The Winner Stands Alone

“[Coelho’s] special talent seems to be his ability to speak to everyone at once.

The kind of spirituality he espouses is to all comers. . . . His readers often say that they see their own lives in his own books.”

—New Yorker

Coelho sets the narrative against the backdrop of the Cannes Film Festival, following a Russian telecom tycoon who arrives to reclaim his former wife. Across twenty-four hours along the Croisette, the story tracks his movements among luxury hotels, private beaches, and invitation-only galas.

Behind the velvet ropes, the festival crowds bring together an ambitious young actress seeking a breakthrough role and a renowned fashion designer entangled in the industry. The novel constructs a chilling examination of privilege, exposing the personal cost of life at the top.

From the bestselling author of The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho, comes an absorbing new novel that holds a mirror up to our culture’s obsession with fame, glamour, and celebrity.
Race Against Time: Igor maps out twenty-four hours to execute his lethal plan across Cannes, tracking his targets with curare and martial arts. Each chapter marks the passing minutes as his strikes grow increasingly daring.

Multiple POV: The perspective shifts between an aspiring actress rehearsing in a cramped room, a compromised film distributor, and a local detective chasing phantom clues. Each player exposes a different layer of the festival machinery.

Suspense Thriller: Hamid Hussein manages high-stakes runway politics and VIP guest lists, oblivious to the predator closing in on his inner circle. As warning messages arrive, the festival glamour quickly curdles into paranoia.

Also by This Author: Alchemist, Once Minutos and Veronika Decide Morir.