Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: September 21st, 2021
320 Pages
Synopsis: From internationally bestselling authors James Murray and 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 was the deciding vote on a jury that set alleged serial killer Wyatt Butler free. Now, she and her family are enjoying vacation on a two week long transatlantic cruise. But when passengers are 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? (Goodreads)
To call The Stowaway a fast read doesn’t quite do it justice. I started this 320 page book about 7:00 in the evening and finished it two hours later. The plot isn’t one that requires a lot of deep thinking. The identity of the serial killer is fairly certain from the beginning, and there aren’t that many puzzle pieces to put together. The biggest issue I had concerned a decision Maria made in the first couple of chapters which put not only herself, but her twins at risk. While it was a noble gesture, given that she had two children it didn’t ring quite true to me, and it stayed in the back of mind throughout the rest of the book. It wasn’t enough to stop my enjoyment though. The story itself was extremely tense and suspenseful, and I honestly couldn’t guess how it was going to end. I do need to warn you though, the serial killer here goes after children and there are a few graphic scenes that even made me squeamish. Otherwise, The Stowaway is a heart pounding thriller that I guarantee you’ll find impossible to put down!
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