Famous Last Words is a gripping and thought-provoking thriller that had me hooked from the start. New mother Camilla’s life spirals out of control when her husband, Luke, goes from loving father to gunman in a hostage situation. McAllister expertly crafts a tense narrative that explores the fragility of trust in a marriage. As Camilla navigates the chaos and tries to decipher the cryptic note Luke left behind, the layers of their relationship unravel, revealing secrets she never suspected. This novel brilliantly captures the emotional turmoil of a woman questioning everything she thought she knew about the man she loves. A must-read for fans of psychological thrillers that challenge perceptions and keep you on the edge of your seat!

Thank you so much, @NetGalley and @Williammorrow for this Advanced Reader's Copy. From page 1, I couldn't put this book down. Thank you Gillian McAllister for another book that I devoured in less than 24 hours, finding reasons to sneak away to get a few more pages in.

Camilla has a nine month old, Polly, and it is the dreaded yet anticipated morning of the first day care drop off and going back to work. Yet, everything feels off. Luke, her husband, is no where to be found and left a strange, cryptic note. How could he miss this monumental morning?

Camilla makes it through the guilt of leaving Polly with her caregivers and makes it into her London office to resume her work as literary agent. There is a pit in her stomach and all her fears are confirmed when she sees news flash across the television - there is a hostage situation in a warehouse. Moments later, she sees police enter the building and hears her name. Of course - Luke has been taken hostage. However, her world shifts irrevocably when she learns that Luke is not prisoner, but the aggressor, and the police hopes that she will help with the hostage negotiations.

What ensues is a wild ride of twists and turns that are so characteristic of McAllister. I love all of her books and this one just confirmed that she is a master storyteller who weaves tales of intrigue that leave you guessing until the last page. Her characters are so real and forces readers to consider every angle of their situations, assessing what they themselves would do in such dire situations.

First I want to thank NetGalley and WilliamMorrow books for the ARC. Honestly I loved every single thing about it; I loved the premise; I loved the multiple POVs. I thought the twists were well timed and thoroughly shocking. This is a novel I will recommend to friends and family of those who enjoy thrillers particularly those who enjoy Freida McFadden and Lisa Jewell. I was so emotionally invested in Cam and Polly and finding the truth about Luke, that sleep evaded me some nights. I loved that the second POV was the hostage negotiator, not a POV you would normally find There is not one single thing I would have changed about the whole story. If you want to not sleep, because you’re so enthralled in a book and how the puzzle pieces fit together, this is the one for you!!

On June 21st, the longest day of the year, Camilla, a new mother, awakens to find her husband, Luke, gone. In his place was a cryptic note. This was the day she would return to work after her maternity leave. When her husband still hasn't returned after she dresses her infant daughter for daycare, she begins to panic.
Then she hears on the morning news that there is an ongoing hostage situation in London. Then the police arrive at her home and inform her that Luke is involved, not as a hostage but as the gunman.
The note he left behind now makes sense. She didn’t realize the twisted secrets her husband had been hiding from her. Who was this man she married?

Thank you William Morrow publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Camilla Deschamps gets up one more getting ready for head back to work after a 9 months maternity leave hiatus. Her husband Luke is not in bed and no where to be having leaving a note she can’t make heads or tails of. She tried calling and texting him because they’re supposed to be dropping their daughter Polly off together.

Niall Thompson is a hostage negotiator called in about a white male holding up a warehouse. Come to find out it’s Cam’s husband Luke who has never hurt anyone in his life suddenly taking 3 hostages. Two of the hostages end up dying. No one comes forward to claim their bodies and Luke disappears. Follow everyone 7 years later as the mystery of that eventful day comes to light.

This is my first Gillian McAllister book and it had me wanting to read more. Full of murder, suspense and good guys vs bad guys I absolutely loved it! I can’t wait for it to be published so I can add a copy as a trophy

Camille is about to head back to work after nine months of maternity leave. She wakes up, gets her daughter ready for daycare, and prepares herself to return back to the office, but her husband isn't home. She finds a strange note from him and is bothered that he is not present and not responding to messages. During her first day at work, she in interrupted by police arriving to inform her that her husband is involved as a hostage situation - as the actual gunman holding three people hostage!

Cam's life is turned completely upside down after this point. The story includes several good twists and turns as Cam tries to move forward with her life while always trying to figure out "Why?"

FULL FIVE STARS! This book was the epitome of Thriller! Once again Gillian McAlister has reminded me why I love her writing and have yet to give a bad review! The description of the characters, the pain I feel for Camilla, and the shocking twist makes this one a FULL FIVE STAR read!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC
A siege in a warehouse starts this crime drama off with fast paced plotting. Cam is shocked by her good natured husband's disapearance after this thrilling beginning. Seven years later, could he still be alive?
I loved the well developed characterizations in this twisty mystery by Gillian McAllister. The twists were well placed as the story developed , with a satisfactory conclusion.

I can legitimately say that Gillian McAllister has topped my favorite authors list. I think that this might be one of my top 2024 reads so far. I literally did not want to put this book down. It was a page turner that had so many twists and turns, I loved it.

Camilla wakes up one morning to her husband not there, a cryptic note left on the counter and no response whatsoever. When she gets a visit from the police, it's even worse than she could imagine, and she could never imagine her husband involved in a crime, let alone a hostage situation. Famous Last Words, takes off running, and it doesn't ever seem to slow down. There is so much happening in Part I, it's hard to believe, but you have to keep going. Gillian McAllister did a phenomenal job of creating a story you had to find out the ending to, and developing relatable characters along the way. You didn't want to hate anyone, but did you really? There are impossible situations with resolutions I didn't even think could be possible. This was a good mystery/thriller that kept you on your toes and wanting to find out more.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow and Gillian McAllister (you are legit one of my favs) for the eARC of Famous Last Words in exchange for an honest review. Publication date for Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister is 25 February 2025 - set a reminder, do it, literally, pre-order.

