3.5 rounded up. Great premise and great start. In fact, the beginning and end of Famous Last Words were 4+ but the pages in between were at times hard to power through. There was a lot of speculation and I guess a lot of setting up - but it was a lot! Camilla wakes up on the morning she is to return to work as a literary agent from maternity leave and her husband has left for the day. She's perplexed but powers through getting her now 9 month old Polly off to daycare for the first time solo. Within a few hours her entire life has changed drastically and there is no going back. At just a tad over 300 pages, this is a fairly quick read, but you will have to have a little patience to let the slower burn of the middle get set up for you. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Famous Last Words will be available on 2/25/25.

In this propulsive thriller, a literary agent joins forces with a former hostage negotiator to unravel the mystery of what really happened when her husband took three people hostage seven years ago.

McAllister delivered everything I hoped for with this book: characters I could root for, the kind of mystery that just keeps tugging at you, and strong emotional arcs for both narrators. I appreciate a book that can both surprise me and make me feel like a brilliant amateur sleuth.

This would be a great choice for fans of Laura Dave’s “The Last Thing He Told Me.”

Started out interesting but then fell flat. I don’t think the multiple POV added to the story and I never really connected with the characters.

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister had the potential to be great. A hostage situation! A man who isn't who he appears to be!

Camilla takes her daughter to daycare for the first time as she returns to work. When she woke up this morning, her husband isn't at home and he left a strange note. Still, she needs to get on with her day.

She arrives to the office, and news breaks that there is a hostage situation. As everyone takes in the news, the police arrive and as they request Camille, she fears that Luke is one of the hostages. It's worse...
--
This is a well-written story, but I think it's a little...dull? Constantly repeating how much of an introvert the main character gets to be a bit much. The hostage plotline is exciting, but the second half of the book is slowww.

I think some people will really like this, but it wasn't for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

There are so many twists and turns in this book. You’ll be second guessing who is and who isn’t “the bad guy”. Who is innocent and who is guilty? Camilla’s life has been turned upside down on her first day back to work after having her daughter, Polly. Her husband, Luke, leaves a cryptic note and isn’t answering his phone. You won’t want to put down this book. It is that good! Not everything is as it appears and lives are going to change because of misunderstandings.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

This was a really good mystery. Camilla wakes up anxious as this is her first day back at work after maternity leave and her husband Luke is no where to be found. He leaves a cryptic note that she doesn't understand. She calls his phone with no answer from him. Where is he? She has to navigate getting Polly their baby to daycare, get to work and Luke is supposed to be helping out. Camilla knows something is wrong. She greets her colleagues and heads to work space, but breaking news of a hostage situation has everyone pausing to watch. The town of the hostage takeover is where Luke works, when the police enter her job, Camilla is worried for her husband especially after they tell her that Luke isn't a hostage but the one holding them captive. It was really good trying to figure out what was happening with Luke, Camilla and the former negotiator.

Slow. Predictable. Boring. Unfortunately, His Last Words didn’t work for me—it lacked tension and surprises. Thank you, NetGalley, for the early eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am definitely the minority in my review of this book. I just don't think Gillian McAllister's writing is for me. While I tried very hard to get into this book, I just could not connect with it. I also, found that a majority of the book dragged and dragged. The twists were fairly predictable. I know this will be a hit with the majority! Just not for me!

2.5 rounded up.

Say hellllo to the only Gillian McAllistor book that I’ve loved! Wow, how refreshing… I have struggled with Gillian’s books in the past, but Famous Last Words kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing the whole way! It was really fun to listen to and the ending was my favorite part!

It’s Cam’s first day back to work after the birth of her daughter, Polly. When she wakes, her husband, Jake, is nowhere to be found. Leaving behind a cryptic note, Cam is more than a little concerned. When the police show up at her office saying that Jake is involved in a hostage situation, she’s not prepared to find out he’s the instigator not a hostage. Jake is a good guy, he can’t possibly be involved. When the hostages are killed and Jake escapes, Cam has no idea if he’s dead or alive. Seven years later there are still no real answers until the hostage negotiator and Cam start to put the puzzle pieces together. Is there a chance Jake is still alive? Cam has never given up hope, but if he is, what kind of life would he lead if he was apprehended, would he even come out alive? This book was cleverly written and had me quickly turning pages to find out the outcome. Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

4⭐️ thank you Harper Collins and Scene of the Crime for the opportunity to read an ARC of Gillian McAllister’s Famous Last Words. This book was fast-paced from the beginning. I loved how the book was structured into Acts like a play; each Act ended a reveal/with a twist. I both wanted to keep reading and wanted to stop because I was afraid that something would happen to either Cam or Niall. At around the 60% mark, I started to become suspicious about one of the characters, but I wouldn’t have guessed how exactly the character was involved. I very much enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read her backlist.

I guess I read thrillers now? 😂 Thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early.

One of my reading routines is that I always have an ebook going to I can read on my kindle at night and not disturb my husband. This is usually something I just read a chapter or two at a time and it takes me a while to get through. Once I started reading Famous Last Words, though, I could not put it down, and I was reading it instead of my print book during the day. Sorry to my friends who are waiting for me to finish Onyx Storm! The suspense and the clues in Famous Last Words built in an excellent way for me, and kept me guessing to the end. It turned out that some of my theories were right and some were wrong, but that’s part of the fun of a book like this for me. I enjoyed getting the two different points of view and I also thought the timeline, including the section heads, was well done.

