Detective Jessica Niemi is called to investigate a murder case that is out of ordinary. The wife of a famous writer, Roger Koponen, seems to have been killed in a bizarre ritual. As more ritual murders occur, it becomes obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer.

Call of Hades – Daniel Kuisma series #3 (2018, Tammi)
Final installment of the  trilogy begins with four executed men found in a Zagreb apartment. The place is owned by the U.K. government, but no one seems to know anything about the case. When Daniel Kuisma receives an unexpected guest from Southern Europe he hears something that makes him board the next plane to Zagreb: the lives of thousands of people might be at risk. Meanwhile Annika Lehto is recovering from an assault, but offers him all the help she can from her sickbed.

Mephisto’s Touch – Daniel Kuisma series #2 (2017, Tammi)
Missing-presumed-dead Finnish diplomat, Jare Westerlund has fled from Croatia on a forged passport, leaving behind a decapitated body and his trail goes cold at Stockholm airport.
When Interpol officer Annika Lehto hears of his escape, she abandons her sick leave to go off in pursuit, with the aid of special forces specialist Daniel Kuisma. What follows is a dramatic chain of events, from northern Norway, to San Francisco, to The Hague, as the pair continue the chase.

The Angels of Hammurabi – Daniel Kuisma series #1 (2016 Tammi)
An employee of the Finnish Embassy in Zagreb goes missing, and Daniel Kuisma from the Finnish Defence Forces is sent to investigate, along with Annika Lehto from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
The investigation gets unexpectedly complicated when the mysteries of the past start to unravel on the stony shores of the Adriatic Sea. It all seems to boil down to a group called The Angels of Hammurabi. Who are they – and who is killing them off, one by one?

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Now 38 rights sold for FAITHFUL READER! New international covers announced!

We are very proud to announce that this week both Azerbaijani publisher Alatoran and Armenian publisher Guitank have acquired rights to publish Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER.
Now the bestselling Nordic Noir will be published in 38 territories and counting!
The phenomenal whodunnit that in the US is named THE WITCH HUNTER will also be adopted to a Hollywood TV series with Stampede Ventures holding the rights.

Also this week we can show you new international covers for the title. Arabic, Czech and the US cover next to the Finnish original. See them on the left.

Read more info about FAITHFUL READER and upcoming standalone sequel  EVIL’S NET below.

 

FAITHFUL READER (Nordic Crime/Thriller) by Max Seeck

First published in Finland in September 2019,  this exciting thriller has already been picked up by tens of very well-known crime publishers around the world including Jo Nesbo’s original publisher Aschehaug (Norway), Germany’s Bastei Lübbe, Italy’s Piemme/Mondadori, Berkley/Penguin Random House in the US etc.
There will also be a Hollywood TV series of the book! This is the thriller of the year!

Detective Jessica Niemi is called to investigate a murder case that is out of ordinary. The wife of a famous writer, Roger Koponen, seems to have been killed in a bizarre ritual. As more ritual murders occur, it becomes obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer.
But the murders are not random – they follow a pattern taken from Roger’s bestselling trilogy. Has a fan gone mad, or is this case more personal? How can Jessica stop a criminal who knows every detail of the book even better than the author?

 

EVIL’S NET (Nordic Crime/Thriller) by Max Seeck

RIGHTS SOLD TO 22 COUNTRIES, STANDALONE SEQUEL TO FAITHFUL READER

Two Instagrammers go missing, leaving clues to their deaths in their last social media post.

Jessica Niemi has another mystery on her hands: Two famous Instagram bloggers go missing, and a strange picture is uploaded on both of their accounts. It’s a picture of an old lighthouse on a rocky island. And underneath there’s a poem. A poem that describes their deaths… Jessica starts to investigate the disappearances and soon she finds out that the two bloggers have been sharing a secret that got them involved in something very mystical and dark.

RIGHTS SOLD (22): FINLAND: Tammi (orig.) BELGIUM: A.W. Bruna BULGARIA: EMAS CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada DENMARK: Gutkind  ESTONIA: Pegasus FRANCE: Michel Lafon GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe GREECE: Livani HUNGARY: Animus LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji MACEDONIA: Matica NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna NORWAY: Aschehoug POLAND: Sonia Draga PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora ROMANIA: Litera SERBIA: Vulkan SLOVENIA: Didakta UNITED KINGDOM: Welbeck Publishing UK UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House

Materials available: English sample coming in summer 2020.

 

 

Rights sold for FAITHFUL READER
(US/UK title THE WITCH HUNTER)

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers (World Arabic)
ARMENIA: Guitank
AZERBAIJAN: Alatoran
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna (2-book deal)
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada (2-book-deal)
DENMARK: Gutkind (2-book-deal)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (2-book-deal)
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (2-book-deal)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji (2-book-deal)
LATIN AMERICA (World Spanish): Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica (2-book-deal)
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book-deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UNITED KINGDOM: Welbeck Publishing UK (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Gutkind pre-empts the Danish rights of FAITHFUL READER and EVIL’S NET by Max Seeck

We are thrilled to announce a 2-book-deal for the Danish rights of Max Seeck’s internationally bestselling thriller series. Gutkind Forlag acquired rights to books one and two in Jessica Niemi series: Faithful Reader (aka Witch Hunter) and Evil’s Net.

Faithful Reader was a great ride: I loved the constant cat & mouse play with the police, and the reader; I loved the team and I am deeply impressed by the skillfulness with which the author is forming his cabal.”
– Esthi Kunz, Assisting Publisher, Gutkind Forlag, Denmark

Faithful Reader has been sold to 36 territories now, and the upcoming sequel to 22 countries! The TV rights have been sold to Stampede Ventures in Hollywood.

* * *

Evil’s Net – Max Seeck, Book 2, Jessica Niemi series (September 2020, Tammi)

Six months have passed since Jessica’s encounter with the mysterious and serial-killing coven of cult members.

The homicide squad is given new assignments.To investigate a death of a young female, whose corpse has been found on an icy beach. And to figure out what has happened to two famous Instagram influencers who have gone missing at the same time. Several strange details indicate that the two have been murdered. The key to the mystery seems to be connected to manga art: while one of the missing bloggers is a manga artist, the dead woman found on the beach is dressed in a manga outfit.

While investigating the murder and the disappearances, Jessica struggles to keep hear head clear. She keeps having repeating nightmares about her mother reading the book. She knows what the book is about. The book is waiting for her in her kitchen…

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers (World Arabic)
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna (2-book deal)
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada (2-book-deal)
DENMARK: Gutkind (2-book-deal)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (2-book-deal)
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (2-book-deal)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji (2-book-deal)
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica (2-book-deal)
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book-deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UNITED KINGDOM: Welbeck Publishing UK (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

BREAKING HOLLYWOOD NEWS! GREG SILVERMAN’S STAMPEDE VENTURES ACQUIRES TV RIGHTS for MAX SEECK’S “THE FAITHFUL READER” + now 35 rights sold!

GREG SILVERMAN’S STAMPEDE VENTURES ACQUIRES TV RIGHTS for MAX SEECK’S “THE FAITHFUL READER” + now 35 rights sold!

Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures announced today that they have acquired best-selling author Max Seeck’s thriller The Faithful Reader (US title The Witch Hunter) for a TV series adaptation. The novel is a hot property ahead of its US release, with rights sold in 35+ countries, and its acquisition adds to the growing list of highly anticipated adaptations from Stampede Ventures.

Stampede Ventures is an independent entertainment media company founded by Greg Silverman, the former President of Warner Bros. Pictures. 

During his tenure at Warner Bros., Silverman oversaw some of the most popular and profitable movies of all time, including THE DARK KNIGHT trilogy, THE HANGOVER trilogy, INCEPTION, INTERSTELLAR, THE LEGO MOVIE, and THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE. Mr. Silverman also oversaw the revitalized DC franchise titles MAN OF STEEL, BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE, SUICIDE SQUAD, and WONDER WOMAN.

