Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! Pub Date 2/25/25!!!

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Imagine you get a call that your husband (of no crime history, love of your life, father of your child) has taken three hostages at gunpoint in a warehouse. This story follows the wife and the hostage negotiator as they solve this strange mystery. Gripping, completely had me guessing but not getting it right til 85% in. Gillian McAllister is now an instant buy author for me. If you haven't seen, I also gave "Wrong Place Wrong Time" 5 stars. Just completely unique storylines and non stop page turning books. Cannot wait to read more of her work!

Started off interesting and engaging, but lost steam in the second half. It also got kind of messy plot-wise. But if you're looking for a quick read thriller, this would be a good choice.

Twisty and turny with a romance set against the backdrop of a mysterious thriller? Say less. I absolutely devoured this. It was my first book by McAllister, but it definitely won’t be my last.

This is a twisty, turny ride of a story! Imagine going back to work after a long maternity leave with your first child. Camilla, our main character does just that. All she needs is the support of her husband but he’s nowhere to be found!
She later finds out about a hostage situation and her husband appears to be the hostage taker! How can this be? It is completely out of character for her husband? Or is it? Does she really know him at all?
Enter a hostage negotiator, Niall, who thinks he is in the zone dealing with Luke, the husband. His instincts never fail him! There’s a first time for everything though! How could he read the situation so wrong!

Told from the perspective of Niall and Cam alternately we learn a lot about both of their lives. Their stories intertwine as they both lose sleep and so much more. Crazy how one day can change everything! Both characters are in love with their perspective spouses and both have so much to lose in this situation.

The main twist sent me for. a loop! I didn’t see it coming! Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this exciting ARC.

BOOM!

A missing husband, a new mom, and a cryptic note all lead to one heck of a suspenseful ride!!

My third by this author and my favorite.

The wife, Cam has a dream job where she gets to read novels for a living. She drops her baby off at daycare and goes to work after being on maternity, but her day takes a terrifying turn when she sees Breaking News flash about a siege in Central London.

The story takes off quickly and my heart skipped a beat more than once. Some parts read like an action movie, chapters with little cliff hangers made if impossible to stop!

I don't want to say to much because there are many surprises and spine tingling moments. I don't want to give anything away. Just read it if you enjoy suspense and rooting for some likeable characters!

This book was totally captivating! It was so very gripping that I kept turning the pages!! Don't miss this thriller!!! Put this on your TBR right now! Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me review this book.

This book will change the game for thrillers going forward. The breaking of the fourth wall, the nod to the publishing industry, and the dual POV was phenomenally done. I enjoyed reading this.

This is a thriller about Luke, who leaves his wife and infant daughter one morning, ostensibly to go to work, and ends up on the news holding three people hostage in a warehouse. The timeline splits between his wife Cam, left to pick up the pieces, and Niall, the hostage negotiator who was sent onsite during the siege. The beginning of the book is so intense but I was led t hanging in the slow, drawn out middle. The manuscript aspect was a cool twist and ultimately made me want to finish the book, but overall it was just ok.

An excellent thriller that also saved me from a major reading slump! Fast-paced from the first chapter, when young mother Cam is returning to work after her maternity leave. Her husband left early in the morning instead of supporting her at this difficult time, and her day just gets worse from there when the police show up at her job. Even with a time jump, the action continues as Cam is trying to move on, but the past keeps bubbling up and pulling her back in.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher William Morrow for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Publishing in February 2025.

I really enjoyed this one although I found the ending to be anti-climatic. I do like how it all wrapped up, but I felt there needed to be more. It was a very slow burn, and the twists that were included were unpredictable. I enjoy McAllister's books!

Thank you to William Morrow Books and Netgalley for my digital ARC! I enjoyed this unique and engaging thriller with a love story in between. I’m not sappy at all which is why thrillers are usually my go-to, but I appreciated the love story within this one. It humanizes the story as a whole and makes the reader care about the characters. It is a bit slow-paced, but it makes up for it in a thoughtful way that ends on a nice note. I may have generally guessed the twists, but I liked where it all went and how it ended up. Gillian McAllister is one of my favorites and this is yet another winner!

