I love reading books by Gillian McAllister so I was immediately immersed in this one, it was such a gripping read overall with great twists,

Famous Last Words tells the story of literary agent Cam waking up on the first morning after maternity to leave to find a note from her ghost writer husband. Little does she know that by the end of the day he will be a wanted man. Told through the perspectives of Cam and Niall the hostage negotiator, the book is a thriller/love story hybrid about people who cannot move on from a life changing event.

I was gripped from the first page and enjoyed the pace of the book. I liked the balance between Cam and Niall’s differing perspectives that had a common sense of longing and restlessness. I particularly liked the exploration of Cam’s relationship with her sister and thought inclusion of minor characters worked well to propel the story forward. I thought there were elements that were a bit predictable but I think the build up to the end was written well. I’m a big fan of Gillian McAllister and I’m looking forward to reading what she writes next.

3.75 stars.

While I enjoyed this story, I just don't feel like I'm going to think about it ever again. It's a very interesting concept, and after the first third I was finally starting to get into it, but it lost me again towards the end. In my opinion, the ending got a little clunky and I didn't find it very satisfying.

That being said, I did enjoy the pacing in the middle of the story and I really enjoyed following Cam as our protagonist. Her relationship with her sister was so enjoyable to read about and I wish we'd had more of that. It did have me on the edge of my seat in the middle third, however a lot of the twists were a bit predictable by the final third.

This was another incredible story from Gillian McAllister. I was sucked into the narrative from the start as it was just so easy to read. The story is mostly told to us from two points of view, the wife and the negotiator, both of whom had life changing moments on that day but, was everything really as it seemed?!
We see what happened on that fateful day through their eyes as well as following them both seven years later and see how they are coping with life after. Cam, Luke's wife, still trying to reconcile the man she thought she knew with the man he seemed to be and Niall, the negotiator, trying to figure out what he did wrong that his life changed so much that day.
As the hidden facts surface it seems that there was much unknown that day and even though I did guess some of the answers, that ending was incredible! It made sense of everything that had happened and really made me wonder, what would I have done?

Another really great thriller by Gillian McAllister. This book was gripping and emotive. We follow Camilla as she discovers that her husband has been accused of taking several people hostage and then years later as she works to unravel the truth of situation. As expected with Gillian McAlister this has all the makings of a great thriller including the twists and turns but also has a focus on the humans in these situations. I really enjoy her books as they immerse you in the story whilst also making you empathise and think about the characters. Fans of her previous books will also enjoy this one!

The author says that this book is: "...a love story set in a hostage situation." Which is accurate.

As always with Gillian McAllister novels, the plot is complex and unexpected. A ghost writer and new father leaves a note one morning and disappears. The note is not clear in its meaning and he is uncontactable. When the police arrive at his wife's workplace, she finds out that he is involved in a hostage situation - only he is the kidnapper and he has a gun. A negotiator is called in but people die and the kidnapper disappears somehow.

The story is told through two points of view in the third person, the wife and the negotiator. As the mystery unfolds of why a nice man became a kidnapper and what became of him, the two narrators attempt to deal with other issues in their personal lives too. The hostage siege is a turning point for both.

From such a great premise the book weaves through some aspects of the publishing world, the Dark Web, infertility and pining for lost love. At times it is slow and the pining bit is a tad repetitive. This makes the story drag, particularly towards the end when everything is coming together. The thing that drives the reader through is the need to find out the truth of what really happened and who these other characters are.

​The story is original and there is a good mystery to solve, but not really a thriller. A bit short on suspense and long on the gazy love aspect (not for me) but a worthwhile read.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Well, not really sure I have enough superlatives to describe how I felt about this book!

Gillian McAllister at her absolute best. The Master of the thriller has struck again with Famous Last Words, a compelling page turner of a book.

Camilla hears a breaking news story on the TV of a hostage situation in central London. A few minutes later, the police arrive to tell her that her husband Luke is the gunman.

What follows, is a stunning pacey thriller interwoven with jealousy, hurt, deception and love as Camilla's world turns upside down and will change her life forever.

A must read - easy 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher the opportunity to read this ARC

Another really book from Gillian McAllister and thanks to the publisher for my early copy. It’s a tense story of a woman whose husband committed a crime and disappeared, but whose guilt she doubts. With good characters and writing it has plenty of suspense and kept me hooked to the end. Just released in the last week, fans of previous books by this author will not be disappointed!

Camilla's first day back at work after maternity leave isn't off to a good start. She wakes to her husband having already left and a half written note. Oh well, drop her daughter off then head to work. It's not until the police turn up at her office, that she realises something is very wrong!

Her husband has taken 3 people hostage. What is going on?

