Six-figure deal for Icelandic writer Sigurðardóttir

Hodder & Stoughton has acquired three new novels by international bestseller Yrsa Sigurðardóttir in a six-figure deal.

Sigurðardóttir, whose work has sold nearly 2m copies across 30 territories according to the publisher, released The Legacy with Hodder in 2017. The book is part of a series featuring child psychologist Freyja and detective Huldar and shot to number one in Iceland, where it won the Blood Drop Prize for best crime novel of the year. It also scooped the Danish Academy of Crime Writers’ Award in Denmark.

Her novel I Remember You has been made into a film starring Johannes Haukur Johannesson and her Thora Gudmundsdottir series is being adapted for TV in a joint Canada-Icelandic production.

Hodder’s crime and thriller publisher Ruth Tross acquired British and Commonwealth rights, incluring Canada, rights from Federico Ambrosini at the Salomonsson Agency.

Tross said: "Yrsa is one of the best writers in the world – her novels are a brilliant mix of strong characters, horrible crimes, and shocking twists. The books are as dark as Yrsa herself is delightful, as her many friends and fans around the world will attest. We are all thrilled that Hodder will continue to publish her standout series and grow her brand in the UK and British Commonwealth."