Gillian McAllister's latest novel is a quick and twisty thriller that will delight fans of her previous works. When new mother Camilla learns of her husband's involvement in a shocking crime, she knows in her gut that there must be some mistake. Luke then disappears without a trace aside from a short and cryptic note left behind, and for seven long years, Camilla must shoulder the weight of motherhood along with the never-ending cycle of grief. Knowing she should move on, she attempts to have Luke declared legally dead, but then mysterious events begin unfolding at an alarming rate. Told from both Camilla's point of view and that of the hostage negotiator on the day of Luke's disappearance, Famous Last Words pulls the reader/listener in from the very beginning. One thing that I really appreciated about this book is that McAllister's characters are so easy to empathize with. It often felt like I was reading about something that happened to a friend rather than a fictional character. Perfect for fans of domestic thrillers, but twistier than most! Thank you to William Morrow for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Cam's first day back at work as a literary agent after maternity leave doesn't exactly go the way she planned. But no one plans for the police to come looking for them because their husband is holding three hostages on the other side of town, do they? Luke is the last person she'd have expected to be in that situation, and her world is shaken to its foundations. The hostage negotiator insists on getting her to that warehouse, and what happens there has consequences that ripple outward for years.

This book had me in a grip! I was captured immediately by the POV characters who both have such rich depth and interesting vantages on what takes place. The author gives just enough away at a time to leave you right at the edge of the seat, mind buzzing with ideas of why, how, and what happened, and what might happen next.

Cam is a now-single mother having to make decisions for herself and her daughter she never expected to have to make. What does she tell her about her father? How do they move on from this?

Niall is the hostage negotiator navigating an impossible work/life balance. Something about this particular case bothers him, and he can't let it go until he finds out the truth of what happened in that warehouse.

I am so grateful I had the opportunity to read this book early as an arc reader through netgalley and the publisher. Gillian McAllister wrote my favorite thriller read of 2024 (Wrong Place Wrong Time), and this one has left just as impressive an impression as that one did. I couldn't put it down!

This was pretty good. Loved the story plot and the ending. I’ve read several books by this author. Every one of them have been super good!

Camilla is returning to work after maternity leave and it's also Polly's first day at nursery so Cam is understandably anxious, on top of all that husband Luke has done a disappearing act and all Cam can find is a very cryptic note left by him, what she doesn't know is very soon her life and the life she has known with her family will never be the same again. Just after she arrives at work she hears breaking news that a hostage situation is happening in London and then the police arrive to inform her that Luke is involved but, he's not a hostage, he's the gunman...

Famous Last Words is the latest thriller by McAllister and it hits the ground running on the day of the siege. Told in four parts and from a multi perspective, this is a very cleverly laid out plot which, in true author style, keeps you guessing throughout. With Cam and Niall, the hostage negotiator, brought together through this seemingly unbelievable act by the kindest and most laid back man that Cam has ever met, we see her life descend into absolute chaos and years down the line Niall is determined to get to the truth, whatever the cost to his career. This is a fast paced rollercoaster ride of a read that we've come to expect from McAllister and she delivers every time.

I'd like to thank William Morrow and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy of this upcoming thriller. This book drew me in immediately.. a seemingly perfect couple in the morning, and by the afternoon the husband is a wanted terrorist who has killed two people for no reason? What made him snap? Why did he do it? How did the wife not know? The questions keep coming and the answers don't come until way later.. I couldn't put this book down because I wanted to know what happened and why, but honestly was disappointed in what I learned.

Thank you William Morrow and Netgalley for this ARC! On the day Camilla goes back to work after maternity leave she is visited by the police to advise her that her loving husband has taken three hostages in a warehouse her life turns upside down. How can her quite fun loving husband Luke do such a thing? The story unravels between Camilla and hostage negotiator Naill who can’t seem to shake this case even seven years later. Great character development and a story that will keep you at the edge of your seat with whiplash turns.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. I have read a few books by this author and while they were good, they were not books that blew me away. I thought it started off really strong, but then slowed and then the end part was a little messy and confusing. The one big plot twist, I had figured early on, so that didn't help either.

