I have enjoyed all of the McAllister books I have read and this is no exception. The mid book time jump threw me for a loop a bit, but the pacing picked back up in no time. The narrator was spot on! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Woah this book was a wild ride!! It was full of twists and turns I didn’t see coming (even though I was guessing one of the twists). It was SO good. The narration was on point!!

Camilla's maternity leave is over and she has to go back to work, leaving her 9 month old at daycare. Luke, her husband, is already gone having left an odd short note, saying "It's been so lovely with you both," and so Camilla heads off solo to drop the baby at the center and head into her job as book editor/agent. Someone has the news on in the office and a breaking story about a hostage situation is on. In short order, the police arrive at her office to tell her Luke, her husband, is involved. Immediately assuming he is a hostage as his sometime office is in that part of town, Camilla is horrified to learn that he is, in fact, the hostage taker. And he has a gun.

She has no choice but to call her sister to collect her daughter and go with the police. She doesn't like to call her sister to help with baby Polly because of her sister's struggles with infertility. As the standoff continues, Cam is absolutely horrified to learn that her husband killed two hostages. And disappears. Luke has always been the happiest, most settled person Cam knows and she is completely gobsmacked by what has happened.

Camilla tries to put her life back together. Seven years pass and she's still clueless about where Luke is and why he did what he did. Cam is actually dating again and decides to put the house up for sale. She can't do that until Luke is declared dead though and the paperwork for that is overwhelming. But after she starts the process she gets an odd text with a location and time to meet. She thinks maybe Luke is finally contacting her and goes, but he doesn't turn up. What she doesn't know is that the Niall, the police hostage negotiator, hasn't given up and is still monitoring her phone. He intercepts the text and changes the time. When Camilla receives an awaited second book from an author (and thinks it's great), puzzle pieces begin to fit together.

This well-thought out book is a suspenseful read you'll want to race through. If you listen to the audio book read by Emilia Fox, you'll enjoy the listen. Fox frequently narrates thrillers and crime books.

I honestly don't know how Gillian McAllister can keep the twists coming, but she is transcendent in this aspect. In Famous Last Words, we meet Camilla, a new mother (somewhat reluctantly it feels like sometimes) as she is heading back to work for the first day after maternity leave. She is annoyed that her husband Luke is not there to see her off and she finds a weird paper that looks like the start of a note, but is dying to get out of the house and back to work so doesn't pay much attention. Not long into her day, she's confronted by the fact that Luke has taken hostages and her life is thrown for a loop. The first section of this book goes a mile a minute and draws you in immediately as Camilla is brought by the negotiator, Niall, to try and get her husband to give up. The second and third sections deal with the fallout and twists so I won't go into them, but even when you expect twists from her, McAllister always surprises. I both read and listened to this book to preview for my library and would heartily recommend both. Emilia Fox does a great narration and the physical book allows you to better flip back to see how you missed clues. A big thank you to William Morrow, HarperAudio, and NetGalley for the early access in exchange for my honest opinion. 4.5 stars

I liked Gillian McAllister's last book, and definitely looked forward to Famous Last Words. I must say that it did not disappoint - indeed I liked it even more than her last effort. Famous Last Words has an unusual structure for a thriller, both in terms of POVs and in terms of time periods. I could see this as being off-putting for some readers, but I really liked the way it built complexity into both the mystery and the development of character. Though I slightly preferred Cam's POV, I was also very interested in Niall's sections. They complemented each other well and weren't repetitive in terms of reveals of information. In all, I liked the way this book is in many ways a "classic" thriller in terms of combining domestic life with mystery, but also goes beyond all the usual tropes. And for those considering the audiobook, the narrator is excellent!

The premise of this book caught my attention and kept me hooked until the very end -- as a mom of two young kids, I related to the main character and cannot imagine being placed in her situation.

I had some issues with pacing and character development. The ending left me wanting more answers because the plot took a few unexpected turns that I didn't necessarily love -- but it was fun talking to my friends that read it as well. Would make a good book club book or a quick binge read on vacation!

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

Enjoyable mystery with good narration.

Loved this book! The twists were unpredictable and the audiobook was easy to follow. I will continue to look forward to more books by the author

I really Liked this book. I think it was a great blend of genres. This Is my first by Gillian McAllister and I will read another one. Thank you for my copy. I really enjoyed the narrartor too.

4.5 Stars--Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister is a gripping and emotionally charged thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Following the story of Camilla unfolds with twists and turns that are as heartbreaking as they are captivating, pulling you deeper into a world of secrets and suspense. Each chapter leaves you craving more wondering what is Luke's story?, with its compelling characters and shocking revelations. McAllister masterfully crafts a narrative that is both thrilling and poignant, making this book a must-read for fans of fast-paced, emotional storytelling. I have never rooted for a character more to have a happy ending.

This book gave me everything that I love about her books. It was tense, frustrating in a good way, and in the end hopeful.