What a ride! This was a fun, twisty, totally original story. My first by this author personally, but they fly off of our shelves so quickly I figured I’d better see why. Now I do! This will be a fantastic add to our catalogue.

4.25/5.0 stars.

A wildly thrilling premise about a woman returning to work after a maternity leave only to learn her husband is identified as the suspect in a hostage situation.

What a ride this book was! It was thrilling, twisty and dark.

The book takes place in London with a married couple Camilla and Luke and their seemingly normal marriage. Camilla is coming off of maternity leave and heading back to work dropping off baby Polly for her first day of nursery school. Typical start to the day until Cam sees her husband on tv holding 3 people hostage. Two end up dead, as Cam begins helping hostage coordinator, Niall to and get Luke to give himself up. 7 years ago by without Luke and clues begin to pop up…..

I enjoyed the pace of this book and the topics of relationships, trust and underlying secrets. The storyline of Niall was also really interesting and a nice addition to the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Gillian McAllister has done it again and wow what a wild ride it was !!This book was so hard to put down and the writing sucks you completely into the story. Lots of twist and turns and a great ending ! I highly recommend giving this one a read if you enjoy a good thriller/suspense novel.


Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I really enjoyed the story of this and wasn’t sure where it was going. Cam and Niall were excellent narrators and I liked both their characters. What I didn’t like is that the pacing seemed a big long. I felt like I just kept reading and reading and nothing was really happening.

I am really enjoying author Gillian McAllister's books lately, and her latest, "Famous Last Words" is yet another winner, winner, chicken dinner, LOL!!! I really got into this story about a Mom (Cam) returning to work after maternity leave, only to find out her hubby is caught up in a hostage situation, but as the bad guy! There was some slowness in the middle, but I just loved how it all came together at the end & nothing was as it seemed. This author really excels at that type of twist! My most sincere thanks to the publisher & Net Galley for my gifted DRC - my pleasure to review it!!

In Famous Last Words, we have Cam, a mother of an infant with a good marriage and steady job. One morning she wakes to find an odd note from her husband, who has already left the house and is not answering his phone. She quickly discovers there is a hostage situation unfolding and to her horror, her husband is the one holding the gun.
The first part of the book details the hostage situation, and Gillian McAllister definitely knows how to write about tense situations. I was on the edge of my seat and this part of the book moved FAST. Niall, the hostage negotiator, is a second POV, and it was interesting to see his side of things as well.
After the hostage situation unfolds, we jump seven years after the incident, and this part was quite a bit slower paced. Towards the end of the book, however, the pace sped up again and everything came together with quite a few twists and turns.
Most of the book kept me thoroughly intrigued, but I would rate it 4 stars instead of 5 because there were some side stories that I just didn’t think were necessary, and I have a pretty big question about the ending- but can’t state it here because it’s a spoiler.
I do recommend it, though, and look forward to reading McAllister’s future books!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing an advance copy and allowing me to share my opinion!

Thanks Netgalley for the free arc! In my opinion, the storyline was a bit lacking. It started out interesting, but became mundane with not much thrill. I read 74% of the novel before I gave up because I didn’t care what the resolution was anymore. I was giving a free ARC to review; and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

William Morrow, THANK YOU SO MUCH for granting me access to Gillian McAllister's upcoming novel, Famous Last Words. I kept seeing this one on my Bookstagram Feed and I must admit, I had FOMO. So I took a chance and requested it on NetGalley and much to my surprise, I was granted access!

I devoured this book! I had to know what happened. From the dual perspectives of Cam, a literary agent returning to work from her materinity leave, and Niall a hostage negotiatior, I was intrigued from the start about how these two connect. I didn't have to wait long to find out!

At times, the book was too slow for me. It mostly happened during Niall's chapters, because I just adored Cam from the start. However, this book is one you have to read with your full attention. There is so much happening over quite a significant span of time.

I know I loved this one, because I kept telling my boyfriend about it every chance I got. I think he's just as bummed as I am that it's over!