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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I’ve been wanting to read this book for awhile now. I’m a huge Impractical Jokers fan, so I was stoked to read one of Murr’s books. I have to say though, I was not expecting this level of darkness from him. It’s been a long time since a book has kept me up at night like this one did, and I loved every second of it. I was on edge from start to finish.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
First book of 2024, and what a brilliant one to start with! Gruesome in some parts, excellent characters with varying backgrounds, and with a killer (no pun intended) plot.
I believe you truly feel the frustration and mystery of the case and you really resonate with all of Maria’s thoughts and feelings throughout. These authors did a brilliant job at conveying them and an ever more brilliant job at getting the reader to feel so much too.
It’s also worth noting that the majority of this novel was set on a cruise ship, which I thought was very interesting and I love the way they made this a part of the book!
The epilogue kinda hinted at a sequel and I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t be EXTREMELY eager to read such a novel if it ever becomes real. Overall, this was such a great book to start the year with and I’m itching to pick up another Murray and Wearmouth novel!
You think figuring out who the killer is would be the plot twist/spoiler, but that ending with Maria’s verdict was amazing! For the trauma she put herself through with revealing the verdict publicly, I really didn’t expect it all to be a farce…
I believe you truly feel the frustration and mystery of the case and you really resonate with all of Maria’s thoughts and feelings throughout. These authors did a brilliant job at conveying them and an ever more brilliant job at getting the reader to feel so much too.
It’s also worth noting that the majority of this novel was set on a cruise ship, which I thought was very interesting and I love the way they made this a part of the book!
The epilogue kinda hinted at a sequel and I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t be EXTREMELY eager to read such a novel if it ever becomes real. Overall, this was such a great book to start the year with and I’m itching to pick up another Murray and Wearmouth novel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Stowaway by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth will carry you headlong into the panicked world of Maria Fontana, stalked by the serial killer for whose trial she was a juror. Not just any juror: Maria is the juror whose “not guilty” vote set him free. Now she and her fiancé and two children are trapped on a cruise ship with someone who is killing again with all the same markers and patterns of the man she set free. The tragedies are closing in on Maria, who tries frantically to convince the ship’s detective of the killer’s identity. This thriller will keep you reading and keep you up at night.
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
#netgalley
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
I fully wanted to give this 5 stars, but I think I’m going with 4.5. I feel like this book was SO good and then just left a lot of unanswered questions by the end.
Things I loved:
- This story kept me very engaged. It was darker and more intense than I expected.
- Maria was a great mc, very strong and confident in her abilities and knowledge despite being doubted by everyone.
- The ice cream machine
- The creativity in murder scenes/descriptions/MO
- Setting: the isolated nature of the cruise ship was perfect
My two main issues:
- Maria questions how Butler was draining the blood from the victims. We never find out.
- Why was Steve so suspicious all the time? Why the focus on his compulsive folding before and after the security questioning him? And his quite creepy obsession with the case, and the “chance encounter” when he met Maria that seemed anything but chance.
Things I loved:
- This story kept me very engaged. It was darker and more intense than I expected.
- Maria was a great mc, very strong and confident in her abilities and knowledge despite being doubted by everyone.
- The ice cream machine
- The creativity in murder scenes/descriptions/MO
- Setting: the isolated nature of the cruise ship was perfect
My two main issues:
- Maria questions how Butler was draining the blood from the victims. We never find out.
- Why was Steve so suspicious all the time? Why the focus on his compulsive folding before and after the security questioning him? And his quite creepy obsession with the case, and the “chance encounter” when he met Maria that seemed anything but chance.
I had high hopes for this thriller, but it didn't live up to my expectations. Everything was just too farfetched to be believable. The situations were so ridiculous that I didn't feel any tension or anxiety about the outcome. The characters' actions were so stupid that I didn't care about them or what would happen to them. This was a carefree, fluff story that I won't remember next week.
tense
fast-paced
This was just a fast, fun ride. A true suspense thriller.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
So very meh.
A couple large things in this novel really didn't make sense to me.
1) Wyatt's whole motive for going after Maria was he was pissed that she voted not guilty and he didn't get recognized for his crimes. Ok then why did he hire a defense attorney? Typically serial killers like this, they would be relieved once everyone found them out and couldn't wait to brag about their crimes. They wouldn't have a defense. Alternatively, if they have a defense, they think they're so smart and nobody will ever find them out and they get off on that. You can't have both.
2) this novel mentioned psychology behind serial killers multiple times so there was another angle that was quite sloppy. Wyatt's MO was murdering children and ripping apart their limbs. Then how come twice in the book (once with Owen, one attempt with Chloe) he throws a child overboard? To me this is so much more detached and painless than his usual MO. It doesn't fit.
Again, I'm annoyed by the sloppiness of these two major things. It was a quick easy read but not very good.
A couple large things in this novel really didn't make sense to me.
1) Wyatt's whole motive for going after Maria was he was pissed that she voted not guilty and he didn't get recognized for his crimes. Ok then why did he hire a defense attorney? Typically serial killers like this, they would be relieved once everyone found them out and couldn't wait to brag about their crimes. They wouldn't have a defense. Alternatively, if they have a defense, they think they're so smart and nobody will ever find them out and they get off on that. You can't have both.
2) this novel mentioned psychology behind serial killers multiple times so there was another angle that was quite sloppy. Wyatt's MO was murdering children and ripping apart their limbs. Then how come twice in the book (once with Owen, one attempt with Chloe) he throws a child overboard? To me this is so much more detached and painless than his usual MO. It doesn't fit.
Again, I'm annoyed by the sloppiness of these two major things. It was a quick easy read but not very good.
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated