Heart of Glass

The novel begins with a transcript for a new true-crime docuseries about the “Carnival Killer.” Producer Jana Jones interviews Samuel Figg, who is serving five consecutive life sentences for first-degree murder at the Washington State Penitentiary. After being imprisoned for 25 years, Figg agrees to talk, stating that he has nothing to lose. Figg confesses to murdering four women in the summer of 2001. Jones corrects him, pointing out that he pled guilty to five murders. Figg insists that despite his conviction for five murders, the truth is that he only killed four.

Journalist Barb Bonifacio interviews Edna Sparrow, a local woman who discovered a detached human foot on the beach in the private community of Legacy Sands. Edna’s dog found a shoe containing the foot, and later, she and her identical twin sister, Eileen, discovered the rest of the body nearby. The Sparrow sisters express concern that the reopening of the local amusement park, Wonderland, is bringing bad luck back to their town, Seaside. They mention that producers for a docuseries about the Carnival Killer, Samuel Figg, have been trying to interview Barb and her childhood friend, Nicolette Montes. Barb confirms that she declined.