What a great book that will grab you right from the start and takes you on a wild ride!

Camillia goes back to work after nine months of maternity leave and doesn't even make it to lunch before her world is turned upside down. Not only is her husband involved in a hostage situation, he is apparently the gunman! After the hostage negotiator fails to prevent the worst, Luke disappears and no one can find him.

Fast forward to years later and Camillia is still trying to put her life back together but odd things start to happen and she wonders.....is Luke still alive or is someone messing with her. There are multiple twists and turns as this action packed thriller moves through the chapters. I promise you are not going to be able to put this book down.

Gillian McAllister does it again and shows readers why she is such a talented author. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I think I love Gillian McAllister's thrillers so much because they consistently transcend the genre and its expectations. It's not just about mystery or suspense, there's always underlying themes related to family dynamics, relationships, identity, etc. This book especially appealed to me because there was a unique love for fiction and literature within every chapter and character, and that theme was a foundation to the story itself. Having such a rich book with plot, theme, and other ideas, it's impossible not to fall deep inside and become hooked.
I also really enjoyed the structure of this novel, and the parts it was separated into. It gave me fun waves of shock and surprise to see time pass and experience the different perspectives -- that is another aspect of her novels I adore. This structure coupled with everything else incredible about this novel made it an immensely enjoyable experience. It started slow and mysterious, escalated quickly into extreme surprise and shock, and continued down a suspenseful and steady path until it finished.
I loved the ending because it was an imperfect close to the characters' lives, rather than a form of happily ever after. Down to the last few paragraphs, the ending was just as complicated and hard to distill as all the other relationships and phases of character journeys earlier in the novel.
To portray humanity, relationships, motherhood, love, fiction, and murder, of course, all so well and all simultaneously is a shocking skill and creates a masterpiece of fiction.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers at William Morrow for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

WOW!!!!! What a ride!!!!!! Gillian McAllister has done it again!!!!! Wrong Place Wrong Time is still a top favorite of mine, and Famous Last Words is right here with it! The twists and turns and little bombs she drops at the end of chapters ... AMAZING!!!!!!!!!

Cam wakes up to what she thinks is a normal day with her daughter, but she doesn't know where her husband is. It's her first day back at work and to take Polly to daycare. She is very frustrated with him because he knew how hard this day was going to be for her, but he isn't answering her texts or calls. She makes it to work and is getting settled in again when some unexpected visitors arrive and turn her world upside down. That's all you need to know about this book. Just jump right in from there.

I highly recommend reading this book over listening to the audiobook. There were so many times I had to go back and re-read because of the little twists she adds. I also highly recommend you set aside time to read. This isn't a book to read a chapter here and a chapter there. You won't get the same experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for sending me this digital review copy of Famous Last Words, an absolutely fabulous book by Gillian McAllister. When people ask me for thriller recommendations, this will hands down be one that I tell them to read.

Loved Gillian McAllister's first novel Wrong Place Wrong Time, so I was excited to read her upcoming release. Unfortunately the pacing fell short and I didn't particularly care for the characters. Struggled to finish. Thank you NetGalley for this arc

Gillian McAllister always delivers. Camilla and Luke are new parents to Poppy. On the morning that Poppy is to start daycare, Luke promised that he'd be there to help ease the agony. That morning, she wakes up and discovers that Luke has already gone to work but has left a cryptic note behind. She quickly realizes that he's in a hostage situation, but he's not a hostage, he's the one holding everyone hostage. Camilla is grappling, trying to figure out what's going on. She needs to piece things together and figure out what's going on, as she works with Niall, the hostage negotiator. After these events, the story continues with the aftermath of hostage situation.

The character development in this book is unremarkable. I couldn't put this book down. Every time that I thought I had the book figured out, it'd take another turn. This book alternates between Niall's and Camilla's pov.

A big thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for this arc in exchange for my honest review

A suspenseful and original story that had me hooked, with great characters that I actually cared about.

