(3.5) This was an entertaining book, but it was definitely slower than I expected. The beginning was quick and exciting, but the middle portion dragged a bit for me. The ending got more interesting although I have some unresolved questions about why certain things happened. Overall I enjoyed my time reading this, but it’s my least favorite by the author so far. Recommend for people who like slower paced thrillers or big fans of the author!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I found this title to be something of an enigma, part of it presents a fine mystery/police procedural, but other chapters are more in line with a romance of love gone wrong creating a schizophrenic story. The scenes where Cam is totally confused by her husband's disappearance become repetitive along with her love of Polly who comes across as a prop. The big reveal resolution seems to ambush the reader as the identity of the actual bad guys strain believability. There is much positive potential in the novel but the back-and-forth points of view plus alternating time frames make the plot a bit jumbled.

What do you do when the person you know and love more than anyone does something unthinkable?

Gillian McAllister's newest thriller is told from the point of view of a hostage taker's wife and the hostage negotiator. While I loved first's POV, I found latter a bit lacking, so it was okay with me that Camilla's POV chapter were a significant majority of the book. I thought the plot twists were good and made sense, but a tad predictable. And overall an interesting and fast-paced mystery, but I wanted a bit more at the end.

3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars

This was my first read by Gillian McAllister, and I will definitely be reading more. Famous Last Words immediately drew me in, and I loved that I never figured everything out. While it can be hard to surprise an avid reader, I was truly surprised by the turn of events. I really liked the alternating POVs and time jumps. I raced through the beginning and end of the book, but the middle dragged a little bit for me. Overall, I really enjoyed this and look forward to reading more of McAllister's previous works.

I was a huge fan of Wrong Place Wrong Time so I was so excited to read Famous Last Words. This was a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I thought McAllister did a wonderful job developing this story. It took a turn I wasn’t expecting, but that just proves how great McAllister is at storytelling. I took off one star because I did feel like the book was unnecessarily long in parts, but I think this one will be a hit with many!

Thanks to William Morrow & NetGalley for the chance to read this book early!!

Wow, this was amazing!! I enjoyed Gillian McAllister's last two mystery/thrillers, but they didn't blow my mind - solid four stars. This one, however, grabbed me with it's premise and never let me go. It was so tightly plotted and fascinating, with incredibly beautiful human moments woven into the story that really made you attached to the characters.

A new favourite thriller!

I was excited to read this one because I loved Wrong Place, Wrong Time. While I thought the premise of this one was super interesting I thought that it was just extremely slow-paced. I thought the twists were good, although mostly predictable. Overall not a bad read, just wish it had been a bit more exciting.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: February 25, 2025
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

To keep this short and sweet and save all the goods for you to read I will say I am shook and unsurprised. I KNEW I was going to love this book, I knew before I opened this book it was going to be a favorite of mine. I love Gillian McAllister and all she writes. This book was PACKED with wild twists and turns as well as a rollercoaster of feelings from start to finish. You think you know who it is, but do you really, I don’t think so. Nothing like a hostage situation to get your heart racing and it just goes wild from there. You will NOT be able to put this book down, I guarantee it. I cannot wait to hear how everybody feels about this book because I am OBSESSED. I will recommend this book to all of my bookish friends! They’ll love it!

Large thank you to our Author, NetGalley as well as William Morrow.

ave loved all Her books and this one certainly did not disappoint!

Cam’s husband Luke goes to work one day and then is found to be the perpetrator of a hostage situation. He subsequently disappears for seven years leaving Cam and their new infant daughter surrounded by so many questions about what happened that day. She struggles to move on and can’t understand how her husband would do such a thing. Then, out the blue she receives a text messages she believes is from Luke and she is on a mission to find out the truth.

This book was told from two main POV’s - Cam’s and the Nial (the hostage negotiator). There are also a few chapters from an unknown person reporting on the whereabouts of Cam. It adds a lot of curiosity and drama to the story. It was very fast paced and interesting and even those it was not as “twisty” as her other books there were surprises. It was very cleverly written and I thoroughly enjoyed this. I will read whatever she writes. I love her style and ability to capture the readers attention.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Fasten your seatbelts; you are in for a wild ride. Camilla, a book agent, is back at work for her first day after maternity leave. She begins to worry about her husband when she can't get in touch with him all day. The next thing she knows, the police arrive at her door and inform her that her husband is involved in a hostage situation. As she attempts to understand their words, they then inform her that he is the gunman. Gillian McAllister never lets me down. Rating should be 4.5.

I was so thankful to receive an advanced copy, thank you! Gillian McAllister is one of a kind and a truly talented author. Famous Last Words was no exception to Gillian’s work and I loved every minute of it. The multiple time lines and thought provoking subject of how life can change in an instant keeps the reader engaged and on the edge of their seat through the twists and turns eagerly waiting to see what happens. I couldn’t put it down!

