Hello!

My name is Satu Rämö. Author of nordic blue crime book series called HILDUR. I was born in Finland in 1980 and moved to Iceland twenty years ago as an economics exchange student. Instead of macroeconomics I ended up studying Icelandic culture, literature and mythology before forging a successful career as a writer, digital creator and a mentor. I have published numerous bestselling, prizewinning non-fiction titles in my native Finland, ranging from travel guides to Iceland, to inspirational memoirs and an Icelandic knitting book.

HILDUR is my fiction debut and I’m planning further standalones featuring Hildur Rúnarsdóttir. RÓSA & BJÖRK was published in Finland in spring 2023, followed by JAKOB, in Nobember 2023 and RAKEL in November 2024. I live with my family in the small town of Ísafjörður in northwest Iceland.

HILDUR is  a Der Spiegel bestselling title in Germany. Finland’s #1 bestselling series with over 550,000 copies sold to date!

The publishing rights to HILDUR-trilogy have already been sold to several territories including UK, Germany, The Netherlands, France, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland Estonia and Latvia.

UK & Commonwealth English rights to Satu Rämö’s record breaking HILDUR series have been acquired by Bonnier Zaffre! ”I am absolutely thrilled to be bringing the Hildur series to the UK and to be working with the amazingly talented Satu. With her incredible characterisation and intricate storytelling, the Hildur series is set to be the next big thing in Nordic crime fiction,” says Isabella Boyne, acquiring editor at Bonnier Zaffe UK.

Take Two Studios will shoot the HILDUR series in Iceland with a Finnish-Icelandic co-production. 

Turku City Theater stages HILDUR on their Main Stage in autumn 2024.

Here you can find my contact information. I would love to hear from you!


"Her first novel is atmospheric and startlingly original, set in an isolated town overlooked by flat-topped mountains. When an avalanche buries several abandoned houses, the sole casualty is an elderly man who turns out to have been murdered. The case is investigated by the area’s only detective, Hildur Runarsdottir, who discovers similarities with the killing of an unscrupulous lawyer in Reykjavik. Ramo brings an outsider’s eye to a novel steeped in Icelandic history, and the effect is mesmerising."
Joan SmithThe Sunday Times
“It’s not every day in the literary agent’s work that you sell translation rights to a book before its domestic publication; nor is it every day that you find yourself fielding multiple, passionate bids from production companies. Hildur has been a force of nature from the start – both with Finnish readers as well as foreign publishers, and I can’t wait to follow the development of this exciting project.”
Eleonoora KirkLiterary Agent
“With this deal with IPR.VC our start-up production company has the opportunity to develop international and ambitious projects both actively and independently. Hildur’s story also offers a great opportunity for genuine Finnish-Icelandic cooperation, which will undoubtedly increase the project’s international potential."
Sara NorbergCOO, Take Two Studios
"‘Not only is Rämö a stylish, absorbing storyteller, but she also succeeds in offering up something novel and even touching to the rather tired serial killer genre. The bar for debut crime novelists has been set high in recent years, but Satu Rämö surpasses it effortlessly and lifts the bar even higher."
Kansan Uutiset newspaper
"When we saw that the book has already sold to 10 different territories, we quickly realized this could be a mainstream hit.”
Andreas Gutzeit, Co-founder at Story House PicturesVariety-magazine 13.10.2023
‘Satu Rämö has knitted a crime thriller that will make you look forward to the sequel…’
– Kultuur newspaperEstonia
"With its wonderfully depicted landscapes and plentiful Icelandic atmosphere, this results in an incredibly readable, exciting crime novel that will delight both crime fiction- and Iceland fans."
– Süddeutsche ZeitungGermany
"What appeals to me about Rämö 's writing style is the way she has portrayed the characters. This makes the story attractive and more believable. She writes with emotion that even gave me a lump in my throat."
Thrillers and More blogThe Netherlands
"The reader is gripped by a plot that involves a highly unusual motive and equally unusual killer...Very promising for the future."
Jyllands-PostenDenmark
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Books

satujen saaret lottalehto

The Secret of the Grove

Lottalehto – Island Adventures 1: The Secret of the Grove

A new series that gives a modern twist to the timeless and irresistible pull of thrilling mysteries that lead into exciting adventures.

