"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 "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 "[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) "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 "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 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 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
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
About the Author
Jennifer Hillier made her fiction debut with Creep. Originally from Canada, she spent almost five years in the beautiful Pacific Northwest before returning to her hometown of Toronto, Canada. Visit her on the web at JenniferHillier.org.
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
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Just read all three of Jennifer's books back to back and put her books and writing style up there with the top authors. Fantastic reads. Great yourself to total class. Brilliant.
Now I can’t decide which Jennifer Hillier book I like better, ‘Jar of Hearts’ or ‘Wonderland’? I think this one wins by a smidgen as I’m a long time fan of novels featuring amusement parks, carnivals, circus, etc where people are disappearing, and frightening things are happening – whether it’s crime, horror, sci-fi, or fantasy. In ‘Wonderland’ there’s a pretty disturbing Clown Museum with a porcelain doll room called the Dollhouse, rumoured to have dungeons and tunnels beneath it – eek! It’s strictly crime/mystery/suspense though, no supernatural happenings. This one isn’t quite as graphic as ‘Jar of Hearts, but there is still violence, including sexual violence, sex scenes, and bad language, so for those that prefer a tamer read you may want to skip this one, or perhaps skim over those parts.
Regarding the crime plot, I was so fixated on who I had convinced myself the murderer was, that the actual murderer totally escaped my notice. Love it when that happens. And there were plenty of suspects to choose from – this was definitely a small town with a lot of bad people of varying degrees. I really enjoyed the main character, the new Deputy Chief of Police, Vanessa, and would be more than happy for her to feature in a future book.
I also must rave over the cover art – so creepy. And there’s a really cool amusement park logo, complete with Ferris Wheel and Roller Coaster, under each chapter heading as well.
You might want to read ‘Creep’ and ‘Freak’ beforehand, as a character from those books makes a cameo appearance in this one. I wish I had of known as a small spoiler was unfortunately revealed to me. I enjoyed the character though, so still looking forward to delving into those books.
I highly recommend ‘Wonderland’ to those who enjoy darker crime novels. Jennifer Hillier is fast becoming a top author of mine.
I've now read all of Jennifer Hillier's books and this one is my favorite (though I liked them all). Wonderland is set around an amusement park called Wonderland that has a sordid history of sexual abuse by the founder, a history that hasn't quite gone away. Young male Wonder Workers have been disappearing, and the whole enterprise has plenty of layers of suspicion, which Vanessa Castro is charged with getting to the bottom of. Her teenage daughter, Ava, is also working at Wonderland and trying to flirt and get non-boring jobs. With some fascinating villainous characters, an insular setting where corruption has reigned for a long time, and very tight writing, this is a fascinating thriller that I recommend to anyone looking for a mystery or thriller to keep them up at night. Even though it's fictional, next time I'm at an amusement park I'll be looking over my shoulder. That's how disturbing (in a good way) this book is.