Wow this was a very good read, this was new authors for me and I was amazed at how he was able to pull me into the book. I have to connect with a book to really enjoy it. I enjoy fast paced action reads that keep me turning the page until the very end. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

I received a ARC from NetGalley and St. Martins Press, and the opinions I expressed here are all my own.

A serial killer on a transatlantic cruise? What’s not to like, but I knew, as soon as I read the synopsis for The Stowaway, that I would love it, and I totally did. Every last creepy page. The concept of a serial killer hiding among the cruise ship passengers, with his identity known and still no one able to find him is so intriguing that I was completely riveted.

I get the feeling that this is book one of a new series, and I’m 💯 percent up for whatever happens next.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read early and to review.

The link to my instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUGB5LBLxHS/

*Thank you to the publishers for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review*

The Stowaway
by James S. Murray
Pub Date: 9/21/21


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?


The Stowaway reads like an action movie! It was graphic and includes violence on children so trigger warning on that but this book is different in that it is not a mystery as we already know who the bad guy is.

This book has a well crafted, riveting storyline. The characters, both good and bad, are intriguing. It’s hard to go into much book detail without giving away too much. It’ll certainly grab your attention and keep you flipping pages to the very end. This is one of those books where you start out pretty much knowing, or at least suspecting, who the bad guy is. This in no way detracts from thoroughly enjoying the wild ride ahead. My only minor complaint is that I would have liked a bit more detail on how the bad guy knew some of the things he did.

A woman is convinced that a serial killer is stalking the halls of a cruise ship in the exhilarating new thriller, The Stowaway.

Two years ago, Wyatt Butler, an accused child serial killer, was set free when a jury couldn’t come to a unanimous decision. One jury member prevented his conviction. Maria Fontana admitted to the media that she was the holdout. This resulted in a media frenzy blaming her for releasing an obviously guilty man. An incendiary book was on the bestseller lists for weeks describing her faults.

Maria, her fiancé and her twin children take a twelve-day cruise between New York City and Southampton. Has Wyatt taken the same cruise and started killing the passengers? What is his end goal? Or is Maria just having paranoid delusions related to the traumatizing trial?

Wow, I adored this book. I also stayed up way too late to read it. Once I read about 20%, I just couldn’t stop reading. The plot is so compelling! If you are looking for an breathtaking read, don’t miss The Stowaway. 5 stars and a favorite!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

What I Loved

First off, I adored the setting. A serial killer lose on a cruise ship is a nightmare. The suspense was incredibly high throughout the novel. I couldn’t figure out how anyone on the vessel could possibly stay safe, especially if the killer had them in their sights. And in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean – how in the world could they get help to stop someone that crafty, deadly, and violent?

Maria Fontana, a divorced mother of two, sat on the jury for the murder trial of Wyatt Butler, a supposed serial killer who targeted children and had some very disturbing MOs. The jury came back hung because of just one member. All the jurors were harassed by the public until Maria stood up and took the blame, making her an instant target. On sabbatical from Columbia University, Maria, her fiancé Steve and her two children took a cruise from New York to the UK to get away from all the harassment. All was good until someone started murdering children on the boat. Maria knew the serial killer was on the ship, and she must be the target.

I was constantly on high alert reading this harrowing tale and loved every second of it. The thrills are plentiful, the pace is fast, and the misdirects are very well-placed. The plot is highly focused, which ratcheted up the thrills but also meant I can’t say too much without tiptoeing into the realm of spoilers.

Characters

The characters are relatively relatable, and I sympathized. Still, the story is plot-driven, and character development was not a strong aspect. I’ve already mentioned Maria and Steve. Although Maria doesn’t narrate, it’s third-person narration. The story focuses on her and follows her most of the time.

The relatively well-developed character is the serial killer. That person is very intriguing with proclivities and reasoning that I found to be entirely original and intriguing.
This brought a gamut of emotions to the story as I kept rotating between being horrified, fascinated, and just plain scared for the people on the ship.

What I Wish

I wish the other characters, especially Maria, had been developed more. That would have added depth to this story, making it a straightforward and unequivocal five-star read. Even without it, it was a highly entertaining and jaw-dropping story, but it would have been off the charts with that amount of depth.

