I put this book on my netgalley tbr 3 or so years ago. I’m just now returning to my backlog.

I was surprised by the gruesomeness and also the violence against kids. A serial killer is on the loose and seems to have followed a juror that was the one who exonerated him previously.

The past juror and family along with a psychopath are now on a mid Atlantic cruise and it’s gonna be a killer trip. Body parts start popping up and people are missing. It’s chaotic. Kudos, though, for throwing in enough diversions to hide the killer’s identity.

Overall, unless you’re a diehard B movie fan, I’d pass.

You are taught as a child that actions will have consequences and that you must face them. When serving on the jury of an alleged serial killer, her hold out vote hung the jury and he was set free. BUT....her jury duty did not stay anonymous, she has been harrassed and ridiculed ever since. To escape the unpleasant, she will take her family on a cruise where no one knows her.....or so she thought. Now the consequences have come calling..........An excellent twist on the usual serial killer story line.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

This was a pretty good thriller. I liked the locked room aspect of the setting on a cruise ship. It was an intense story and I was pretty invested in what was going to happen.

I was not expecting this to be so dark and…twisted. But oh it was. The premise was intriguing and the cruise ship setting usually is a hit for me but a child mutilating serial killer was a bit rough for me I am not going to lie. I have seen rave reviews and a lot of people loved the suspense and twists in this one so don’t let my squeamishness dissuade you in taking a chance on this one.

Fast paced, locked room (or boat...), high adrenaline and gory. I LOVE IT. It's a quick read, one you can definitely read in one or two sittings.

I just love to read murder mysteries that do not allow me to figure out the ending prematurely. Super evil child murderer escapes jail time due to a hung jury. The one juror admits her reluctance to vote quilty and Mr. Evil plots revenge. Big surprise ending on a cruise ship setting! My thanks to the author and NetGalley for a compliimentary copy of the book.

Really wasn’t for me. The serial killer of children and horrific details of killing decided it for me. DNF..
A special thank you to St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A murder on a cruise ship? Yes please. The stowaway was a fast paced thriller with some disturbing details. Being trapped in the middle of the ocean knowing a murderer was on board is the feeling that Maria Fontana has. After being the one not guilty vote that sent a serial killer free, she finds herself at the hands of the man himself?? PHENOMENAL READ

I absolutely loved the Stowaway! It immediately had my attention captured.

What would you do if you were trapped with a serial killer on a cruise ship? No where to run no where to hide and stuck in the middle of the ocean. No one is safe, women, children and crew. Who do you trust?

This book grabbed my attention in chapter one. I would highly recommend this book to all mystery/thriller lovers. It does contain violence against children and those parts are more difficult to read. Overall, it definitely brings what I enjoy in a thriller novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.

I was surprised to see that the author of this book is also the famous "Murr" from Impractical Jokers. I love books that take place on ships so I dove right into this one (pun intended). Unfortunately, the content of this book was too gruesome for me. There was a very gory scene close to the beginning of the book that was too difficult to stomach. I used to read horror books and enjoy them but my tastes have changed. I couldn't continue after the first gory scene. Did not finish.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would! It was really interesting, held my attention and my goodness the twists! I would definitely recommend this book!

This was a good book. The mystery was great It had me turning the pages to see what would happen next.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Ooh time goes by and if i don't write the review right away...sigh. I'm trying to be better. The best i can do right now is give a star count...

This book was not good. So implausible, childish, and poorly written that its a wonder it got published. The only good thing about it was that it did not take long to read.

First off, trigger warning for murdered kids. And after reading some reviews, I feel like a terrible person for enjoying this book that has kids as the murder victims... but here we go. I really enjoyed this one! It was a bit slow at first for me but once we got on the cruise ship and things started happening, the pace picked up and I couldn't stop listening. I listened to the whole audiobook while working so it's a very quick read. It does get gory but gore and horror don't bother me (and apparently murdered kids don't either 🤷‍♀️). I enjoyed the locked room mystery style of the book, using the cruise ship ad the 'locked room' and even though you have your suspicions about who is being the murders, you aren't (or at least I wasn't) quite sure if your correct. The twists and reveals were good and kept me guessing until the end. I can see this being classified as a popcorn thriller read, just with some added gore.

The head of the Psychology Department at Columbia University, Maria Fontana, sat on a jury of an alleged serial killer, Wyatt Butler. When Maria, in good conscience, cannot convict him based on circumstantial evidence—her deciding vote sets Wyatt Butler free.

Outed as the lone juror, enduring constant media and public backlash for the past two years, Maria, her fiancé Steve, and her eleven-year-old twins Chloe and Christopher, go on a twelve-night Cruise to England that quickly turns into a nightmare…

THE STOWAWAY- by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth is an unputdownable, fast-paced, suspenseful tale of a serial killer at sea.

Is it Wyatt Butler or a copycat??

You will have to read the book and find out! ;)

Highly Recommend!!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with an eARC of THE STOWAWAY in the request of an honest review.

Creepy antagonist with some truly heinous methods of torture and murder. Motivations are intriguing and the main character is a satisfying 'found detective' to aid in the resolution of the story.

This book was amazing, great storyline kept my interest, I loved the mystery. I could hardly put this book down I highly recommend this book.

A suspense thriller with lots of grisly details of murder and mayhem.

Maria Fontana was simply doing her civic duty by serving on a jury. Little did she know that alleged serial killer Wyatt Butler’s case would be the start of some harrowing times for her and her children. Deliberating in the jury room was torture and when the verdict of not guilty came in and Butler was set free, Maria thought it was all over and she could get on with her life. Unfortunately, the public, now aware that her vote may have been the deciding factor, is not eager to let it go. Wanting to get away from it all, Maria and her family set off on a 12 day cruise from New York to Southampton on the HMS Atlantia. She and her fiancé, Steve, and her 11-year-old twins, are excited about their vacation and enjoying ship life when a passenger is discovered. The ritualistic display of the remains shocks Maria whose familiarity with the Butler case makes her immediately on guard. Is it possible that Wyatt Butler is on board and what horrendous plan does he have in store for the other passengers and the woman who set him free.

The author creates a very tense mood with the setting of the cruise ship and a pool of victims readily available with no means of escape. There was lots of action and this is a quick and entertaining read even as you may have to suspend your disbelief at times. The character of Maria is interesting as a choice protagonist for a crime thriller — she’s a professor of psychology at Columbia University — and has really had no previous exposure to sociopathic killers. Somehow it all works though there are some very alarming descriptions and scary scenes. Definitely gory accounts of murders. Regardless, I did like the story and will be looking for perhaps another book featuring this character as it feels like it could be the start of a series. Would also make a great movie!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.