I was very excited to read this book as I loved this author’s last novel.

I generally liked this one and thought the first part of it with the hostage situation was well done and pulled me quickly into the story. I liked that Camilla, the main character, was a book editor and loved how the author captured, in such a relatable way, the love of words and books as a means of escape. The writing flowed well and was easy to read.

The telling of the story from two POVs - Camilla’s and Niall, the hostage negotiator, was well-done and I liked how love and family were woven as themes throughout the book. The use of three timelines in the book - divided into 3 sections - present, seven years later, and then another seven years later - was generally effective.

However, I found the middle part of the book to be slow, with a lot of focus on the ups and downs of the characters’ lives. Themes of infertility, work-life balance, and trauma were interesting but took up too much space in the book. The thriller part of the plot only really came back around the last 20% of the book.

There were some good twists and reveals, leading to, for me, a good but a bit of an understated ending. As an avid thriller reader, I have come to expect really twisty endings and I think my expectations were very high.

Overall, quite a good read that is definitely worth your while.

Thanks to the publisher for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister is an intense, fast-paced thriller that hooks you from the very first page and doesn’t let go. The story begins with a bang—Camilla, a new mother preparing for her first day back at work, wakes to find her husband missing and a cryptic note in his place. Within hours, she learns he’s at the center of a hostage situation, but not as a victim—as the gunman.

The tension is palpable throughout, as McAllister masterfully blends heart-pounding suspense with deeply emotional stakes. Camilla’s journey to uncover the truth about her husband is gripping and filled with twists that kept me turning pages late into the night. The exploration of love, trust, and betrayal adds depth to the high-stakes plot, making the story feel both thrilling and painfully human.

The characters, particularly Camilla, are well-drawn and relatable. Her desperation to understand how the man she thought she knew could be capable of such a thing is both heartbreaking and compelling. Luke’s backstory unfolds gradually, keeping you guessing about his motives right up until the end.

The only reason this isn’t a full five stars for me is that a few plot points felt slightly contrived, and the pacing dipped in some of the flashbacks. That said, the final twist packed a punch and left me thinking about the book long after I finished it.

If you’re a fan of thrillers with strong emotional undercurrents, Famous Last Words is absolutely worth the read. It’s a rollercoaster ride of suspense, heartache, and revelation.

In Gillian McAllister’s 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴, London-based literary agent Camilla Deschamps drops off her nine-month-old daughter at the nursery before heading into work. It’s her first time back in the office after maternity leave, but the anxiety and chaos she experiences in the ensuing hours actually has little to do with mommy guilt and work-life balance woes. Her normally reliable and supportive husband Luke left the house before she and her daughter awoke, and she’s been having trouble reaching him all morning. And then suddenly, policemen appear in her office’s lobby with shocking news: Luke is caught up in a hostage situation… as the perpetrator.

The novel switches back and forth between two primary narrators: Cam, the stunned and conflicted wife, and Niall, the smart and empathetic hostage negotiator. And even more interestingly, the storyline covers not only that eventful day, but also the continued investigation and aftermath of the incident seven years later. This is an intriguing premise and I was immediately hooked.

The novel is well-written with great characterization and a good pace. I found both Cam and Niall to be well-developed, engaging narrators and thought McAllister excelled at setting up scenes and building suspense and tension. As for book’s weaknesses, my main complaint is that the plot’s resolution required quite a bit of suspension of disbelief; the outlandishness of some details of the ultimate reveal took me out of the story a little. But overall, 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 is an engrossing mystery/thriller that I would recommend to fans of the genre.

4.25 stars. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Really liked this one. I kept turning the pages; not necessarily trying to figure out his last words but trying to figure out if he was truly guilty or not. I did figure it out 2/3 of the book but nevertheless the execution was great!

This was a story with a great pace and some good turns that I didn't predict. I thought the characters fell a bit flat, could have used a bit more background and detail especially on Luke. In saying that, I would recommend this to any mystery reader, maybe not quite a Library Reads, but a solid telling of a pretty gripping tale.

I really went into this book wanting to love it. However, the writing style was just not for me. I did not like the overall tone of the book. The book failed to capture my attention during the beginning portion of the book, so I DNF'd at the 20 percent mark. I typically do not rate books that I do not finish but I have to leave a star rating on here.

Wowwwww Gillian McAllister does it again! This book was so good! I thought I worked out some things along the way but couldn't see how they'd come together and indeed the way it all wraps up was full of twists and surprises... the most thrilling thriller I've read in a while! Not super dark/scary/graphic which I appreciated... just a solid mystery unwinding and making connections you were never expecting. Loved this and looked forward to reading it each time and the short chapters with varying narrators made it read quickly as well. She knocked it out of the park and I think this one will be very popular!

I’ve like other books by Gillian McAllister and this was no different.

A hostage story. A police procedural/crime story. But also a bit of a love story and family drama woven in. This had a lot going and it really grabbed my attention and held it. Plus, so many twists and turns. This was a fun story to see how it all came together at the end.

I’d definitely recommend this to others.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

5 stars! Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister had me hooked from the first chapter! The plot is incredibly original. Cam is a new mother who on her first day back to work after her maternity leave, drops her daughter off at daycare. Later that day, she finds out about a hostage situation in her city and her husband Luke is involved—but not as a hostage, as the gunman. This is a twisty thriller, a clever mystery, a love story and so much more!

I gasped out loud more than a few times reading this one. I predict this will be one of the most talked about thrillers of this year.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Normally, I can figure out the mystery in a book, but this one puzzled me until the very end. Timelines do jump a bit here, but it works! The plotting is very clever, and I loved the characters. You could feel Cam's anxiety from the pages as she feels like she's being watched or just is so close to figuring out what happened to her husband, Luke. Her hope is a small flame throughout the book, and it does keep you invested because you, too, need some resolution regarding Luke and why he would hold hostages!