 “Max is a true master of suspense and when we read THE FAITHFUL READER it was clear that this was meant to be a drama series full of sharp twists and surprises. He’s drawn a dark and terrifying world with a mysterious lead in the center of the storm. This one will keep you up at night,” said JP Sarni, Stampede Ventures’ Head of International Content and Worldwide Content Acquisitions.

Read more from Hollywood’s Deadline.

Join the success story of FAITHFUL READER and click here to request the full English manuscript.

This week the thriller also sold Icelandic, Portuguese, Albanian and Arabic rights, now 35 rights sold since August!

Albanian rights were acquired by Muza, Icelandic by Forlagid, Portuguese rights bought in an auction by Bertrand Editora and Arabic rights bought in an auction by Arab Scientific Publishers!

Congratulations, Max!  FAITHFUL READER will be now published in 35 territories and counting!

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)

TV RIGHTS: Stampede Ventures

ALBANIA: Muza
ARABIC: Arab Scientific Publishers (World Arabic)
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna (2-book deal)
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada (2-book-deal)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (2-book-deal)
ICELAND: Forlagid
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (2-book-deal)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji (2-book-deal)
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica (2-book-deal)
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book-deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
PORTUGAL: Bertrand Editora (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UNITED KINGDOM: Welbeck Publishing UK (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

FAITHFUL READER now sold to 30 territories!

Breaking news! Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER this week sold to Sweden, Slovakia, and Korea, now 30 territories sold!

The hottest thriller of the year, Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER, that was first published this August has this week sold to Sweden, Slovakia, and Korea. Swedish rights were acquired by Albert Bonniers Förlag, Slovak rights pre-empted by Motýľ and Korean rights bought in an auction by Cheongmirae Publishing!

Congratulations, Max!  FAITHFUL READER will be now published in 30 territories and counting!

Join the success story of FAITHFUL READER and click here to request the full English manuscript.

Praise from the Swedish Publisher:

“I love this fast-paced thriller in a snowy Helsinki environment. A well-portrayed female protagonist and a plot that urges the reader forward until the last page.”
– Helena Ljungström, senior editor, Albert Bonniers Förlag, Sweden

Praise from the Korean Publisher:

“We were fascinated by the rapid storytelling and the originality of the subject. It is more impressive in that a female detective led the story. It is also a very interesting and absorbing work in the process of tracking down criminals.”
– Kwon Eunhee,  Editor-in-Chief,  Cheongmirae Publishing, South Korea

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
ESTONIA: Pegasus
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book-deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SLOVAKIA: Motýľ
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UNITED KINGDOM: Welbeck Publishing UK (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

Reading material:
Full English pdf

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER sold to Korea! Now 29 rights sold!

Max Seeck really is conquering the world! We are very proud to announce that 29th rights sold for FAITHFUL READER are Korean rights that were acquired by Cheongmirae Publishing!

Here is what they said:

“We were fascinated by the rapid storytelling and the originality of the subject. It is more impressive in that a female detective led the story. It is also a very interesting and absorbing work in the process of tracking down criminals.”

– Kwon Eunhee,  Editor-in-Chief,  Cheongmirae Publishing, South Korea

Join the success story of FAITHFUL READER and click here to request the full English manuscript.

Bestselling Finnish crime novelist Max Seeck’s THE FAITHFUL READER follows detective Jessica Niemi as she tracks down a mysterious killer seemingly driven by occult forces, a hunt which also threatens to expose Jessica’s own horrific, long-buried secret past. With rights sold in 29 countries, it really is an international phenomenon!

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
ESTONIA: Pegasus
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
KOREA: Cheongmirae
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book-deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UNITED KINGDOM: Welbeck Publishing UK (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Faithful Reader sold to Sweden!

We couldn’t be more excited to announce the latest publisher to acquire rights to Max Seeck’s thriller Faithful Reader! In Sweden Albert Bonniers Förlag pre-empted the thriller that stunned their whole editorial team!

I love this fast paced thriller in a snowy Helsinki environment. A well-portrayed female protagonist and a plot that urges the reader forward until the last page. – Helena Ljungström, senior editor, Albert Bonniers Förlag, Sweden

Albert Bonniers Förlag is one of the oldest publishing houses in Sweden, established in 1837. They publish around 120 new titles per year and have a list containing of both Swedish and foreign fiction as well as nonfiction. On their prestigious list of crime authors you will find names like Jo Nesbo, Lars Kepler, John Grisham and AJ Finn.

 


Praise from the UK Publisher:

”We are delighted to have acquired Max’s exceptional thriller and look forward to bringing the novel to a wide readership in our markets. He writes with knowingness and precision about human nature and is a storyteller of the highest order. Max is a flagship writer for the list, and we hope for a long and rewarding partnership between us.” 
– Jon Elek, Group Publisher, Fiction, Welbeck Publishing UK.

Praise from the Hebrew Publisher:

”FAITHFUL READER is a smart and gripping thriller that I just couldn’t put down. A tour de force of brilliant insights on the dark and twisty side of human nature with a shocking ending.”
– Ronnie Beck, Rights Manager, Tchelet Books, Israel

Praise from the US Publisher:

“When I was reading THE WITCH HUNTER (a.k.a. Faithful Reader), I was thoroughly transported by the ice-cold Scandinavian setting and all the incredibly creepy twists and turns.  Max Seeck deftly weaves a police procedural with fascinating occult elements and fully realized, compelling characters. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.”
– Michelle Vega, Senior Editor, Berkley, An imprint of Penguin Random House, USA

Praise from the German Publisher:

”I read Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER in a day – and a night. I was blown away immediately. And who needs sleep anyway when you have the privilege to read a manuscript like this? FAITHFUL READER is more than very, very good. It has a quality, tension and a level of suspense which are just exceptional. In every chapter, I was convinced that Max did not just want to tell a dramatic story. I was certain that he had a vision. A vision to add something extraordinary to the world of thrillers and crime fiction, something that I have not seen in a suspense novel for many, many years. Bastei Lübbe is proud and honored to share Max‘ vision as his German publisher. And I wish I could read this story for the first time again.”
– Marco Schneiders, Publishing Director, Bastei Lübbe AG, Cologne, Germany

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
ESTONIA: Pegasus
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book-deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
SWEDEN: Albert Bonniers Förlag
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UNITED KINGDOM: Welbeck Publishing UK (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER sold to the UK, Russia and Israel!

The hottest book of the Frankfurt Book Fair,  Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER, has now been sold to the UK, Russia, and Israel!

UK rights were acquired by Jon Elek at Welbeck Publishing in a two-book deal, at auction. The deal was brokered by Rhea Lyons at Hannigan Getzler Literary on behalf of Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

This week, FAITHFUL READER was also acquired by Tchelet Books in Israel and pre-empted by AST in RussiaThe US rights were sold a week ago to Berkley, Penguin Random House, in a two-book deal. Berkley will publish Max’s thriller in Fall 2020 as THE WITCH HUNTER!

Congratulations, Max!  FAITHFUL READER will be now published in 27 territories and counting!

Join the success story of FAITHFUL READER and click here to request the full English manuscript.

Praise from the UK Publisher:

“We are delighted to have acquired Max’s exceptional thriller and look forward to bringing the novel to a wide readership in our markets. He writes with knowingness and precision about human nature and is a storyteller of the highest order. Max is a flagship writer for the list, and we hope for a long and rewarding partnership between us.” 
– Jon Elek, Group Publisher, Fiction, Welbeck Publishing UK.

