Wonderland - by Jennifer Hillier (Paperback)

About the Book

"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 rumors 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 center of an insidious killer's twisted game?"--

Book Synopsis

"A fast-paced, razor-sharp thriller" (Mark Edwards, author of Follow You Home) from the author of the "truly frightening" (Suspense Magazine) Creep follows a police officer investigating a string of disappearances at a mysterious amusement park.

By day, Wonderland is a magical amusement park boasting a certain retro charm. Excited children, hands sticky with cotton candy, run frenetically from ride to ride while the tinkling music of the oldest Ferris wheel in the Pacific Northwest fills the air. But behind the scenes, the rides need repairs, and the clown museum is filled with a lot more than just wax figures. Someone is working hard to keep the park's dark secrets hidden beneath its weathered attractions.

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 is missing. Clues lead Vanessa into a mysterious web of missing persons cases that goes back decades. She moved to Seaside to escape her own scandalous past, but has she brought her family to the center of an insidious killer's twisted game?

Filled with fast-paced chills and a shocking, bloody finale, Wonderland is "top of the line thriller writing...You better call in sick, because you're not going anywhere until you finish reading it. Oh, and you might want to lock the door, too. Just to be safe" (Jeffrey Deaver, New York Times bestselling author).

Review Quotes

"As she ably proved in her debut (Creep, 2011), [Hillier] has a fine knack for creating hideous killers. This time she turns the formula whodunit on its head... A tense, suspenseful, thoroughly creepy thriller."--Booklist

[A] rapid-fire thriller of dark, unsettling proportions with some very surprising twists. With the turn of each new page, the suspenseful plot is tense and gripping...a skillfully penned tale of murder and cover-up that will keep readers enthralled until the powerful finish. Thriller fans should not miss The Butcher!--Fresh Fiction

Hillier writes beautifully horrific stories... Readers will be immersed until the final page, thanks to the velocity at which this unique thriller is told."--RT Reviews (Top Pick)

I was engrossed on page one, couldn't put the book down and breathless at the ending. Be prepared for late night reading. Then sleep with the lights on - if you can. This one blew me away.--Robert Dugoni, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Once I got started I couldn't stop reading, and I confess to having sweaty palms a few times. A thrill ride that will have your attention from start to finish! This one is 4.5 stars.--Suspense Magazine

PRAISE FOR JENNIFER HILLIER'S GRIPPING THRILLERS

"Hillier's third thriller fairly shudders with tension. [She] sends her reader into a labyrinth of creepy twists and grotesque turns...The secrets of the past refuse to keep quiet in this disquieting, taut thriller."--Kirkus Reviews

PRAISE FOR WONDERLAND

"A fast-paced, razor-sharp thriller that is impossible to put down. Jennifer Hillier is a stunningly talented author and Wonderland is her best yet."--Mark Edwards, bestselling author of Follow You Home

Top of the line writing.. You better call in sick, because you're not going anywhere until you finish reading it. Oh, and you might want to lock the door, too. Just to be safe.--Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author

About the Author

Jennifer Hillier is the USA TODAY bestselling and award-winning author of Things We Do in the Dark, Little Secrets, Jar of Hearts, The Butcher, Freak, and Creep. A Filipino Canadian born and raised in the Toronto area, she spent eight years in Seattle, which is where all her books are set. She now lives in Oakville, Ontario, Canada with her husband and son. Visit her on the web at JenniferHillierBooks.com.