To Read or Not to Read
If you are looking for a fast-paced thriller that will have you picking up your jaw off of the floor, you won’t want to miss The Stowaway this fall.

Two years ago Maria Fontana, head of the Psychology Department at Columbia University, sat on a jury for the trial of Wyatt Butler, a serial killer who preyed on children. The evidence was mostly circumstantial and descriptions from witnesses varied widely. When a final vote was counted one juror voted not guilty and Butler was set free. The jurors were hounded by the press and received death threats. When the husband of one of the jurors was attacked, Maria had to put a stop to the unrelenting harassment. Calling a press conference, she reveals that she cast the vote. As a result, she is forced to take a one year sabbatical from her job.

Shortly after the trial Maria met Steve, who is now her fiancé. He has been supportive through her difficult times and has a good relationship with her young twins. Before the end of her sabbatical the four set off on a two week trans-Atlantic cruise. Half way to England a severed head is discovered in one of the empty staterooms. A short time later a young boy is thrown from the ship. The circumstances of the boy’s disappearance are familiar to Maria, who sat through weeks of testimony and pictures from Butler’s trial. While the ship’s security believes the boy’s death to be an accident, Maria goes into full panic mode, knowing that there is more to come. She is certain that Butler is on the ship, but there is no trace of him. He used disguises in the past and unless they can find him everyone is in danger. The killer timed his actions so that the ship would be too far from the shores of the US or Britain to receive help. Jake Reese, the head of security, must look at everyone with suspicion, including Maria and Steve.

James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth have written a thriller that chills you to the bone. When the murders begin they ratchet up the suspense to a new level and it will have you considering whether or not to take your next cruise. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin Press or providing this book for my review.

Crime Thriller

“A far stronger smell blasted out of the dark space, immediately overwhelming and shocking Pam’s senses. It was putrid. Something rotten. Like a decomposing animal.”

“All passengers on board are accounted for. All crewmembers are accounted for. No one is missing, not a single person.” Hendricks shrugged. “So it seems we have a stowaway.”

Maria Fontana’s life changed the day she was selected for jury duty for the murder trial of Wyatt Butler. Charged with the murder and mutilation of eight children, he was labeled the worst serial killer in decades. When the jury couldn’t agree on conviction, the mistrial threw their lives into turmoil. The public and the victim’s family were furious, how could they have let this monster go?
Years pass but with the threats and violence towards the jurors and now with a new book out about Butler, Maria’s life has not been able to return to normal. Her fiancé proposes a vacation for the family to get away from it all for a while. A two week cruise to London might be just what the doctor ordered. However it doesn’t take long for their relaxing vacation to turn into a nightmare. Someone is trying to get Maria’s attention.

“Most cruise ship deaths were your typical causes: heart attacks, stroke, alcohol poisoning, preexisting medical conditions. But something this sinister was uncharted territory.”

The decapitated head of an unknown person in an unoccupied room put the cruise on high alert but this is only the beginning. Soon enough, a child goes missing. As the rumor mill spreads the details of the crime, Maria can not control her apprehension. She has heard details like these before.

“Whoever murdered this child, whoever did this, had deliberately put the body here. In one of the most public places on the entire ship, on purpose.”

Maria knows who is doing this and only she can stop him but will anyone believe her or is she on her own?

An excellent, fast paced thriller that kept me guessing throughout, full of gruesome, gory details. This book is definitely not for younger readers or those sensitive to child murders.
A unique plot that I have not heard before which was very refreshing. I kept anticipating plot twists but my predictions repeatedly came up short. It is very satisfying to read a book that you don’t know how it’s going to end 20 pages in.
I requested this book from NetGalley because the plot sounded interesting but mostly due to author James Murray. I was intrigued when I saw that he wrote a crime Thriller as I’m used to watching him on Impractical Jokers. Going from comedy to thriller is a big leap and I needed to see if it was successful. I’m not disappointed in the least and was pleasantly surprised. His other novels, sci-if Horror stories involving monsters, did not sound as captivating as this one however after the enjoyment of this book I may just need to check them out.

I was making an effort to expand my reading horizons and the description of this book intrigued me. What I found was a story far outside my wheelhouse, one that kept me enthralled from page one.

