What if. What we do if a loved one was in a horrible tragedy? What if that person was guilty? Questions…no answers…this talented author has written a suspenseful novel that is a page turner. A new mother…secrets…red herrings…a father…a baby…recipe for this book that is difficult to put down. Thanks Netgalley.

Famous Last Words is the third book by Gillian McAllister and I can say that I did not enjoy this book much like I did her other mysteries. Unlike her prior books, the latest story lacks any suspense but does share meandering dialogue and no character whatsoever with the protagonist feeling lifeless throughout and the biggest crime of all: an uninteresting mystery.

A little bit long-winded, but I enjoyed this thriller! I felt like I was just barely a step ahead of where the book was leading which works just fine for me in a thriller.

A woman ending maternity leave and about to reenter the workforce finds out her husband is the gunman in a hostage situation. Her husband, who is also a loving father, has left her a weird note. What ensues are twists and a great plot with fantastic character development. I was so so so wrong on all of my assumptions. Even so I loved this book and I really love when an author keeps me guessing until the end. That's the ride I'm interested in and Gillian McAllister delivered! Thank you to William Morrow and Net Galley for the advanced copy. It is much appreciated!

I hate saying this but I feel like I have to so often with thrillers/mysteries...this had so much potential.

What do you do when your husband ends up holding people hostage at gunpoint?? I mean, come on. That's so interesting and fun and chaotic and a great premise for a book! But this fell so flat for me.

I think what really started me finding this book quite "meh" was the beginning. How this book started. The start of this story is very slow, especially for what I feel like a thriller should be. You need to hook me right away with a thriller, your premise alone won't keep me around. I need to be on the edge of my seat, needing to know what's going to happen next THE ENTIRE TIME. And this book just didn't do that. It was quite "okay."

I also found some characters to be quite annoying at times and I really didn't want some of their POVs for that reason.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

I loved it! Gillian McAllister is now an automatic read for me! This was so twisty, anytime I thought I knew what was going to happen, it quickly came apparent that I in fact did not see the twist at all! So good!

I really enjoyed this new book from Gillian McAllister. It was different from any book I’ve ever read. It is about a small family whose husband goes and fires an unthinkable thing. It’s completely out of character for him and his wife can’t figure out how it could possibly be true.

The story slowly comes together and builds to an exciting ending. This story is about not giving up, trusting your gut, and believing in something even when others doubt you. This was shown is the three different marriages in the book.

The book was well written. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to others.

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister is a fun ride.

We begin the story by jumping straight into the action as Camilla (Cam) Deschamps takes her infant daughter for her first day at daycare and waits for her husband, Luke, to join her as he had planned. He doesn’t show up, call, or text. Just as her worry and dread hit full tilt boogie, the police arrive at Cam’s workplace to tell her that Luke is embroiled in a hostage crisis, and he is holding three people at gunpoint.

This book starts at a rapid clip and keeps at that pace for the first third before going into more of a dual-character study that bounces between the lives of Cam and her daughter, Polly, and the hostage negotiator, Niall, who can’t get this case out of his head, even as it destroys his personal life.

The characters here are portrayed in a way that lets you get to know them and care about what happens. Sure, there are major decisions that Cam makes that I would not have made in a million years, but at least I cared about her as she made them.

This is a thriller, it’s also a mystery that had me guessing until the end, but it is also a love story. How much do you really know those you love? How deeply can you believe in someone even if every single thing is telling you and showing you that you are wrong?

Some points in that love story go a little into sappy land or maybe I am jaded. Lol! All in all this book was good and I will check out more by this author.

4.5 rounded up.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Marrow for the advanced copy to read and review.

This is another good book by Gillian McAllister. It's an intense thriller about Cam whose husband holds three people hostage. How can this be happening? Her husband Luke is a good man, and they just welcomed a baby girl, Polly, 9 months ago. Riall, the hostage negotiator does not believe the shooter will shoot. He almost loses his job after this. Cam and Riall are two likeable people who meet under bad circumstances.

The second part of the book takes place seven years after the shootings. Both characters are trying to move on. Cam's husband is missing but she still loves him and just doesn't believe he could have done this. She finds out some details about Luke's life that she didn't know about. She does some searching on her own while at the same time Niall is also looking into the shootings even though his bosses want him to give it up.

The third part of the book is when more is revealed. I found the main characters were very real. You are rooting for them the whole time. I did think the final reveal was a little rushed. I really liked this book, and I would recommend it to anyone that likes to have a fast-moving thriller that makes them think.

I want to thank NetGalley and William Morrow for my early Arc ebook.