Praise from the Hebrew Publisher:

”FAITHFUL READER is a smart and gripping thriller that I just couldn’t put down. A tour de force of brilliant insights on the dark and twisty side of human nature with a shocking ending.”
– Ronnie Beck, Rights Manager, Tchelet Books, Israel

Praise from the US Publisher:

“When I was reading THE WITCH HUNTER (a.k.a. Faithful Reader), I was thoroughly transported by the ice-cold Scandinavian setting and all the incredibly creepy twists and turns.  Max Seeck deftly weaves a police procedural with fascinating occult elements and fully realized, compelling characters. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.”
– Michelle Vega, Senior Editor, Berkley, An imprint of Penguin Random House, USA

Praise from the German Publisher:

”I read Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER in a day – and a night. I was blown away immediately. And who needs sleep anyway when you have the privilege to read a manuscript like this? FAITHFUL READER is more than very, very good. It has a quality, tension and a level of suspense which are just exceptional. In every chapter, I was convinced that Max did not just want to tell a dramatic story. I was certain that he had a vision. A vision to add something extraordinary to the world of thrillers and crime fiction, something that I have not seen in a suspense novel for many, many years. Bastei Lübbe is proud and honored to share Max‘ vision as his German publisher. And I wish I could read this story for the first time again.”
– Marco Schneiders, Publishing Director, Bastei Lübbe AG, Cologne, Germany

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
ESTONIA: Pegasus
ISRAEL: Tchelet Books
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book-deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
RUSSIA: AST
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
UNITED KINGDOM: Welbeck Publishing UK (2-book deal)
UNITED STATES: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Breaking news! Berkley, Penguin Random House, acquires US rights to Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER in a two-book-deal!

The hottest book of the Frankfurt Book Fair,  Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER,  and the standalone sequel has been sold in the US and Canada! North American rights were acquired by Michelle Vega at Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House, in a two-book deal, at auction, for publication in Fall 2020.  The deal was brokered by Rhea Lyons at Hannigan Getzler Literary on behalf of Elina Ahlback Literary Agency. Congratulations, Max!  Faithful Reader will be now published in 24 territories and counting!

This week, Faithful Reader is also sold to Litera in Romania, to EMAS in Bulgaria, to Didakta in Slovenia, all in two-book-deals, and to Matica in Macedonia.

In the US, Max Seeck’s thriller will be called THE WITCH HUNTER (a.k.a. Faithful Reader) and will be published in Fall 2020!

Bestselling Finnish crime novelist Max Seeck’s US debut THE WITCH HUNTER, published internationally as The Faithful Reader, following detective Jessica Niemi as she tracks down a mysterious killer seemingly driven by occult forces, a hunt which also threatens to expose Jessica’s own horrific, long-buried secret past, with rights sold in over 24 countries.

Join the success story of FAITHFUL READER and click here to request the full English manuscript.

Praise from the U.S. Publisher:

“When I was reading THE WITCH HUNTER, I was thoroughly transported by the ice-cold Scandinavian setting and all the incredibly creepy twists and turns.  Max Seeck deftly weaves a police procedural with fascinating occult elements and fully realized, compelling characters. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.”  – Michelle Vega, Senior Editor, Berkley, An imprint of Penguin Random House, USA

Praise from the German Publisher:

”I read Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER in a day – and a night. I was blown away immediately. And who needs sleep anyway when you have the privilege to read a manuscript like this? FAITHFUL READER is more than very, very good. It has a quality, tension and a level of suspense which are just exceptional. In every chapter, I was convinced that Max did not just want to tell a dramatic story. I was certain that he had a vision. A vision to add something extraordinary to the world of thrillers and crime fiction, something that I have not seen in a suspense novel for many, many years. Bastei Lübbe is proud and honored to share Max‘ vision as his German publisher. And I wish I could read this story for the first time again.” – Marco Schneiders, Publishing Director, Bastei Lübbe AG, Cologne, Germany

Praise from the Romanian Publisher:

 “Even though the weather’s getting colder, we guarantee that the chills you’ll feel running down your spine will be from Max Seeck’s intriguing thriller; so buckle up and get ready for a breathtaking ride as you’ll race against the clock along with detective Jessica Niemi to put together the pieces of this mysterious and deadly puzzle. “ – Alexandra Dram,  Rights Manager,  Litera, Romania

Rights sold in 24 territories and counting:

Max Seeck FAITHFUL READER

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
ESTONIA: Pegasus
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book-deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
US & CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

Rights sold in 24 territories and counting:

Max Seeck FAITHFUL READER

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
BELGIUM, A.W. Bruna
BULGARIA: EMAS (2-book-deal)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
ESTONIA: Pegasus
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Livani (2-book-deal)
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: Matica
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (2-book-deal)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book-deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
ROMANIA: Litera (2-book-deal)
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SLOVENIA: Didakta (2-book-deal)
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap
US & CANADA: Berkley/Penguin Random House (2-book-deal)

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Polish and Latvian sales for Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER

Max Seeck is conquering the world! During the hectic Frankfurt Book Fair more offers were received and deals closed for FAITHFUL READER and the standalone sequel.

This week, a four-way auction ended in Poland, and the happy publisher is Sonia Draga, who acquired FAITHFUL READER in a two-book-deal. In Latvia Latvijas Mediji bought the rights also in a two-book deal.

In Germany, Bastei Lübbe extended their pre-empt offer to a two-book-deal.

Congratulations, Max!

More offers are expected in several territories, and as of today, Max Seeck’s Faithful Reader will be published in 18 territories and counting! Max Seeck is excited and very happy and has started writing the standalone sequel, a murder mystery about Jessica Niemi, scheduled for publication in September 2020 in Finland. Faithful Reader has already reached a bestseller status in Finland since publication in August 2019.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
ESTONIA: Pegasus
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (2-book-deal)
GREECE: Livani
HUNGARY: Animus (2-book-deal)
LATVIA: Latvijas Mediji
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
MACEDONIA: offer on table
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Aschehoug (2-book-deal)
POLAND: Sonia Draga (2-book-deal)
SERBIA: Vulkan (2-book-deal)
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

13 pre-Frankfurt deals for FAITHFUL READER!

We are extremely excited to announce 5 new deals for the thriller of the year – FAITHFUL READER by Max Seeck!

In Spain – Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir pre-empted the rights for this exciting murder mystery.
In Croatia, Fokus bought the rights.
In Hungary, Animus Kiado acquired rights in a 2-book deal, in auction for FAITHFUL READER and its just-announced sequel that is going to be first published in Finland in August 2020.
In Serbia, Vulkan also acquired rights in a 2-book deal!
In Turkey, Doğan Kitap pre-empted the thriller

That brings the rights sold during the last 3 weeks to 13 and there is excitement and impending offers from all over the world!

Join the success story of FAITHFUL READER and click here to request the full English manuscript.

The coolest Nordic Noir comes from Finland! A psychological thriller from a bestselling author, where a strong female detective chases a serial killer.

Detective Jessica Niemi is called to investigate a murder case that is out of ordinary. The wife of a famous writer, Roger Koponen, seems to have been killed in a bizarre ritual. As more ritual murders occur, it becomes obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer.
But the murders are not random – they follow a pattern taken from Roger’s bestselling trilogy. Has a fan gone mad, or is this case more personal? How can Jessica stop a criminal who knows every detail of the book even better than the author?

