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.