Thank you for the advanced e-book copy.
This was my first book from Gillian McAllister and I’m already looking into buying her back list. Gillian has a way of writing an excellent mystery/suspense novel..

On the morning of her return to work following maternity leave, Camilla wakes up to find her husband gone and a mysterious note in his place. She soon learns that he is involved in a situation where he has taken hostages. Should Camilla share the contents of his note with the police? What other secrets is her husband keeping from her? A gripping, fast paced novel that is hard to put down.

Boy does Gillian McAllister know how to write a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat furiously flipping pages and anxiously awaiting answers. Famous Last Words grabbed me by the belt buckle and didn't let go. I was enthralled with the seemingly random hostage situation, the hostages with no identities, the naive wife, and a country baffled. I had no idea how everything tied together and what could explain it all!

The novel is told by two narrators - Cam, the wife of the gunman and Niall, the hostage negotiator. I appreciated the dual perspectives and really appreciated the time lapse. It was superbly executed and with the start of each new part (there are three), I was literally scratching my head thinking WTH!?

I kept trying to imagine myself as Cam - dropping my child off at daycare for the first time ever and then being approached by the FBI at work with news that my husband was a gunman in a hostage situation. The panic, the fear, the questions.... it was unfathomable but somehow McAllister put the emotions to paper and I could feel the terror and stress emanating from the pages.

If you're looking for a great mystery/suspense novel that you will devour, this is it!

Thank you to William Morrow for the advanced copy.

Famous Last Words had me glued to my seat, trying to avoid work, sleep, and all other responsibilities! There was not a “slow” moment in this book and every page kept me wanting more. I love the character development- most prominent in Niall, the character interactions, everyone was brilliant!

If you are looking for a dual POV story, following both the victim and police sides of an investigation, look no further. Niall, the hostage negotiator who had it all- then nothing, following a failed negotiation where two hostages end up murdered; and Cam, wife and literary agent who’s husband held three people hostage before killing two of them and disappearing without a trace.

This is not a book where you’re guessing the twist- you’re literally reading as fast as you can to understand what happened and why. 5 stars on this one! Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC!

I feel like this will be a little tricky to review because I think it’s best you know very little before starting it, but if you like the sound of it based on the description I say try it! I really enjoyed it, I found it to be engrossing right from the start and it went in directions I never predicted. The premise was so great, I could easily play the what if? game as I was reading it. What if your partner went off the deep end and took people hostage? It’s an insane thought and made for such an interesting book and a really entertaining read. It did slow down a bit towards the latter half, but overall this was pacey, well written and original which is all I need in a thriller!

Cam is like any new mother getting ready to return to work- anxious about taking her child to daycare and exhausted with the idea of leaving her. When she wakes up on the day she is set to return to work her husband is nowhere to be found. She doesn’t worry right away, but after many unanswered texts and calls she realizes something is very wrong. When police show up at her work to inform her that her husband is involved in a hostage situation, she immediately panics. However, her world is really turned upside down when she finds out her husband is the one that has taken the hostages.
Fast forward 7 years and her husband, Luke, has never been found. There have never been answers as to what happened the day of the siege or why. Many questions and the only one who holds all the answers is Luke.

McCalister is an artist when it comes to putting together a story concept that is new. She often takes a direction you never expect and I’m here for it! I always enjoy her books!

GENRE: thriller/mystery
VERDICT: I liked it-ish
MOOD: 😳🥱🤔🙂

This book starts with a bang! Camilla, a new mother set to return to work after maternity leave, wakes up and finds it odd that her husband is gone & has left only an ambiguous note. Later at work, the police show up to tell her there's a hostage situation and her husband is involved.

In true Gillian McAllister fashion, I was immediately hooked. The writing was mostly fast-paced and left mini cliffhangers at the end of each chapter. The middle portion of the book seemed to drag just a bit and she redeemed herself with the ending, even if I did guess the “twists.” I get that she was giving us depth to the characters & touching on some important topics, but I do feel the book read like it was longer than ~350ish pages. And overall this book is well-written and goes a bit deeper than a typical popcorn thriller, however.. it just felt a little lackluster to me for reasons I can’t seem to pinpoint. This is the third book I've read by this author and I’m never disappointed by her writing but am also not blown entirely away either. My favorite still remains Wrong Place, Wrong Time.