PRAISE:

“The way Max Seeck manages to build tension, while at the same time showing exactly what is going on in his troubled and beautiful characters’ minds, is awesome. The Faithful Reader is one of those gems that make an editor really happy: perfect plot, great characters, a fantastic idea which is well developed until the very end. But more than that, Max Seeck is a real writer.”
– Giulia De Biase, Editor, Piemme/Mondadori, Italy

“I couldn’t stop reading. A book full of mystery, unexpected, wonderful.
A real page-turner. I believe the Greek audience will discover a new mastermind in crime literature”.
– Giota Livani, Publisher, Livani Publishing, Greece        

“What a captivating thriller, the one you have to read in one sitting since you can’t wait for tomorrow to come to find out the truth. Gripping story, believable characters and action-packed pages are just some of the reasons why you should pick up FAITHFUL READER from the shelf. I can tell you that Max Seeck deserves to be among the bestselling thriller authors and VULKAN is more than happy to be a part of his road to success.”
– Ana Babovic, Vulkan publishing, Serbia

“On behalf of the whole team Animus, we are very welcome Max Seeck in our publishing house! Our readers always looking for fresh, new talented voices, the author and his books are perfect choices to have a new bestseller series for the upcoming years. Happy to made a deal with you, Ahlback Agency!”
– Laszlo Marosi, Publishing editor, Animus Kiado, Hungary

“I read Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER in a day – and a night. I was blown away immediately. And who needs sleep anyway when you have the privilege to read a manuscript like this? FAITHFUL READER is more than very, very good. It has a quality, tension and a level of suspense which are just exceptional. In every chapter, I was convinced that Max did not just want to tell a dramatic story. I was certain that he had a vision. A vision to add something extraordinary to the world of thrillers and crime fiction, something that I have not seen in a suspense novel for many, many years. Bastei Lübbe is proud and honored to share Max‘ vision as his German publisher. And I wish I could read this story for the first time again.”
– Marco Schneiders, Publishing Director, Bastei Lübbe AG, Cologne, Germany

“What a creepy and well-written thriller! Max Seeck definitely knows how to create tension. I couldn‘t help but rushing through the pages once I started reading this amazing novel – with a very fascinating detective Jessica Niemi and her team. And I loved the setting: Finland in wintertime! It backs up the scary atmosphere in a perfect way. Let’s say it in short: THE FAITHFUL READER is a stirring read!”
Claudia Müller, Editorial Director Fiction, Bastei Lübbe AG

”It’s time to look to Finland and Helsinki, and this brilliant first book in the series of Jessica Niemi – a character I am looking forward to follow. Seeck manages to make the well established Nordic Noir feel fresh, he knows what he’s doing, and he’s doing it very well.” 
– Vidar Strøm Fallrø, Development Editor Fiction, Aschehoug, Norway

A breathtaking pageturner that cost me a sleepless night. Ingenious, rich, emotionally charged, packed with tension and chock-full of twists and turns, this is a book I simply could not put down. I loved the characters, the eerie Finnish setting – and the Venice backstory was the cherry on top of the cake. An amazing read that would sit PERFECTLY on our list.”
– Susan Sandérus, Commissioning Editor, A.W. Bruna Uitgevers, The Netherlands

”The perfect mix of Scandinavian thrill, frosty Helsinki and the novelty of the plotline caught me so much I could not get it out of my head. From the first moment I started with the English sample, I could not stop reading it. There is simply everything a riveting thriller should have!”
– Marie Hajdová, Editor, Grada

”Super exciting and gripping plot! – – Compared to all international and domestic thrillers ’The Faithful Reader’ is one of the best ones!”
– Kirsin book club blog

”The story folded out rapidly and swiped me up instantly. The investigation part was not slow-paced like they usually are but filled with surprises and game change moments. I loved it! It was like someone took you off your sofa and added in the middle of the crime scene investigation.”
– Heini’s books blog

”The Faithful Reader has an interesting twist. Seeck switches from high-octane international excitement to a psychological décor featuring horror novel features. The ritual murders of books by successful author Roger Koponen take place in real life, and the police are puzzled as to whether Koponen himself is murdered or the murderer.”
– Kansan Uutiset newspaper

Rights sold for FAITHFUL READER (12-10-2019):

FINLAND: Tammi (orig)

CROATIA: Fokus (publisher of Jo Nesbo, Georges Simenon, etc)
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada (publisher of Camilla Läckberg, Yrsa Sigurdarđóttir etc)
ESTONIA: Pegasus (publisher of Lars Kepler, Stephen King, etc)
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori (publisher of Paula Hawkins, Michael Connelly etc)
FRANCE: Michel Lafon (publisher of David Baldacci, Marcello Simoni etc)
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe (publisher of Dan Brown, Lars Kepler, Arnaldur Indriðason etc)
GREECE: Livani (publisher of Dan Brown, Jussi Adler-Olsen, etc,)
HUNGARY: Animus (publisher of Jo Nesbo, Lars Kepler, Stieg Larsson etc)
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos (publisher of Jo Nesbø, Henning Mankell, Paula Hawkins etc)
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna (publisher of Stieg Larsson, John Grisham, David Baldacci etc)
NORWAY: Aschehoug (two-book-deal, publisher of Jo Nesbo, Jussi Adler-Olsen etc )
SERBIA: Vulkan (two-book deal, publisher of Stephen King, Lars Kepler etc)
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir (publisher of  Jussi Adler-Olsen, Viveca Sten etc)
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap (publisher of Jo Nesbo, Lars Kepler etc)

Rights sold for FAITHFUL READER (12-10-2019):

FINLAND: Tammi (orig)

CROATIA: Fokus
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
ESTONIA: Pegasus
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
GREECE: Livani 
HUNGARY: Animus (Two-book deal)
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Aschehoug (Two-book deal)
SERBIA: Vulkan (Two-book deal)
SPAIN: Editorial Maeva/Maeva Noir
TURKEY: Doğan Kitap

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

5 countries in 24 hours for FAITHFUL READER!

In only 24 hours: auction closed in Italy, pre-empt in Greece, offers from Hungary, Croatia and Serbia for Faithful Reader. 

Max Seeck is conquering the world as we speak!

We are absolutely thrilled to announce more sales for this new thriller FAITHFUL READER!

In Italy, Piemme, one of the main imprints of the Mondadori Group, acquired the Italian rights to Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER, at auction, and in Greece, Livani pre-empted this bestselling thriller.
The book has sold to 9 territories in just 2 weeks!

We are very excited for this and so is the publishing world –in the last 24 hours there is:

  • Auction closed in Italy (Piemme/Modadori)
  • A pre-empt from Greece (Livani Publishing)
  • First Hungarian offer
  • First Croatian offer
  • First Serbian offer

…all in 24 hours!

It is safe to say FAITHFUL READER will be one of the most talked-about thrillers in Frankfurt Book Fair

Join the success story of FAITHFUL READER and click here to request the full English manuscript.

“The way Max Seeck manages to build tension, while at the same time showing exactly what is going on in his troubled and beautiful characters’ minds, is awesome. The Faithful reader is one of those gems that make an editor really happy: perfect plot, great characters, a fantastic idea which is well developed until the very end. But more than that, Max Seeck is a real writer.”

– Giulia De Biase, Editor, Piemme/Mondadori, Italy

 “I couldn’t stop reading. A book full of mystery, unexpected, wonderful.
A real page-turner. I believe the Greek audience will discover a new mastermind in crime literature”.

– Giota Livani, Publisher, Livani Publishing, Greece             

                                            
Book description:
A book-inspired serial killer is on the loose. Jessica Niemi – a detective with a mysterious past – steps up. A chase for the faithful reader has begun!

Author bio:
Max Seeck devotes his time to writing professionally. An avid reader of Nordic Noir for personal pleasure, he listens to film scores as he writes. His accolades include the Debut Thriller of the Year Award 2019 and Toisinkoinen Literature Prize Nominee. Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing and loves to promote his works, being fluent in English and German.

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig)
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
ESTONIA: Pegasus
ITALY: Piemme/Mondadori
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
GREECE: Livani Publishing
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Aschehoug (two-book-deal)

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Aschehoug pre-empts Norwegian rights of Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER in a two-book-deal!

Max Seeck is conquering the world at a fast pace! We are very excited to announce more sales for FAITHFUL READER: In two weeks the book has sold to 7 territories!

In Norway, Aschehoug – the original publisher of Jo Nesbø –  acquired rights to FAITHFUL READER and its sequel, both standalone murder mysteries with detective Jessica Niemi as the main protagonist. This is the first two-book-deal for Max Seeck!

In Italy, the auction for the Italian rights of the thriller continues!