I was so excited when I received "Famous Last Words" and the book did not disappoint. I love Gillian McAllister's way of creating characters I care about right away. I also love how I couldn't put the book down. There was enough intrigue early on to keep me hooked throughout the story. I particularly liked the ending and how Luke wrote clues for Cam within his book. Thank you for the ARC - I will definitely recommend it to others.

After loving 2 of her other books I was super excited to get this "Thriller" unfortunatley, i did not enjoy it at all. 10% in and I could not have cared less about the MC. 20% in, I was looking at my kindle like ugh. when is this going to get better. 30% in I was forcing myself to read. 40% i was forcing myself to care. 50% I was calling it quits. Too slow and draggy.

I was so excited for this book, I love anything Gillian McAllister touches. Imagine one morning you wake up and your husband leaves a cryptic note and is gone? Fast forward to a few hours later and you find out he is holding hostages?! That is what happened to Camilla and her life will quickly change. I do not want to give anything away, but you will not be able to put this book down. Four stars because I felt it dragged a bit and to be honest, a bit unrealistic. Lots of twists and turns in this one!

I really enjoyed this book! I found it to be a fun, easy read! Although I suspected there was more to the story right away and also saw one of the plot twists coming I was totally hooked by page one and found myself unable to put it down. As a mother of 4 I could relate to the struggles of the new parents and also found my heart breaking for the characters who were encountering struggles, which was nearly everyone! Loved that there was a happy ending for several of the main characters. I do not feel like that happens much anymore and I am always happy when it does. I would definitely recommend this book to friends!

4/5 ⭐️s
Coming February 2025! Famous Last Words centers around a hostage situation, mostly focusing on the aftermath of the people directly and indirectly involved. I really loved the way the author painted these characters, especially Cam and Libby. Good amount of unexpected twists! The story kept my attention and I just wanted to know what the heck happened!! Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my review!

4.5 glorious stars.

I love mystery/thrillers. They are what got me back into reading about 10 years ago. However, I don’t read a lot of them anymore because they have become pretty predictable. This one was not predictable. Sure, I figured out some things. I had nigglings about certain characters and plot points and what their significance may be to the story, but I couldn’t put it all together.

Luke, calm and loved husband and father, wakes up early one morning and takes 3 people hostage. No one knows why. It makes no sense. The book is told from the perspective of his wife, Cam, and the hostage negotiator, Niall. The book also features a 7-year time jump.

This book was FUN to read. So fun. The first act had my adrenaline pumping it was written so well. While the second act was slower, all the pieces starting coming together and questions began to get answered. I felt like a detective trying to piece together things that I knew were important but just couldn’t quite figure out how they were connected.

The solution is satisfying. It’s not some crazy solution for a surprise factor. It makes sense and it was great ride to get there. I highly recommend this book for fans of the mystery/thriller genre. I will also start exploring Gillian McAllister’s backlist because this is the second book I’ve read from her, and I think she’s a bit of a genius!

I will post content about this book on my IG as we approach the release date: instagram.com/kraftykatreads.

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister is a gripping and emotionally charged thriller that keeps readers on edge until the final page. McAllister masterfully weaves together suspense, moral dilemmas, and complex character dynamics, creating a story that is as thought-provoking as it is thrilling. The twists are perfectly timed, and the narrative's emotional depth adds layers to the already compelling plot. While a few minor details could have been explored further, the book’s pacing, tension, and poignant exploration of human relationships make it an outstanding read. A must for fans of psychological thrillers with heart.

This was such a fun, whodunit wild ride!!! Highly enjoyed the twists and turns this took me on. I loved the multi-character POV and the time jumps - it felt cohesive throughout and worked really well here. Could totally see this being a film adaptation as I was reading it. It was so vivid with the way Gillian does her writing you can picture everything as if you're in the middle of the action. This is one I'd recommend but just know you won't be able to put it down once you pick it up!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC!

Hm. Certainly enjoyable enough. But the prose is just workmanlike. And the story felt rather implausible. The guy wouldn’t try to communicate his intentions somehow? No one would be suspicious of the released hostage?

Oh wow, was this edge of your seat stuff. We will include this title in our New Year, New Books program in January for sure. Should be a big hit for 2025.

initial thoughts: Gillian McAllister is an instant “must read” author for me. this book had a great premise, two POVs, and was written in three seven year chunks. while a bit of suspending reality is required, this story was engaging and kept me reading. there was a bit of a slowdown in the second chunk, but nothing that didn’t cause me to put down the book and not pick it back up.

another great thriller/mystery from Gillian! this will be popular title once it's released.

a big thank you to NetGalley & William Morrow Books for the ARC.