Maria Fontana, head of the Psychology department at Columbia, was one of the twelve members of the jury for the trial of the heinous serial killer Wyatt Butler. Maria was torn by the decision to be made in the jury room based on what was essentially circumstantial evidence. In the end, the deciding vote was cast.

The press refused to let the story go and the families of the victims were unforgiving. When Maria is outed as the holdout, her life is turned upside down. In an effort to escape the turmoil surrounding her, she and her family embark on a cross Atlantic cruise. Not long after the ship sails, a child goes missing and Maria is thrown back to the horrors of the trial. When a passenger is next found murdered, the passengers are restricted to their cabins and the hunt begins. With her intimate knowledge of Butler's trial and experience in psychology, it falls to Maria to work with ships' security to determine if Butler is back.

This book is chilling in its detailed descriptions keeping the reader anxious and on edge. The tension builds from page one culminating in a surprising twist I never saw coming. At times I wasn't sure I wanted to turn the page but couldn't help but do just that. It was at those times I was thankful for the short chapters that gave me the perfect opportunity to take a breath before continuing. Even so, days after I finished reading, the book continues to haunt me, but not in a bad way. Despite the tension, the anxiety , the nerves the story engenders, I'm ready to read it again to see if I can find the foreshadowing I missed that lead to a truly shocking ending. If you're a thriller reader and are questioning whether or not to read this book, I can only say to you - READ IT!

I love reading thrillers. I love going on cruises. So - a book about a serial killer on a cruise ship?! Count me in! Except, the problem here is that the authors clearly have never gone on a real cruise. I could detail a list a mile long of errors regarding the cruise. The story was so frustrating to read. Maybe if a reader has never been on a cruise, they might find that aspect of the story palatable, but if the reader is a female, she may be equally frustrated by the stereotypical traits male authors often assign to women . . . not a protagonist I would ever follow into a sequel.

This is the first book I've read by James Murray and it was a great one! Filled with all sorts of twists and turns. Loved it!

Alleged child serial killer, Wyatt Butler, is on trial for his life. As he sat and sneered with the smug look on his face taunting the jurors to dare them to find him guilty, twelve jurors deliberated and decided it couldn’t collectively come up with a decision. But as fate would have it, one juror made an extreme move. Today was Butler’s lucky day. He was found innocent by one juror—meet Maria Fontana, the infamous juror and psychologist professor with Columbia University.

After the verdict was read, the public went mad. All the evidence pointed in Butler’s direction, but Maria could not convict based on circumstantial information. She went with her gut and the public wanted to rip it out. That is, after she admitted she was the juror who made the decision to cut the child murderer free. The parents of those victims hated Maria. She and several other jurors were getting death threats as well as their families. It was a hellish nightmare to say the least. Maria made the brave decision to advise the public that she was in fact the juror who voted in favor of Butler’s innocence.

After everything was said and done, Maria and her family needed to get away from the media and all the chaos and they decided what their family needed was a great family vacation. So, Maria and her fiancé, Steve, and her two kids boarded a transatlantic cruise to unwind and relax themselves. They weren’t on the ship a good twenty-four hours before something very weird was discovered by one of the passengers on the ship. The smell coming from her adjoining room was too much to bear. She alerted the ship’s crew and complained to her husband that there was something rotten seeping in her nose cavity and she couldn’t take it any longer.

When maintenance finally stopped up, the screams that exited the passenger’s mouth sounded like someone from a horror film. What they discovered was a severed head along with a note. Certainly, a decapitated head didn’t write the note. When Maria got wind of this news, it sent chills through her body. She was all too familiar with that MO. She saw it up close and personal in the trial of Wyatt Butler. And that, readers, is where this nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat read begins to take shape.

I could not get enough of this story. I love a good horror story and even though it’s not in October, it didn’t matter. I was so here for it. Yassss, this is the type of action I’m talking about! What I most enjoyed about this story is that you think the storyline is going in one direction and then the authors throw these red herrings at you and you’re not sure if you’re on the right track or not? This story got right to the point and like I said, I was so here for it! Using my skills to dissect a good storyline, I was right about quite a few things, but there were some twists in here that threw me way off and I loved it! When an author can fool me, I got to give them props. This was a quick read and one that you will not want to put down. I’m giving you fair warning though. There are some graphic and gruesome scenes in this book. If you’re not one who likes to read gore and some violence, you’ve been warned. It isn’t overly excessive, but there were some gross things that I know many readers complain in their reviews about, and I do not want readers to unfairly give these authors a negative one. I love this type of stuff, but not every reader has the stomach for it. Awesome Read! Good Stuff!