 

Praise from the Norwegian publisher:

“It’s time to look to Finland and Helsinki, and this brilliant first book in the series of Jessica Niemi – a character I am looking forward to follow. Seeck manages to make the well established Nordic Noir feel fresh, he knows what he’s doing, and he’s doing it very well.” 
– Vidar Strøm Fallrø, Development Editor Fiction, Aschehoug, Norway

Aschehoug, the publisher of Jo Nesbø,has a strong list of translated crime with authors such as Jussi Adler-Olsen, Stefan Ahnhem, HjorthRosenfeldt, Anders de la Motte, Pierre Lemaitre, Bernard Minier, and  Elisabeth Norebäck.

In Italy, auction continues for the Italian rights of FAITHFUL READER, and there is tons of new interest and pre-Frankfurt buzz around this next big Nordic Noir title!


Book description:
A book-inspired serial killer is on the loose. Jessica Niemi – a detective with a mysterious past – steps up. A chase for the faithful reader has begun!

Author bio:
Max Seeck devotes his time to writing professionally. An avid reader of Nordic Noir for personal pleasure, he listens to film scores as he writes. His accolades include the Debut Thriller of the Year Award 2019 and Toisinkoinen Literature Prize Nominee. Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing and loves to promote his works, being fluent in English and German.

* * *

We look forward to hearing from you very soon! FAITHFUL READER is creating buzz also in Hollywood and becoming the big book of the season.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig)
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
ESTONIA: Pegasus
ITALY: auction ongoing
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna
NORWAY: Aschehoug (two-book-deal)

Reading material:
Full English pdf

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Pre-Frankfurt deals for Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER: Dutch and French rights sold!

We are absolutely thrilled to announce two wonderful pre-Frankfurt deals for Max Seeck’s thriller FAITHFUL READER: In the Netherlands, A.W. Bruna Uitgevers acquired the rights at auction to this future international bestseller, following the footsteps of Nordic Noir success stories such as the Millenium series by Stieg Larsson/David Lagercrantz!

In France, Éditions Michel Lafon acquired the rights to FAITHFUL READER and both the Dutch and the French publishers are determined to make this thriller a bestseller in their markets. Stay tuned for more very exciting news!

Rights have been previously sold to Bastei Lübbe in Germany, to Grada in Czech Republic, to Pegasus in Estonia and to Baltos lankos in Lithuania. In Finland, Tammi has published FAITHFUL READER in August 2019, and it is topping the bestseller lists.

Praise from foreign publishers:

A.W. Bruna:
A breathtaking pageturner that cost me a sleepless night. Ingenious, rich, emotionally charged, packed with tension and chock-full of twists and turns, this is a book I simply could not put down. I loved the characters, the eerie Finnish setting – and the Venice backstory was the cherry on top of the cake. An amazing read that would sit PERFECTLY on our list.” – Susan Sandérus, Commissioning Editor, A.W. Bruna Uitgevers, The Netherlands

Bastei Lübbe:

“I read Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER in a day – and a night. I was blown away immediately. And who needs sleep anyway when you have the privilege to read a manuscript like this? FAITHFUL READER is more than very, very good. It has a quality, tension and a level of suspense which are just exceptional. In every chapter I was convinced that Max did not just want to tell a dramatic story. I was certain that he had a vision. A vision to add something extraordinary to the world of thrillers and crime fiction, something that I have not seen in a suspense novel for many, many years. Bastei Lübbe is proud and honoured to share Max‘ vision as his German publisher. And I wish I could read this story for the first time again.” – Marco Schneiders, Publishing Director, Bastei Lübbe AG, Cologne, Germany

Grada:
“The perfect mix of Scandinavian thrill, frosty Helsinki and the novelty of the plot line caught me so much I could not get it out of my head. There is simply everything a riveting thriller should have!” – Marie Hajdová, Editor, Grada, Czech Republic

Book description:
A book-inspired serial killer is on the loose. Jessica Niemi – a detective with a mysterious past – steps up. A chase for the faithful reader has begun!

Author bio:
Max Seeck devotes his time to writing professionally. An avid reader of Nordic Noir for personal pleasure, he listens to film scores as he writes. His accolades include the Debut Thriller of the Year Award 2019 and Toisinkoinen Literature Prize Nominee. Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing and loves to promote his works, being fluent in English and German.

* * *

We look forward to hearing from you very soon! FAITHFUL READER is creating buzz also in Hollywood and becoming the big book of the season.

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig)
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
ESTONIA: Pegasus
FRANCE: Michel Lafon
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos
NETHERLANDS: A.W. Bruna

Reading material:
Full English pdf

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

4th deal for Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER!

We are very excited to announce the fourth translation deal for Max Seeck and his bestselling thriller FAITHFUL READER (Uskollinen lukija, Tammi, August 2019).

The Lithuanian rights were sold in a pre-empt to Baltos lankos. Baltos lankos is also a Lithuanian publisher for Jo Nesbø, Paula Hawkins and A. J. Finn.

FAITHFUL READER is a psychological thriller from a bestselling author Max Seeck, where a strong female detective chases a serial killer.

Previously, the rights have been sold to Grada in Czech Republic, Pegasus in Estonia and Bastei Lübbe in Germany.

I read Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER in a day – and a night. I was blown away immediately. And who needs sleep anyway when you have the privilege to read a manuscript like this? FAITHFUL READER is more than very, very good. It has a quality, tension and a level of suspense which are just exceptional. In every chapter I was convinced that Max did not just want to tell a dramatic story. I was certain that he had a vision. A vision to add something extraordinary to the world of thrillers and crime fiction, something that I have not seen in a suspense novel for many, many years. Bastei Lübbe is proud and honoured to share Max‘ vision as his German publisher. And I wish I could read this story for the first time again.

Marco Schneiders, Publishing Director, Bastei Lübbe AG, Germany

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe
LITHUANIA: Baltos lankos

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Bastei Lübbe acquires German rights to Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER in a pre-empt

We are beyond thrilled to announce a wonderful German deal for Max Seeck and his bestselling thriller FAITHFUL READER (Uskollinen lukija, Tammi, August 2019).

Bastei Lübbe, the German publisher of Dan Brown, Ken Follett and Lars Kepler, acquired the German rights of Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER in a pre-empt after reading the full English manuscript:

I read Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER in a day – and a night. I was blown away immediately. And who needs sleep anyway when you have the privilege to read a manuscript like this? FAITHFUL READER is more than very, very good. It has a quality, tension and a level of suspense which are just exceptional. In every chapter I was convinced that Max did not just want to tell a dramatic story. I was certain that he had a vision. A vision to add something extraordinary to the world of thrillers and crime fiction, something that I have not seen in a suspense novel for many, many years. Bastei Lübbe is proud and honoured to share Max‘ vision as his German publisher. And I wish I could read this story for the first time again.
Marco Schneiders, Publishing Director, Bastei Lübbe AG, Cologne, Germany

What a creepy and well written thriller! Max Seeck definitely knows how to create tension. I couldn‘t help but rushing through the pages once I started reading this amazing novel – with a very fascinating detective Jessica Niemi and her team. And I loved the setting: Finland in wintertime! It backs up the scary atmosphere in a perfect way. Let’s say it in short: THE FAITHFUL READER is a stirring read!
Claudia Müller, Editorial Director Fiction, Bastei Lübbe AG

FAITHFUL READER is creating buzz also in Hollywood and becoming the big book of the season.

Rights sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig)
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Bastei Lübbe

Reading material:
Full English pdf

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER creating buzz internationally – Read the full English translation now!

Max Seeck’s FAITHFUL READER creating buzz internationally – Read the full English translation now!

A book-inspired serial killer is on the loose. Jessica Niemi – a detective with a mysterious past – steps up. A chase for the faithful reader has begun!

Max Seeck’s bestselling thriller FAITHFUL READER was published in August in Finland, and is already hitting the Finnish bestseller lists, and creating buzz in Hollywood and sold to Czech Republic and just now to Pegasus in Estonia!

