Famous Last Words

Wyatt serves as the novel’s deuteragonist and a crucial foil to Willa. He is a round and dynamic character who embodies logic, research, and a relentless pursuit of empirical truth. Introduced as a social outcast obsessed with researching the Hollywood Killer, Wyatt is initially defined by his analytical mind and his social awkwardness. He is suspicious of anything that cannot be factually verified, which puts him in immediate conflict with Willa and her supernatural experiences. His character arc is one of transformation, as he learns to look beyond his data-driven worldview and trust in the intuitive, unseen forces that Willa represents, ultimately becoming her most important ally and love interest.

Wyatt’s initial defining trait is his obsessive quest for answers, symbolized by the red notebook in which he meticulously records facts about the murders. This quest isolates him from his peers at Langhorn Academy, who find his fascination with the case “weird” (32). His social interactions are blunt and often confrontational; he dismisses Willa’s attempts at friendliness and directly accuses her of lying when he suspects that she has his notebook. This behavior stems not from malice but from a rigid honesty and an inability to engage in the social performances common among his classmates. He contrasts with characters like Marnie, who uses lies as social currency, and Willa, who pretends to be fine while dealing with trauma and guilt. Wyatt’s commitment to the truth, while alienating, is also his greatest strength, providing the factual framework needed to contextualize and eventually solve the mystery of the murders.

The core of Wyatt’s development lies in his evolving relationship with Willa, which forces him to confront the limits of his own logic. He initially dismisses her claims of ghosts and visions, attempting to explain them away as psychological phenomena or the work of a “crook” psychic (103). However, as Willa provides details about the murders that she could not possibly know through conventional means, such as the existence of the rose necklace and the name “Henry,” Wyatt cannot ignore the correlation. His journey from skeptic to believer is gradual; he agrees to accompany Willa to see the psychic Leyta Fitzgeorge, and though he remains doubtful, the encounter plants a seed of possibility. It is his willingness to engage with Willa’s reality, even while questioning it, that allows him to grow. The symbolic instruction from Willa’s father’s spirit to “look for a shepherd” casts Wyatt as her predestined protector (125). By the end of the novel, he has integrated Willa’s intuitive knowledge with his own research, demonstrating that the complete truth can only be found by combining fact with faith.

Reed is the antagonist of the novel and is a static character even though his malevolent nature is not apparent until the closing chapters. He is introduced as Jonathan’s handsome, charming, and ambitious assistant, quickly positioning himself as a potential friend and love interest for Willa. This persona is a masterful deception. In reality, Reed is the Hollywood Killer, a meticulous and egotistical murderer who uses his unassuming role to gain proximity to his victims. His character embodies The Tension Between the Self and the Persona, as he weaponizes a carefully constructed identity to commit heinous crimes.

Reed’s most prominent trait is his skill as a performer. He presents himself as a kind and relatable “outsider” (130), forging an immediate bond with Willa by validating her feelings of displacement. He is adept at mirroring others’ desires, telling Willa what she wants to hear and creating the illusion of a deep, empathetic connection. This performance extends to his methodology as a killer. His murders are not simple acts of violence but elaborate, staged productions that recreate scenes from classic Hollywood films. He treats his victims as actresses in his private “vision” (281), controlling every detail from their costumes and makeup to their final poses. This obsession with performance reveals his deep-seated egotism and his need to feel significant by “creating moments” that he can fully control (280). The rose necklace that he leaves with his victims is a symbol of this perverse sense of ownership; he sees them as props in his deadly productions.

Beneath the charming facade, Reed is a cold, manipulative, and deeply insecure individual. He confesses to Willa that his crimes are a way to combat feeling “insignificant” (281), revealing that his violent acts are born from a fragile ego. His anger surfaces when his victims fail to perform to his standards; for instance, he claims that he had to punish Paige Pollan with a brutal death because she “couldn’t take direction” (276). Unable to tolerate any deviation from the scripts he copies, he is far more interested in control than in any genuine artistic or creative vision. His meticulous planning is evident in the coded file on Jonathan’s computer and his use of fake talent agencies to lure in victims. The reveal of his true identity re-frames all his earlier actions, turning his seeming kindness into calculated manipulation and his flirtation into a predatory grooming process. Reed’s personae—first as a mild-mannered assistant and then as an uncompromising auteur—are dangerous because they hide his true character from others and even from himself.

