Two years ago, Maria Fontana, the head of the Columbia University psychology department, was one of twelve jurors in Wyatt Butler’s trial. Butler has been accused of murdering eight children. When the sensationalized trial ends in a mistrial as a result of one juror, the twelve jurors discover they are the focus of continual harassment.

After being urged to take a sabbatical, Maria decides to focus on her new relationship and her 11-year-old twins and take a two-week transatlantic cruise. Just as she’s starting to feel relaxed, a passenger is brutally murdered…and it’s similar to Butler’s style. Suddenly, she’s confronted with an ironic thought….she’s stuck on a boat in the middle of the ocean with a serial killer on board…one she set free!

What an intense read! An avid cruiser, I was able to picture the scenes in my head as the family enjoyed their first 6 days at sea. I know too well how it feels to plop on a deck chair exhausted and have the sea breeze, frozen margaritas, and poolside melodies soothe my overworked soul. The setting adds to the tension and the multiple points of view not only allow for twists but also create suspense. The author is able to describe the cruise ship experience with vivid details, allowing readers to become more involved in the engaging plot. However, it’s unnerving and slightly graphic at times. I struggled with the victims being children and wondered if it would have worked just as well if adult victims were chosen?

Inspired from years of doing Impractical Jokers cruises, it’s the duos first at-sea thriller and although it lacks some character development, it makes up for it in serial killer intensity. The unpredictable ending will hit you like a rogue wave.

Publishes September 21, 2021.

I was gifted this advance copy by James S. Murray, Darren Wearmouth, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This was a great read. A little slower at times but I still really enjoyed it. I have never read this author before but it was good reading and kept me engaged and entertained. Thanks NetGalley

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ebook copy of this title in exchange for my review.

This was supposed to be a suspenseful thriller, fast paced and exciting. That's not how it felt as I kept plodding through this book. There were some points that were exciting and fast paced and got me excited, but then it would all fall flat. The character developments felt really flat and one dimensional too, and that left it hard for me to really get engaged with the overall story.

An exciting and action read. I was hooked from page one and couldn't put it down. I recommend this book

What a terrific cruise this book was. Original and imaginative, I couldn't stop turning pages. And a great cover, one of the best I've seen.

Maria Fontana was a juror on a heinous murder trial 2 years ago and was the deciding vote that set the killer free. Now, two years later Maria and her family are on two-week cruise trying to escape the publicity of the trial. While on the cruise, murders start occurring and they are similar to the MO of the killer from the trial. Is the killer back or is it a copy cat killer? Can the family survive the cat-and-mouse game with this psychopath'? .

I received a ARC through #NetGalley for an honest review. It's definitely beach/vacation read and not a deep, thought-provoking book. But, if you enjoy a book that is a fast-paced, cat-and-mouse thriller that is easy to read, this is the book for you. I enjoyed this book but gave it 4 stars because I had it figured out pretty quick. There wasn't a "gotcha" moment for me.

I received an eARC of The Stowaway by James Murray from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
4 stars! This was a quick read that doesn't lack the chilling suspense. There are some graphic and horrifying descriptions of the murders, It's definitely a page-turner!

The Stowaway was fast moving and suspenseful but I did not really connect with any of the characters. Maria did not seem real- excellent at reading psychotic people but unable to find a way to deal with stress in her own life? I did guess where some of the plot lines were going. But it does seem like it would be a great action movie!

This book is reason #254 why I’ll never go on a cruise ship 🙅🏻‍♀️ Such a quick-paced and intense read, I couldn’t put it down.

Maria was one of twelve jurors on one of the most gruesome and notorious serial killers of our time. After walking free with hung jury, the jurors are relentlessly harassed by the public who demand revenge for the one who voted ‘not-guilty’. Now, trying to recover and move past the traumatizing civic duty, Maria and her family embark on a 12 day cruise to London. Their family vacay bliss is cut short when bodies start turning up with the same MO as the killer, is he really on board and can Maria help catch him?

I thought I had this one figured out early on but it was such a great red herring! Readers beware this book does describe the bodies in pretty graphic detail, definitely not for the weak tummies. I highly recommend picking this up on September 21st, if you are headed on one last summer vacation, except maybe pass if going on a cruise ship though

I really wanted to like this book but the children murder scenes did me in. It was just real graphic there but left me lacking in the character development. The main character is a psychology professor at Columbia but she isn't able to use her own insights to solve the case. Maria Fontana is a panicked mom with zero depth. I wish the writers would have spent more time on at least her character and less time on the grisly depictions of children being murdered. I also felt like this one was just a complete copy and paste of many other thrillers without anything real to make it stand out.

