The White Star - Jane Sullivan

When Allie Baxter moves to Australia from London she feels compelled to seek out her childhood friend Jessie. After a quarter of a century, much has changed.

Allie, a journalist, is trapped in an unsatisfying marriage. Jessie has reinvented herself as the magnetic Belle Cullen, her life dedicated to her thriving cosmetics empire and a private life veiled in secrecy.

But how much has really changed? Behind Jessie’s glamour and Allie’s precarious control, two little girls are still playing out dangerous games. As Allie probes further into her friend’s hidden life, she discovers a dark world that forces her to the brink of a fateful choice.

The White Star is an engrossing story about the unraveling of damaged lives and the sinister face of charisma. “Beauty is soul deep” is Jessie’s mantra. But childhood fears can run even deeper.

Sadly this novel is now out of print but Jane still has a few copies. If you’d like to buy one, please contact Jane.

Sustaining her sure touch until the end, Sullivan manages an obliquely scary climax and a satisfyingly uncompleted conclusion… The White Star is the strong debut of a writer who has served a long apprenticeship in other forms.

Plenty of malevolent magic to keep you turning the pages.

Wonderful, mesmerizing

A satisfying and disturbing novel… a creepy tale of our times – of the seduction of power at the edge of madness.