Gillian McAllister is an author I have been wanting to try for a while. Famous Last Words was good fun so I look forward to checking out her backlist.

McAllister's premise was interesting and executed nicely. It did get a little slow in the middle but not enough to deter me from wanting to continue. Her main character was very relatable to me - an introverted book nerd. Many of her inner thoughts could have been mine. The secondary characters were also very fleshed out, but some seemed unnecessary.

The author explored the idea of how well do you know your loved ones by situating the main character as the wife of a hostage taker. I loved that you got both her POV and that of the hostage negotiator. I did guess some of the twists but not the major reveal. All-in-all this was entertaining and easily recommendable.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 - Ok I absolutely LOVED this thriller/mystery!! Honestly I thought it had such a fresh and fun plot line, and I loved the main focus on books/reading/the publishing industry. I am notoriously pretty bad at guessing what happens in thrillers because I don't read them super often, but this one absolutely kept me on my toes and shocked me MULTIPLE times with the reveals at the end. I had high hopes about this because I loved Wrong Place, Wrong Time, but this one really exceeded my expectations and will be a favorite thriller of 2025 I'm sure.

Famous Last Words is about Cam and Luke, newlyweds and new parents. The day that she is getting ready to return to her job after maternity leave, she finds out her husband is missing. When she arrives at her job, she is confronted by the police and discovers that Luke is the gunman in a hostage situation developing in London. Cam is immediately thrown off, so unsure how her loving, caring husband could be someone who kidnaps and holds hostage people. The plot quickly develops within the first few chapters, feeling like a climax almost in the first 25% of the book, when all hell breaks lose during the hostage situation. And then the book jumps forward to 7 years after the hostage situation ended and Cam is still trying to uncover what happened to Luke and why he was involved with the hostages.

I loved the concept of this book all revolving around Cam, who works in publishing, and mystery books/books as messages. I thought it was such a unique way to write a thriller and as a reader girlie, I absolutely was pulled into this book partly because of its focus on publishing and reading. I really enjoyed Cam's character and was rooting for her throughout the book, even as everyone gaslit her for supporting her husband. And the ending had me SHOOK!!! Overall, such a fun and amazing thriller.

Thanks to William Morrow for the free book!!

A twisted mystery/thriller with plenty of drama and some romance thrown in. Wonderful character building and multiple perspectives combine to tell an interesting story about what can happen when you are at the wrong place at the wrong time and make the wrong decision.

When I started reading this one, I was completely hooked! It was action packed! At about 80%, I got those “on the edge of my seat” vibes again. Unfortunately, the middle was a bit of a letdown. It felt like they were just trying to fill the pages to make the story longer. And, for once, I figured out the twist before it was revealed. I liked it, but it didn’t know my socks off.

This was a binge worthy read! It was unique, fast paced, and full of great characters. I haven’t read a thriller I enjoyed this much in quite a while. Gillian McAllister is on my must read list from now on.

A hostage situation is unfolding in London. The police arrive to inform Cam that her husband is involved…as the gunman. Famous Last Words is a solid mystery, with a family story wrapped around it.

This is my second ( maybe third but I'm sure it's just the second ) read by this author and I'm not mad about that at all. They have such a way to subtly grab me and keep me curious throughout the story. I'm obsessed.

Gillian McAllister just doesn’t miss. This was such a cool twist on a hostage thriller, taking twists and turns you won’t see coming.

I loved the way part one ended before we jump 7 years forward. It made the impact of the events in part one more powerful, seeing the aftermath even years later. I was on the edge of my seat, needing to find out the truth along with Cam.

The twists and conclusion were so satisfying. This was such a tense, winding suspenseful puzzle of a book. And the love between Cam and Luke was just an extra beautiful addition to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Famous Last Words is a highly enjoyable domestic thriller. Set in the UK, Camilla, aka Cam, becomes privy to a quickly evolving situation involving her husband, Luke. We soon find out that Luke has taken hostages in an empty warehouse - but why? This comes as a shock to Cam, as she, Luke, and her 9 month old daughter Polly were previously enjoying the adjustment that comes with new parenthood. Gillian McAllister tells us the story by weaving two narrative together - one of Cam and one of Niall, the hostage negotiator called in to talk Luke down. As we learn more about our characters, we are able to see how their lives have played out in the years following the fateful hostage situation.

Once I started this book I was instantly hooked! I really like the character of Cam and enjoyed reading about her relationship dynamic with her sister, Libby. There were a lot of relationship/love dynamics that felt relatable and real, tidbits of clues scattered along the way, and suspense that kept you wanting to immediately start the next chapter. The only gripe I have is I definitely had trouble getting my brain to associate Cam with a girl's name. As an American, I instantly think of Cam as in "Cameron" versus Cam as in "Camilla" - which I know is much more popular a name in the UK.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and the author Gillian McAllister for an ARC of Famous Last Words in exchange for an honest review!

Famous Last Words
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a great, suspenseful, mysterious book. Cam’s husband isn’t home when she wakes up for her first day back to work following maternity leave. Something is definitely off as he doesn’t return any of Cam’s calls or texts. And then her whole world turns upside down. There he is. On the news. Holding 3 people hostage at gunpoint. What. The. F.?

This is told through Cam’s POV and Niall’s (hostage negotiator) POV. Taking place the day of the siege and then hopping in time 7 years later. Both Cam and Niall struggle to move on from the day that changed their lives forever. They both carry unique complicated grief. This was so well written. I love when it plays out so clearly in my mind’s eye like a movie. This had everything I want to feel while reading a book. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This review will be shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date Feb 25 2025