Camilla is a literary agent who is very excited to return to work after her maternity leave. But on the morning of June 21st, what is supposed to be her first day back, turns into the day that will change her life forever. Her husband, Luke, is not at home when Camilla wakes up, he is not answering his calls or texts, and he left a strange note. Why was her normally loving and supportive husband not there to see her off to work and Polly, their daughter, off the daycare?

When the police arrive at her work to tell her there is a hostage situation in London she is shocked to find out that Luke is the gunman. Now she must call in her sister to pick up Polly from daycare and go to the hostage negotiation in the hope of getting her husband out alive. What happens next, are unanswered questions that will haunt Camilla for the next 7 years.

Trigger Warnings

Murder

Why Jackie loves it

McAllister is the Queen of "What Would You Do"? and this book is no exception. I love the way she creates a slow build in this story because it sets the stage for the rest of the book, which is non-stop action. Would you have faith in your husband? Is he still a good man if he killed someone? Is Luke alive, or is Camilla just wishing her life away? I loved this thriller!

This book hooked me from the start. I thought the format was clever and this is by far my favorite book by Gillian McAllister!

“Sometimes people do bad things for good reasons.”

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister starts off strong, is slow going in the middle and picks up at the very end of the book. It is good enough that you will want to skim through the middle to get to the end.

New mother, missing husband, hostage situation and a love story keeps you intrigued. Cam’s husband Luke is involved in a hostage situation. Is he being held hostage or is he the gunman holding others hostage? Is he the good guy his wife thinks he is? These questions will keep you wanting to finish the book even though the middle is slow.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This one is an entertaining read and I will continue to read McAllister’s new books.

After a strong start, the middle draaaagged and I never thought I’d reach the conclusion! Some skimming was necessary.
I did feel invested in Cam and Luke, but found Niall annoying and Libby’s story felt like filler. And, although the ending was satisfying enough, there were many pieces to the mystery that were unbelievable.
I’m so glad I received an early digital copy of this book from NetGalley instead of using a BOTM credit!
2.5 stars

When I started reading this book, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t vibing with it. I thought it was a typical thriller. But…..boy was I wrong! This book quickly became unique and a book with lots of depth! The mystery and tension builds beautifully with an ending that I was racing to finish. Lots of amazing characters that I couldn’t help but root for! I'm a huge fan of romance sprinkled in thrillers, which is exactly what Gillian McAllister nailed! The stakes were high! I loved the dual POV and the way this book was formatted added lots of suspenseful moments!

Highly recommend picking this one up! You will be on the edge of your seat with a twist you won’t see coming!

Dual POV, romance, mystery, murder? What's not to like? I really loved this book! Gillian McAllister doesn't disappoint. Highly recommend.

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister

Thank You NetGalley and William Morrow for a complimentary copy of this novel!
Gillian McAlister’s newest novel grabbed me and pulled me in from the get-go! Camilla, Luke and their 9-month daughter, Poppy, are a happy family. It is June 21 and Camilla is set to return to her job as a literary agent from her maternity leave. Her husband Luke is supposed to be there as well because they were set to drop off Poppy to her first day at daycare. However, Luke is nowhere to be seen. Camilla doesn’t think anything of it though. As the day goes by, she keeps trying to contact him, but all messages and calls go unanswered or unread. At home she finds an odd note but wasn’t sure what to think of it. While she’s at work, a news station has breaking news and it appears her husband is involved in a hostage situation. Camilla fears for him thinking he’s being held hostage but come to find out he’s the one holding 3 people hostage! She is scared and knows this is very unusual for him. He wouldn’t do something like this unless dire circumstances forced him to. A hostage negotiator, Niall comes on the scene. He makes contact and tries to help. The rest of the events turn even more perplexing as the story continues. At first it seems like and open and shut case, but years down the line, events that led up to the hostage situation will reveal themselves. This novel alternates between Camilla’s and Niall’s perspective. I was totally engrossed and didn’t want to put it down!!! You won’t want to miss this rollercoaster of a novel out February 25, 2025!!!

This book grabbed me at the beginning and did not let go until the end.
A happy couple trying to get through the days while tending to a new baby and exhausted. One day Camilla wakes up and there's a note from her husband. She has no idea how much her life is about to change. As I said this books grabs your attention right away , the twists and turns go on, surprises pop up and you won't believe what happens as we get toward the end. Will you figure it out before the mysteries are revealed?
It was so good and a day later I am wishing I was still reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Gillian McAllister's "Famous Last Words" is a twisty thriller about a woman, Camilla, whose husband, Luke, takes hostages and then disappears. The story jumps between the present, right after the hostage situation, and seven years later, as Camilla tries to uncover the truth.

Camilla refuses to believe Luke is a monster, and the book explores themes of truth, love, and how well we really know the people closest to us. Early reviews praise the book's clever plot, interesting characters, and surprising secrets. I was hooked from the start, but the middle slowed considerably, but the ending picked back up with a satisfying payoff. Overall, "Famous Last Words" is a gripping read for anyone who enjoys a good psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns.

Gripping page turner! So many chapters ended with me gasping and desperately turning to the next chapter for more!

This book kept a great pace throughout - by 20% in I felt like so much had happened already but truly had no anticipation of where the book would go! Plot twists and jaw dropping moments were pretty well interspersed in the story.

