Wow! I loved this book. Thrillers are hard to wow me with nowadays given their ubiquity but this one had me gripped nearly the entire time. Lots of twists and turns, with a few I spotted but didn’t detract from my reading experience. Well-written and has what you think you know constantly in turn. Lovely!!

I love this author and was so excited to receive the ARC. It’s a really good book and I really had no idea what the big twist was going to be. The middle section was very slow to get through but the book picked up at the 2/3 mark. Really well written.

📚 PRE-PUBLICATION BOOK REVIEW 📚

Famous Last Words By Gillian McAllister
Publication Date: February 25, 2025
Publisher: William Morrow

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

📚MY REVIEW:

Everybody's been buzzing about this book, and I was so excited when I was approved for this ARC on NetGalley. For me, this read lived up to all its buzzworthiness! I fell asleep with the book in my hand last night and it was the very first thing I thought of this morning when I awakened. Okay, it was the second thing I thought about after a giant cup of coffee.😉

This suspenseful crime thrilling mystery was absolutely unputdownable for me! The tension jumped off the pages and kept me enraptured with this storyline from the very beginning until the very last page.

This is the story of Camilla and Luke, a happily married couple with a 9-month-old daughter, Polly. Camilla is heading back to work after maternity leave, and she's confused about why Luke has left so early on this day (of all days) and why he isn't home with her to take Polly to her first day of daycare. And what's with the cryptic note Luke left her on the kitchen counter? Upon arriving at work, Camilla's feelings about this monumental day in motherhood are quickly set aside when police officers suddenly show up at her office and tell her that Luke is holed up in a warehouse and holding hostages at gunpoint...

...And the mysteriously suspenseful thrill ride takes off from there.

As the mystery deepens, the story is also told from the POV of Niall, the hostage negotiator on scene with Luke. That's all I'll say about the plot, as I think this one is best to just go into as blindly as possible. This book had multiple POVs and multiple timelines, all told in a brilliantly seamless way to maintain the suspense and hold my attention. What captivated me so much about it was that it felt almost genre-bending, as this read encapsulated the suspense of a thriller, the tension of a police procedural and crime thriller, the questions within a great mystery, and even included components of a beautiful love story.

This was my first read from Gillian McAllister, and I promise you that her backlist is now a top priority on my TBR. This book was easily a 5 ⭐ read for me! Thank you so much to William Morrow and NetGalley for this advanced e-book in exchange for my honest review.

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Whoa. What the heck was that?
I meant this in both a good way and bad. Okay, first off the book was a bit too slow for me and im ready to throw the towel and just dnf this but it picked up late-mid part. It is very character driven and has dialogues that i can compare to tv drama. I feel like watching a telenovela that just keeps on stretching its plot. It makes me just wanna scream to the characters and say JUST FN SAY IT!
Anyhow, i like the dual povs. I like seeing the events in the eyes of two characters.
3.75

Camilla is a new mother who wakes up one morning and finds that her husband, Luke, is not there. She doesn't know where he went and then finds an ambiguous note he left her. She wonders what it could possibly mean, but continues on with her day of taking her daughter to daycare! Once at work, the police show up to her job to tell her that there is a hostage situation and her husband is involved. I don't want to give too much away but that story sounded so intriguing to me.

The story started out really good but for a good portion of the middle, it fell flat for me. I really wanted to see what was going on so I continued on. It took almost until 90% for it to pick up. It was a character driven book, and throughout it, you'll get a lot of the inner thoughts and monologue of Cam. This has the feeling of the love story between Luke and Camilla. So for me, this wasn't my favorite by her, but I do feel like others are really going to like it and I already see it getting great reviews.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Gillian McAllister has written another phenomenal thriller that was impossible to put down! Set in the London suburbs, this novel follows Cami, wife of Luke and soon to be single mother, and negotiator/cop Nial. The book begins with Cami’s loving, relaxed husband committing an unspeakable crime, holding three people hostage which in turn causes her to cross paths with Nial. Luke ends up escaping police custody, and the novel jumps forward 7 years in time as Cami looks to finally move on, and the case still haunts Nial, the failed negotiator.

I may be an outlier on this one, but it was just a little too slow-moving for me. I love Gillian McAllister's writing but this one just didn't land for me the way I wanted to. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

McAllister’s writing is so easy to get lost in. It’s not too heavy, but you still get all those intense, emotional moments that make you question everything. I loved the character development too—Holly felt so real, and you could totally empathize with her, even when she made questionable choices (because let’s be honest, who hasn’t?).

If you're into thrillers that make you think, with a dash of human drama, Famous Last Words will keep you up way past your bedtime. I can already tell I'll be recommending this one to my friends for a long time.

Definitely a must-read if you like your mysteries a bit more on the unpredictable side.

This author is who got me into thrillers in the first place (wrong place wrong time) so I was so excited to get this arc.
I loved it. I think this is more of an ode to love than a thriller itself but I still really enjoyed it.

A true can't put down mystery! The story telling makes you feel connected to the characters and I was invested in figuring out everyone's true motives

A love story woven into a hostage situation and eventual investigation.

This book tugged on my heart strings for Cam, the mother of a newborn who finds herself in the impossible situation of her husband holding people hostage… and it being live streamed.

We follow Cam in the aftermath of the siege, her conflicted feelings, her new relationship, trying to move on with her life but she isn’t quite ready just yet.

And Niall who was the hostage negotiator that fateful day. He also had a huge life change in the aftermath of the siege and is still on the hunt for Luke. He refuses to give up.

Wow. This book really hooked me from the start and I just HAD to know what happened; twists and turns and surprises along the way. I didn’t figure it out which is my favorite.

