The Stowaway
Two years ago, Dr. Maria Fontana made the hardest decision of her life. As a juror in a highly publicized serial killer trial, the Columbia University psychology professor couldn’t in good conscience convict Wyatt Butler on purely circumstantial evidence. Her lone holdout vote set an accused monster free—and destroyed her quiet, successful life in the process. Vilified by the media and condemned by the victims' families, Maria is desperate for an escape.
A two-week transatlantic cruise with her fiancé, Steve, and her twin children is supposed to be the perfect sanctuary. But the ocean offers no refuge. When a passenger vanishes and another is found murdered bearing the exact ritualistic signatures of the Wyatt Butler killings, the luxury liner is thrown into lockdown. Now, trapped miles from shore, Maria faces a terrifying reality. Is a twisted copycat taunting her? Or is she locked on a floating prison with the bloodthirsty maniac she unleashed upon the world?
- Wyatt Butler - Serial killer
- Maria Fontana - Psychology professor at Columbia University, juror
- Ashlyn -Juror
- Chloe and Christopher - Maria’s twins, 11
- Steve - Maria’s fiancé
- Jeremy Finch - Author
- Jake Reese - Head of security on Atlantia
- Tracy Hendricks - Security officer on Atlantia
- Owen - Atlantia passenger, 10
- Catherine - Atlantia passenger
- Todd - Atlantia passenger, Catherine's nurse
- Wyatt is on trial for murdering eight children in several different states.
- One juror refuses to vote guilty, resulting in a mistrial.
- Jurors and their families are being attacked and receiving death threats.
- Maria tells the media that she was the one who voted not guilty so that people will leave the other jurors alone.
- Eight months later: Someone puts a copy of the tell-all book Jeremy wrote about Wyatt in Maria's mailbox.
- The book contains a chapter about Maria, but most of it is blatant lies.
- Ten months later: Steve and Maria are engaged.
- The family goes on a twelve-day cruise on the HMS Atlantia.
- On day five of the cruise, a severed male head is found on a bed in an unoccupied cabin.
- The neck tendons are tied into a neat bow, just like Wyatt did to some of his victims.
- Owen sneaks out of his cabin and a man throws him overboard.
- When he’s reported missing, Jake checks the cameras and sees a flash of Owen falling overboard.
- Maria convinces Jake to investigate the possibility that Wyatt is on board the ship.
- Jake identifies the severed head as Jeremy Finch’s.
- Maria meets Catherine and Todd while waiting for coffee.
- Catherine tells Maria how wonderful Todd is and that he has undergone multiple surgeries over the last two years.
- The dismembered body of a teenage girl is found in the ice cream machine.
- Maria finds Steve’s dead body on their balcony and discovers Christopher and Chloe are missing.
- Wyatt calls Maria and tells her he has the children.
- Todd is really Wyatt.
- Wyatt strangled Catherine to death before he kidnapped Chloe and Christopher.
- He tells Maria she has five minutes to come to his cabin before he throws the children overboard.
- Knowing that Wyatt thrives on precision and order, Maria says no.
- When Maria doesn’t arrive within five minutes, Wyatt chases her around the ship.
- Wyatt tells Maria he is the one who left Jeremy’s book in her mailbox.
- Wyatt is angry that Maria caused a mistrial because he wanted recognition for what he had done.
- Maria tells Wyatt that she voted guilty at the trial but took the blame to protect the other jurors.
- It was really Ashlyn who voted not guilty.
- Maria presses a button to close a watertight door, crushing Wyatt to death.
- Security rescues Chloe and Christopher.
- Epilogue: Three years later
- Maria writes a memoir about her ordeal.
- A woman approaches Maria and says that four people, including her son, have been killed and had their bones removed over the last six months. She asks for Maria’s help because police cannot solve the case.
This book has some brief descriptions of child torture and mutilation, so definitely beware of that before you decide to pick it up. If you're okay with the heavy subject matter, I found this to be an entertaining and fast-moving read. The story kicks off with Maria serving on a jury to decide the fate of an alleged child killer, setting a tense tone right from the start. Things really escalate when the setting shifts to a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean. Once the killing starts, everyone is completely trapped at sea with nowhere to go.
The short chapters keep the momentum going, making it incredibly easy to fly right through the book. The authors nailed the claustrophobia of being stuck on the ship with a murderer who feels genuinely intimidating and keeps the suspense high the entire time. A major highlight of the story is Maria. I found myself really invested in if she and her family would come out of their situation alive.
The only place the story stumbled for me was at the end. I found the killer's ultimate motivation just didn't feel logical once it was finally revealed. Even with that letdown, the pacing and the characters kept me hooked and I still really enjoyed the book overall. If you love a trapped thriller and you don't mind the heavy subject matter, this book is definitely worth picking up.
- Owen - Dead - Tossed overboard by Wyatt during the cruise
- Steve - Dead - Throat slit by Wyatt
- Wyatt - Dead - Crushed by a watertight door
- Catherine - Dead - Strangled by Wyatt
- Christopher - Alive - Safe and well
- Chloe - Alive - Safe and well
- Maria - Alive - Still grieving Steve's death
- Murder and mutilation of children
- Stalking
- Murder
ISBN: 9781250263650
Publication Date: September 21, 2021
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
