Leanne Olson

by Jennifer Hillier, Narrated by Eunice Wong

audiobook releasing April 11, 2023 from Macmillan Audio

I love a good creepy amusement park story. This one’s a thriller set at an amusement park where teenaged workers have been disappearing for years.  Bonus: it’s inspired by Canada’s Wonderland, the park I grew up visiting regularly.

The opening hooked me right away: a young man climbs the park’s Ferris Wheel before the park opens, as a social media stunt.  While he’s at the top, someone turns on the wheel, causing him to lose his grip (I’m not even afraid of heights, and this was terrifying).  

The boy then disappears, while the dead body of an entirely different person is found beneath the wheel in the morning.

Police detective Vanessa Castro is called in to the scene.  She’s new in town and as she investigates the case, she discovers local corruption and plenty of dark secrets.

I loved the mystery in this one, which kept me guessing the whole way. There were multiple mysteries, a very dark history to the park, and plenty of creepy characters.

Vanessa’s relationship issues were less interesting to me, and I’d have eliminated Oscar’s viewpoint entirely. I loved the viewpoints of the teens, however — including one of the missing boys and Vanessa’s resourceful daughter.

Eunice Wong’s narration is strong and immersive. She creates a different voice for each of the characters without overacting and taking you out of the story. 

I think the book could have been trimmed a little, but by the end the audiobook kept me hooked. My dog was happy because he had an extra few blocks in his walk as I was desperate to hear the end of the story.

🌟🌟🌟1/2

Wonderland was originally published in 2015. This is its first release as an audiobook, and my first time reading the book. Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for my review copy of this audiobook.