Satu lives in Lauttasaari, the urban island district of Helsinki in Finland, and her cousin Saga’s home is in the mystical landscapes of Iceland. The 10-year-old girls’ distinctive home islands alternate from book to book as the atmospheric settings for the mysteries that beckon to be solved.

Satu & Saga – Bound by blood & united in adventure.

International press, publishers and agents – for more information, please contact: 

Terhi Isomäki-Blaxall
Literary Agent, Children’s & Young Adult
+358 40 752 1972
terhi.isomaki-blaxall [at] bonnierrights.fi

Jakob kirjan kansikuva jäätikköä ja lunta

Jakob

The awaited third book in the Hildur trilogy, Finland’s #1 bestselling series with over 500,000 copies sold to date.

Christmas is the cruellest of the holidays, especially for Jakob Johanson, who finds himself embroiled in a complex case that hits close to home.

It’s the darkest time of the year in the village of Ísafjörður. As Christmas approaches, the peace of the villagers is shattered. On the western flanks, a corpse is found in a fish farming pond. Detective Hildur Rúnarsdóttir and Finnish police trainee Jakob Johanson have barely time to start their investigation before another equally bizarre homicide takes place in another remote corner of Iceland. And soon a third. While investigating a series of brutal acts of violence, Hildur escapes to surf the choppy waves of the Atlantic but the lost connection to her middle sister, Rósa weighs heavy on her mind. Meanwhile, her police partner Jakob prepares for the hearing of his fraught custody battle with his ex-wife Lena. But to what lengths is Jakob prepared to go? That’s what Hildur is left to ponder when she receives the worst possible call from Finland’s Kolari police station. At what point do even the best of intentions no longer justify the means? Jakob is the third volume in the Hildur series hailed by some as ‘Nordic Blue’ genre.

International press, publishers and agents – for more information, please contact: 

Toomas Aasmäe
Senior Literary Agent, Adult Fiction, Non-Fiction
+358 50 414 0370
toomas.aasmae [at] bonnierrights.fi

Rósa & Björk

Evil is often found close to home, but the closeness of people remains the best asset we have.

An unusual murder occurs in the remote fjords of Iceland. An influential local politician is found shot on the ski slopes. During the investigation into the murder, Detective Hildur Rúnarsdóttir and her Finnish partner Jakob Johanson, are faced with a difficult question. Is it wise to uncover every secret?

The traumas of Hildur’s childhood return as the mystery of the long-lost sisters, Rósa and Björk, begins to unfold. Jakob tries to keep a cool head in the middle of a difficult custody dispute with his ex-wife.

RÓSA & BJÖRK is the second book in the Hildur serien and will be followed by a third installment in winter 2023.

Hildur

A cold case crime and dark secrets of a close-knit community intertwine in this bracing crime novel with a twist.

Everyone does their best to survive amidst the freezing fjords of remote Iceland. Hildur Rúnarsdóttir is no different as she takes to surfing in the icy waters of the Atlantic to try and forget her traumatic childhood and the burden of the cases occupying her mind as head of the missing children’s unit of the Ísafjörður police.

When Jakob Johanson, a Finnish police trainee with a knitting hobby arrives in Iceland to work alongside Hildur and try to escape his own, complicated life back at home, soon he, too, realises that the picturesque fjords also harbour their dark sides in the marginalized, exploitative, and power-hungry who dwell in their midst. Hildur and Jakob find themselves investigating a strange tangle of crimes as the fog obscuring secrets that have been in the dark for decades gradually begins to lift. Revenge may be sweet in theory, but will it solve anything in the end?