This was such a fun thriller. Twisty enough to keep me engaged through the end. The characters were the right mix of likeable and maybe a little not on the straight and narrow that a good thriller requires. I really liked this book. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the review copy. This is my favorite thriller so far this year. I had never read a Gillian McAllister novel before, but I've added more to my list after this one.

Gillian knocked it out of the park with this book! Emilia Fox did also as the narrator! A new mom going back to work since having the baby. Getting a called that your husband is involved in a hostage situation but not as a victim but the gunman. Camilla will do anything to find the truth. This was not only a story of a crime, but of secrets in a marriage. Prepare to be take on a ride....

Overall great read. Lots of information and lots of back and forth from past to present.

The story itself was great and suspenseful. Lots of wondering how it would end.

It definitely leads you to believe early on that this is a set up and the husband is still alive. But lots of missing pieces. So you’re still guessing till the end.


Thanks NetGalley for the copy.

McAllister delivers an emotionally taut, multi-perspective domestic thriller that is nothing short of addictive with FAMOUS LAST WORDS. The carefully crafted tale of a woman blindsided by her husband’s actions one morning takes both her and the reader down a twisted road with secrets, lies, and duplicitous behavior.

This is now the third book by the author that I have read, and they keep getting better. Though the opening few pages didn’t grab me, by the end of the second chapter, I was hooked. Feverously flipping, my mind was in overdrive trying to figure out the truth of what happened on the day which changed everything for Cam and her family. What struck me as so expertly written was the emotional ups and downs of Cam. There is an honesty in this character that grounds the craziness she has been thrust into.

With just the right placement for the big reveals, the author weaves a suspenseful thriller that progressively builds to a perfect ending to the arc of this story. McAllister is quickly becoming a go-to author for me.

Audiobook Note: Having spent a little time listening to this book, I can say it does the narrative justice. Although, with Emilia Fox as the narrator, I can’t truly be too surprised. Personally, I have enjoyed many of her audiobooks over the years, and this one is no different. The pacing was exactly what you would want from a book like FAMOUS LAST WORDS.

How does literary agent Cam connect the dots between her husband’s disappearance?
Famous Last Words by Gilliam McAllister takes us through every emotion from the beginning of a hostage negotiation involving her husband to 7 years later when clues of what happened re-surface.

Cam wakes up one morning and when she starts to take her daughter to daycare she finds a mysterious note from her husband Luke. Later that day the police inform her Luke is involved in a hostage situation - and he is the perpetrator.

This book was so fun to read and had so many twists and turns. I enjoyed being along for the ride and really liked Cam as a main character.

The audiobook was exceptional. The narrator did such a good job and was very pleasant to listen to.

Tropes:
* Twists and turns
* Hostage situation
* Multiple POV
* Cryptic Note
* Missing Person

Gillian McAllister is a masterful storyteller, and this captivating, twisted novel shows just that. When Camilla wakes up and her husband is gone, she hears about a developing hostage situation involving her husband. What Camilla "Cam" is even more shocked to learn is that her husband, Luke, isn't a hostage but the hostage taker. This was a very involved plot with so many unexpected twists! The narrator of the audio was great! This did start to drag a little for me, and got to be a little long, but was definitely worth it!

Camilla wakes up on the morning she returns to work after 9 months of maternity leave to find her husband, Luke, gone. He leaves a note, but isn’t answering any calls or texts. Perplexed, Cam gets her and her daughter ready and renters the world as a literary agent. At work she hears about a hostage situation taking place in a warehouse nearby. When police officers arrive to question her, Can immediately fears for Luke’s safety. Except, to her complete shock, they tell her that Luke is the gunman.

Fast forward seven years and Cam is still living in a limbo of sorts, unable to let go of what happened in that warehouse and forever questioning why. She is attempting a new relationship, but can’t forget how happy she and Luke were and how impossible this new reality seems. But Cam isn’t the only one who can’t move past that fateful day. Niall, the hostage negotiator, has also been haunted by the events and hasn’t stopped looking for explanations. As the two discover new information they start to think that Luke might actually be alive and perhaps everything they assumed was wrong.

Famous Last Words is a stellar slow burn thriller. It isn’t constant twists and turns and shock and awe, it’s well constructed, slowly unspooling tension. The character development is fantastic, you get to know Cam and Niall so well while knowing very little about Luke, which I thought was calculated and fascinating. This book has atmosphere for days and will hook you immediately. Definitely a must read for anyone who enjoys thrillers and character driven plot.

I'm a fan of Gillian McAllister's work, so I was excited to have the opportunity to review this ARC in audiobook format. I ended up binge listening to it in only a day, and it definitely did not disappoint! The book starts off with a hostage situation, but deep down this is a love story about a woman who simply could not believe the love of her life could be capable of such a heinous crime.

Cam is a sympathetic MC, and I also appreciated the character growth of hostage negotiator Niles. I found myself rooting for both of these characters throughout the story, and was satisfied with how McAllister was able to weave together the present situation with the backstory to provide a satisfying ending.

Would highly recommend this if you've read McAllister before and liked her writing style, and would urge anyone who likes cleverly executed plots to give it a try.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the chance to review this ALC and provide an honest review!