Title: WONDERLAND
Author: Jennifer Hillier
Narrator: Eunice Wong
ISBN: 978 1250 0907 03
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Duration: 11 hours 39min
Source: Audible
Welcome to Wonderland. By day, it’s a magical place boasting a certain retro charm. Excited children, hands sticky with cotton candy, run frenetically from the Giant Octopus ride to the Spinning Sombrero, while the tinkling carnival music of the giant Wonder Wheel—the oldest Ferris wheel in the Pacific Northwest—fills the air. But before daybreak, an eerie feeling descends. Maybe it’s the Clown Museum, home to creepy wax replicas of movie stars and a massive collection of antique porcelain dolls. Or maybe it’s the terrifyingly real House of Horrors. Or…maybe it’s the dead, decaying body left in the midway for all the Wonder Workers to see.
Vanessa Castro’s first day as deputy police chief of Seaside, Washington, is off to a bang. The unidentifiable homeless man rotting inside the tiny town’s main tourist attraction is strange enough, but now a teenage employee—whose defiant picture at the top of the Wonder Wheel went viral that same morning—is missing. As the clues in those seemingly disparate crimes lead her down a mysterious shared path of missing persons that goes back decades, she suspects the seedy rumours surrounding the amusement park’s dark history might just be true. She moved to Seaside to escape her own scandalous past, but has she brought her family to the centre of an insidious killer’s twisted game? Acclaimed author Jennifer Hillier’s bone-chilling thriller is masterful and fast-paced, hurtling toward a shocking, bloody conclusion.
Official Summary
29 January 2024
I am enjoying Jennifer Hillier’s books and I have decided to try and work through all her books this year.
When you reach for Wonderland expect a bone-chilling thriller that takes you on a rollercoaster ride through the seemingly magical and nostalgic Wonderland amusement park in Seaside, Washington. The novel presents a contrast between the enchanting façade of Wonderland during the day and the eerie, mysterious atmosphere that descends after dark.
The story starts with Vanessa Castro’s first day as the deputy police chief in Seaside and quickly takes a dark turn when a decaying body is discovered in the heart of the amusement park. The contrast of excited children enjoying the rides and attractions during the day with the grim discovery at night sets the stage for a riveting mystery.
As Vanessa delves into the investigation, she uncovers a disturbing link between the current crimes and a decades-long history of missing persons associated with Wonderland. The inclusion of a Clown Museum, a House of Horrors, and creepy wax replicas adds layers of macabre detail to the setting, heightening the sense of unease and suspense.
Jennifer Hillier’s writing is masterful and fast-paced, keeping you on the edge of your seat as the plot unfolds. The novel skilfully weaves together seemingly disparate elements, gradually revealing connections between the characters and the dark secrets of Wonderland. Vanessa’s past, which she hoped to leave behind by moving to Seaside, becomes entangled with the insidious killer’s twisted game, adding a personal dimension to the suspense.
The author excels in creating a vivid and atmospheric setting, making Wonderland a character in itself. The Pacific Northwest Ferris wheel, the Giant Octopus ride, and the Spinning Sombrero serve as both the backdrop for innocent childhood joy and the sinister stage for a series of gruesome crimes. Hillier’s attention to detail enhances the experience, allowing you to visualize the carnival atmosphere and feel the tension as the mystery deepens.
As the narrative hurtles toward a shocking, bloody conclusion, Hillier keeps the twists coming, leaving you guessing until the final pages. “Wonderland” is a gripping and chilling thriller that combines nostalgia, horror, and suspense, showcasing Jennifer Hillier’s talent for crafting a compelling and atmospheric tale of crime and dark secrets. Fans of psychological thrillers with a touch of the macabre will find themselves thoroughly captivated by this rollercoaster of a novel.
I could not walk away from this one. I was completely engrossed from start to end. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If you haven’t yet, please add this one to your TBR. I have a copy of Creep sitting on my TBR shelf and I cannot wait to dig into that one. I look forward to getting to it soon.
Also By Jennifer Hillier
Little Secrets
All it takes to unravel a life… is one home truth.
Marin used to have it all. Married to the love of her life, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They’re admired in their community and are a loving family – until their world falls apart the day their son Sebastian is taken.
A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. With her sanity ebbing, Marin hires a private investigator to pick up where the police left off.
But instead of finding Sebastian, she learns that Derek is having an affair with a much younger woman. This discovery sparks Marin back to life. She’s lost her son; she’s not about to lose her husband. Derek’s mistress is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix. Permanently.
About the Author
Author bio from the author’s site
Jennifer Hillier imagines the worst about people and then writes about it.
She’s the USA Today, Toronto Star, and The Globe and Mail bestselling author of Things We Do in the Dark, described as “an intoxicating thrill ride” by the New York Times and “propulsive and chilling” by People magazine. It was a Book of the Month Club selection, an Indigo Top Ten Best Book of the Year, an Amazon Editor’s Spotlight Pick, a Goodreads Choice Award nominee, a Loan Stars pick, and her third consecutive novel to be honoured as a LibraryReads pick, which places her in their Hall of Fame.
Jennifer is also the author of six other psychological thrillers. Her USA Today bestselling novel Little Secrets is currently being adapted for Peacock by Tish Cyrus’s Hopetown Entertainment, writer Melissa Scrivner Love and Universal Television, and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Anthony Award. Jar of Hearts won the ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel and was also shortlisted for the Anthony and Macavity Awards. Her earlier novels are Creep, Freak, The Butcher, and Wonderland, the last of which will be published in mass-market paperback and audiobook for the very first time in April 2023. Her books have been published in twenty-three languages so far.
Jennifer is Filipino-Canadian, born and raised in Toronto. She spent eight amazing years in Seattle which is where she first became a published writer. She’s a Seahawks fan who married to a Packers guy. They have a young son who looks most like her when he’s crying. She’s afraid of the dark and can’t sleep unless she’s checked the locks on the doors several times. She loves writing when it’s raining, sleeping when it’s sunny, and reading after everyone else has gone to bed. She cherishes her family (those who read, and those who don’t), and her friends (those who write, and those who don’t). She’s a cat person without a cat, which makes her sad. But she’s now back in the Toronto area permanently with her family, which makes her happy.
Thank you for visiting the blog. I have been having lots of fun with audiobooks and it is great to share my reviews of these with you. I am new to Jennifer Hillier, but this was another great story. I want to try and work through all her books this year, so you can expect to see more featured on the blog this year. What is your favourite book by her? Leave a comment below.
Thank you for your support, until next time…Happy Reading!