I’m not sure I totally buy how everything worked out in the end, which is why it’s a four star read for me, but I also don’t hesitate to recommend it if you’re looking for a fun escape.

Here's everything you need to know about Famous Last Words: I started reading it at 8 p.m. I finished it at 2:30 a.m. Yep, picked it up and did not put it down until I got to the end.

Gillian McAllister's thriller focuses on Camilla, a literary agent living in London with her baby daughter and husband, Luke, who is also one of her clients. On the morning that Camilla it set to return to work after maternity leave, she wakes up to find Luke gone. He's left only a cryptic note.

Within hours, she learns that Luke is involved in an inexplicable crime. Then he disappears.

For the next seven years, Camilla struggles with the disappearance of her husband and unanswered questions about the crime -- as does a cop involved in the case. Was Luke a good man or a bad man? Is he alive? Does Camilla want him to be?

It's a terrific premise, and the action keeps you reading. (Obviously) The only reason I gave it four stars rather than five is that the ending seemed overcomplicated.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance reading copy.

3.5 stars, rounded up. I feel like I say this all the time, but Famous Last Words is hard for me to review. On the one hand... I thought the premise of this one was incredible-- a new mom heads back to work for the first time after being on maternity leave only to find out that her husband is involved in a hostage situation. The catch- he's not the hostage. He's the gunman. And the only thing he left behind is a bizarre and succinct note. Which, let's face it, is wild! The quality of the writing itself was also great. I really jived with McAllister's writing style, and I could see myself enjoying more books from her in the future. What didn't I jive with? As compelling as the plot was, this book was just slow. And I get it. It's a thriller. McAllister is slowly planting seeds and taking care to give information at exactly the right moment to make when we finally find out what's going on truly surprising. But because parts of this were slow, it just felt like a lot of effort to get to those points. Did I like Famous Last Words? Yes. Did I love it as much as I thought I would given the blurb? Unfortunately, no. That said, I can see this working for a lot of people, and I can absolutely see me reading more from McAllister in the future. Thank you so much to McAllister, William Morrow, and netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars

Imagine your first day back to work after a nine-month long maternity leave being interrupted by breaking news that your loving husband is holding several hostages at gunpoint. That’s Cam Deschamps’ reality.

I am not typically someone who enjoys police investigation storylines, but this book weaves the police storyline in well with the amateur detective-like storyline. The plot also never dipped for me, even though this story takes place for over a decade. I became invested in the lives of the main characters pretty quickly. Aside from the occasional cheesy line, I really enjoyed McAllisters writing and would love to read more of her work in the future.

Intricately plotted, propulsive read, with lots of twists and turns that keep you guessing. For the most part it had a fast pace, with only a few slower parts here and there. My favorite part was the method the author chose to deliver the information Camilla needed to solve the mystery--masterfully done! I can't say too much about it without spoilers, so I'll just leave it at that. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.

Basically a love story disguised as a thriller.

I should have read more of the reviews before leaping into this because I thought it was going to be more of a fast paced nail-biter instead of a slow burn domestic drama. Even though it started off with a literal bang, the hostage crisis, it quickly became something else when the focus shifted to Camilla dragging through the years because her husband disappeared. I found it repetitive and the whole scenario required a great deal of suspension of disbelief. The revelations about Luke and the very tedious investigation were not surprising twists.

The other issue was that I was not able to appreciate the characters nor really feel much for either Camilla nor Niall. I often actively disliked her with her brain on constant repeat and stuck in a state of suspended animation most of the time. Sure, I get it — she missed her husband. The expected truth comes out and everything ended just about exactly as I had anticipated. No surprises. The narrative was quite convoluted though the actual plot was very simple.

I listened to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The narrator was OK but the production would have benefited from a larger cast, especially for the male voices. At times her pronunciation of certain words got on my nerves and I have found when that happens it takes away some of my enjoyment of the book.

Ultimately, this was an OK book.

Famous last words had everything that Gillian McAllister usually has in her crime thrillers. Descriptive writing, twists and turns, and relatable characters. The story was captivating but moved a little slow at points. I would recommend this book!

Famous Last Words
by Gillian McAllister
Pub Date: Feb 25 2025

So far I have read 20 books in 2025 and "Famous Last Words" is my FAVORITE THRILLER! I can't believe this is the first book I've read by this author, I'm certainly putting her on my TBR list of authors books.

"Famous Last Words" plot starts with a new mother Camilla, going back to work the first day after being on maternity leave. She's dropping her daughter off for the first time at day care. She had expected her husband, Luke to be there in the morning to help her but he was no where to be found, in his place was a note he left instead. I'll not mention the contacts of the note as I don't want to post any spoilers.

Then it starts. Breaking news: A hostage situation is developing in London. The police tell her Luke is involved—but he isn't a hostage. Her husband—doting father, eternal optimist—is the gunman.

This is a fantastic storyline, I was on the edge of my seat from the very beginning. The author, Gillian McAllister did a fantastic job with the characters, the suspense, the twists and turns and the ending, oh that ending, what a shocker! This is a must read for 2025!

Many thanks to #FamousLastWords #NetGalley and #WilliamMorrow for providing me with this 5 STAR must read brilliant thriller!

This has an interesting premise with the hostage situation and the mystery surrounding it. The female main character lives fiction and is an agent for authors which added appealing elements in solving the mystery. I figured out a couple twists fairly early but this is still a solid suspense novel.