Marnie is a round, static character who acts as a foil to Willa. As the first person to befriend Willa at Langhorn Academy, Marnie serves as a guide to the school’s social hierarchy and an embodiment of the theme of The Tension Between the Self and the Persona. Marnie’s identity is a series of calculated performances, from her cynical “Hollywood kid” persona to her fabricated stories. Though she initially appears to be a friend, her actions reveal her to be manipulative, self-absorbed, and fundamentally dishonest. She does not undergo significant change, but the revelation of her true nature serves to highlight Willa’s growth toward authenticity.

Marnie’s primary motivation is the acquisition of attention and social status. She curates a persona of detached coolness, yet she secretly craves the spotlight. This is most evident during the movie premiere, where she invents the “Ramona Claiborne” alter ego for herself and lies to the paparazzi about Willa being a Disney Channel star (143). When Willa receives attention for this lie, Marnie’s jealousy becomes palpable, revealing the insecurity beneath her confident facade. Her relationship with Wyatt further exposes her dishonesty. She paints herself as the victim of a stalker, but photographic evidence later proves that she and Wyatt were a happy couple and that many of her claims were outright fabrications. Her actions are consistently self-serving, and she uses friendship as a means to an end. Her decision to become an actress, a fact that she hides from Willa, is the logical endpoint for a character so invested in performance, and it ultimately places her in the killer’s path.

Jonathan is a minor but pivotal character in the novel. As Willa’s new stepfather, he is a wealthy and successful film director who represents the alienating Hollywood world that Willa is thrust into. Initially, Willa perceives him as an untrustworthy interloper. When he gifts her a Gucci backpack, she views the gesture as a “cheap, obvious move to buy [her] goodwill” (16). This dynamic establishes the initial family conflict and highlights Willa’s isolation. Jonathan is a somewhat flat character, often appearing formal and slightly awkward in his attempts to connect with his new stepdaughter. However, his role becomes more complex as the plot progresses. His DVD collection and knowledge of classic films make him a red herring for the identity of the Hollywood Killer. The near-fatal attack by Reed ultimately collapses the distance between him and Willa, allowing him to become the supportive father figure he had been trying to be all along.

Willa’s mother, Joanna, is a minor, largely static character whose primary role is to reflect and amplify Willa’s internal struggles. Her deep concern for Willa is consistently evident, but she is stymied by the “wall of pain” that Willa has built to keep others at bay (26). Willa’s refusal to be honest about her grief and her paranormal experiences creates a barrier that her mother cannot penetrate, leaving Joanna to worry from a distance. Joanna also contends with her own challenges related to the theme of performance, struggling to adjust to her new identity as the “glamorous wife of a famous Hollywood film director” (5). This role is at odds with her previous professional identity and causes her to feel adrift and unsure of herself. Her journey culminates in her re-discovering her own strength and agency in the aftermath of the attack, where she confidently manages the police and media, becoming the capable protector Willa needs.

Paige is a flat character who, though dead before the narrative opens, functions as a supernatural guide for protagonist Willa. Paige’s ghost provides vital clues and refuses to let Willa stop searching for the truth. Initially believed to be the ghost of Diana Del Mar, Paige uses a series of escalating paranormal events, from the overflowing bathtub to writing on the walls, to communicate clues about her murder. She is the literal embodiment of The Haunting Power of Unresolved Guilt, as her spirit cannot rest until her killer is exposed. Her persistence forces Willa to trust her visions and investigate the mystery. In the climax, Paige’s ghost manifests to save Willa and directly intervenes to stop Reed, thus finding justice for herself and the other victims.