Leena Lehtolainen breaks through on the Spanish market

Press Release

Barcelona-based Ediciones Destino has acquired the world Spanish rights for Leena Lehtolainen’s Ensimmäinen murhani. The Spanish publisher of Stieg Larsson plans to release the first title of Lehtolainen’s bestselling Maria Kallio series in early 2012. According to Destino the Spanish readers are excited about the distinctly down-to-earth heroine and Finnish crime novels. Destino will be presenting Lehtolainen to the wider audience at the Madrid Book Fair, where the Nordic Countries are the guests of honour, later this week.

Elina Ahlbäck Literary Agency has sold Lehtolainen’s rights since March 2010 and has already been successful in many European markets. Italian Fanucci recently bought the rights to two Lehtolainen titles while in Germany and France Leena Lehtolainen’s position on the crime fiction markets has already been stabilised.

The 11th Maria Kallio title will be published in Finland by Tammi in August 2010.

 

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

Bibliography


2025, Crime & Suspense

The Snow Leopard's Heart

Leena Lehtolainen


2022, Young Adult (13 or 14+)

The Crossing of the Green Dragon

Leena Lehtolainen


2016, General Nonfiction, Memories & Biographies

The Charm of Ice

Leena Lehtolainen

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