Once again Gillian McAllister has written a great book. I started this and finished in 2 days. Could not put this down!!!

Very satisfying ending! Entertaining to try and guess the ending. I enjoyed the twist. The only downside of the entire novel was the character development. I didn’t really empathize with Camilla or care about any of the characters. There is one person for example, an IT specialist with the police, who is mentioned many times but has no back story. Read this one for the mystery, not the characters.

A new mom about to return to work wakes to find her husband not at home. Her day gets much worse when a police negotiator calls to tell her that her husband is holding hostages at gunpoint. Who is this man she thought she knew? Years pass and Cam and Niall the police negotiator can't give up the feeling that Luke was not the bad guy in the situation and continue to search. Loved the subtle clues, the deeper look at the hostage negotiator's emotional toll and the less than obvious twists in this thriller. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister is an exciting thriller that hooked me from the very first page.

The story kicks off with a bang as Camilla, a new mother, wakes up on the day she's supposed to return to work to find her husband missing and a mysterious note in his place. When breaking news reveals that her husband, Luke, is the gunman in a London hostage situation, her world is turned upside down. The book unfolds in four acts spanning years with perspectives alternating between Camilla and Niall, the hostage negotiator.

I couldn’t put this book down and read it in a single day! It played out like an action movie in my head starting off with us readers right in the action. I thought this book was well written and starts off so strong. While the twists weren’t entirely unpredictable, there were still a couple of surprises and twists that caught me off guard! The pacing is relentless, and the tension doesn’t let up, making it impossible to stop reading. The characters and emotional stakes drew me in completely and didn’t let up until the end of this heartbreaking and thrilling love story.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an arc of this in exchange for an honest review!

This is my second book by the author. After reading the riveting Wrong Place and Wrong Time this year, I was intrigued by what the author offers in this latest work.

The premise of Famous Last Words is genuinely intriguing, particularly with the unique angle of having literary agents and authors as protagonists. I appreciated this creative choice and felt there was potential for deeper exploration of the theme of "communicating through the book." Expanding this aspect could have added an enriching layer to the narrative.

The story begins with Camilla, known as Cam, returning to work after maternity leave. Her husband, Luke, is suspiciously unreachable, and as the morning unfolds, it becomes evident that he is the one behind a hostage situation. This dramatic setup sets the stage for dual perspectives from Cam and Niall, a hostage negotiator. The book is divided into four acts. The first act is engaging and well-paced, drawing the reader in immediately.

However, the second act, which spans a significant portion of the book, could have benefitted from a tighter narrative. It takes place seven years after the siege and introduces Cam and her now seven-year-old daughter, Polly. It beautifully illustrates Cam’s inability to move on as she still feels the shadow of her missing husband lurking around her, making the pacing extremely slow. Any substantial development took a long time to emerge. Sometimes, we read vivid, atmospheric descriptions of London and other places frequented by our characters, which do not lend anything to the narrative but disrupt the reading flow.

There are times when Cam comes across crumbs of information but halts as the horrors of what Luke did on the day of the siege haunt her. Her arc of moving forward, albeit gradually, effectively portrays her emotional depth. Still, again, this does not do much to carry the narrative of a book marketed as a thriller forward.

While portrayed as a supportive figure, her sister Libby sometimes seems ambiguous in her role, which could benefit from more straightforward characterization. I applaud the author's choice about the struggles of infertility; however, attributing her jealousy to hormonal imbalance felt simplistic.

By far, my favorite character and character portrayal is that of Niall. His persistent pursuit of justice for Luke adds a layer of intrigue. His chapters are exceptionally well-crafted and engaging, and his counseling sessions offer valuable insights and make up for the laggard pacing in the previous chapters.

The narrative picks up significantly in the last eighty pages, showcasing a stronger connection between earlier hints of resolution and the concluding scenes. However, frequent introspections about the environment and internal struggles during pivotal moments sometimes disrupt the story's tension. I was not a big fan of it.

Famous Last Words presents a captivating premise with room for character growth and narrative depth.

Thank you, #Netgalley, for this opportunity.