Max Seeck is one of the best new Nordic Crime authors whose previous books have sold over 40 000 copies in Finland and have been translated to five languages. His new standalone thriller FAITHFUL READER has a strong female lead that has to deal with ritual murders and witchcraft in the cold Finnish winter.

Click here to request the full English manuscript.

What if murders from a bestselling thriller suddenly started happening in the real world?

In the middle of snowy February night, the wife of a bestselling crime author Roger Koponen is found murdered in her seaside home in an idyllic Helsinki neighborhood. Her face has been manipulated into a monstrous grin and what’s worse, the ritual murder looks exactly as one depicted in her husband’s bestselling trilogy. On the same night, another murder from the books occurs and the writer Roger Koponen himself goes missing whilst escorted halfway across Finland to Helsinki for questioning.

Has a fan gone mad, or is this case more personal?

From Finland’s bestselling new crime author Max Seeck comes an outstanding thriller FAITHFUL READER about detective Jessica Niemi and a serial killer that bases his murders on a bestselling trilogy.

The book has received a great welcome from readers, Finnish media and foreign publishers:

Why did it end? Why it had to end? Those were my first thoughts after reading The Faithful Reader. (..) DO NOT read at night. I did that and it was not a good idea 😂 Most of the story scenes happen in Finland in the wintertime and it made the setting even scarier – don’t ask why it just did.
The story folded out rapidly and swiped me up instantly. The investigation part was not slow-paced like they usually are but filled with surprises and game change moments. I loved it! It was like someone took you off your sofa and added in the middle of the crime scene.

– Heini, review from goodreads.com

 The Faithful Reader has an interesting twist. Seeck switches from high-octane international excitement to a psychological décor featuring horror novel features. The ritual murders of books by successful author Roger Koponen take place in real life, and the police are puzzled as to whether Koponen himself is murdered or the murderer.
– Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansauutiset.fi

“The perfect mix of Scandinavian thrill, frosty Helsinki and the novelty of the plotline caught me so much I could not get it out of my head. From the first moment I started with the English sample, I could not stop reading it. There is simply everything a riveting thriller should have!”
– Marie Hajdová, Editor, Grada

Ask for the full English manuscript by clicking here.

Rights sold:

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
CZECH REPUBLIC: Grada
ESTONIA: Pegasus

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

New fiction deals for Laura Lindstedt, Max Seeck and Mia Kankimäki

 

We are glad to announce the 7th foreign sales for Laura Lindstedt’s My Friend Natalia. This time she has gone to Romania – to be published by wonderful Humanitas!

 


 

Estonian Max Seeck fans rejoice! Pegasus in Estonia has bought the rights for the third part ofDaniel Kuisma Trilogy – The Call of Hades. Estonians can read the whole trilogy already in 2020!

“Max Seeck’s trilogy’s third book “The Call of Hades” is a breakneck race against the clock that flows smoothly as a movie. Daniel Kuisma is back. His dramatic past during his peacekeeper years in Yugoslav wars has not let him free, and he is the only one who can save the world. Seeck is writing good and fast, you better read it in one go:  a breathless ride between London, Zagreb, Arlanda and Helsinki. Three books. All quite different from one another. Even if each volume is complete in itself, one story links them all and only one man can make the journey. Guess who?”

Triin Aimla-Laid, Translator for Pegasus, Estonia


 

Mia Kankimäki’s narrative nonfiction is now conquering Scandinavia! Following the Norwegian deal last week, we have now closed the sales for Danish rights too. The Women I Think About at Night will be published in Karen Blixen’s homeland by Bilgrav Publishing, where the editors fell in love with the book immediately.

”We are very excited about Mia Kankimäki’s The Women I Think About at Night.  Mia’s tale about her inner and outer voyage in the footsteps of the historical women who inspire her – the Night Women – is unfiltered and liberating in a time where the overexposed idea about ‘the perfect life’ is a suffocating straitjacket to many people.

We are convinced that Danish readers will enjoy reading about Mia’s perfectly imperfect life and be inspired by a women with the potential to become a Night Women in her own right.”

 Lone Svane, Editor, Bilgrav Publishing, Denmark

 

Rights sold (My Friend Natalia):

FINLAND: Teos (orig.)
BELGIUM: De Bezige Bij
ESTONIA: Rahva Raamat
HUNGARY: Scolar Kiado
ITALY: Elliot Edizioni
NETHERLANDS: De Bezige Bij
NORWAY: Oktober
ROMANIA: Humanitas Fiction
SWEDEN: Norstedts

 

Rights sold (Daniel Kuisma Trilogy):

FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Blanvalet
ICELAND: Forlagid
ITALY: Newton Compton
SLOVENIA: Didakta

 

Rights sold (The Women I Think About at Night):

FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
CHINA: Winshare Publishing
CZECH REPUBLIC: Albatros Media/Motto
DENMARK: Bilgrav Publishing
ESTONIA: Varrak
GERMANY: btb Verlag/RandomHouse
LATVIA: Zvaigzne
LITHUANIA:  Gelmes Publishing
NETHERLANDS:
Uitgeverij Orlando
NORWAY: Gursli Berg Forlag
RUSSIA: Eksmo Publishing
UNITED STATES: Simon & Schuster

About author


Laura Lindstedt

Laura Lindstedt (b. 1976) became a critical darling with her adoption-themed debut novel Scissors (Sakset, Teos 2007), which earned her a nomination for the Finlandia Prize, the country’s most prestigious literary honour. Lindstedt’s second novel Oneiron (Teos 2015), a work of speculative fiction that takes place in the mysterious moments that follow one’s death, earned her the coveted Finlandia Prize of 2015 and was nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 2017. Lindstedt’s success has continued with My Friend Natalia (Teos 2019) which has earned critical acclaim and has been sold to 12 territories. Together with author Sinikka Vuola, she has authored 101 tapaa tappaa aviomies (101 Ways to Kill Your Husband, Siltala 2022) which has been nominated for the Nordic Council Literature Prize of 2024.

She is currently completing her Ph.D. thesis on French author Nathalie Sarraute.

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

About author


Mia Kankimäki

Mia Kankimäki is the author of two best-selling books which blend travelogue, memoir, biography, and women’s history. After taking a master’s degree in comparative literature at the University of Helsinki and working diligently in Finnish publishing, in 2010 she left her job and traveled to Japan to write her first book. Her books have received several literary awards, for example the Best Travel Book of the Year 2013, the HelMet Award 2015, and Otava Book Foundation’s Non-Fiction Award 2020. She currently lives in Helsinki, Finland, whenever she’s not traveling for her next book project.

Mia has been enthusiastic about Japanese culture for years and is a qualified ikebana teacher of the Sogetsu school. Her first book Things That Make One’s Hear Beat Faster took her to Kyoto where she has spent long periods of writing and making research ever since. Kankimäki’s second book The Women I Think About at Night has sold over 55,000 copies in Finland and the translation rights have been sold to 21 territories, including USA and China.

Mia's both books have been aqcuired by Japanese publisher Soshisha:

"I am delighted to share that Mia Kankimäki’s debut title, THINGS THAT MAKE ONE’S HEART BEAT FASTER, is embraced and loved by many Japanese readers. A cross between an autobiography and a travelogue, the author finds an emotional connection with a woman geographically far apart and from a different era and tries to discover who she really was. I believe this style is reflected in THE WOMEN I THINK ABOUT AT NIGHT as well. Though some of the female figures in this second book might not be well-known locally, I am looking forward to seeing how our readers will react to their lifestyles." - Daisuke Watanabe, Editor, Soshisha

Slovenian rights of Max Seeck sold to Didakta and German rights of Mikko-Pekka Heikkinen’s The Reindeer Mafia sold to Antium Verlag!

We are proud to announce our new fiction deals!