Famous Last Words is a great twisty read and I never knew what to trust. What sets this book apart is its ability to keep readers guessing. Every new revelation adds a new wrinkle to the story, creating a sense of urgency that made it nearly impossible for me to put the book down. For fans of twisty, character-driven mysteries, this book is a must-read. It’s not just a story about solving a horrible crime—it’s a deep exploration of trust, redemption, and the lengths we will go to uncover the truth. If you’re looking for a novel that will keep you up all night, this one delivers in every way!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Hardcover for this advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Camilla heads back to work after maternity leave. Before she can get there she gets downstairs and her husband Luke is gone. A half finished note is left from him. Later she learns that Luke is caught up in a hostage situation where he is actually the gunman. Camilla's once normal life is turned on its head and she is forced to take a hard look as all she thought and believed about life, her marriage, and the world.

The book's premise was very promising, and the first half was engaging. However, the second half fell flat. The beginning drew me in quickly, as it revolved around a husband who went missing and was later discovered to be a perpetrator holding three hostages. In contrast, the second half lacked the same excitement, and I forced myself to the end. It felt more like a love letter to the husband rather than a continuation of the suspense established in the first half. This book was a miss, but I would read more of the author's books in the future

Thank you to NetGallery and to William Morrow for giving me a copy.

I love nothing more than a British thriller, and Gillian McAllister reliably delivers just that. I went into this book completely blind, which I recommend. I found the suspense and pace of the beginning to be captivating and had me along for the ride. Admittedly there were aspects about the way this story panned out that felt a little over the top to me. Still, there were some very clever breadcrumbs, which I enjoyed getting pieced together.

I received an ARC of this book from William Morrow via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. I LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS BOOK! Easily one of my favorites this year. It grabbed me from basically the first sentence, and I hated having to put it down. Ms. McAllister has a tremendous gift with words, which she gave to all her author characters. I kept wondering if some of the characters' opinions/ points-of-view with respect to books and publishing were a sort of subtle commentary on the author's own feelings. I was imagining her chuckling as she wrote.

I was so afraid the conclusion would let me down, because the entire book was so amazing, but I was thrilled to see it didn't. It made perfect sense.

All the characters are so well-developed and detailed. I loved Camilla & Luke's inside jokes/vocab and also Viv's stray animals.

I was honestly sad when I finished this and feel sorry for my next book which is highly unlikely to live up to this one!

Thank you so much, NetGalley! Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I'm in the minority here, so don't take my word for it, give it a try. For me, it was very slow paced and repetitive. nothing really happened until around 90 percent into the book. I will try another book by this author

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister. Hostage, Love and starting over.

I rated this 4 stars.

June 21st, the longest day of the year and Camilla’s first day back to work after maternity leave. Camilla readies herself and her daughter, Polly, for the day and hoping to receive help from her husband, Luke, but he has already left the house. Did he kiss her goodbye…? Leaving the house Camilla finds a note from Luke with “It’s been lovely with you both”, odd but she puts it to the back of her mind and thinks about her first day back. Camilla is a book editor and Luke is a ghost writer.

Camilla still hasn’t heard back from Luke, now there is a hostage situation on the news and suddenly the police are looking for her. They are there to inform her that he is apart of the hostage situation but not a victim, he’s the gunman.

Gillian did a wonderful job writing a mystery thriller with twists and turns but also a little bit of a love story. Was a great read that kept me interested will definitely recommend this to others.

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Starts off with a bang... and then the pace gets tedious. When a wife discovers that her husband has taken several hostages in a warehouse, she questions EVERYTHING she's ever known about him. The note he left, the recent break-in at their house, even the miles he drove. We learn the backstory of the hostage negotiator's relationship, the sister's fertility struggles, a little too much distraction and then the story jumps forward in time. The narrative drags, gets a bit convoluted, and I found myself pushing through just to find out the ending. Overall, it was a decent thriller and the premise is excellent. Not as good as Wrong Place, Wrong Time.

What a story. Honestly in the first part of the book I had no idea where it was going. Although it was a bit slow in the middle, the connections that come out of this book were so good. It really keeps you guessing and the ending will have you on the edge of your seat. My only critique is that it needed to be a bit faster, to really keep a reader hooked but otherwise I really enjoyed it.

"All along, she was looking for the heroes and the villains, and she had them the wrong way around. At the heart of this mystery was a book that solved everything for her, the way they always do. A story that made sense of the chaos of life."