Highly recommend!

This was a great thriller. I completely loved the storyline and felt myself picking it up so often because I had to know the ending !

Synopsis: Cam (Camilla) is a wife, a new mother and has her dream job. Life could not be better until she learns her husband Luke is missing and is in a building that has hostages. Plot twist, he is the one holding hostages!

Thoughts: This book sucked me in. I could not wait to find out why Luke was holding hostages, who the hostages were and what was going to happen with him and Cam! The twists and turns were perfection!

Thank you to Gillian McAllister, William Morrow and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister is an electrifying thriller that grips readers from the first page. Camilla Deschamps’ seemingly ordinary day turns into a nightmare when her husband, Luke, vanishes, leaving behind a cryptic note. As Cam juggles her first day back at work and her daughter’s first day at nursery, a breaking news story shatters her world: Luke is involved in a London hostage situation—not as a victim, but as the gunman.

McAllister masterfully weaves tension and emotional depth, exploring the unraveling of Cam's life and the complexity of her relationships. Told from the perspectives of Camilla and hostage negotiator Niall, the dual narrative enhances the suspense, making every twist even more compelling. While the second act slows to reflect on the aftermath, the final revelations are both shocking and satisfying.

This pulse-pounding, character-driven novel is a must-read for fans of psychological suspense. Highly recommended!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Famous Last Words: A Novel by Gillian McAllister is a gripping tale that delves into the complexities of truth, memory, and the blurred lines between guilt and innocence. McAllister has crafted a psychological thriller that intellectually engaging and emotionally intense, making it a standout in the genre.

The novel follows the protagonist, Jennifer, as she navigates the aftermath of a tragic event that leaves her life in disarray. When her husband, Oliver, is found dead under suspicious circumstances, Jennifer becomes embroiled in a web of lies, secrets, and long-buried resentments.

McAllister's portrayal of Jennifer's unraveling psyche is masterful, capturing the nuances of grief, confusion, and a desperate search for answers.

One of the most compelling aspects of Famous Last Words is McAllister's exploration of memory and perception. As Jennifer pieces together the events leading up to Oliver's death, the reader is drawn into a maze of fragmented recollections and unreliable narratives. McAllister skillfully maintains an air of suspense, making it difficult to discern truth from deception until the very end.

The characters in the novel are richly drawn, each with their own motivations and secrets that add depth to the story. Jennifer's journey is particularly poignant, as she grapples with her own doubts and judgments of those around her. The secondary characters, from supportive friends to skeptical detectives, are all integral to the unfolding drama, adding layers of complexity to the narrative.

McAllister's writing is sharp and evocative, creating a tense atmosphere that keeps the reader on edge. The pacing is expertly managed, with each chapter revealing just enough to keep the suspense building without overwhelming the reader. The dialogue is natural and realistic, enhancing the authenticity of the characters' interactions and the gravity of the situation.

Famous Last Words is a thought-provoking thriller that challenges readers to question the nature of truth and the reliability of memory.

Gillian McAllister has delivered a novel as compelling in its psychological depth as it is in its narrative intrigue.

This book is a must-read for fans of psychological suspense, offering a story that lingers in the mind long after the final page.

A huge thanks to William Morrow Books for an advanced copy of Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister. This book doesn't come out until February 25th but it was what I read today on this gross and wintery mix day.

This domestic thriller looks at the what if -- when you find out your husband is involved in a hostage situation and he is the gunman...

This was intriguing and I liked the first part of the book as everything unfolds in the hostage situation and Cam finds out. The second part of the book is seven years later and while the middle dragged a little the ending was fun and different than I expected! If you like domestic thrillers put this on your 2025 list!

Famous Last Words
by Gillian McAllister
Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2025
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
From the author of Reese’s Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller Wrong Place Wrong Time comes an addictive thriller about a new mother’s world upended when her husband commits a terrifying crime. How well does she truly know the man she loves? And what danger does she face if her entire life has been built on a lie?
This book delivered on all aspects! If you read one thriller this year this should be the one!
Another great book by McAllister!

Gillian has done it again. I am obsessed with this author's backlist and this book was no different. I loved how this book captured my attention till the last page. very twisty very "is he or isnt he" style writing

I wanted to love this one SO BAD! I did thoroughly enjoy it the entire way through but I never got that WOW factor. I loved Camilla's character and I was always intrigued to read from her POV. i understand that Niall's POV was imperative to the story but his character as very stoic and I could not connect with him as hard as I tried. The story was enjoyable enough that I was able to read it fairly quickly but as I continued, I felt like nothing was really happening. There were minor twists here and there but this read more like a mystery than a thriller for me. I did like the huge twist but it wasn't one of those WTF conclusions that I was expecting. I would give this one a solid 3.5 stars.

What would you do if one day the police come into your work to question you over a live hostage situation that your spouse is involved in; not as a victim, but as the perpetrator?

So beings Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister. A slow-burn mix of thriller and crime drama that never fizzles out. Told most by alternating views between the FMC Camilla, wife of the hostage-taker, and the hostage negotiator, this book asks us how well do we know the ones we love? Can we trust ourselves to choose the right people to surround ourselves? Can we forgive those closest to us when they abandon out perceptions of them?

I really enjoyed this one. I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going on. I usually do not like reading from a police officer's POV in thrillers, but Niall had so much introspection and growth that I enjoyed him just as much as Cam's chapters.

I was pleasantly surprised by most of the twists in this story, and to say more would be spoiler territory. I definitely recommend picking this one up when it releases February 25th, 2025.

Thank you to the publisher William Morrow for an e-arc!