Murder and mayhem aboard a cruise ship

Two years ago Maria Fontana, a psychology professor, was on the jury of a serial killer of children. The jury ended up in mistrial, not being able to come to a unanimous verdict.

Now Maria, her fiance and her two children are on a luxury cruise liner from New York to Southampton, trying to relax after being hounded by the press about her time on the jury.

And then the unthinkable happens mid-Atlantic and Maria wonders if the serial killer that was set free has followed her and her family on board the ship.

I enjoyed this psychological thriller. It was a quick read, gruesome in spots so be warned.

I received this book from St. Martin's Press through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

⚠️ Violence against children. I was not aware of this going into this read. I usually prefer to go into thrillers somewhat blind so I may have missed that detail, but be aware there are some intense details.

With that being said, I thought this story was an interested take. The POV is told by Maria, who was on the jury for a murder trial and the murderer was set free. Every juror on that trial dealt with threats and criticism from the public. To get away, Maria, her children and fiancé go on a cruise to relax and spend time together. However, there are murders occurring on board…

A fast paced read, but honestly, some of the details were just too much for me. I couldn’t handle the violence with children and it was just out of my comfort zone. I thought the idea of basing a story around a juror was interesting. I think if the story went more into being trapped on the ship with the serial killer and took out more of the intense details I would of enjoyed it more.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Stowaway is a fast past mystery that takes place in the court room and ends on a cruise ship.

Maria Fontana serves as a juror on a murder trial of an alleged child serial killer, Wyatt Butler.
It seemed like a slam dunk case but there were some inconsistencies and one juror can’t convict. Wyatt Butler goes free and public outcry makes the jurors lives miserable. After being attacked in the court of public opinion, Maria tries to resume her life with her two children and new boyfriend. She and the family embark on a two week transatlantic cruise as a break and chance to get some rest before the wedding. Halfway between the US and the UK a decapitated head turns up, a child goes overboard, and mutilated body turns up in an ice cream dispenser. All of these are pretty gruesome, but what murder is easy to read.

Maria will see that there are similar MO's reminding her of the trial. She will believe Wyatt Butler is on board or a copycat committing murders. The clock is ticking on this ship as someone is onboard willing to stop at nothing to get their story immortalized.

I love thrillers written about the American jury pool; our method of justice involves the average citizen into the most horrible details of a crime and the threats that this intimate knowledge may generate.
Maria Fontana had to do her civic duty and participate in the trial of a child serial killer. She did what she was instructed to do: vote on the facts as she saw them. Little did she know, this would ruin the next few years of her life. The public scrutiny, the hateful comments, and gestures, the cruelty and judgment of people who didn’t agree with her, wore her down to a shell of the person she once was.
The idea of a relaxing ocean cruise for her family and her boyfriend seems like a great idea, and for the first couple of days, it is. As soon as the ship is in international waters, horrible events begin to take place that are eerily similar to the crimes she listened to during her jury duty.
Maria goes a little bit loco in my opinion at this point, screeching at the ship’s employees, demanding to be listened to. The basic story is good, but the characters in the story are all a little too energetic for me. A bit of subtlety would have been nice here. And the crimes that were committed while on the ship were a bit too unbelievable. But again, the basic story and chain of events were entertaining, it just got a bit repetitious and bogged down at points. I still enjoyed the book but struggled a bit to finish it.
Sincere thanks to St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date was September 21, 2021.

Suspenseful, intense and claustrophobic with twists to keep you guessing. This is the first in a new series by this author. Trigger warning for graphic descriptions of violence toward children. Thank you Netgalley, St. Martins Press, and James S. Murray for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wyatt Butler is on trial as an accused serial killer of children. The trial has lasted for four long weeks filled with gruesome photos of mutilated children and a verbally defiant defendant. Maria Fontana is a psychologist and a professor at Columbia University. She is also a juror. After all this time, she is not convinced that Wyatt Butler is guilty and casts a private vote of not guilty resulting in a mistrial. The media and people everywhere are livid and demand to know who the lone juror is who voted not guilty. In order to save all of the jurors from harassment and attack, Maria admits publicly that she was the juror who voted not guilty. Before long, a new book comes out called “Wyatt Butler: The Ultimate Truth” by Jeremy Finch. A whole chapter is dedicated to Maria bashing her for voting the way she did. Furious, she publicly attacks the man calling him a liar. This results in her being placed on sabbatical from the university for a year.

Maria is the single mother of 11-year-old twins, Christopher and Chloe. She has recently found love in Steve a financial advisor and thespian in local theater. Taking time off has been somewhat of boon for her but after awhile, she misses her busy schedule.

