Follow the Butterfly

Translated by David Hackston
Paperback
$18.95 US
On sale Mar 04, 2025 | 368 Pages | 9781782278788
THE HIT INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

A female serial killer and her therapist play “a brilliant game of cat and mouse” in this twisty psychological thriller for fans of Ruth Ware and Alex Michaelides (The Times)


It all started with a telephone call. It was the first time I heard Ida’s voice, just a faint whisper, as though she were calling from beyond the grave.

Renowned therapist Clarissa Virtanen is not afraid to look at the darkest side of humanity. Haunted by the death of a young patient, she will do whatever it takes to save the most vulnerable.

But when Ida – angry, damaged and seemingly suicidal – walks into her office, Clarissa may have met her match. For Ida has secrets.

Murderous secrets, which mark her like a bloodstain. Secrets which drive her to kill. And kill again.

Somehow, Clarissa must find the key to unlock her past. So she makes a bargain with Ida - six months to try and stop her taking her own life. But what if she has entered a game more deadly, and more evil, than she could ever imagine?

Don’t miss this dark and twisty psychological thriller featuring a face-off between 2 women that's overlain with a sense of poignancy about damaged lives, the power of the imagination to trick–and protect–us, and the passage of time.
Martta Kaukonen lives in Helsinki and is a film critic for Finland's biggest newspaper, who has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Fun fact: she met her future husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling. Follow the Butterfly is her debut thriller - it was a critical and commercial hit in Finland, is being translated into twelve languages and has already made the Spiegel bestseller list in Germany. Martta is currently working on a sequel...

David Hackston is a British translator of Finnish and Swedish literature and drama. He lives in Helsinki, where he works as a freelance translator. Notable publications include Land of Snow and Ashes by Petra Rautiainen, My Cat Yugoslavia and Crossing by Pajtim Statovci, all available from Pushkin Press.

About

THE HIT INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

A female serial killer and her therapist play “a brilliant game of cat and mouse” in this twisty psychological thriller for fans of Ruth Ware and Alex Michaelides (The Times)


It all started with a telephone call. It was the first time I heard Ida’s voice, just a faint whisper, as though she were calling from beyond the grave.

Renowned therapist Clarissa Virtanen is not afraid to look at the darkest side of humanity. Haunted by the death of a young patient, she will do whatever it takes to save the most vulnerable.

But when Ida – angry, damaged and seemingly suicidal – walks into her office, Clarissa may have met her match. For Ida has secrets.

Murderous secrets, which mark her like a bloodstain. Secrets which drive her to kill. And kill again.

Somehow, Clarissa must find the key to unlock her past. So she makes a bargain with Ida - six months to try and stop her taking her own life. But what if she has entered a game more deadly, and more evil, than she could ever imagine?

Don’t miss this dark and twisty psychological thriller featuring a face-off between 2 women that's overlain with a sense of poignancy about damaged lives, the power of the imagination to trick–and protect–us, and the passage of time.

Author

Martta Kaukonen lives in Helsinki and is a film critic for Finland's biggest newspaper, who has interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr. and Justin Bieber. Fun fact: she met her future husband at his second hand bookshop and fell in love. Alongside writing, Martta loves psychological thrillers, film noir, flea markets, abandoned houses and travelling. Follow the Butterfly is her debut thriller - it was a critical and commercial hit in Finland, is being translated into twelve languages and has already made the Spiegel bestseller list in Germany. Martta is currently working on a sequel...

David Hackston is a British translator of Finnish and Swedish literature and drama. He lives in Helsinki, where he works as a freelance translator. Notable publications include Land of Snow and Ashes by Petra Rautiainen, My Cat Yugoslavia and Crossing by Pajtim Statovci, all available from Pushkin Press.