Max Seeck’s Daniel Kuisma trilogy‘s first book, The Angels of Hammurabi, has been sold to Slovenia to Didakta, which is the home of many bestselling Scandi crime writers like Jo Nesbo, Stieg Larsson, and Viveca Sten.

”Max Seeck’s trilogy is the best there is in the Finnish thriller field right now.” – Suomen kuvalehti magazine

 


German rights to The Reindeer Mafia by Mikko-Pekka Heikkinen has been sold to Antium Verlag.

Heikkinen is known for his verbal acrobatics and sharp wit. He writes social commentary with humour, and addresses topics that are globally recognized.

The Reindeer Mafia:
Reindeer Mafia tells the story of the reindeer-rich Nelihanka family that rules the fell county of Utsjoki through property grabs and blackmail. The eldest son Jyppyrä who runs the Wolverine SC snowmobile club becomes the challenger of this cosa nostra of the far north. At stake in the clash between the two criminal factions is not only the control of the village but the future of traditional Sami lifestyle. The Reindeer Mafiais being made into a TV series.

About the Author:
Mikko-Pekka Heikkinen was born in the Finnish countryside and lives in Helsinki. He works as a journalist, specializing on culture and nature. He has written 5 books and his work, praised for its humor and social satire, has been published also in English and Czech. Two of his novels have been adapted into theater plays.

We also represent Heikkinen’s new novel: The City Wall, in which the extremist hipsters are in open war with farmers and hillbillies

Rights sold (Daniel Kuisma trilogy)
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
ESTONIA: Pegasus
GERMANY: Blanvalet
ICELAND: Forlagid
ITALY: Newton Compton
SLOVENIA: Didakta

 

 

Rights sold (The Reindeer Mafia):
FINLAND:
Johnny Kniga (orig.)
CZECH REPUBLIC:
Argo
GERMANY:
Antium Verlag

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

About author


Mikko-Pekka Heikkinen

Mikko-Pekka Heikkinen was born in the Finnish countryside and lives in Helsinki. He works as a journalist, specializing on culture and nature. He has written 5 books and his work, praised for its humor and social satire, has been published also in English and Czech. Two of his novels have been adapted as screenplays and Reindeer Mafia is being made into a TV series.

Czech rights to Max Seeck’s The Faithful Reader sold in a pre-empt

The Faithful Reader by Max Seeck was our most requested thriller at the London Book Fair. We are thrilled to announce, that we have closed the first foreign sales for this title, as Grada acquired the Czech rights in a pre-empt. The Faithful Reader (orig. Uskollinen lukija) will be published in Finland in August 2019 by Tammi.

Strong female detective chases a serial killer, whose murders follow a pattern taken from a bestselling novel!

“It was at the London book fair when I heard about the Faithful Reader for the first time. The perfect mix of Scandinavian thrill, frosty Helsinki and the novelty of the plot line caught me so much I could not get it out of my head. From the first moment I started with the English sample I could not stop reading it. There is simply everything a riveting thriller should have!”
– Marie Hajdová, Editor, Grada

Grada will publish the book under their imprint Cosmopolis, which is known for crime authors like Lisa Jewell and Yrsa Sigurdardottir.

About the book:
This spring the coolest Nordic Noir comes from Finland! The Faithful Reader is a psychological thriller from a bestselling author, where a strong female detective chases a serial killer.
Detective Jessica Niemi is called to investigate a murder case that is out of ordinary. The wife of a famous writer, Roger Koponen, seems to have been killed in a bizarre ritual. As more ritual murders occur, it becomes obvious that Jessica is after a serial killer. But the murders are not random – they follow a pattern taken from Roger’s bestselling trilogy.

About the author:
Max Seeck is a bestselling author, whose earlier Daniel Kuisma Trilogy has sold over 40,000 copies in Finland. The trilogy has been sold to Germany, Italy, Iceland and Estonia.

FINLAND, Tammi, August 2019 (orig.)
CZECH REPUBLIC, Grada

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

New sales for The Women I Think About at Night, Max Seeck’s The Mephisto Touch and The Little Book of Bad Moods

We couldn’t be more thrilled to share these news: Mia Kankimäki’s The Women I Think About at Night has been sold to Czech Republic where Motto/Albatros Media will publish it. This marks the 5th foreign sales for Mia’s amazing narrative nonfiction.

”The Women I Think About At Night is quite exceptional book. I was immediately excited by the connection of a very personal story about finding own way of life with the life stories of such inspirational women as Karen Blixen. Their voices in Kankimäki´s writing come to life and speak to us again in natural and really inspiring way.”
– Diana Stelova, literary editor, Albatros Media

The book has also been success in Finland with 14,000 books printed since its publication in September. Last week The Women I Think About at Night was given the Lauri Jäntti Award 2019 which is given to remarkable nonfiction books of the previous year.

“The Women I think about at night is both fiction and nonfiction. Crossing the distance between those two is a journey that calls for good preparation and great cautions. Kankimäki does it victoriously.”
– Lauri Jäntti Award Jury


“Max Seeck writes the best Finnish thrillers right now”, said Suomen Kuvalehti magazine, and they couldn’t be more right!

The Second part of Daniel Kuisma trilogy, The Mephisto Touch, has been sold to Estonia, where Pegasus continues publishing Max Seeck.

“At first I was doubtful: the Civil war in Balkans, retired intelligence officer, missing Finnish Embassy employee and a beautiful blond woman… But suddenly you find yourself in the middle of action, enjoying the vivid descriptions and breathing with the characters! Wonderfully woven plot, intriguing protagonists and a cliffhanger ending makes you want more.”
– Finnish-Estonian translator Triin Aimla-Laid


The Little Book of Bad Moods is now being published in 31 territories, as Vivat Publishing in Ukraine joins the Bad Moods family.

This adult activity book doesn’t need much introduction. Let’s just say it is the only mindfulness you will ever need! Be your best worst self!

Also, stay tuned… There will be big bad mood news coming soon!

Rights sold:
The Women I Think About at Night
FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
CZECH REPUBLIC:
Albatrosmedia / Motto
GERMANY
btbVerlag/RandomHouse
NETHERLANDS:
Uitgeverij Orlando
RUSSIA:
Eksmo Publishing
UNITED STATES:
Simon & Schuster (North American)

 

Daniel Kuisma Trilogy
FINLAND, Tammi (orig.)
ESTONIA, Pegasus
GERMANY, Blanvalet
ICELAND, Forlagid
ITALY, Newton Compton

 

The Little Book of Bad Moods

FINLAND: Otava (orig.)
BRAZIL:
Globo Livros
CHINA:
Citic Press
CROATIA:
Stilus knjiga
CZECH:
Euromedia
DENMARK:
Modtryk
ESTONIA:
Eesti Raamat
FRANCE:
Le Livre de Poche
GERMANY:
Droemer Knaur
HUNGARY:
Partvonal
ICELAND:
Forlagid
INDONESIA:
Gramedia Pustaka Utama
ISRAEL:
Kinneret-Zmora
ITALY:
DeA Planeta Libri
JAPAN:
President Sha
LATVIA:
Zvaigzne
LITHUANIA:
Baltos Lankos
NETHERLANDS:
A.W. Bruna
NORWAY:
Vigmostad & Bjorke
POLAND:
Zysk i S-ka
PORTUGAL:
Planeta
RUSSIA:
Bombora (Eksmo)
SERBIA:
Vulkan
SLOVAKIA:
Ikar
SPAIN:
Plaza & Janés/PRH
SWEDEN:
HarperCollins Nordic
TAIWAN:
China Times
TURKEY: Pegasus
UKRAINE: Vivat Publishing
UK & COMMONWEALTH:
Bloomsbury
UNITED STATES:
Gallery Books/S&S

About author


Lotta Sonninen

Lotta Sonninen works as an executive editor of nonfiction. She has also taught creative writing and translated many books into Finnish. She got the idea for The Little Book of Bad Moods when working on yet another book on positivity. She secretly thinks that bad moods are good for you.

