by Duane Byrge
* Mystery *
Title: THE RED CARPET AT CANNES
Author: Duane Byrge
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 235
Genre: Mystery
Author: Duane Byrge
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 235
Genre: Mystery
Veteran film critic Duane Byrge takes readers on a behind-the-scenes
thrill ride at the legendary Cannes Film Festival in his new mystery, THE RED CARPET AT CANNES.
A longtime movie writer and editor for the Hollywood Reporter, Byrge turns to the thriller genre to tell the tale of Ryan Hackbart, who, like Byrge, covers the Cannes Film Festival for the fictional Hollywood Times.
Hackbart finds himself in the middle of a Hitchcock-style mystery as he becomes the prime suspect in the murder of the lead actress of the festival’s opening-night film. Interrogated but released, his passport is confiscated, and he is hounded by the world media. He must solve the murder before the culprit kills him or the police arrest him.
Aided by his female companion, Delisha, Ryan’s investigation thrusts Hackbart into the underbelly of the most glamorous film festival in the world and opens his eyes to what lies underneath the glitz and glamour.
After a long, successful career as a film journalist, Byrge decided to change to the novel format to tell his story.
“You can reveal truths within a novel that you can’t convey with the ‘facts’ of a news story,” Byrge explains. “It allows me to flesh out the full story of the events I have covered.”
THE RED CARPET AT CANNES will please mystery fans and film buffs alike. It’s a five-star travelogue straight into a celebrity universe of dazzling parties, high-end cuisine, superstar celebrities, high fashion, and movie-world politics.
A longtime movie writer and editor for the Hollywood Reporter, Byrge turns to the thriller genre to tell the tale of Ryan Hackbart, who, like Byrge, covers the Cannes Film Festival for the fictional Hollywood Times.
Hackbart finds himself in the middle of a Hitchcock-style mystery as he becomes the prime suspect in the murder of the lead actress of the festival’s opening-night film. Interrogated but released, his passport is confiscated, and he is hounded by the world media. He must solve the murder before the culprit kills him or the police arrest him.
Aided by his female companion, Delisha, Ryan’s investigation thrusts Hackbart into the underbelly of the most glamorous film festival in the world and opens his eyes to what lies underneath the glitz and glamour.
After a long, successful career as a film journalist, Byrge decided to change to the novel format to tell his story.
“You can reveal truths within a novel that you can’t convey with the ‘facts’ of a news story,” Byrge explains. “It allows me to flesh out the full story of the events I have covered.”
THE RED CARPET AT CANNES will please mystery fans and film buffs alike. It’s a five-star travelogue straight into a celebrity universe of dazzling parties, high-end cuisine, superstar celebrities, high fashion, and movie-world politics.
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I'm always up for a good mystery, and The Red Carpet at Cannes defintely delivers. The book is only 229 pages, but there is a ton of intrigue, action and adventure in this book..
Duane Byrge has written an amazing hero in Ryan Hackbart. Ryan is a fantastic, complex character. When first introduced to him, we think he is a quiet, somewhat curt, unassuming film critic, but that isn't what he is made of, instead, he has grit, humor and determination. I was rooting for him the entire time. My other favorite character was Delisha Blair, supermodel. She is what you want every model and actress to be. She is crazy, adventurous, free-spirited and sincere. This duo is so much fun.
Mr. Byrge has an elegant and easy to read style that enhances his book's plot. The basis of the plot is defintely a "Hollywood" story. The whole event takes place at one of the most well known film festivals in the world, and celebrities aer everywhere. My only issue was the amount of description of said event in terms of location. While I understand the importance of describing Cannes and the surrounding areas, especially during the festival, to the masses, I felt that there was an over abundaunce at times, which took me out of the story, disrupting the flow. That doesn't mean it isn't worth reading, quite the opposite. If you are a detailed reader, just know it might bog you down, but it is defintely worth a read.
I had no idea "whodunnit", and was well surprised. The clues were all there, but I was taken on such a journey that I missed them. The Red Carpet at Cannes is a fun and fantastic little mystery! Grab it up today!
Duane Byrge has written an amazing hero in Ryan Hackbart. Ryan is a fantastic, complex character. When first introduced to him, we think he is a quiet, somewhat curt, unassuming film critic, but that isn't what he is made of, instead, he has grit, humor and determination. I was rooting for him the entire time. My other favorite character was Delisha Blair, supermodel. She is what you want every model and actress to be. She is crazy, adventurous, free-spirited and sincere. This duo is so much fun.
Mr. Byrge has an elegant and easy to read style that enhances his book's plot. The basis of the plot is defintely a "Hollywood" story. The whole event takes place at one of the most well known film festivals in the world, and celebrities aer everywhere. My only issue was the amount of description of said event in terms of location. While I understand the importance of describing Cannes and the surrounding areas, especially during the festival, to the masses, I felt that there was an over abundaunce at times, which took me out of the story, disrupting the flow. That doesn't mean it isn't worth reading, quite the opposite. If you are a detailed reader, just know it might bog you down, but it is defintely worth a read.
I had no idea "whodunnit", and was well surprised. The clues were all there, but I was taken on such a journey that I missed them. The Red Carpet at Cannes is a fun and fantastic little mystery! Grab it up today!
Ryan wrapped his arms around
Delisha's shoulders. At the gold-handled door of their Carlton Hotel suite, he
snapped in the entry card. He pushed the
door open, and Delisha turned, facing him. As the evening breeze snuggled in
across the room, Ryan saw that the windows
had been left open. The curtains
fluttered, and he could see the brightly lit yachts. A grand eruption of pinks, blues, silvers, and greens sparkled across the sky.
The kaleidoscope of colors exploded as the fireworks shimmered down, and formed
an aurora of magical brilliance. Ryan
envisioned Cary Grant and Grace Kelly
in To Catch a Thief at her door at the Carlton. In that incandescent flash of his mind's eye,
that gloriously romantic movie moment
was no longer an unattainable reflection
for Ryan. Through the crazed magic of the Cannes Film Festival,
Ryan and Delisha had morphed into the forms of Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. Ryan's all-time favorite movie moment from To
Catch a Thief had entered into the frame of his own life – he in his black tux, and she in
her light blue gown.
Duane Byrge has written for
The Hollywood Reporter for more than 20 years. Starting out as a secretary for
the entertainment industry newspaper while he was a graduate student at the University of Southern
California,
Byrge rose to serve in various capacities, including news editor and senior
film critic. He serves as a consultant to the Chicago International Film
Festival, where he brought Halle Berry to Chicago in 2001 for a career tribute.
A Wisconsin
native, Byrge holds a Ph.D. in Communications, with an emphasis in Cinema, from
the University of Southern
California,
where he has served as a lecturer. His Ph.D. dissertation was the basis for the
book, “The Screwball Comedy Films,” which he co-authored. The book was
re-released in hardcover in 1991 by McFarland Publishing and re-released in
paperback in 2001 as part of the publication’s Classic Series.
Currently an assistant
professor of Mass Communications at Virginia
State University, Byrge teaches journalism, motion picture history and
appreciation, and mass communications. He is working on a book on movie
producers, “Before the Shooting Begins,” which will be published by the University of California, Berkeley Press.
Website: www.duanebyrge.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/byrge_duane
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