During the gala of the country’s most prestigious literary prize, the winning writer dies before hundreds of witnesses. The official version rules it a suicide, but a former police officer turned detective and an overly well-informed journalist decide to investigate on their own, uncovering a network of cultural and political corruption where truth is paid for in blood.
During the Universo Prize gala, the world’s most richly endowed literary award, the winning writer falls dead from the stage rigging onto the stage itself, in front of hundreds of witnesses and cameras. The official explanation points to suicide, and the case is closed with suspicious speed.
Tina Iraola, a former police officer now working as a private detective, was present at the gala as a finalist with no real chance of winning. From the very first moment, she detects obvious inconsistencies. Together with Leo Grande, a journalist and close friend of the deceased writer, she begins a parallel investigation to uncover what really happened.
They soon discover that the award-winning novel was not the book the author intended to publish. The manuscript he submitted was rewritten and reshaped without his consent to make it compatible with the interests of a major publishing house and a political and media environment that viewed the prize as a tool of cultural influence. The award was part of an operation designed to legitimize a rigged prize system and to consolidate a controlled cultural narrative in the country. When the writer discovers the manipulation and threatens to publicly expose the fraud, he ceases to be an inconvenient author and becomes a political problem.
Suspicion points in multiple directions: the publishing house, eager to protect its prestige; the direct beneficiaries of the author’s legacy; and a network of cultural and political power determined to control the narrative at any cost. Tina proves that it was not a suicide, but a murder planned in advance: the writer was already mortally wounded before falling onto the stage. The fall was merely the final staging of a crime designed to leave no visible author.
When the investigation gets too close to the truth, power strikes back. Leo is murdered in a calculated attack. From that moment on, the story stops being an investigation and becomes a fight for survival.
Alone and without institutional protection, Tina realizes there will be no justice in the courts. The only way out is to win the battle of the narrative before it is buried. Using the manuscript Leo was writing about the case, she decides to publish it for free online, exposing the facts, those responsible, and the mechanisms of the cover-up.
The truth becomes public and can no longer be silenced without consequences. The crime is reconstructed and those responsible are exposed, even if the power structure that made it possible remains standing. The story closes by making clear that this is not only a thriller about a murder, but a reflection on who controls culture, memory, and the narrative of a society.
RELEVANT INFORMATION: Juan Pablo Moreno is a Spanish writer whose work explores suspense, power structures, and the tensions of the contemporary world through a sharp and incisive lens. He was a finalist for the Fernando Lara Prize in 2014, a recognition that marked an early milestone in his literary career. The award ceremony at the Royal Alcázar of Seville inspired him to write Muerte en la entrega de premios, a provocative, tension-driven thriller about the manipulation of truth, the power of narrative, and the price of confronting those in power.
From an audiovisual perspective, Muerte en la entrega de premios features a structure ideally suited for film or series adaptation, ensuring strong pacing, sustained tension, and constant twists. Its layered narrative and use of an unreliable narrator allow for an attractive visual play with points of view, ellipses, and scene reinterpretations. The high-concept core—crime, power, media, and politics—enables immediate connection with an adult audience. In addition, the story offers an expandable universe and a protagonist with clear continuity potential, making it an ideal candidate for a long-running series or saga.
AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV Series, Miniseries, Feature Film, TV Film.
AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish.
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