The Last Illusion of Paige White

The death of an influencer shakes up a small Australian town in this mesmerizing whodunit from McCausland (The Beautiful Words). When popular Instagrammer Paige White is found floating face-up in the lake by her rural home, the rumor mill starts turning. Though Paige made a fortune cataloging her picture-perfect life with her photographer husband, Andy, and their daughter, Viv, might there have been darkness lurking just beneath the surface? Or could an unstable follower have tracked Paige down and killed her? Paige’s childhood friend, Jane Masters—now a successful Sydney journalist—reluctantly returns home for the funeral, then accepts an assignment from her editor to dig up whatever dirt she can. Staying in the shabby family home she fled years earlier, Jane is visited by unwelcome memories of her and Paige’s high school friend, Audrey, who died by suicide after relentless bullying from their peers. The pace starts at a crawl, but McCausland gradually layers sizzling tensions and revelations into Jane’s investigation, which cast foreboding shadows on the sun-drenched setting. When the truth finally comes out, it’s a gut punch. This works equally well as a mystery and a warning cry against the dangers of social media. Agent: Tare Wynne, Curtis Brown Australia. (June)