With two months left in her time office, Maria and Steve decide to take the children on a cruise from New York to Southampton. Everyone is excited and looking forward to the new adventure.

When events start happening on the ship that are much like what the serial killer did, Maria is convinced he is on the ship. She also knows that he sees her. Fearing for her family, nothing will do but that she hunt him down herself.

This is a scary book and very graphic so prepare yourself. A great cat and mouse read that will have you on the edge of your seat. Enjoy the drama!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Two years ago Maria Fontana was a psychology professor at Columbia University serving on a jury for a serial killer trial. With a lot of circumstantial evidence and no DNA, it's declared a mistrial when, for the third time, one juror voted not guilty. Now the twelve jurors are being threatened by the victims'families and hounded by the media. To save the rest, Maria admits she's the one who let Wyatt Butler go free. After a forced sabbatical, she, her fiance Steve, and her two children go on a cruise. But when murders start to happen on the ship with the same MO as Wyatt Butler, Maria knows it's either him or a copycat, and his ultimate goal is Maria and her family.
This story is packed full of action and suspense, and the setting on a cruise ship with no escape just adds to the thrill. Although the descriptions of murdered children were quite gruesome, they paint a picture of a truly horrible killer. And was that a hint at the end of a sequel? I'll be waiting in line for it if so!
I received an advance reader copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

I think this book would appeal to someone who likes true crime and suspense novels. I unfortunately couldn't finish the book as the detail of a murdered child was too much for me to handle. Thank you for the opportunity to read though.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately I couldn’t finish it. Too much gore and I don’t do well with anything with kids.

I enjoyed reading this book, the second time I attempted it. Guess I was not in the mood the first time. How many of us have been approached for jury duty? I know I filled out a form but so far so good. Maria is chosen, and her case is a serious one...a serial killer of children. She finds him not guilty, despite what everyone else says and the case is dismissed. For two years, she deals with all the feedback against her, including being forced to take a leave of absence from her job. Her family decides to take a cruise to England, and all the sudden things start happening that are a reminder of the killer. Is this really happening or is she just paranoid? Will anyone believe her? I imagine that there is a great deal of mental stress that occurs when you are in this kind of trial. Knowing that your vote could be the one that either frees a potential killer, or sends an innocent man to jail. One of the things that was not explained...the killer has drained the blood from a body that is later cut up. Where did he do this on an ocean liner and where did he hide it later?

Wyatt Butler was on trial for murder of children. One juror voted not guilty and he went free. Maria Fontana, a psychologist, was on the jury. There was such as outrage about the verdict that Maria stated she voted not guilty to protect another juror. Maria and her fiance and her children go on a cruise. A boy goes missing, then a child's body in found in an ice cream machine with clothing not belonging to this child. This is a page turning thriller with a surprise ending.

Maria came forward as the lone not guilty vote that set a serial killer that preyed on children free. Her life definitely changed and she feared for her family’s safety. Her new fiancée decides to travel on a cruise to England to escape her fears but…there is evil aboard that mimics the acts of the serial killer.
Parts of this were so gruesome I had to skip over them. It is definitely not a read for the faint of heart. The violence to children did make the book difficult for me to enjoy. The typical twists and turns with a beautiful setting. Loved Maria’s admission at the end…not a total surprise though. Cruise anyone? Three and a half stars.
My thanks to James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this just published book.

I like the Impractical Jokers and often watch it, James "Murr" Murray is one of the Jokers so that's why this book caught my eye.

Maria was on the jury of a murder case of Wyatt Butler who was accused of killing and dismembering children. When he is acquitted, the public start emotionally and physically attacking the jurors for weeks and months afterwards. To stop the abuse of the other jurors, Maria holds a press conference and admits she was the deciding vote.

Fast forward two years and Maria, her fiancé and her two young children are taking a two week cruise across the Atlantic Ocean. Passengers start turning up dead or missing and Maria suspects Wylie is on the ship or there is a copycat killer. She works with the head of security, once she convinces him she knows what's she's talking about, to catch the killer.

This was a quick read (I read it in a day). I thought the writing could have been tighter. The word "exsanguination" was used many times ... I had no idea what it meant so had to look it up. As a head's up, there is swearing and violence, especially against children. I found it interesting that for someone so funny on TV has such a twisted imagination.

I wasn't crazy about the story. I found the storyline once Maria and her family got on the ship farfetched. She sees a weird looking man within five minutes on the ship and immediately assumes he's up to something and it has to do with the murder case she'd been a juror on. A bit of a stretch, I thought. At the end, because she is a psychologist, she knows how the killer's mind works and takes actions to mess with his mind. Really? It was obvious who the killer was as soon as they were introduced in the story. I wasn't buying the who, the how or the why ... I thought it was silly

I enjoyed this book and would love to read more stories by these authors. Even when I thought I had things figured out I would found out that I didn’t. This was a suspenseful and fast paced read.

