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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I loooooved this one.
It was so fast paced. It could have even been 50 pages longer imo.
There is some suspending disbelief in the outcomes from the killer. But I just think this was so much fun!
It was so fast paced. It could have even been 50 pages longer imo.
There is some suspending disbelief in the outcomes from the killer. But I just think this was so much fun!
3.5
Not bad! Never did I expect to read a thriller by one of the impractical jokes, and it was decent. I was a little shocked by the ending, my guesses were wrong so that’s always fun. Some of the writing felt cheesy, and Maria was annoying, but overall a decent book. Also I was thinking about this book all day, so I had to finish it and know what was going on.
Not bad! Never did I expect to read a thriller by one of the impractical jokes, and it was decent. I was a little shocked by the ending, my guesses were wrong so that’s always fun. Some of the writing felt cheesy, and Maria was annoying, but overall a decent book. Also I was thinking about this book all day, so I had to finish it and know what was going on.
Note. This review contains minor spoilers but none major. Many have already been mentioned in other reviews on this forum.
When I read James Murray's first book, The Awakening, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, it had blood and gore, but a surprisingly good storyline too. However, after that book's success, Murray's books seemed to have become lazy, and storytelling is sacrificed for blood, gore and gratuitous violence. I grew increasingly more disappointed as the Awakening series continued and hoped that The Stowaway would be a reboot for him. Boy, was I mistaken.
Murray, and his co-author Darren Wearmouth, have managed to sink to incredible new depths. The Stowaway could have been a great book. What is not to like about a "suspense story" on a passenger cruise ship? However, in their quest to write an even more gruesome book, they decided that their killer had to kill children. However, killing was not enough, the killer had to dismember them. What is next? I can't imagine anything worse than this. It just goes to show how shallow and desensitized our generation has become.
I once saw an interview with Stephen King where he stated an author should be willing to write about things people don't want to discuss. However, Murray and Wearmouth didn't cross a line. They jumped over it, ran 10 miles and then some. Once again, I ask, what's next? (Apologies to Stephen King for mentioning his name in the same breath as these authors).
I am disappointed as initial indications were of a promising new author able to tell a good story with appropriate scares and gore. Now the focus is solely on the shock factor. Even the writing has deteriorated. The grammar and vocabulary were extremely limited, and I would consider it juvenile if not for their subject matter. The plot was laughable in its simplicity. There are few characters, and they are all very one-dimensional. The reveal of the killer came as no surprise. Essentially it could only have been one character. There is no character development to speak of whatsoever, and the characters seemed cartoonish.
I have vented enough frustration with the course that the authors have taken. They have decided to take a shortcut to make money and sacrificed quality for shock factor. However, it was the last buck I spent on their writing. There are many better books out there that I would rather spend my money on. I have also lost my interest in Impractical Jokers, a show that James Murray features in.
It really is time for Goodreads to provide an option to score a book zero stars.
When I read James Murray's first book, The Awakening, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, it had blood and gore, but a surprisingly good storyline too. However, after that book's success, Murray's books seemed to have become lazy, and storytelling is sacrificed for blood, gore and gratuitous violence. I grew increasingly more disappointed as the Awakening series continued and hoped that The Stowaway would be a reboot for him. Boy, was I mistaken.
Murray, and his co-author Darren Wearmouth, have managed to sink to incredible new depths. The Stowaway could have been a great book. What is not to like about a "suspense story" on a passenger cruise ship? However, in their quest to write an even more gruesome book, they decided that their killer had to kill children. However, killing was not enough, the killer had to dismember them. What is next? I can't imagine anything worse than this. It just goes to show how shallow and desensitized our generation has become.
I once saw an interview with Stephen King where he stated an author should be willing to write about things people don't want to discuss. However, Murray and Wearmouth didn't cross a line. They jumped over it, ran 10 miles and then some. Once again, I ask, what's next? (Apologies to Stephen King for mentioning his name in the same breath as these authors).
I am disappointed as initial indications were of a promising new author able to tell a good story with appropriate scares and gore. Now the focus is solely on the shock factor. Even the writing has deteriorated. The grammar and vocabulary were extremely limited, and I would consider it juvenile if not for their subject matter. The plot was laughable in its simplicity. There are few characters, and they are all very one-dimensional. The reveal of the killer came as no surprise. Essentially it could only have been one character. There is no character development to speak of whatsoever, and the characters seemed cartoonish.
I have vented enough frustration with the course that the authors have taken. They have decided to take a shortcut to make money and sacrificed quality for shock factor. However, it was the last buck I spent on their writing. There are many better books out there that I would rather spend my money on. I have also lost my interest in Impractical Jokers, a show that James Murray features in.
It really is time for Goodreads to provide an option to score a book zero stars.
I really wanted to like this book but the children murder scenes did me in. It was just real graphic but also 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?
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?
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.
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.
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Trapped on a cruise ship with a serial killer, mother, professor and former juror Maria has to race to save her children and thwart the revenge plans of the person intent on killing her. This story kept me on the edge of my seat from page one. A new to me pair of authors, the story was great on audio narrated by Barrie Kreinik (a favorite narrator of mine). Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ALC!
CW: some graphic scenes of violence and violence against children
CW: some graphic scenes of violence and violence against children