Maria Fontana was the deciding vote on a jury that set an alleged serial killer free. Now, she and her family are taking a vacation on a two week transatlantic cruise. When passengers are discovered brutally murdered in a similar way to the same serial killer from her trial, the ship goes on lockdown. Is it a copycat or is it the same guy?

As an avid cruiser who takes 2-3 cruises per year, I was particularly interested in reading The Stowaway by James Murray and Darren Wearmouth. The cover further piqued my interest with the photo of a luxury liner. However, the title turned out to be a misnomer since there never was a stowaway or any mention of one. The book takes the reader through a trial and jury deliberations before one of the jurors embarks on a cruise with her family.

The novel is a standard murder mystery without clearly defined character development. The writing is rather pedestrian, albeit somewhat interesting. There is one surprise in store for the reader at the end. There is no background given or explanations for the crimes committed and the plot is certainly contrived.

I thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my own opinion.

I gave this book 4 stars because after reading the excerpt I had it all figured out before I even started , but I gave it a go, and I'm glad I did.

Maria, who has a fiancé and 2 twins, gets picked for jury duty on the trial of Wyatt Butler (not Rhett Butler, his cousin, jk). Anyway Wyatt Butler is a serial killing ritualistic killer with the same MO. Well, the jury finds him not guilty and as we know in these trials, that an actual monster is let go on some technicality or not enough evidence to provide without reasonable doubt, and the media, the people and of course the victim's families go wild and should. I would. Well the jury that Maria was on starts getting death threats and especially Maria, though I won't say why and ruin this review with a spoiler.

Anyway, Maria just wants it all to go away, the threats, the attention this trial has brought and goes on a 2week cruise with her twins and fiance, finally, to get away from the threats and shitstorm this trial has caused. But as the cruise boat is on its way, things start to go very wrong. People are missing and when they are found, lets just say that its very gory and not for the faint of heart.

Spoiler: graphic details of killing and gore!

I started this and was immediately drawn in I could not and did not want to put it down !! It is about a psychologist who ends up on a jury for a potential real psychopathic serial killer … I won’t give any spoilers but is is a real who done it and what the heck?!? It is very well written and such a great read ! There is a bit of “gore” with detailed body destruction and blood talk but I think it is done appropriately! I highly recommend you order this now !!!

It's been a while since I've read a mystery so intense that I couldn't stop reading. The Stowaway had me from the first chapter and I finished it in under 24 hours. It was fast-paced, gripping, thrilling, and had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. While reading it, it brought me back to the day of reading R.L. Stine and his Fear Street series (which I devoured by the way) and I felt like I couldn't get enough. I'm truly excited that this is the first for the series because I'm already wanting more!

What's more terrifying than a serial killer on a cruise ship? I mean, you truly have nowhere to run.

If you love a fast-paced psychological murder mystery, read this. I promise you won't be disappointed.

This was a very enjoyable and exciting book. It had a great story, with great pacing. And characters that you cared about. Highly recommend. Definitely felt like a movie. #TheStowaway #NetGalley

Decent premise, but a bit flat in terms of execution overall. It's probably above average. Unfortunately, I thought the author missed some opportunities. I don't like being critical since I know how much work writing a book is. That said, I suspect many will enjoy it.

Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!

One juror votes "not guilty" in the trial for an accused child murderer. Soon after a mistrial is declared, jurors are being harassed by the outraged families of the victims and the general public. One woman admits to being the holdout in an ill-advised attempt to stop the harassment.

This is a good thriller with a nice plot twist at the end. Easy to read, characters are well described and built as well as the story line. If you are looking for a summer book to enjoy, this is the correct one for the beach or the lazy day on the hammock. I am looking forward to read more by this author.

I had great hopes that this would be an entertaining book but it left me cold. The characters are mere props that seem almost cartoonish in their actions. Flat writing that's telling instead of showing and deflating any possible tension.
#netgalley

This was my first time reading something from these two authors! I can tell you it was an exhilarating and creepy ride! Because the story started in a courtroom awaiting to hear a verdict, I thought for sure it would be a legal thriller (and I'm not a fan of that genre). What happens when one juror votes not guilty among the rest of the guilty verdicts pretty much sets an eerie tone.

The juror is faced with backlash from community members, so much so, that she and her boyfriend decide to go away on a cruise. Once they get aboard, strange things begin to happen and they find themselves on the "cruise from hell." This was definitely a pulse-pounding thriller! Too many suspects, a lot of suspicion, and many chills and screams!

Thank you #NetGalley for providing me with AC! I will definitely be reading more of Murray and Wearmouth.