5⭐️
This book had an absolute CHOKEHOLD on me from cover to cover while I was reading it. I’ve read Gillian’s last three novels and loved them all, but this is by far my favorite. I had absolutely no idea what was going on until the twist was revealed (in the best of ways) but it all made sense and the pieces fell together perfectly. This is an absolute must read thriller when it comes out!

I have always been a fan of Gillian McAllister’s work, but this one is my new favorite! After dropping her daughter off at daycare for the first time, Cam heads to work. Her husband left a cryptic note for her this morning, but she doesn’t quite connect the dots until the news starts showing a developing story. There is a hostage situation and the police tell Cam that her husband is involved. Cam’s world comes to a complete stop when she realizes her outgoing, kind, and loving husband is not a hostage… he is actually the man holding the gun! From here we go to her life seven years later.

Cam is such a wonderful main character, with complete and unwavering love for her husband! I was hooked from the first chapter, this book was everything that I needed! The plot twists were amazing, a few of them I didn’t see coming! Totally recommend this one for any of my fellow thriller lovers. Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

Gillian McAllister has once again delivered a novel that’s as emotionally sharp as it is gripping. The story is less about the crime itself and more about the emotional fallout, making it impossible to put down. Camilla’s journey is raw, full of impossible choices that feel both shocking and heartbreakingly human. The twists are masterfully executed, but it’s the moments of quiet devastation and love that linger long after the final page. McAllister proves why she’s one of the most compelling voices in contemporary thrillers.

A gripping thriller mystery about a wife's determination to uncover the truth about her husband's disappearance. Told from multiple POV this novel starts off extremely quick and tense with a hostage situation. I found myself unable to put the novel down. The main character (Cam) is relatable and acted in realistic ways, which as a skeptical reader of mysteries solved by normal people I appreciated that the main character was so well developed and realistic. If you enjoyed "The Last Thing He Told Me" then you will love this novel 🕵️‍♀️

I did find the novel to lag a bit in the center of the book, but don't give up because the ending drew me back in and it was a wild reveal! I did not see the ending coming and I was extremely impressed with how Gillian McAllister created such a twisted and captivating novel with a unique ending.

Thank you William Morrow for the gifted copy.

⭐️: 3.5/5

After reading this book, Wrong Place Wrong Time, and Just Another Missing Person, I think I may have to accept that while I love thriller and mystery books, and I really like McAllister’s writing style, her books just aren’t for me. I gave her the benefit of the doubt with Wrong Place Wrong Time, because time-repetition books aren’t my jam, and Just Another Missing Person had a better plot that I was interested in, but still had some of the same underlying pitfalls as Wrong Place Wrong Time for me. This one, once again, had the same ~things~ that I didn’t like about it. Those things primarily being that the ~magic~ of motherhood is always a main theme, in a way that feels really preachy and holier-than-thou. In this case, there was absolutely no need for the main character’s sister’s infertility to be as big of a plot point as it was, and I just found it to be an overall boring and gratuitous storyline. You know how sometimes when you talk to parents, they speak in such a way that they can’t imagine that some people truly may not want to be parents, ad it comes off a little insulting? Well that’s how I felt throughout this entire book.

I liked the storyline, and it was fun trying to figure out all the connections before the book revealed them outright. The time jump of seven years, then another seven years had me questioning some of the technologies present in the beginning of the book, but that’s neither here nor there, since no actual years were mentioned. The ending was wrapped up and gave closure on all of the loose threads, but in a way that kind of felt too neat. All of McAllister’s thrillers I’ve read have just been…mushy, like, emotionally, at the end, and that’s not the type of thrillers I like to read. Anyway, if you like softer thrillers, this may be for you!

Thank you to @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for this eARC for my honest review!!

This was a twisty thriller that was mainly told from Camilla and Niall’s POV. I liked the way the story unfolded slowly and it felt organic how the pieces began coming together. The chapters would sometimes end on a cliffhanger making this a page-turner! It started off pacing well but the middle was a bit slow for me. However, the pace picked up again in the end. I’m a fan of this author so I’d recommend it. Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read and offer an honest opinion!