**Famous Last Words**
by Gillian McAllister
Release Date: 02/25/2025

I’ll keep this review brief since we have just 90 days until the US release! Gillian McAllister is one of my top authors—I always auto-buy her books and absolutely jumped for joy when I got that widget!

Meet Cam, returning to work after an incredible 9 months of maternity leave (seriously, is this standard in the UK? In GA, you don’t even get a day!). As a literary agent, she’s in the perfect position to discover the next big bestseller. Talk about a **DREAM JOB**! 📚✨ She’s married to Luke, a talented journalist turned ghostwriter and a loving dad to their daughter Polly. Life seems perfect.

But on her first day back, everything changes. Cam learns about a hostage situation—and discovers that her husband is right in the middle of it.

Enter Niall, the dedicated hostage negotiator who lives for his job. Unfortunately, he makes a critical mistake during Luke’s crisis, leading to a tragic turn of events. Suddenly, the question looms: is Luke alive?

This thrilling tale is a complex puzzle full of twists and connections that will keep you turning the pages!

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New mother Camilla anticipates the most stressful part of her day will be returning from maternity leave. She certainly didn’t expect her husband to make the news for being the gunman in a hostage event. Now her entire world is crumbling around her as she tries to reconcile the husband she married with the man on the news.

The book is narrated from the perspectives of Camilla and the hostage negotiator Niall, both profoundly affected by the incident. We are introduced to both on the day of the hostage event and again after a seven-year time jump. Cam and Niall are compelling characters, and the suspense builds throughout the book, keeping the reader on their toes. The result is a well-constructed book fans of the author have grown to expect, and first-time readers will understand the hype.

**Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing for approving me to read and review an advance copy of this novel, due for release February 25, 2025.**

I loved this new psychological thriller from Gilliam McAllister! New mom Camilla is headed back to work after her maternity leave, but husband Luke isn't at home to see her and baby Polly off and wish Camilla luck. Only a partial cryptic note is left. Camilla is soon drawn into an unbelievable situation where she is helping hostage negotiator Niall try to talk her husband into giving himself up. How could this possibly be happening with lovely Luke who Camilla truly loves?

This book works because of great pacing, realistic and relatable portrayals of each character vs. overwritten caricatures, and the existence of a good secondary storyline involving Niall. Also, we like the characters we are reading about. I dislike reading books about awful people - who can get emotionally invested in those?

The ending was a tiny bit weaker for me, but author McAllister writes a complex storyline that doesn't feel gimmicky or rely on violence as a plot vehicle. Definitely a recommended book for any psychological thriller lovers out there. 5-stars.

The description of this book completely hooked me: a woman with a normal wife wakes up to find her husband is not home and that there is a hostage situation -- and he is the hostage taker.

The book draws you in from the start. It makes no sense that this happy go lucky guy would do such a thing, and the journey to find out what happened is a wild one. The book alternates between two perspectives - the wife and the hostage negotiator, both whose lives have been permanently altered on this day.

The second half of the book really picked up, and at that point I could no longer put it down. The story was woven together well, and is very clever. I am amazed that authors like Gillian McAllister can think of stories like this.

I haven't read the author's other books but I do own her last bestseller Wrong Place Wrong Time so I'm looking forward to reading that one soon.

Thank you William Morrow Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

this is prob one of my favorite books from Gillian!!!! absolutely so well done and sooo hard to put down from the start!!!

This is the first book I have read by Gillian McAllister although I do have Wrong Place Wrong Time on my shelf. I will definitely be jumping into that one after reading this. This was such a great thriller. Read it!

Gillian McAllister does it again! This book was so good - it follows the players involved in the siege as they try to solve the mystery of what happened that day and why. This book was so fast-paced and full of twists! Some were predictable, others not, which was a great mix.

This is Cam’s first day back at work since her maternity leave and her daughter’s first day in daycare. Cam is both excited and nervous. Luke, her husband, seems to have left early before Cam was even awake and left her without any support on this important day. There is breaking news of a hostage situation. The police arrive at Cam’s office and she fears that Luke is one of the hostages. Luke is not a hostage but he is the one holding the hostages at gun point. Niall is the hostage negotiator. The story is told from two perspectives…Cam’s and Niall’s. The story moves forward in time seven years and deals with the aftermath of that day. As with any good mystery there were surprises along the way. This is the first book I have read by Gillian McAllister but I will now go back and read her other novels and will look forward to future novels.

Another amazing book! I think this one wasn’t as obvious as wrong place wrong time. It had things that really stood out, but they hide other aspects so well! I really enjoyed the mystery, and I loved the love story that was in here as well.