I decided not to read the synopsis beforehand with this one. Having read from the author before.
I ended up devouring this. I didn't want to put it down.
I had some theories of who I thought certain characters were but the reason behind it I had no clue.
While some things seem a little unrealistic I can look past it as I enjoyed the book so much.

Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC.

I love McAllister. Her twists are amazing, so I had to request this as soon as I could and it didn’t disappoint.

There’s a hostage situation. You’re on your first day back at work after maternity leave. The last thing you need is to find the police in reception asking for you.

It turns out your husband is the hostage taker. When you think about it, he’s taken on a lot to support you and was acting a little stressed at times.

There’s a lot I cannot talk about without spoiling this but I loved the characters. You hear from the wife, the negotiator and an unknown voice. There’s so many unknowns that I challenge you to work out what’s real and what’s not until it’s all revealed at the end.

Another amazing book.

I've been staring at social media recently, feeling very jealous of people who were receiving early copies of this book, and so was thrilled when I was sent a digital copy. Technically I should have left it closer to publication day to read and review, because I had so many others to do beforehand, but I couldn't resist.

It is always a good day when there's a new Gillian McAllister book out, and it is another firecracker, a tour-de-force of a book.

There's not much preamble with this. We get a few pages introducing out characters and the environment we find them in and then bam - we're in!

Looking back at my reading history, I would say thriller is one of my most - if not the most - read genre, and generally I like what I read. But if I'm being completely honest, there are only a certain amount of plot devices and stories and tense situations. And when handled well, they feel completely new and fresh, but when handled badly they can feel repetitive. But with this, Gillian has given us something completely different, at least it is for me. I don't think I've come across stories like this one. It's not a murder-mystery as such as like most thrillers, which made it refresh and that then helps rejuvenate the genre.

I am someone who likes her bed. I don't always get as much sleep as I would like though, not for lack of trying. But I like my bed and my peace. So it takes a special kind of book to steal me away and this definitely did. It broke my main two rules (although at this stage I'm thinking I break them more than I stick to them) of not reading my kindle in bed, and only reading uplifting stories in bed. This broke both! But I had to really tear myself away form it. I was about 3/4 of the way through before I had to put it down because I couldn't keep my eyes open. But I then finished it for breakfast the following morning.

It's split into rough sections: firstly the incident and direct aftermath. And then after 7 years, and years after that. Which I thought was great because all of these things, trauma etc. it lingers, but no-one really focusses on it after the immediate event. And so that was an interesting addition.

I think I've read 5 of her books now and with each one, I think it can't possibly be any better than the one before it, and lo and behold, it is! I don't know how she keeps doing it, it's amazing.

This sounded like it could make a great TV show, providing cliff-hangers at the end of each episode. It would be completely binge-able. It is full of twists and turns and surprises and shocks, and is expertly done. I already can't wait for her next book!

Another fantastic book by Gillian McAllister which drew me in and kept me reading until late. Camilla is happily married and due to return to work on the day her husband Luke goes missing and is then found to have taken three people hostage.
As ever the story is far from straightforward and the solution ingenious

A suspense story to set your nerves a jingling and make you think ‘what ifs’ . Luke goes out early and does not return. Cam’s world is turned upside down and into the stratosphere when he is in a hostage situation and kills. Two love stories are intertwined in Cam and Luke with Niall , the damaged police hostage negotiator, providing the other. Believable characters abound in a spellbinding story

Astonishingly good.

I am in awe of Gillian McAllister as she always manages to create a completely brilliant scenario, totally believable which sucks you into the storyline from the start.

I'd also like to thank her- I have been in a bit of a reading rut where it's been taking me ages to read a book, but I picked this up and devoured it in one sitting. Very gripping and engrossing all the way through, and yet again, all is not what it seems.

When Camilla starts her first day back at the publishing house she works in following maternity leave, her husband is uncontactable which is unusual for him. Then news breaks of a hostage situation in London and Luke is caught up in the unfolding drama.

This was an epic thriller. I fear I am gushing a bit too much now so I will leave it there but just add - READ THIS BOOK, you won't be disappointed!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely loved this and flew through it - was engrossed instantly and loved the premise, I think it would make a great adaptation.

A really good book. Characters are very engaging and although I worked out a couple of major things before they were revealed it didn’t detract from the story or my overall enjoyment of the book. I thoroughly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review and to the author for her wonderful storytelling.

What an excellent read. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and found it difficult to put down. The storyline was very complex and engaging with breadcrumb trails leading to an excellent conclusion. Loved the main characters and the way they added to the plot and its development. It’s the book you come across every so often, that you are desperate to finish to see what happens, but you are enjoying it so much you never want it to end.

You think your life is perfect, you think you know your husband inside out until one day everything explodes around you leaving your whole world in disarray. When Cam can't get in touch with her husband, Luke, she begins to worry, but when she realises her husband is the man responsible for a hostage incident where two men have been shot dead, she is left reeling. Luke goes on the run and Cam has to rebuild her life with their daughter without him. It's unusual for me to be so wrapped up in a story to the point of not being able to put it down but reading well into the early hours as I couldn't bear to lose the tension that built throughout. This is a fabulous, tense story from an equally fabulous writer. More please!