I honestly didn't expect this to go the way it did. What a thrilling ride we go on as this story unfolds. Also, this is a love story aswell as a crime thriller. So good!

I was gripped by the premise of the book, especially with the husband being the perpetrator and not the victim as you'd likely expect. But this being a Gillian McAllister book, you know that things aren't so simple and clear-cut...

I like how she weaves love stories into the mysteries and explores what the love you have will make you do to protect that person and find answers. In Wrong Place, Wrong Time the protagonist goes to extraordinary lengths to protect her son (a great novel that I'd recommend), whereas this book is more traditionally focused on the love between husband and wife. Her husband has, supposedly, done despicable things and then vanished without a trace but she ploughs on regardless, not quite understanding the danger this puts her in.

The mystery surrounding her husband's circumstances unravels nicely, and the dual perspective gives you a deeper insight into the story, allowing you to start piecing it together. I always read her books and think it's so obvious that X = Y but the rug is always pulled out from under me and I'm left utterly surprised!

Famous Last Words has an intriguing premise and I was hooked into the narrative straight away. There are two key narrators. Sam is a character you empathise with straight away and you suffer through the events in her timeline with her. Niall is a more complex character but with an equally interesting storyline and jumping between their stories built up the pace and my concern !

Sadly for me I guessed the way this would play out too early so was then impatient for the reveals and it lost much of its suspense for me. It's a great story though and well told so deserving of 4+ stars - especially as these characters and events will stay in my head!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC. Gillian McAllister remains a must read author for me!

Another fabulous read from Gillian
She always manages to keep you intrigued throughout.
I loved the concept of this story and kept asking myself what would I do if this was me!
Thank you so much for allowing me to read for a review

I love Gillian’s books so much. I was excited to dive into Famous Last Words after reading the synopsis. Obviously nothing is as it seems and there are lots of twists, and turns to the story. I loved how pacy the book was and I read it in a matter of days. Highly recommend!!

A compelling page turner packed with twists and turns! Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley fir this ARC.

Right from the off I was absolutely hooked. What a tremendous premise for a crime novel. It absolutely captivated me. Straight away I started thinking about how I would feel in that situation. Just imagine if your partner, the person you love most in the world, alongside your new born baby, were to be caught up in a hostage situation. Then try to imagine the feeling you’d have if you learnt that this loving, funny, cheerful partner is currently holding a gun on three hostages.

That’s what Camilla Deschamps faces after taking her daughter Polly to her first day at nursery and then heading back to her role as a literary agent; a return to work after her maternity leave. It is the height of midsummer and the sun is high in the sky. She has slightly worried about where Luke went this morning; he’d left her a short, unfinished note. But perhaps he was out running, or meeting one of his clients for whom he is a ghost writer. There’s so much going on Camilla’s feet aren’t really touching the ground today. Still, Luke isn’t responding to her texts and the concern niggles away at the back of her head.

Then Camilla’s whole world implodes when the police pay her a visit to tell her that Luke is the gunman at the hostage situation her colleagues have been telling her about this morning. The longest day of the year is about to feel a whole lot longer.

The Police want her to come down to the hostage situation, in the hope that she can get through to her husband and find a peaceful resolution to this stand-off.

Famous Last Words is a dual perspective novel. McAllister creates a narrative that is both intricately structured and emotionally charged. The novel’s structure, centred around three stages, creates a fascinating interplay between past and present over a seven-year period, while the development of the central characters adds depth and a strong emotional dimension to the story.

Camilla is Luke’s wife and a very successful literary agent in her own right. She is in fact Luke’s agent. She’s a brilliant character. There’s nothing she enjoys more than diving into a new book and losing herself in the pages. What she loves is the writing and the story; this is one literary agent who doesn’t care overmuch about genres or what the commercial market is looking for. She loves her husband and their daughter and is close to her sister.

The novel explores Camilla's shock and grief; her journey in the aftermath of the hostage situation, and the psychological impact on her life. Camilla is an immediately relatable character, torn between her memories of Luke and the reality of life seven years on. McAllister skilfully portrays Camilla’s incredulity and shock as she fails to understand how this can have happened and what would have driven Luke to the point he reached. McAllister lays out the consequences of Luke’s act on Camilla and Polly’s lives, making her a character the reader can empathise with. Through Camilla, the novel explores themes of loss, motherhood, and the search for closure.

The second principal character is Niall. Niall is a hostage negotiator and a workaholic. A decent man with sound judgement and good instincts, he will be devastated after the hostage situation ends in a manner he was not in control of. To cap it off, he’d gone to work that day without even remembering it was his wife’s birthday and that day, for her, was the straw that broke the camel’s back – and their marriage.