Rating 3.75

I am such a huge fan of Gillian McCallister. I read her previous book "Wrong Place, Wrong Time" and I rated that book very highly as well. She creates really interesting stories that hook the reader and keep them engaged. Her books move at a very quick pace and cause the reader to question everything. This is exactly where we find the main character Camilla, questioning everything. She sees her husband on the news in a hostage situation, except he is the gunman! Not to mention, the cryptic message she finds that morning. She also tells the story of private investigator Niall, and she weaves both stories together really seamlessly. The book has a very satisfying and complete ending as well. Honestly, whatever Gillian writes, you will see me first in line to get a copy. Bravo!

I really enjoyed this one! This is my third by the author and I enjoyed them all but this may be my favorite. I couldn't put it down and read it in a day! I great thriller with some twists that were logical but I mostly didn't figure out and it had a satisfying resolution. Recommend!

This novel kept me engaged and wanting more for most of the book. However, I feel like the writing style changed for the last 3rd or 4th of it. I had to re read, or go back a chapter to have some of it make sense. No big twist, as it was all neatly wrapped up in the end.

Thank you netgalley for the prerelease ebook.

This was really strong. I totally did not see the plot twists coming.

This is my second book by this author and I liked this one a lot more than I liked her first.

It kept me engaged even as I read other books at the same time, which is really hard to do. I was able to stay focused enough to keep up with the characters and follow the twists.

I’m somewhat new to thriller/mystery books and this one had me floored the entire time. Every guess I had was wrong but that’s completely fine and I expected that 😂

Quite enjoyed this read. I was certainly not what it seems when you base it on the description. This book evolved into so much more. Nicely followed up at the end too.

I thought this mystery thriller was too long and drawn out. New mom Cam learns that hubby Luke has taken and killed hostages and now has disappeared. A 7-year jump in the storyline helps move things along for awhile but then it slows down again. It is an interesting plot, but the execution of that plot is lacking. Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing an ARC.

This was a quick, propulsive, engaging read. It gripped me from the first sentence and didn't let go until I'd devoured it, several hours later! Highly recommend for anyone in a reading slump.

On June 21 Camilla's life is about to change forever. Not only is it her first day back to work after her maternity leave, it is her daughter's first day at daycare. When she wakes up her husband, Luke, is not there. He has left a weird note. Later, she sees on the breaking news that there is a hostage situation in London. When the police show up and tell her that Luke is involved in this hostage situation it is just the beginning. This book is full of secrets she and the hostage negotiator uncover to solve the case. Thanks to @NetGalley for the ARC of this book! I really liked it.

This book is, at its core, a love story wrapped in the suspense of a mystery/thriller. Camila and Luke seem to have a typical married life, complete with the joys and challenges of raising a new baby, until one day, Luke vanishes—leaving behind a cryptic note. Hours later, Camila discovers her dependable, mild-mannered husband is holding three hostages at gunpoint in a warehouse. This shocking event sparks years of unanswered questions and a wife’s unwavering faith in the man she thought she knew.

The story is told through three perspectives: Camila, Niall (a hostage negotiator), and a mysterious third voice whose identity isn’t revealed until near the end. This narrative structure drives the tension, immersing the reader in the characters’ uncertainty and deepening the mystery. Like the main characters, readers will find themselves questioning what truly happened on the day of the hostage crisis.

Compelling and thought-provoking, this book keeps you hooked from start to finish. Definitely a worthwhile read!

I am a big fan of this author and have read their other books but this particular book was not my cup of tea. It was a very slow start. The first 50% was slow, the next 50% picked up some.

Gillian McAllister is back with another winner. Cam is busy preparing for her first day back to work after maternity leave when she realizes her husband Luke isn’t at home. An odd note on the table further confuses her. A short time later she is told that Luke is in a hostage situation, but her world begins to crumble when she realizes that he’s not the one being held against his will. Her world turns upside down in a matter of moments, but Cam is convinced that there must be something more at play and that Luke’s last note to her must hold the secret.

The beginning really drew me in and I thought the story line was very original. The book was a little slow moving for me but the ended provided lots of twists.

I could NOT believe my luck when I saw I was granted an ARC if this book—I am not exaggerating when I say this is a book I have been EAGERLY anticipating since I first heard about it! I’m happy to say, this held up to my excitement! Utterly gripping and impossible to put down, I was completely sucked into the many twists and turns. I highly recommend this book!

Wow!! What a ride the author takes you on! This is sure to be a book that will be talked about a ton in 2025! Hostage situation, a love story and a mystery all collide and will leave you unglued at the end! Excellent novel!! Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.