The Recurring Cast
Reading order · 6 books · 1993 to 1998 · Set in Espoo

Maria Kallio Books in Order

Maria Kallio is a sharp, outspoken feminist police detective in the Helsinki area, whose career and family life develop over a long series. Leena Lehtolainen is one of Finland’s best-known crime writers.

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Series facts

Books
6
Published
1993 to 1998
First book
My First Murder
Latest
Fatal Headwind (1998)
Setting
Set in Espoo

The reading order

Every Maria Kallio book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.

6 books · Set in Espoo
  1. 1My First Murder1993With Maria KallioMaria Kallio, a young policewoman, investigates the death of a member of a choir who drowned at a party at a seaside villa near Helsinki, and the suspects are old friends.Buy on Amazon
  2. 2Her Enemy1994With Maria KallioNow a legal adviser in Espoo, Maria Kallio is asked to defend a relative of her partner who is accused of strangling a woman, and her quiet inquiries uncover a secret among the town’s elite.Buy on Amazon
  3. 3Copper Heart1995With Maria KallioMaria takes a temporary post as police chief in her home town in eastern Finland, and a former classmate is found dead.Buy on Amazon
  4. 4Snow Woman1996With Maria KallioThe head of a women’s therapy centre is found dead in the snow outside her home.Buy on Amazon
  5. 5Death Spiral1997With Maria KallioSeven months pregnant, Maria Kallio investigates the killing of a promising teenage figure skater while competing for a promotion.Buy on Amazon
  6. 6Fatal Headwind1998With Maria KallioHolidaying on the island of Rödskär, Maria learns a former boyfriend fell to his death from its cliffs a year earlier, and when another man dies there on the anniversary she suspects murder.Buy on Amazon

Do you need to read them in order?

Read in order, starting with My First Murder.

Who appears in which book

The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.

Who appears in each Maria Kallio book
BookMaria KallioAntti Sarkela
1 My First MurderLLead
2 Her EnemyLLead·Minor
3 Copper HeartLLead·Minor
4 Snow WomanLLead·Minor
5 Death SpiralLLead·Minor
6 Fatal HeadwindLLead·Minor

Characters in the Maria Kallio books

2 characters from Leena Lehtolainen’s chart, with the number of Maria Kallio books each appears in.

CharacterBooksFirst in this series
Maria KallioPolice detective in Espoo6My First Murder 1993
Antti SarkelaMaria's husband5Her Enemy 1994