This is one of those books where I went back and forth between the ARC and the audiobook. I needed to do this. I kept hearing the voice of one of the authors when I read it in my head and it was very distracting. Half of the book was basically me hearing Murr be sarcastic. This book deserved better, so I turned to the audiobook when this started happening. I give kudos to the reader for taking me out of that zone.

We have here second book from these authors. The first was strangely brutal in its opening scene and then pretty non-stop, edge of your seat action from there on out. Pretty good. And one of the characters from this new book agrees with me. So…there!

I’ve been on a lot of juries. When courts see teachers they just know. We cannot take the whole “:we are molding minds and this is really not conducive to that” as an excuse to get out of it. I know. I’ve been told. So, I’ve sat on many juries. I still can see crime scene photos from one in my head. They stay with you. This book is about that in the very literal sense.

That being said, I wasn’t as on the edge with this one as the previous. I guess my hatred of being trapped on a boat is not as great as my genuine fear of giant spiders. Can you blame me? Still, this book continues the fast paced action you see in the first.

Also, makes me really glad I never went on one of those Impratical Jokers cruises. It’s like being trapped in your hotel. Seriously. Why?

The Stowaway is a really fast, high energy read. I sat down to read it, and when I got up shortly after to get some lunch, I noticed that I was already at the halfway point!! It's a entertaining novel, but generally, formulaic.

The story follows protagonist Maria Fontana, who is a psychology professor at Columbia. At the beginning of the novel. Maria is in a jury room deliberating on a serial murder case. The murders were horrific, but Maria is aware of the weight and gravity of the decision she is being asked to make. In the end, the trial ends up as a mistrial with just one juror voting Not Guilty. As is the case in these crazy times, the members of the jury are subsequently harassed and threatened by trolls. To finally put the matter to rest and keep her fellow jurors safe, Maria calls a press conference and announces that she was the hold-out juror thus she alone is subject to the animosity of the populous. Months later, a writer looking for his 15 minutes of fame writes a salacious book about the trial, filled with lies about Maria. After she publicly confronts the author, captured by a multitude of cell phone 'documentarians,' her boss at Columbia asks Maria to take a yearlong leave of absence to let the noise die down. Fortunately Maria recently met Steve, and he has brought joy back into her life. Before she goes back to work, Maria and Steve decide to take a trans-Atlantic cruise, along with her twin tweens. Just a few days into the cruise, a gruesome discovery is made on the ship, a man's head sitting on a bed in a stateroom that was supposed to be unoccupied. When that's followed by the murder of a little boy, Maria becomes convinced that the serial killer from her jury case is onboard her cruise.

The Stowaway is what I would call a good airport book. You grab it while waiting to fly somewhere, read the whole book on the plane, and leave it in the pocket of your airline seat for the next reader. It's fast-paced and entertaining.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Two years ago, Maria Fontana served on the jury of the suspected serial killer, Wyatt Butler. Ending in a mistrial that set Butler free, Maria's life has been a whirlwind ever since that time as the world won't stop hounding the jury, demanding to know who the dissenting vote was. When Maria outs herself as the lone juror who voted not guilty, things only intensify.

After a tell-all book by a possibly unscrupulous writer and being put on sabbatical due to her increasing instability, Maria is ready to get her life back on track with her fiancee and her two children. So, she books a cruise and looks forward to a week away and then entering the real world again. Alas, the two-year nightmare isn't about to end for Maria. Instead, it's about to get much, much worse.

A series of mysterious deaths on the ship, all connected to Maria and the trial take place. Could Wyatt Butler be on board and is his final target, Maria?

I've read and enjoyed the first couple of offerings from Impratical Joker James S. Murray and Darren Warmouth. Those novels weren't exactly great literature, but they were still entertaining rides into horror. The Stowaway moves away from the horror genre and into the suspense area -- and the result is a book that I couldn't quite become as invested in. The characters are paper-thin and it feels like the suspense strung out a bit too long for my liking. We spend a long time wondering if Wyatt is on the ship, and, if so, where can he be hiding in plain sight. There are some pretty gruesome deaths in here as well -- if you're triggered by young victims in peril, this one might not be for you.

