Unputdownable. Forget the dirty dishes, laundry and cooking. Even when I had to take a break, my thoughts were on HIM - where is he, what's he going to do next, can this monster be stopped from killing his next victim? And despite her credentials, why is no one listening to Maria? I could feel the tension, the worry, the fear, the panic, the anxiety as well as the despair of the children's parents. I wanted the story to end, but then I didn't.. Four stars for thrilling and surprising.

Great story!

Description
From writer, producer, and actor best known as "Murr" on the hit television shows Impractical Jokers and The Misery Index, James S. Murray, and co-writer Darren Wearmouth, comes The Stowaway, a suspenseful masterpiece that leaves a cruise ship stranded at sea with a serial killer hiding aboard.

Two years ago, Maria Fontana, the head of the Psychology Department at Columbia University, sat on a jury for one of the most depraved cases ever to pass through the hallowed halls of City Hall. Wyatt Butler, an antique watch restorer and alleged serial killer, was portrayed in the courtroom as a brutal monster. But Maria had to make the tough choice. In good conscience, she couldn't convict him based purely on circumstantial evidence, and her deciding vote set Wyatt Butler free. The media soon outed her as the lone juror and her successful and quaint life was turned upside down. The victims of Wyatt's ritualistic killings never forgave her either.

Now, she and her family have decided to take a vacation to get away from everything: a two-week-long transatlantic cruise. Nothing, and nobody should be able to bother her there. With her two twins and her fiancé Steve, she is set to put the past behind her as soon as the ship leaves port. But when a passenger mysteriously disappears, Maria is left to wonder if maybe this was no coincidence. When another passenger is discovered brutally murdered in a similar way to Butler’s ritualistic MO, the ship goes on lockdown.

Maria, one of only twelve people in the world with intimate knowledge of the case, faces a perilous ticking clock. Is it a copycat? Or is she trapped on board with the bloodthirsty maniac she chose to set free?

This was my first book by James S. Murray but am totally familiar with him in Impractical Jokers. To be honest, I didn't really kn0w what to expect from him. I've heard great things about his writing but I guess I couldn't take him seriously knowing the show he is on! But I loved it!
Such a fast paced thriller, that keeps you guessing until the end! Every time that I had thought that I had figured it out, they would throw in twist that left you completely clueless. I am looking forward to my next read by him!

This is the fifth book I've read from the combined authors of Murray and Wearmouth. I thought I knew going into it what I was getting into but this book took a pleasant turn and surprised me quite a bit. The four other books I've read from them would be classified as creature features (ironically one of them was mentioned in this - one of the passengers was reading Don't Move. 

The Stowaway opens up on a murder trial and I honestly had to make sure I was reading the right book. With a title like The Stowaway and a cruise ship on the front I was thinking "what the heck is this". But it opens with the brutal murders of these children and focuses on some of the jurors. Well, I quickly found out why and I thought that was an interesting and unique way of setting up the back and forth and the "vengeance" angle. 

This was one of those books that were creepy and gory without being overdone. I think that Murr and Wearmouth were able to walk that tightrope line of being an interesting story about a serial killer without making it all about the murders. Sure they come up - but it was as much about the present and the mind of the killer as it was about the actual murders. 

Being trapped on a cruise ship with a stone-cold killer would be terrifying, and being on there with him after being on the jury to convict him... wow what an idea. And honestly, I think that they got it right. Once they got onto the ship and I started to think like Maria (trying to figure out where/who he was) I absolutely flew through the book. I think I finished it in two or three sittings.

Wow, this book had me at the concept -- a great thriller set on a cruise ship! The setting really adds to the intrigue, mystery and suspense. Fast read, gruesome at times, kept me guessing!

The Stowaway was a good book. I really enjoyed it especially the ending. This book kept me turning pages. It contained characters that were 3 dimensional and well thought out. The ending which revealed the killer and the motive was really good and surprising.

Personally, this book just wasn't for me at this time. I think it's largely due to the fact that I'm not in the mood for this genre, but hopefully in the future I can give it another chance.

Great book but dont want to go into too much detail for fear of giving away the plot!
Well written!
A must read!

It has been a rough few years for Maria Fontana, so she wraps up her sabbatical from Columbia University by taking her kids and fiance on a Transatlantic cruise. She knows she needs the vacation, but she is worried about being recognized by the thousands of passengers. Two years ago, Maria sat on the jury of a high profile serial killer case where she was the only juror to vote not-guilty. The whole world thought that Wayne Butler was guilty, making Maria practically a pariah. Now it is two years later and dead bodies are showing up on the cruise ship. Dead bodies with elements very reminiscent of Wayne Butler. It terrified Maria that her nightmares are about to come true and someone is on the ship stalking her. And then Maria's kids go missing. They are in the middle of the Atlantic ocean and are trapped on a cruise ship with a madman. Will they be able to find the killer before somebody else dies?