I'm absolutely blown away by this book! From the very first page, I was hooked. This is one of the most gripping thrillers I’ve read in a long time! The pacing is fast, the tension is high, and the stakes couldn’t be more intense.

What I loved most is how the story is told from two timelines and multiple perspectives—Camilla’s frantic journey to understand what’s happening to her husband and Niall, the police negotiator who’s dealing with the crisis. The shifting viewpoints really pulled me in, making it impossible to put the book down.

Gillian's writing is phenomenal, effortlessly building suspense while forcing you to reflect on how well we really know the people closest to us. This book keeps you guessing, offering twists and surprises that’ll leave your jaw on the floor.

I devoured this in one sitting and can’t recommend it enough. If you’re a fan of thrillers with family drama, police procedures, and jaw-dropping twists, this is a MUST-read! It’s binge-worthy, heart-pounding, and truly unforgettable!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

When your husband disappears and then reappears on video masterminding a crime, how do you move on? What if you still believe in his innocence? McAllister takes us thru a seven year story where a woman struggles to move on but eventually does. Her husband vanished after escaping the cops, but when she tries to have him legally declared dead, her world begins to change in several ways. Who's controlling it all? I was so hooked from the moment she learned it was her husband with the gun. Couldn't put it down, and then... when the truth came out, it makes you wonder how far you'll go to protect someone you love!

An addicting page-turner right from the start!

After months of maternity leave, new mother Camilla is dropping her daughter off at her first day of daycare. She's looking forward to being back at work as a literary agent. But when she wakes, her husband Luke isn’t there, and in his place is a cryptic note: "It's been lovely with you both." Then, what starts as usual day turns into BREAKING NEWS - the police inform her that her husband Luke is involved in a hostage situation, only not as a hostage but as the gunman.

When I say FAMOUS LAST WORDS starts off with a BANG, I mean, it starts OFF WITH A BANG. The pacing and tension kept me so engaged as the pages just kept turning. Told from the perspectives from Niall (the hostage negotiator) and Camilla, these characters carried the story seamlessly. I was obsessed and just HAD TO KNOW the reason behind Luke's involvement in the hostage situation...WHYYYYY would a seemingly normal husband and father just FLIP like that?? And let me tell you, the plot is so unique, you'll never guess until the story unfolds at the end. I love a 'book within a book' and it's execution here is brilliant. The middle did drag a bit as we get more of Cam and Niall's inner thoughts as they deal with the aftermath of the siege BUT once we get the first revelation, the rest of the story is on SPEED CONTROL. This would make a great EDGE-OF-YOUR-SEAT movie adaptation. I definitely RECOMMEND!

I absolutely loved this book! I had been in a book slump and this got be right out. I couldn’t put it down. It’s just so good and has lots of twists. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC!

“We pause for a moment, here, to bring you breaking news from Central London…. There is a hostage situation unfolding.”

Gillian McAllister is an absolute master of
suspense, and she’s done it again with Famous Last Words. What a wild ride of a thriller.

”Jesus Christ. It isn’t as it seems. Not at all.”

The book starts at breakneck speed, right in the middle of a typical morning, when new-mom Camilla receives word that her loving husband has taken three people hostage. Within hours, two of them are dead and Cam’s husband, Luke, is on the run. With Luke missing and police on his tail, Cam is left to pick up the pieces of her life, while also trying to figure out why he might have done this and how he got involved in the first place.

”She is not tied up. She is not bound and gagged. But she is his hostage, no doubt about it.”

Filled with tension and adrenaline, this book will dropkick you right out of a reading slump if you’re in one. There was so much happening, and so many little breadcrumb clues dropped along the way, that I really needed to pay attention to what I was reading to make sure I didn’t miss a thing. I didn’t want to put it down!

”It was always, always going to end this way, consequences be damned…”

I loved the story and its twisty plot, but I also loved the woven-in musings on unexpected kinds of grief, and the theme of learning when to let go and when to hold on. McAllister’s books are so much more than popcorn thrillers, and I love them every time.

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A huge thank you to Gillian McAllister, William Morrow, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!