By the time we get to the final revelations and the twists, I'd pretty much guessed a good share of all of them.

This isn't necessarily a terrible book. It's just one that disappointed me.

It's the literary equivalent of a bag of potato chips.

I received a digital ARC of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Every time I get a notice about jury duty, my heart speeds up. I don't want to sit on a jury where someone has killed a person, let alone a serial killer. When serial killer Wyatt Butler, came to trial, the twelve members of the jury could not agree on a verdict. Maria Fontana a professor of psychology was the vote that led to a mistrial and allowed him to go free. Being harassed and having her name and character dragged through the mud in a book, she is placed on sabbatical from the university. Just before she gets ready to return, she, her fiancé and children take a transatlantic cruise. Shortly after they depart, disappearances and deaths start happening. Maria is sure it is Butler, but getting anyone to believe her is almost impossible. If it is him, what is his endgame? Why is he on this cruise with Maria and her family?

First, I want to say that there are some graphic descriptions of the results of violence to adults and children, so if that is not something you want to read about, you might want to give this book a pass. This is a book where you know the culprit from the start, what we don't know is where is he hiding, what are his future plans and will he get caught before more people end up dead. This was still an interesting mystery as I had a lot of questions. There are some twists along the way that had me sitting up and taking a deep breath. There is a lot of suspense and I read/listened to this one in less than a day as I had to know what was going to happen next. This book reminded me a lot of the television show Criminal Minds but with other people solving the crime, not the FBI. The final twist and showdown were very well done and I do recommend this book to all who enjoy this genre.

The Stowaway is a fast-paced suspense novel that grabbed this reader immediately and didn't let me go until I had turned the last page!

Maria Fontana, head of the Psychology Department of Columbia University, was on the jury for the trial of Wyatt Butler, a serial killer of children. The trial ended with a mistrial when a unanimous verdict of guilty couldn't be reaced.

Now, two years later, Maria feels like her life may be starting to come together again. Set to marry her boyfriend Steve in two months, she, Steve, and her twins Chloe and Christopher, are taking a two week trans-Atlantic cruise. They're looking forward to relaxing family time.

But the relaxing doesn't last long; several gruesome deaths lead the ship's security personnel and captain to the conclusion that there's a serial killer on board, and Maria thinks she knows who it is.

This is a novel that kept me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for permitting me to read an e-ARC of the novel, set to be published on 9/21/21. All opinions stated in this review are my own and are freely given.

So scary…and a real page-turner! Did not see the reveal coming. Nice twist at very end, too. Caution: very graphic murder and mayhem described. Only complaint was misleading book title. Thanks to #NetGalley and #TheStowaway for advanced digital copy.

What would you do if a man is on trial for brutal murders, and you have his life in your hands? Do you go with your gut or the evidence?

That is the dilemma that is addressed by juror Maria Fontana who is head of the psychology department at Columbia University. The book opens with the trial of Wyatt Butler being accused of murder and navigates the minds of these jurors who have to make that decision. She votes with her conscience and the man goes free. The relentless media and an author who is bent on outing the juror who set him free brings so much chaos to her life she takes a vacation to calm things down. The perfect vacation cruise to carry her and her family away from everything at home becomes a terrifying ordeal . In true cat and mouse form of the hunter and the hunted, we discover someone on board who is not who he said he was.. Maria and her family struggle to find the killer along with the ships head of police. Did the hunter become the hunted?

Although I have never read any books by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth, the characters came to life, and I wanted to keep turning the pages to see who the killer was. Enjoyable read for any thriller fan. The ending was a perfect set up for a series. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for new authors to try.

#TheStowaway #NetGalley

There are so many surprises packed into the pages of this book filled with suspense. Maria is a mother and a psychology professor who did her civic duty as a juror on a trial for a serial killer. This leads to attention and turmoil for her and her family that spans two years. Wyatt is a psychopath with a hatred for children and chaos. The story is breathtaking in its many twists and turns. The hunt for a killer makes everyone a suspect.