Wonderland

Wonderland amusement park is the economic lifeblood of Seaside, a small coastal town in southwestern Washington. The park was built by Jack Shaw, who used it as a vehicle to sexually abuse teenage boys in his employ. After Shaw died in a house fire, Nick Bishop bought the park, rebranded it as Wonderland, and transformed both the park and the town into thriving enterprises. Now Bishop's niece, Bianca Bishop, serves as CEO, while Bishop himself is said to be traveling the world.

The novel opens before dawn as Blake Dozier, an eighteen-year-old park employee and urban free climber, sneaks into Wonderland to scale the 150-foot Wonder Wheel. Blake wears his signature purple Wonder Worker uniform as an act of defiance against Bianca, who ended their sexual relationship and has since treated him cruelly. He reaches the top, snaps a selfie with his middle finger extended, and uploads it to social media. As he prepares to descend, someone turns on the wheel's motor, causing it to rotate. Blake loses his footing and falls.

That same morning, Vanessa Castro reports for her first day as deputy chief of the Seaside Police Department. A recently widowed mother of two, Vanessa left Seattle PD after her affair with Marcus Henry, an old boyfriend who turned out to be a drug dealer, damaged her credibility. Her late husband, Major John Castro, had bipolar disorder and died from a gunshot wound officially ruled accidental. Mayor Frank Greenberg, John's former Army buddy, arranged for Vanessa's hire. The novel later reveals that Vanessa shot John in self-defense and that Greenberg helped stage the scene, a secret that binds them.

Vanessa receives an icy welcome from officers who resent that an outsider was hired over internal candidates. The one exception is Detective Donnie Ambrose, a recently promoted twenty-six-year-old who becomes her closest ally. Donnie warns her that Chief Earl Schultz personally handles all Wonderland calls because the town cannot survive without the park. When Vanessa arrives at a crime scene at Wonderland, she discovers that Oscar Trejo, the park's VP of operations, is the man she slept with the night before at a bar; he had called himself "Oz," and she had given only her middle name, Lynn.

Oscar finds a decomposing body near the Wonder Wheel. The victim's face has been eaten away by a rat, and Glenn Hovey, the security guard on overnight duty, is missing. The dead man is dubbed #HomelessHarry on social media, while Blake's selfie goes viral as #WonderWheelKid. The medical examiner determines the victim died of blunt-force trauma and was moved to the park after death.

As Vanessa investigates, she connects multiple disappearances. The father of Aiden Cole, an eighteen-year-old Wonder Worker who vanished three years earlier, calls demanding answers. When the ME revises the victim's estimated age downward, Vanessa confirms a fingerprint match: Homeless Harry is Aiden Cole. She learns that Tyler Wilkins disappeared from the park eight years ago while painting a mural after hours. Jerry Isaac, a retired detective and Vanessa's former training officer, reveals a fourth case: Kyle Grimmie, who vanished during a concert at the park's amphitheater. All four missing boys, including Blake Dozier, were eighteen, male, and employed at Wonderland.

Vanessa discovers through Aiden's former roommate, Jacob Wei, that Bianca was sexually involved with Aiden, and she obtains a nude photograph of them together. Retired deputy chief Carl Weiss admits he knew about Bianca's affairs with both Aiden and Tyler but kept the information out of case files at Earl's direction to protect the park's reputation. Bianca has a pattern of pursuing young male Wonder Workers, a compulsion rooted in her first love, Patrick Voss. When Patrick left her for another girl during her first summer at the park, that girl turned up dead, her death ruled an accidental drowning.

Meanwhile, Vanessa's fourteen-year-old daughter, Ava Castro, transfers from food services to the Clown Museum, Wonderland's horror attraction wing. Ava thrives in her new role but grows increasingly uneasy around Carlos Jones, a janitor who stares at her constantly. She develops a crush on Xander Cameron, another Wonder Worker, but is devastated when he confesses he is sleeping with Bianca. During the investigation, Vanessa and Oscar begin a secret romantic relationship.

A search of Glenn Hovey's house turns up a locked metal box containing twenty-four Wonderland ID cards belonging to teenage boys, including those of the four missing Wonder Workers. When Hovey is located in Las Vegas and brought in for questioning, he claims the cards are a harmless collection habit and provides an alibi. His explanation is pathetic enough that Vanessa nearly believes him.

Vanessa confronts Bianca with the photographic evidence. Bianca admits to affairs with Aiden, Tyler, Kyle, and Blake but denies killing anyone. When pressed for an alibi, she claims she was with Oscar all night, a lie Vanessa can disprove because Oscar was with her. Vanessa arrests Bianca for obstruction of justice, conspiracy, and making false statements, then brings Oscar in for questioning.

Under immunity, Oscar reveals that Bianca attacked her uncle Nick eight years ago, beating him with a baseball bat when he announced plans to sell the park. Oscar moved the body to the underground tunnel beneath the Clown Museum, believing Nick was dead, and kept the secret out of love for Bianca.

Xander provides the final revelation: Bianca once mentioned a former Wonder Worker named "Donnie" who became a cop and remained obsessed with her. Vanessa realizes that Donnie Ambrose, her trusted detective, is the killer. His position gives him the means to manipulate evidence, control the investigation, and direct suspicion elsewhere.

That same night, Ava is locked inside the Clown Museum's dressing room after her shift. Carlos Jones returns, pins her against a mirror, and demands she undress. Ava sprays hairspray in his eyes, and the cracked mirror reveals a hidden door. She tumbles down a staircase into the underground tunnel, where she discovers Blake Dozier alive but emaciated in a barred cell. As she unlocks the cell, Donnie appears and shoots Blake, confessing he killed the Wonder Workers because Bianca preferred them over him. Jerry discovers that Carlos Jones is actually Albert Riggs, who killed his mother at fourteen and is the prime suspect in a series of violent rapes.

Vanessa and Jerry lead a rescue team into the tunnel. Officer Nate Essex shoots and kills Donnie as he struggles with Ava over his gun. Jerry finds Blake alive with a faint pulse. Oscar follows the sound of a television deeper into the tunnel and discovers Nick Bishop alive in a neighboring cell, emaciated and unable to speak but conscious after eight years underground. Donnie had found Nick still breathing after Bianca's attack and imprisoned him in a warped act of devotion. Nick rolls a thermos toward Ava at the critical moment, distracting Donnie and saving her life.

Search teams recover the remains of three more boys in the tunnel, likely including Tyler Wilkins and Kyle Grimmie. Earl Schultz announces his retirement. Tyler's father, Tanner Wilkins, arrives and learns his son is likely among the dead. Vanessa, holding Ava close as the sun rises over the midway, considers leaving Seaside and possibly joining Jerry in a private investigation firm back in Seattle.