The Stowaway is perfect for mystery/thriller fans and will certainly keep readers on their toes. Just what happens with you go on a cruise with your family only for there to be a serial killer on board and to make matters worse, you were the lone juror vote that kept the killer you suspect is onboard from being convicted. Saying any more about the plot will risk spoilers. The writing is gripping. The plot is truly unpredictable. If you're looking for a fresh mystery, look no further. Highly recommended!

As a mystery/thriller fan, I loved it. I loved that this book didn't shy away from a gruesome case and I loved the way it was written with a compelling tone and interesting characters.

As an Impractical Jokers fan (IJ is the show my husband leaves on all day everyday), I really appreciated all the references to the show. I think you're about 100 words in when there's a reference to a 'drab' outfit, then there's a fat guy joining a belly flop contest on the ship, then there's an annoying side character named Larry.... it's all just really funny in a way that made me chuckle out loud while I was reading it.

My only criticism is that as *both* a fan of mystery/thriller *and* a fan of Impractical Jokers.....the IJ Easter Eggs sometimes distracted from the gruesome case. For example the part where the female passenger asked her husband to report the stench coming from the cabin next door should have been really jarring when they found what they found, but the fact that her useless husband's name was Larry took me out of the scene a bit.

Overall though I would definitely read more from Murr (&Darren Wearmouth)!

Be prepared to have nothing else scheduled for the day you decide to start The Stowaway by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth! This book is fast paced from the first page until the last page. Several times I thought I had everything figured out and then I would find out I was wrong. I liked the main character Maria Fontana, a psychologist and head of the Psychology Department at Columbia. When the book opens Maria is writing about her experience in the jury room for the trial of a serial killer, Wyatt Butler. After deliberating for three weeks, the jury is getting ready to take another vote on his guilt. If they do not come to consensus, the judge will call a mistrial.

We move forward in time and find out that Maria is a single mother of eleven-year-old twins, Chloe and Christopher. She is involved with her boyfriend Steve who is a financial advisor. She has been receiving messages accusing her of voting Butler innocent. She receives a package that has a book, The Ultimate Truth, by Jeremy Finch. There is a chapter about Maria. Maria decides to go to a book signing and she goes off on Finch which leads to the Columbia University Dean Liander forcing Maria to take a year sabbatical. Maria and Steve decide to take the twins and go to England via a twelve-day cruise. This is where the action really begins. The short chapters contribute to the tension of the book. Warning: There are some gruesome murders. I think this might be the start of a series! I hope so and will definitely read a second book. My thanks to St. Martin’s and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

DNF. I wasn't aware that this would be as graphic as it is, right from the beginning, and if the murder, abuse, and graphic nature of these acts against children is a trigger for you, definitely give this one a hard pass.

I am sadden to report that this book was a fail for me. I had been looking forward to reading it when I saw it a few months back. The premise is what drew me in and made me want to read this book.

I listened to this on audio. The narrator was fine but the narrator could not help the story be better. The main character, Maria was alright but at least she was better then the rest of the characters. They were just annoying and unhelpful. Everyone acted like Maria was stupid. Yet, even when the first body was discovered, the captain and security did not act with urgency.

The pacing never got above a five. If you are a reader like me who have read many thrillers, then you will probably figure out early on the plot of the story. By the time the story was wrapping up I was over it.

Title: The Stowaway
Authors: James Murray & Darren Wearmouth
Narrator: Barrie Kreinik
Publication: 9/21/21
Genre: Suspense, Thriller
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In Short: A serial killer goes free due to 1 deciding vote and Maria took the blame publicly to stop the harassment all jurors were experiencing Now, a year later, she’s on a cruise and is certain that serial killer is on it too and he’s not done.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this book, especially the audiobook. It was fast paced and suspenseful with a few twists I didn’t see coming, especially the ending. The setting of this book, a cruise ship, really helped build the suspense as the crew, with Maria’s help, tried to determine if it really was the same serial killer or a copycat. I can’t imagine being on a cruise when murders start happening. Talk about get me out of here!

The Audiobook: This book was fantastic on audio! I loved the narrator, he keep me captivated, had great pacing and really contributed to the build of suspense and tension as the story escalated. An extra bonus to the audiobook was an interview with he authors at the end that talked more about the book and their writing process.

Content warning: There are parts of this book that are very dark and graphic, including violence against children.

Thank you @macmillan.audio @netgalley and @stmartinspress for #gifted early copies of this book and audiobook.