Without giving any spoilers, I do give it a rating of 4.5 stars rounded up because I did feel like a big part of the plot was very "out there" in an unrealistic way. Otherwise, loved the plot, loved the characters, and loved the writing style!

Thanks to NetGalley, Gillian McAllister, and HarperCollins Publishing for the ARC and chance to give my honest opinion!

This a fast-paced, character-driven thriller that was easy to read and follow. I didn't think it was a particularly exciting story overall, but there were a few fun twists and turns - some of which I saw coming, some I didn't. Not completely anyway. This was the kind of book that was more about the ride than the ending though, so the twists felt like more of a bonus than the point.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

Really enjoyed this one! I never knew where it was going, so I liked that it kept me guessing until the end. I loved how the story unfolded and how everything came together. Definitely recommend if you want a suspenseful read that also has some fun characters to follow.

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for giving me a copy in exchange for a review!

This is one of those thrillers where you will figure out at least half of the who did this? by the 30-35% mark. It’s the why and the how that will keep you here. I enjoyed this one although at times struggled with the pacing. It all started to make sense though around the 70% mark and it became a lot of “how are we going to cross the finish line?” I enjoyed the journey even if some bits felt like they were cleaned up too nicely. Also for those TTC, there is a heavy subplot of infertility for a side character and it’s mentioned often so take care of yourself there.

Could not put this one down! Suspenseful, but not slow. I constantly wanted to know more. McAllister writes great characters and stories that always have more to it than you think.

At the start of this book, it’s Cam’s first day back to work after maternity leave - and then she gets notified by the police that her mild-mannered husband Luke is involved in a hostage taking situation - and he’s not the hostage but the perpetrator. The book alternates perspectives between Cam and police hostage negotiator Niall during the situation and afterwards, as both of them, and the reader, try to figure out what really happened and why.

Well, I could not stop turning the pages of this one! I loved Gillian McAllister’s last two books Wrong Place Wrong Time and Just Another Missing Person, and this one was another winner! She is becoming one of my favorite mystery/thriller writers for her unique plots and the suspense she creates.

Books like this are why I love reading so much. This was so beautifully written, with a charming prose that warmed my heart. I felt seen, even though I have never been in any similar situation! It was so nice to hear a story from the perspective of a bookworm and introvert like myself. Cam felt so real to me.

"It is one hour before Camilla’s life changes, though she doesn’t yet know it."

Camilla and Luke are an ordinary married couple, or so you'd think. Camilla is going back to her job as a literary agent after maternity leave. Their daughter is 9 months old and it's time.

That day began with an odd foreboding though. Luke was gone when Camilla got up and didn't answer any of her calls and texts or see her off to work and help get Polly off to daycare. This isn't like him. He's even left a note. "It’s been so lovely with you both." What does that mean?!

She tries not to overreact until the news is on at work and she sees Luke in the middle of a seige! Her gentle husband has taken hostages? But why?! None of this makes any sense.

Two hostages were killed the day of the siege but never identified- and Luke escaped but vanished into thin air. Is he alive out there somewhere? There has never been any closure. We follow Cam 7 years and countless tears later as she is still putting her life back together.

As Camilla attempts to declare Luke dead so she can sell things and move on, there is some movement in the case. Could she really be about to find out what happened after all these years? With the help of our other narrator Niall, the hostage negotiator the day of the siege, they may be able to break this case wide open and finally get the truth and perhaps even justice.

It really was lovely with them both.

3.5 ★ rounded up!

The FMC, Cam, wakes to find that her husband, Luke, appears to be missing. After finding an odd note, she learns that her husband has reportedly taken hostages at gunpoint. Who is the man she married, really??

This whole story was full of twists, but it did have some inconsistencies in pacing. There were a couple of the little turns in plot that felt a bit obvious, but plenty that still caught me off guard.

While labeled a thriller, a big part of the plot was romance based – which I LOVED. It was, in a way, like reading two of my favorite genres at once. If you're looking for a tale of love and grief alongside a thrilling tale.. here it is!

Thank you to William Marrow and Net Galley for this E-ARC of Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister. This review contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

This was definitely a character driven thriller and it was refreshing for this reader. The plot is secondary to the characters that move the story forward. I can only imagine what Camilla went through and how that affected all of her relationships. Niall was also a fascinating character who was an outsider but was really an insider as well. He never gave up on the case, even at the great cost to him.

Famous Last Words was a fun book to read. I always find (well-written) thrillers exciting to read because they keep me on my toes. Famous Last Words kept me guessing until the very end. This book was broken into different sections. I was surprised at first to see the time difference between acts. McAllister did a fantastic job layering and pacing the story. Just like the acts, the story also had divided narrators: Cam, Niall, and an anonymous person. I gravitated the most towards Cam's chapters. I enjoyed her narration and watching her piece everything together. As for Niall's chapters, I was unsure how I felt about him at first. His character grew on me over time. I was happy with how his ending turned out. Like any good mystery, there were a lot of things to cypher through. I found myself wondering if anything was added to throw me off. I thought McAllister tied in all of the clues masterfully. There were a few things I suspected that were correct. And there were a few things I didn't see coming. I was very surprised by the family twist at the end. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and guessing along with the narrators. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC.

this started off strong and i was invested, but then the pacing got really slow and the story seemed to be dragging and i just couldn't get myself to care towards the end