Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow! This book was hard to put down. Unpredictable and thrilling.

In Cams first day back at work after maternity leave, she learns her husband is involved in a hostage situation. But he’s not a hostage, he’s the captor! Again, wow! I can’t say more without giving too much away but Gillian McAllister has done it again.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC approval

I’m a huge fan of Gillian McAllister, so I was excited to get to read her latest book. Famous Last Words is a solid thriller, which is to be expected from McAllister. It is Camilla’s first day back at work and it’s her 9 month old daughter’s first day at daycare. She’s feeling a little anxious about everything and could use some encouraging words from her husband, Luke. But Luke isn’t answering her texts or phone calls, which is out of the ordinary for him, especially since he knows how nervous Cam is.

Cam doesn’t know it yet, but her life is about to change irrevocably. The police show up at her work to tell her that Luke is involved in a hostage situation - but he’s not a hostage. Cam’s world crumbles as she realizes that Luke has taken 3 people hostage, and soon learns that he has killed the hostages and escaped. Torn between her steadfast love for Luke and her unwavering belief that he is a good person, she struggles to move on from the incident and accept that Luke is never coming back.

The story is told from Cam’s pov and the pov of the hostage negotiator. The first part is fast paced, but the last 1/3 moves a little slower and I felt like the ending was a bit convoluted - but I enjoyed the book and didn’t not guess any of the twists. If you love thrillers, this is a good one!

Thanks to William Morrow for the copy of this book!

Camilla is a new mom and has finally made it to that day where she’s heading back into the office. It’s a little weird, though… that morning, her husband woke up and left early, leaving her to take Poppy to day care herself and leaving behind a cryptic post-it note on the table. Cam heads to work expecting a regular day as a literary agent, but what she gets instead is the police showing up at the office with some news….

Gillian did it again! If you’re into fast-paced thrillers like me, you have to read this. I loved our cast of characters and really felt for Cam, and was on the edge of my seat as the situation developed in part 1. I also really appreciated the timeline in this book and how all the twists were revealed — just so excellently done and with a perfect ending.

A unique premise, an armed siege, Camilla is shocked to hear her husband is involved, and stunned to hear that her law abiding husband is the perpetrator.

Told from the perspectives of Camilla, and Niall a hostage negotiator, I had high hopes for this book.

It starts with a bang, straight into the action, but then the middle, a large part of the book felt rather slow and flat, Camilla pondering on how and why her husband became an armed criminal. There are some twists, but not unpredictable.

It pains me to rate this three stars, I’m a big fan of this author’s early books, up to and including the brilliant How To Disappear.

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow

4.5 to 5 stars

Wow, I am SHOCKED. I seriously tried so hard to guess who was the bad guy and figure out her husband's involvement in all of this. The twist just kept twisting, and I was 100% here for it! I DID NOT guess the biggest twist near the ending, but I'm so glad it happened. The ending truly made me happy!!! I loved this, as it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! There is so much suspense and filled with twists to force you to read it in one sitting.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and William Morrow to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

This may be the best thriller I’ve read this year!!

Cam, a new mother and literary agent, just had her world turned upside down when her husband is found at the center of a hostage situation.

Gillian McAllister always delivers a jaw dropping thriller but at the same time makes me FEEL. I felt connected to Cam as she navigated an impossible situation and questioned how much she truly knew the person closest to her. at he hostage negotiated Nail, was an amazing secondary character who brought a new perspective to the story. The best part was the execution. I don’t want to give any spoilers but the pacing, revelations and twists were perfect and made it impossible to put down. Beyond brilliantly done !!

Thank you William Morrow for the gifted copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC of Famous Last Words.

This was...fine? The beginning was mildly interesting but then it became much more of a police procedural than I expected from the blurb, which is not really my cup of tea. I did love the main characters love of reading, but other than that I didn't feel very connected to any of the characters or find their relationships compelling. It wasn't a bad story, but I won't go out of my way to recommend it

3 stars.

I loved this book! It was really interesting how the plot was divided into multiple timelines and I think it added a lot to the story. Will definitely be recommending this to family and friends when it comes out!

Wow, wow, wow! Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister is an absolute page-turner that I found myself wishing I could finish in a single day. Unfortunately, mom duties got in the way, but the story was so gripping that I found myself gripping the book tighter and internally pleading to read faster. This captivating read seamlessly weaves together elements of mystery, crime, and love, making it hard to put down. While I haven’t always been a fan of McAllister’s previous works, this one reads like a Paula Hawkins novel—it's that good.

Gillian McAllister has, unsurprisingly, written another exceptionally solid thriller.

Famous Last Words follows Cam, a new mother, in the aftermath of a family tragedy: her gentle, doting husband, Luke, has seemingly taken three people hostage, ultimately murdering two before going on the run. The story switches between Cam's POV and that of Niall, the hostage negotiator who believes he failed by allowing two hostages to be killed in the infamous Bermondsey siege. I really enjoyed both POVs and being able to unravel various pieces simultaneously through both characters.

Truth be told, I called all three of what I would consider the major twists pretty early on. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed figuring out the why of it all. And while I'll admit that the why wasn't particularly mind-blowing, it was more realistic and believable than what's put forth in so many other thrillers. I appreciated that it made Cam and Luke's situation feel a bit more grounded and plausible, comparatively speaking.