Niall’s perspective is important, because he sees everything through a police lens. He is rational and unemotional and it is these traits that make him a perfect foil to Camilla, who is an emotional wreck for most of the years following, though she tries her best to take her sister’s advice and ‘move on’.

Gillian McAllister does a great job of making this a genuinely suspenseful novel, as Camilla can never give up trying to understand why Luke would have been at the centre of the hostage situation.

The alternating timelines serve to highlight the emotional and psychological toll of the murder on Camilla. As she navigates the aftermath of the terrible event, she reveals her deep sense of loss and confusion. The contrast between the early Camilla, in love and so optimistic and the later Camilla, trying and failing to understand and move on, creates a really poignant contrast.

The timelines also help to increase the suspense of the narrative. McAllister’s careful pacing ensures that the tension builds gradually, as small details from the past timeline take on greater significance when juxtaposed with the revelations of the present. The reader is constantly drawn back and forth between these two perspectives, making it difficult to trust anything at face value. Each timeline holds its own secrets, and just when it seems like the truth will be revealed, a shift occurs that adds more layers to the mystery. The climactic moments of the novel are particularly well-executed, with a final twist that is both surprising and satisfying. The gradual unfolding of the mystery, combined with the shifting timelines, keeps the reader on their toes and ensures that the novel’s ultimate resolution is as satisfying as it is surprising.

I love this author’s books so was absolutely thrilled to receive an ARC of this latest read. What a read it is, I literally have no fingernails left, I think for the last 10% of the book I held my breath, not knowing how the ending was going to go. I was worried about two incidents, that left me breathless. So thank you for such a read Gillian.

I am lucky in some ways as I am currently housebound unless someone takes me out so I had the pleasure of reading this without having to do anything or go anywhere. This is what you need some spare time where you can lose yourself in this book.

As Cam is due back at work after maternity leave, having to drop Polly off at the nursery, which for all mums or most, that can be so difficult, but Cam is surprised that Luke is not there to help her, especially with it being the first day. But she has no idea where he is. But there is a cryptic sort of note on the side as if he had started to say something then changed his mind. Cam is immersed in her work, when police officers arrive to see her, what is it about ?

Cam’s life is about to change dramatically she has been told her husband is holding hostages at gunpoint in a warehouse, but this isn’t like Luke! Cam can’t understand it.

Niall is the hostage negotiator, he is desperately trying to save the situation from escalating, but can he do it? The two gun shots? Where is Luke? Armed officers storm the building, one hostage had been released prior to the shooting. But who are the hostages?

How will Cam alter her life? The man she loved has gone and she has no idea if he is dead or alive. Right from the start this is a thriller where the tension builds. The story is told by Niall and Cam and ironically both their lives changed that day.

This is a brilliantly written thriller that I highly recommend and will continue to recommend. The author has just written these perfect characters, with some terrific twists and turns that will have you on the edge of your seat, completely gripped. I loved the name drop and bookshop mentioned.

Thank you so much to @MichaelJBooks and #Netgalleyfor my copy of this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own, and have not been influenced in any way.

Gillian McAllister you blew me away with this story, you are a literary genius.

Every chapter is so intense, dark and atmospheric. The plot is so tight and revels in revealing so many unexpected twists that it was like slowly stretching an elastic band to breaking point, a bit like my heart.

I loved how the high-octane drama of the siege unfolded effortlessly alongside the beautiful, emotional and, at times, haunting love story of Camilla and Luke.

To me, this was not a novel, but a movie being played out on the big screen. I was on tenterhooks the whole way through and far too scared to even blink, in case I missed one single second of the action.

What a phenomenal writer, and 5 stars seems so underwhelming for a book of this calibre. It will be a travesty if this is not turned into a movie, because this author deserves an Oscar!

It may only be January, but I predict this will be, by far, the top book of 2025!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Loved this. Thrown into the action within the first few pages, this certainly kept my attention. Plenty of twists and turns and I actually felt empathy for the three main characters.

This was my first read of Gillian McAllister, and I really enjoyed it! Great premise ✔️ multiple povs ✔️ time jump ✔️ By about 75% of the way through, I had figured some bits out, but overall I enjoyed the story. It felt well paced and kept my attention. Would recommend for sure 🙂
(Just for note, there is some mention of infertility and loss) Grateful to netgalley and Penguin Random House for this eARC!

Camilla wakes up to find her husband gone and a confusing note left. Only to discover that morning that her loving husband is holding three people hostage but she has no idea why.

A great thriller and suspense novel. Lots of twists and turns along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters in the novel, especially Camilla, Luke and the hostage negotiator Niall. I have read a few of Gillian McAllister's novels and have enjoyed them all.