Hildur Rúnarsdóttir, a police detective who surfs the icy waters of Iceland, barrels into the genre like a tsunami. This book must be read in one sitting.
Max SeeckNYT and Der Spiegel bestselling author
In addition to the fine and moody description of the milieu, the plotting of the novel is cleverly woven, and the characters in their everyday life are believable. Rämö plans to continue Hildur’s story, and if she does it as well as in this, her debut novel, she may become a significant new name in Nordic crime fiction. Or at the very least, a domestic one.
Helsingin Sanomat newspaper, Finland
Not only is Rämö a stylish, absorbing storyteller, but she also succeeds in offering up something novel and even touching to the rather tired serial killer genre. The bar for debut crime novelists has been set high in recent years, but Satu Rämö surpasses it effortlessly and lifts the bar even higher. Such well-executed, mature and uniquely their own crime debuts are a joy to read. […] The ending of Hildur sets the scene for the next installment, and just as well as we need more of this treat.
Kansan Uutiset newspaper, Finland
Here’s the best crime debut of the summer: it pulls you along like a train, is interesting, and has the right balance of personal relationships. It’s fresh and new, and also relatable. This is a genre that thrives on cliches, and these are needed, but in good measure – not too many – and this [book] strikes the right balance. The text is snappy, smart and tells just the right amount. I love it! Chapeau, Satu Rämö.
Emma AlftanFormer publisher and founder of Mellakka Management, Finland
Splendid!
Kirjaluotsi blog, Finland
Rämö constructions interesting characters for her main characters. When I read the description of the book, I admit I was skeptical, as it is so common to insert gendered characters of traumatized and complex police officers into crime novels. Hildur is gnawed at by the memory of her lost little siblings in childhood, and Jakob battles with his Norwegian ex-wife over visitation rights to his son. As the book progresses, the individuals are fleshed out, the personalities become stronger, as do the friendships of the co-workers. Gendered roles are also reversed, as Hildur is an engrossed surfer and Jakob produces Icelandic sweaters with the power of knitting. Healthy!
Tuijata blog, Finland
The motive behind the pattern of murders in Hildur is ultimately, satisfyingly Icelandic and the plotting cunning. Combine this with an incomparably interesting milieu and pleasant and interesting protagonists and one will patiently wait for the next installment.
Kirsin kirjanurkka blog, Finland
Perfect entertainment for a dark evening.
Litteratursiden, Denmark
Rämö does everything right; an exciting plot, an interesting main character and an appealing environment. This makes Hildur an excellent debut that fits well into the Scandi tradition and certainly calls for a sequel...
Thrill Zone blog, The Netherlands
Thoroughly enjoyable
Eesti Päeväleht
With its wonderfully depicted landscapes and plentiful Icelandic atmosphere, this results in an incredibly readable, exciting crime novel that will delight both crime fiction- and Iceland fans.
Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany
Nerve-wracking. A masterpiece in the crime fiction genre.
Ingallil Mosander, Aftonbladet, Sweden
Original and well-written.
Femina magazine, Sweden
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Sigga & Satu’s Icelandic Sweaters

13 fresh and authentic Icelandic sweater designs and various colourways 

A passion-project collaboration between renowned Icelandic knitwear designer Sigríður Sif ‘Sigga’ Gylfadóttir and Iceland-based Finnish writer, Satu Rämö with this collection of Icelandic sweater designs for sizes S–XXL  honouring traditional Icelandic yarns with a twinkle in the eye.

Complementing the uncomplicated pattern instructions Satu’s engaging texts cover topics such as the history of Iceland’s ‘national dress’, the day-to-day lives of sheep farmers.

Also included is a pattern for the ‘Hildur’ sweater, as featured in Satu’s titular bestselling crime novel.

A vibrant and convivial knitting guide for the Nordic knitwear fan!

2024 © Satu Rämö