In addition to being a thriller, this book also focused heavily on Cam and Luke's relationship. What do you do when everything you think you know about the person you love most comes crashing down around you? How do you balance your love for and devotion to your spouse with the resentment you feel for what they've done? At what point do you accept that it's time to move on? I can't say much else about this aspect of the story without spoiling something, but suffice it to say that, like Cam, I was rooting for Luke's redemption.

Overall, I thought this was a really fun, engaging read. If you've read and liked Gillian McAllister's thrillers in the past, it's a safe bet that you'll have a good time with this one, too.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A huge thank you to @williammorrow for the physical ARC and eARC! Gillian McCallister’s previous two thrillers: Wrong Place, Wrong Time and Just Another Missing Person were both so unique yet had that signature McCallister touch of characters you can’t help but become invested in and a mystery that’s equally as captivating that will keep you guessing until the end.

Famous Last Words is no different. This time a love story is more central to the story and it makes this so gripping. The three parts of the novel are divided so well: the intrigue and action of part I is intense and devastating. Parts II and III divide the story nicely and keep the reader engaged. Gillian McCallister has cemented herself as one of my favorite thriller authors and is an auto-read author for me. This book was outstanding and highly recommend it to any thriller lovers!

This book starts off very quickly, and sucked me right in. It reminded me of another book The last thing he told me, so if you liked that book you will like this one. Only two POVS which I really like as there are not a lot of characters to keep track of. My one complaint is that it did lose steam about 2/3 of the way through and did drag a little. However, it did pick back up and had a great ending. Overall, I really enjoyed Famous Last Words and would recommend it to readers.

Gillian McAllister's Famous Last Words is a gripping psychological thriller that expertly weaves suspense, mystery, and emotion. The story revolves around a woman who uncovers shocking truths about her husbands past after his sudden disappearance. McAllister's talent for building tension and crafting complex characters keeps you hooked from the start, as secrets slowly unravel with every twist.

However, while the plot is compelling, the pacing can feel a bit drawn out at times, with some sections dragging before key revelations are made. . This novel reminds me of The Last Thing He Said to Me by Laura Dave, where the intense emotional core and unexpected turns are similar, but Famous Last Words could have been more concise in its execution.

Overall, if you're a fan of psychological thrillers with emotional depth, Famous Last Words is a solid read. Just be prepared for a slow burn.

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister fell a bit flat for me. The premise of the story was intriguing and hooked me, but once I started reading, the story morphed into more inner monologue from Camilla and got really slow and tedious after the first 1/3 of the book.

The story didn't feel quite like a traditional thriller. I found myself skimming some of Camilla's parts and her reflecting on her love and marriage to Luke.

Overall, Famous Last Words was just an okay read for me.

#FamousLastWords #NetGalley @WmMorrowBooks

This was a great British thriller. I didn't see some of the bigger twists coming, and I loved the character development of Camilla and Niall. Camilla and Luke are your average new parents, except one day everything changes. I don't want to give away too much, beacuse I loved going into this blind--but it is safe to say there are twists and turns and no gore or deeply disturbing topics (which I appreciate). I would have preferred to have a bit more depth into Camilla's life in the 7 year gap, but the story progressed well. I don't always love thrillers, but I found this one engaging and stayed up way too late reading it! Thanks much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

I found “Famous Last Words” to be engaging from start to finish. Having a degree in Forensic Psychology, I appreciate that the twists were predictable. There is nothing I dislike more than when the big twist is how the sister’s husband’s brother’s uncle,twice removed, who was mentioned three times committed the crime. In “Famous Last Words,” the characters personality traits and their actions matched perfectly and the story was well written. I would recommend this book to people who are fans of Lucinda Berry.

This was a bit of a slow burn yet gripping mystery thriller. I didn't care for some of the ridiculously long sentences and the middle of the book did drag a bit. The storyline was spot on though, and it definitely makes you think about what would you do if your spouse was the hostage taker.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

McAllister is back with her third book. In a wild twist from your stereotypical hostage situation novel, Camilla's picture-perfect life dissolves into shambles when a globally-reported hostage situation turns out to have her husband as the assailant. This twisty story takes you through a wild unraveling of multiple characters and their lives, and the ultimate test of trust and strength between a husband and wife.

I enjoyed this overall. I don't find McAllister's writing to be all that strong per se, but her characters are fun and I found this to be a reasonably adventurous departure from her last two novels. It felt very London Has Fallen at points and I actually really enjoyed that. Four stars here!

A gripping, slow burn mystery that grabbed hold of me from page one! The mystery was slow to unfold, as McAllister's books usually are, but the story was extremely fast paced. I finished in less than a day. I just couldn't tear myself away from this shocker of a tale. Told in alternating POVs of Camilla and Niall, the hostage negotiator, the author established well developed characters while adding more clues bit by bit along the way. I couldn't even fathom where this story was headed or why. I loved the not knowing. My only critique and the reason why I subtracted a star from my rating is due to some of the writing. There were many sentences that were like a paragraph long, separated by several commas, which made it hard to interpret their meaning. I had to read them a few times to fully understand. This is standard in all of the author's books and definitely a distraction for me; however, it will not deter me from reading them. I love her books and look forward to more to come. I highly recommend if you're a fan of this author!

Thank you to William Morrow for granting me digital access via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

I DNF'd this book due to the over use of acronyms. I have just learned that I have a new book thing I can't do.