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

About author


Mia Kankimäki

Mia Kankimäki is the author of two best-selling books which blend travelogue, memoir, biography, and women’s history. After taking a master’s degree in comparative literature at the University of Helsinki and working diligently in Finnish publishing, in 2010 she left her job and traveled to Japan to write her first book. Her books have received several literary awards, for example the Best Travel Book of the Year 2013, the HelMet Award 2015, and Otava Book Foundation’s Non-Fiction Award 2020. She currently lives in Helsinki, Finland, whenever she’s not traveling for her next book project.

Mia has been enthusiastic about Japanese culture for years and is a qualified ikebana teacher of the Sogetsu school. Her first book Things That Make One’s Hear Beat Faster took her to Kyoto where she has spent long periods of writing and making research ever since. Kankimäki’s second book The Women I Think About at Night has sold over 55,000 copies in Finland and the translation rights have been sold to 21 territories, including USA and China.

Mia's both books have been aqcuired by Japanese publisher Soshisha:

"I am delighted to share that Mia Kankimäki’s debut title, THINGS THAT MAKE ONE’S HEART BEAT FASTER, is embraced and loved by many Japanese readers. A cross between an autobiography and a travelogue, the author finds an emotional connection with a woman geographically far apart and from a different era and tries to discover who she really was. I believe this style is reflected in THE WOMEN I THINK ABOUT AT NIGHT as well. Though some of the female figures in this second book might not be well-known locally, I am looking forward to seeing how our readers will react to their lifestyles." - Daisuke Watanabe, Editor, Soshisha

Excellent praise for Max Seeck in Finland’s biggest daily Helsingin Sanomat

Max Seeck’s thriller works perfectly – the trilogy comes to an end in this book that has a plausible plot and well-drawn characters. The Call of Hades is exactly as strong as its predecessors; The Angels  of Hammurabi and The Mephisto Touch, and it is a perfect combination of spy story and action thriller.”
 Helsingin Sanomat daily newspaper

This week Max Seeck is on a promotional tour, in Germany, Berlin and in Iceland, Reykjavik!

In Germany, Berlin Max has been promoting the German edition Der Gesetzlose Richter (Blanvalet website Max Seeck) at Nordic Noir events in Berlin.

In Iceland, Reykjavik, Max Seeck attends this weekend Iceland Noir events promoting the Icelandic edition Englar Hammúrabís (Forlagid website: Englar Hammurabis).

ABOUT THE DANIEL KUISMA TRILOGY by Max Seeck (Finland, Tammi 2016-2018)
This action-packed thriller series centers around a traumatized former peace keeper in a web of international crime – with a strong female lead.

  • Bestselling Finnish crime series, Max Seeck’s books sold closer to 40,000 copies in Finland
  • Winner of the Debut Thriller of the Year Award: The Angels of Hammurabi
  • Film/TV rights: negotiations in Los Angeles and in Sweden with top producers.

Praise: 
“The best there is in the Finnish thriller field right now.” – Suomen kuvalehti magazine

Click here to request reading materials!

Rights sold: 
FINLAND, Tammi (Original publisher)
ESTONIA, Pegasus
GERMANY, Blanvalet
ICELAND, Forlagid
ITALY, Newton Compton

About author


Max Seeck, New York Times Best Selling Author

Max Seeck – New York Times Bestselling Author of THE WITCH HUNTER.

Winner of the prestigious Glass Key Award 2023 for his novel THE LAST GRUDGE.

Jessica Niemi series is being adapted into a English-language TV series by Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures

“An exceptional combination of hardboiled Scandi-noir and eerie ghost story. [--] Seeck marries breathtaking suspense with an expertly drawn heroine. This is guaranteed to send shivers up even the most unshakable readers’ spines." – Publisher's Weekly, starred review (Ghost island)

"Each new step has been an artistic success. Max Seeck, last year's winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic detective story, has a golden touch for Finnish suspense fiction." - Kai Hirvasnoro, Kansan Uutiset newspaper

“Another star has been added to the firmament of thriller writers,” announced Iltalehti newspaper, when Max’s debut novel was published in 2016. Four books later, Max Seeck’s novels have been sold to more than 40 countries, including US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries and as far as Korea!

His Jessica Niemi series landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list! The new MILO series has already been sold to 9 territories, with several rights pre-empts ahead of the Finnish publication!

Max Seeck has a background in sales and marketing, and has lately been able to dedicate his time to his lifelong love of writing. His interests include well-conducted research, reading Nordic Noir and listening to movie soundtracks as he writes.

Photo credit: Mikko Rasila

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

Milo #2: Betrayed

Max Seeck


2024, Crime & Suspense

Milo #1: Checkmate

Max Seeck


2022, Crime & Suspense

Ghost Island

Max Seeck


2021, Crime & Suspense

The Last Grudge

Max Seeck


2020, Crime & Suspense

The Ice Coven

Max Seeck


2019, Crime & Suspense

The Witch Hunter

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Mephisto Touch

Max Seeck


2018, Crime & Suspense

The Call of Hades

Max Seeck


2016, Crime & Suspense

Angels of Hammurabi

Max Seeck

Pre-Frankfurt deals and new reviews for our fiction highlights

Frankfurt is around the corner and we’re gearing up for the biggest and the most beautiful book fair of the year. In Frankfurt, we’re happy to showcase the best of Finnish fiction, nonfiction and children’s books. We’ve got a lot of new, exciting titles from our talented authors.

We’re glad to share the news regarding Max Seeck’s gripping thriller The Mephisto Touch. This action-packed standalone sequel to Seeck’s acclaimed debut The Angels of Hammurabi, the winner of the Best Crime Debut prize of 2016, was sold to Seeck’s Icelandic publisher Forlagid.

The Mephisto Touch by Max Seeck is a gripping page-turner right from the start. I was drawn to the action-packed narrative and I think Max has done very well in creating sympathetic characters. This is definitely something for readers of Nordic Noir, but still way more Nordic Cool than Noir.”
– Stella Soffía Jóhannesdóttir, editor, Forlagid, Iceland

Seeck will be visiting Reykjavik in late November for the Iceland Noir festival, but already before that, his German readers can meet him in Berlin at the Nordic Crime Night.

Here’s a round-up of the most recent reviews for our newly-published titles of fiction:

The Call of Hades by Max Seeck
“The evil grows so sneakily – I have never read a Finnish thriller with this kind of suspense! Annika Lehto and Daniel Kuisma are here to stay!” – Kotivinkki magazine
“The best there is in the Finnish thriller field right now.” – Suomen kuvalehti magazine

The City Wall by Mikko-Pekka Heikkinen
“The novel is a wickedly humoristic, but also a serious and topical play of different discourses. The City Wall shows how easily people can be divided under any circumstances, in any country.” – Savon Sanomat newspaper

The Red Marsh by Marko Hautala
“Hautala gets better and better each time, and his latest, The Red Marsh, is brilliant! I got scared after the first sentences.” – Etelä-Saimaa newspaper

Renate’s Story by Johanna Sinisalo
”Sinisalo’s novel is an intelligent, critical study of the society. The many layers of the story are revealed to the reader deliciously slowly.” – Aamulehti newspaper

Get in touch with us to request reading materials by clicking here!

See you in Frankfurt – tables 17L and 18L in LitAg!

About author


Johanna Sinisalo

Johanna Sinisalo (b. 1958) is a Finlandia Prize-winning superstar of Finnish speculative fiction. In addition to her ten novels, she has also written short fiction and film and television screenplays. Her works have been translated into twenty languages.

Sinisalo has won several literary prizes also abroad, such as the 2004 James Tiptree, Jr. Award and the 2017 Prometheus Award, and was nominated for the Nebula Award in 2008, the Prix Escapades in 2012, and the Grand Prix de L’Imaginaire in 2017. In 2022, Johanna Sinisalo was awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal for services to Finnish literature.

Photo credit: Katri Kallio