I admit it. I miss cruising. It has been over two years since our last cruise, thanks to COVID. I have read a few books set on cruise ships recently and The Stowaway was one of the more realistic ones. From their boarding experience to the description of buffet lines, I could picture both from my most recent cruise. It also terrified me as the body count rose. Especially the victim playing basketball. Ai-yi-yi - that was blood chilling. Where can you go to escape a serial killer on a cruise ship? CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS. I also want to give you a warning that The Stowaway is fairly graphic. Not just sensitive victims, but gruesome. The authors set it up for a sequel, but I am not sure that I am invested enough in Maria to read another one.



Bottom Line - While The Stowaway took the edge off of my cruise envy, it also scared the crap out of me and will leave me rethink any plans to put myself in the middle of the ocean with no escape.


Details:

The Stowaway by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth
Pages: 320
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: 9/21/2021
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley for the book for a review.

Great book..exciting, Gruesome. Edgy. Very god writing an and overall a great read. Kep me up wayyy too late though!

Holy smokes! What ride. This is a very thrilling book...quite the page turner. I thought the villain was excellent and character development was great.

It is rather gruesome and graphic and that will definitely turn many readers off. (Hence a few stars off). So be warned about that aspect. Does hold up to the expectations of the "Thriller" genre.

Love the concept of this book. Maria was on a jury that set an alleged child killer free because of one juror. The jurors lives are turned upside down and after almost two years, Maria is moving on. Taking a cruise with her kids and fiancé, weird things soon begin happening.

Action packed, there were some twists and turns - some I saw coming, others I did not. This is a great thriller/mystery I would highly recommend.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.

QUICK TAKE: surprisingly fucked up in how dark and brutal this procedural thriller was. Really solid concept (female jurist is the vote that leads to a hung jury and the release of an alleged serial killer who may now be stalking the woman on a family cruise), though the execution is a bit down-the-middle. If you're a fan of Karin Slaughter, definitely worth considering if you're looking for something similar.

This was an ok book. It moved really slowly which made it hard to read. I didn't think it really got moving until the seventh chapter. Outside of that the rest was well done. I enjoyed the unique plot and villain. The twists throughout the story were nice as well.

This was a little more than I bargained for with sone of the more gruesome details but it was a face paced thriller with good writing. It just wasn’t really for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, James S Murray, Darren Wearmouth, and the publisher for an E-arc of this one in exchange for an honest review. I loved EVERYTHING about this fast paced thriller; the plot, the setting, and the characters. This one is an excellent thriller that keeps you turning the pages and keeps you on your toes. Although it's not full of crazy twists and turns, I still needed to know how it was going to end. I also love a book that has me second guessing characters motivations/intentions.

This book will make you not want to take a cruise any time soon! Maria was one of the twelve jurors on a serial killer case and one voted to let him go and now it's been two years and things haven't been great for the jurors because people have been harrasing them. Her fiance takes her and her kids on a cruise to forget about everything but then some horrible things start happening on the cruise, things that makes her think that the man they set free might be on the cruise and that they made mistake in letting him go.

Nothing like being stuck out in the ocean with a serial killer! I really wasn't a fan of Maria at first but overall she turned out to be a pretty decent character that you wanted to root for in the end. 

I will say that if you can't handle child deaths and very graphic descriptions of body horror that you might want to stay away from this one as it did get kind of gross at times.

The Stowaway by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth, 320 pages. St. Martin’s Press, 2021. $18.
Language: R (103 swears, 9 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: R
BUYING ADVISORY: ADULTS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Maria was a juror on one of the most high profile cases in a long time, and Wyatt Butler was set free because of a mistrial – because the jurors did not come to a unanimous decision. The case haunts Maria. When her fiance convinces Maria and her children to go on a cruise, it’s a break they desperately need. Until bodies start appearing.
The first thing you need to know about this book is that it’s pretty gruesome. The second thing you need to know is that it is brilliantly crafted. I was disappointed when a book entitled “The Stowaway” didn’t start immediately on a boat, but the thrill is worth the backstory. There were a few times that I had to take a break to breathe because I started turning pages faster than I was actually reading them, caught up in the intense emotions of chasing down a meticulous serial killer, and I already wish I could read it again for the first time. The mature content rating is for mention of drugs and alcohol use. The violence rating is for mentions of domestic violence, gun use, gore, and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Creepy and fantastic! Highly recommend to genre fans and those looking to expand their reading circle. Purchasing for the library!

I was surprised at what a fast-paced page turner this book is! Two years ago, Maria was a juror on a high-profile serial murder trial, and she is still attempting to recover from the publicity, and mostly the images she saw of the victims. On a cruise across the Atlantic, people start dying, and Maria feels like she may see some similarities - or is she just paranoid?

I read this book really quickly. It wasn't perfect, but it kept me awake and involved. There are some pretty gruesome scenes though - so if that bothers you, you may want to skip this book.

Thanks to netgalley, and the publisher and author for the exciting story