Wow! Just WOW!
Just finished an ARC of Famous Last Words by @@gillianmauthor and have to say I was gripped from start to finish. How twisty was this? How heart wrenching? How immersive? How ... no more words. Loved it! Might just have to give it 10 stars - oh well, if you insist 5* it is.
I've come to expect a good twist or three form McAllister's books, but I really couldn't fathom how she'd be able to deliver it with this one, but boy does she manage.
The richly drawn characters made me feel every heart pull and every frustration. A brilliant premise - what would you do if unexpectedly your rock, the centre of your life does somethin unimaginable like take three people hostage?
The dual narrative was perfect and as well as a hefty dose of darkness, following their love stories was beautifully scripted. This has definitely made my top 3 reads of 2024. Release date is January 2025 though.

I've read and loved all of Gillian McAllister's novels and I'm so happy to say that this one is no exception! Famous Last Words gets off to such a thrilling start with Camilla wondering why her husband isn't responding to her calls, and on the other side of town Niall is called in to deal with a hostage situation. It's clear very quickly that these two situations are linked and what follows is an intense, thrilling and mysterious story. We slowly get to see what happened that day in the warehouse and how Camilla is left to pick up the pieces of her broken life, whilst also left with so many unanswered questions. There are still strange things happening around her as the years go by and she always wonders if it's connected to her husband. I spotted some of the reveals ahead of time but most of this novel completely blindsided me and I loved that! I read this book in just a couple of sittings because I just had to know what was going to happen next and how it was all going to end. This is such a compulsive thriller and I highly recommend it!

I absolutely loved this book! It was gripping and addictive, I just couldn't put it down! There were so many twists and turns and they all tied back in well! Although I guessed some bits, I was very wrong with others, which I loved! Just when you think you have it all solved - NO!

It's Camilla's first day back at work after maternity leave and her usually attentive husband is nowhere to be seen but then she sees a hostage situation being shown live on the news and then the police turn up to her place of work.

The story is told from several POV's, mainly Camilla's and the hostage negotiator, Niall. There are also some short chapters from a mystery person, It took me a while to realise who it was and why. As Camilla works for a book publisher, we also get snippets from a book that has just been sent to her!

This was very cleverly written and I was really rooting for Camilla and Niall to get the answers they so desperately needed.

Thank you to netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy to read.

I absolutely loved this from start to finish. The story and the writing had me gripped and I needed to know what was happening. I loved the dual POVs and the change in time as the book progressed.

If you are looking for a great psychological thriller then look no further. I really liked Niall as a character and found myself rooting for him as he tried to follow the truth. I didn't actually care too much for Cam but I didn't dislike her either.

Famous Last Words follows Cam whose husband Luke, is responsible for a dramatic hostage situation in London where three people are being held in a warehouse.

Why did her husband do what he did? How did she not see it coming? What does she do now?

What follows is a story told through Cam’s perspective, the hostage negotiator’s perspective and a mysterious third POV.

I was completely captivated straight away which is so vital for me with thrillers, a slow start can often throw the book off course and cause me to lose interest quickly.

It’s hard to review a book like this without giving anything away so all i’ll say is that it was full of twists and just when I thought i’d had it all figured out it threw me through another loop. This was fast paced thriller writing at its absolute best and I devoured the entire book in one evening.

5* Famous Last Words - Gillian McAllister. AMAZING. Gillian McAllister, the queen of the intricate and compelling plot has outdone her brilliant back catalogue with Famous Last Words.

Camilla wakes to her first day post maternity leave. She's surprised to find her husband gone, leaving only a cryptic note behind. Shortly after she gets to work, there is breaking news of a siege on TV and then the Police show up and turn Camilla's life upside down.

Every element of this book is superb. I loved the characters, particularly Cam and the hostage negotiator Niall, along with their wider families and problems. The plot is sufficiently complex but not overdone. The pacing keeps you hooked but it isn't a constant 4th gear hang-on-for dear-life ride, it's more nuanced. And the twists will keep you on tenterhooks the whole way through.

I utterly adored this book and I'm now in that awful limbo of knowing it very unlikely that I'll read anything this good for quite some time.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

Gillian McAllister is an absolute genius! This fast paced thriller follows the life of Cam- whose husband appeared to take two hostages and then murder them. But things are never as they seem, and Gillian is the absolute queen of twists! I couldn’t put it down, I was constantly trying to second guess what was going to happen next. Awesome read- thank you Netballey for the chance to read it ☺️

I was super excited to receive Gillian McAllister's latest novel as any book of hers is always on my must-read list!

I was hooked from the first page.
I loved the characters and was really rooting for Cam. As well as being a fast paced, thriller, this is also a story of true love.

Highly recommended to all thriller readers.

Really good. Great premise. Had me hooked very early on. Full of intrigue amd clever twists amd turns. Definitely one to read!

I really enjoy this author's work and was delighted to receive this as an arc to review. I really felt for Camilla who was returning to work after maternity leave. The day she returns to work, her usually supportive husband Luke disappears. I could sense Camilla's growing feeling of fear throughout the day. The siege situation comes right out of the blue and no-one can believe Luke is responsible.
Very cleverly written I really enjoyed this book.