The Stowaway

A Novel

By: James S. Murray, Darren Wearmouth

Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik

Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's Summary

From writer, producer, and actor best known as "Murr" on the hit television shows Impractical Jokers and The Misery Index, James S. Murray, and co-writer 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, the head of the Psychology Department at Columbia University, sat on a jury for one of the most depraved cases ever to pass through the hallowed halls of City Hall. Wyatt Butler, an antique watch restorer and alleged serial killer, was portrayed in the courtroom as a brutal monster. But Maria had to make the tough choice. In good conscience, she couldn't convict him based purely on circumstantial evidence, and her deciding vote set Wyatt Butler free. The media soon outed her as the lone juror and her successful and quaint life was turned upside down. The victims of Wyatt's ritualistic killings never forgave her either.  

Now, she and her family have decided to take a vacation to get away from everything: a two-week-long transatlantic cruise. Nothing, and nobody should be able to bother her there. With her two twins and her fiancé Steve, she is set to put the past behind her as soon as the ship leaves port. But when a passenger mysteriously disappears, Maria is left to wonder if maybe this was no coincidence. When another passenger is 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? 

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

©1990 James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

Entertaining if not a Literary Masterpiece

The Stowaway was an easy listen. This is not to say that it is a showcase of literary mastery. It has some plot holes. It leaves some plot points hanging. It could be fleshed out more in some places. But, i thought the premise was unique, the story interesting, and the gore-factor excellent. The narration was fine. I don’t regret the use of my credit and would recommend this book as an easy entertainer.

WOW! SURPRISE!

I saw the author talking about his new book on Fox and Friends and chuckled when he said there was a surprise at the end that we wouldn't see coming. I was intrigued. I am usually quite good at figuring out "surprise" endings so I thought, hey, I'll get the (audio) book and see what happens. Well, while I did predict the 'bad guy', my heart was RACING as I listened to the final few chapters on my drive home and - wow - INDEED there WAS a surprise that I didn't see coming. AT ALL! So - James was right. I was wrong. But I did the right thing by purchasing this book and strongly recommend. I will add a caution, however, to those who are squeamish with very unpleasant/gross descriptions of certain things. The interview with the authors at the end of the book was also very interesting and enjoyed it.

what a mystery!!! what such great detail....

love it , I couldn't stop listening. I'm gonna go listen again. amazing book. scary.

The reader is awful!

The story may be good, but I can't listen to it because the reader is terrible !
Very disappointed !

No attorney should read or listen to this book

As a practicing criminal defense attorney, I found the basic premise of the book, i.e., that a non- unanimous vote by a jury results in an acquittal, or is a vote of “not guilty”, or results in the defendant being “set free”, to be an unforgivable error by the authors. Any non-unanimous verdict in a criminal case, i.e., a “hung jury”, results in a mistrial. The defendant remains in custody pending a retrial. The defendant is not acquitted or found to be not guilty. If the State chooses not to conduct a retrial, the consequences of that decision is on the State, not upon any juror who voted “not guilty”.

I really enjoyed this book.

I heard an interview with the author on the Game of Crimes podcast and thought it sounded interesting. I found the plot well paced and the character's back story explored to the proper depth. I hope there are additional books to come!

Great book. Couldn’t put down.

I really enjoyed listening to the Stowaway, I think I finished it in less than 2 days! I also enjoyed the Q&A with the authors at the end, how cool! I am actually not a big fiction reader, I’m typically reading non fiction-usually true crime, but thankfully I found this book after hearing about it on Game of Crimes and am so happy they featured the author because I seriously enjoyed the book! I thought I had pinned down the killer and had the book already played out in my head, boy was I wrong. The Stowaway took me on several twists and turns and I’m already searching for their other titles to dive into. I’m excited to see what else the author has for me to read. If you’re on the fence, buy the book. It was a unique story and dang, serial killer on a cruise ship, you don’t realize how small of an area that is in such a vast ocean. Glad I picked it up, I’ve already shared my thoughts on social media and hope you enjoy it too!

I really liked it!!

I am very pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this story! If you get queasy with murder details, I would pass this by because it is descriptive and deals with kids. I found myself covering my mouth in shock a couple of times.

Couldn't stop listening and Guessing

Listened to Stowaway in one night. It was great to fully immerse myself in the story. The characters and story were flawless. I enjoyed guessing who it might be. Third guess was right. Very cool. Thanks.

Gory, but an awesome story, couldn’t put it down

What a great book storyline and character development. Don’t miss this book you’ll regret it