Thank you net galley and publisher for this ARC. This book picked up more around the halfway point and kept me guessing until the very end. I enjoyed the twists and turns.

One of the best mystery reads of the year! I related to Camilla so much - not wanting to believe that your husband could do something so awful, but finding it hard to disagree with the facts. It was fun to follow her journey and all of the twists and turns along the way. Such a page turner! This book's unique and creative plotline stands out amongst other psych thrillers and will be a top 2025 read for anyone who enjoys this genre.

When Camilla awakens one morning, her husband Luke, who usually works from home, isn’t there. She also finds a cryptic note left by Luke that she doesn’t understand, and he isn’t responding to her text messages. Later that morning while she’s at work, she receives a visit from the police telling her that Luke is involved in a hostage situation. As the gunman. Famous Last Words gets off to a fast start, with the gist of the plot laid bare in the first few pages. But what follows is a meandering story that bounces around just a little too much between secondary plot lines, which is unfortunate because the main storyline is full of intrigue and drama. Overall it’s an interesting and entertaining read, but it would have been so much better without the distracting subplots. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am a HUGE fan of Gillian McAllister and was so excited when I got this advanced copy to read. Of course in exchange for my honest opinion and as you can already tell I absolutely loved it. I seriously couldn’t put it down. Part of it, I actually figured out quite a ways out from the ending but it was a small part and I was still so surprised and pleased with the ending. I love all the twists and turns. I absolutely, wholeheartedly recommend this one. You won’t regret it!
Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow and Gillian McAllister for the eARC.

If the plot of Famous Last Words sounds very similar to another a popular thriller, you're not wrong. And, yes, there are a lot of beats between the two books that feel parallel. However, Gillian McAllister has added a few more twists and surprises to make this feel like a fresh new story. I loved the characters, the mystery, and how everything came together.

Gillian McAllister is a writer that does so many things well … her plots are intricate, her characters feel incredibly real, her twists are stunningly twisty and most of all, her writing is just plain good.

These are all reasons to love McAllister’s books, but what stands out for me is the way she writes about motherhood. Her observations about being a parent and the all-encompassing love parents have for their children is unmatched, in my opinion. I simply can’t get enough.

McAllister’s latest book, FAMOUS LAST WORDS (set to publish February 27, 2025) is one of those stories that grabs your attention immediately with an interesting premise and doesn’t let go. It’s a mystery, a thriller, and a love story all wrapped up in one.

It’s Cam’s first day back to work after nine months of maternity leave, but when she wakes up, her beloved husband Luke is already gone. To work, she assumes. As she goes about her day - dropping little Polly off at daycare and going to the office - she’s unable to reach him, and she goes from mildly annoyed to a little nervous. That’s when she hears about a hostage situation happening elsewhere in London and the panic sets in. And Cam is right - she receives the call that no wife wants to get - Luke is involved in the crisis. But he isn’t a hostage - he’s the hostage taker.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS is about grief and hanging on to hope, even when the odds are against us. It’s about letting go, starting over, and following your gut. Emily Henry is spot on when she says McAllister is “the best at putting her characters in impossible situations and making her readers not only contemplate but feel what it would be like to find themselves in those situations.”

Wrong Place, Wrong Time is still my personal favorite of McAllister’s books, but FAMOUS LAST WORDS is a really solid mystery that I enjoyed very much and highly recommend.

Thank you a million times over to publisher William Morrow, Tess Day, and NetGalley, for a galley of FAMOUS LAST WORDS. I am happy to share my honest opinion.

Camilla is a new mother who is about to come off of maternity leave and drop her baby off at daycare as she heads back to work for the first time since having the baby. Except when she wakes up, her husband is gone and she learns that he is involved in a hostage situation, only he is not a hostage. I love Gillian McAllister's writing, and this book was no exception. The twists and turns of Camilla's once mundane life are not chaotic, and I loved it all! I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves thrillers!

I really enjoyed this book! Once I started reading, I did not want to stop. It is the best thriller/mystery book I have read in a while.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy.

I really enjoyed the book. What would you do if your husband made the news for being a hostage taker? I did feel like it was clear that he probably there was probably some sort of mistake going on, but it took a long time to get there. I liked the relationship with her sister. So many books that involve children don’t really involve childcare so so that was nice but honestly, I don’t even know if she needed to have a kid in the book. The child was not very fleshed out even though she was you know elementary school age in a good chunk of it. All in all a good mystery. I feel like you could make a second book about the hostage negotiator— she wrapped up things nicely..

Thank you to NetGalley & William Morrow for this ARC! *Famous Last Words* by Gillian McAllister is a gripping legal thriller that explores themes of morality, guilt, and truth. The story follows a woman on trial for murder, with the narrative weaving through intense courtroom drama and the emotional turmoil of the characters involved. McAllister masterfully builds suspense by revealing layers of secrets and lies, keeping readers on edge as they question the protagonist's innocence. Her portrayal of complex legal procedures is both detailed and accessible, adding authenticity to the high-stakes plot. With its fast pace and psychological depth, this novel is a must-read for fans of legal dramas and twisty mysteries.

Gillian McAllister has written another incredible thriller. In this novel, Camilla's life changes overnight when she wakes up to realize her husband isn't home. But it's probably fine, right? Soon we learn that Camilla's husband is involved in a hostage situation....her husband Luke is the gunman. A hostage negotiator Niall must try to talk down this man with a seemingly normal life. Why would Luke do this? What is his motive? Can he be talked down before it is too late?