Journalist Jane Masters sees a news report of a suspicious death in her hometown and is devasted to realise it is her childhood friend, Paige White. Jane returns to the sleepy lakeside town to attend the funeral and write the difficult follow-up reports. Returning stirs up locked-away emotions, and moving back in with her father, who lives in the clutter-filled house of a hoarder, makes her feel claustrophobic and confront the memory of her mother, who left her when she was a teen.

The Last Illusion of Paige White is told from the point of view of Paige, Jane and friend Audrey, along with another unknown person; each is very easy to follow, and all contribute brilliantly to the storyline.

Paige lived her life through carefully curated Instagram vignettes and her chapters are written as if from a suspended place after death. Her commentary of life online versus reality is timely, and the reflection on how it can affect real relationships is interesting.

The White family are all interesting characters, and Pastor White and his cult-like church in the bush add greatly to the tension and mystery. The murder-mystery storyline is strong enough on its own, but the added layers examining school bullying, parent-child relationships and unresolved grief makes this a complex, layered read.

This is an interesting and satisfying read with some great twists and turns.

Reviewed by Nicola Skinstad

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vanessa is a former news and arts journalist turned author who has published four contemporary fiction novels with HarperCollins Australia. Her fifth, The Last Illusion of Paige White, is having its US debut with Crown Publishing in June 2025.

She writes literary mystery/book club fiction addressing contemporary issues with a strong sense of place.

Her third book, The Beautiful Words, was shortlisted for the 2022 Davitt Crime Awards. It was also included in the 2022 HSC English exam.

She studied English and Australian Literature at Sydney University and graduated with honours in Theatre and Performance Studies.

She worked as a cadet and then a news, medical and arts journalist for The Daily Telegraph and she has been published in numerous other publications over a twenty-year career.

Vanessa lives in Sydney with her husband and daughter.

Visit Vanessa McCausland’s website