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

Related news

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