Duane Byrge

The Red Carpet at Cannes Duane Byrge

Hollywood New Times film critic Ryan Hackbart is whisked down the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, dragged in by the French National Police as a suspect in the murder of the lead actress of the festival's opening-night film. Interrogated but released, Ryan is still considered a prime suspect. His passport confiscated, and now hounded by the world media, Ryan's movie-mind clues him that he is the fall guy in a Hitchcock-like thriller - he must solve the murder before the culprit kills him or the police arrest him. Aided by an indomitable female companion, Delisha, Ryan's investigation thrusts him inside the most glamorous film festival in the world and opens his eyes to what is underneath Cannes' red carpet. He's engulfed into a dangerous maelstrom of celebrity, high-fashion, egos, fake news, Russian billionaires and ruthless wannabees. A murder mystery/romance, The Red Carpet at Cannes is a captivating, behind-the-scenes look at the glitz, intrigue, and romance of the world's most celebrated film festival. It's a five-star travelogue straight into a celebrity universe: dazzling parties, scrumptious cuisine, superstar celebrities, high fashion, and movie-world politics.