I thought this was a really interesting premise - a woman finds out her husband is involved in a hostage situation…as the hostage taker. Sounds super interesting and a hostage situation is naturally high stakes right? But somehow to me this felt boring and slow. I decided to dnf. Thank you to William Morrow for the free ebook and audiobook to review.

Huge thank you to William Morrow for the ARC!

I love Gillian as a person and I've really enjoyed all three of her books I've read now! This one wasn't my favorite, but it was still fun!

While it did start out so well, I think the fact that so much of the action happened right in the beginning set me up to think that it would continue at that level throughout the book and led to a bit of disappointment when the middle lagged a lot for me.

I'll still be eager to read what she puts out next!

4.5 stars


What an engrossing thriller! I hated to put this book aside. The story takes place, for the most part, seven years after the key event occurs. McAllister keeps readers on the edge of their seat piecing together the clues to see how it all comes together, which is revealed in the last 10% of the book. The pacing and plotting are perfect for the genre, and the characters are realistic and well-developed. I love the fact that we have two POV's, Cam and Niall, which gives a full perspective of everything as it unfolds. I don't believe I've read any books by this author in the past, but I plan to read more in the future. If you enjoy books full of suspense that keep you guessing, this is definitely one to check out!

The characters in Famous Last Words felt honest. They struggled with their reality and the reader was part of that. I could relate to their reactions to horrible circumstances that I never imagined myself in.

The story was unique. Exploring how you would respond if someone you loved did something unimaginable was slightly uncomfortable, but so interesting! The perspectives gave insight I didn’t expect. I wasn’t sure how it would end. Even to the last pages, I played out possibilities as I read.

Wow! This book jumps right in the action with starting with the hostage siege that is referenced in the description of the book. Cam is a literary agent who loves to fall into a book. She is happily married to her husband, Luke, and they have an infant named Polly. Cam is returning from maternity leave and gets back to her job. She is quickly taken by the police because her husband has taken hostages in a warehouse. It is clearly him, and Cam does not understand why.

The rest of the book is a mystery trying to understand the reasoning behind taking the hostages. It is told in multiple perspectives from Cam's perspective and the hostage negotiator.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me hooked. There were some unexpected twists and turns. I didn't absolutely LOVE the ending, but it was good. My personal rating of a great book is if the book becomes a priority over other things in my life. I had to finish it and see where it was going!

Thanks for the ARC!

I loved that this book kept your mind spinning the whole time as to what the real story could be! The storyline with Libby’s infertility, while not the main plot of the book, was also very honest.

I’m sad to say that I was sorely disappointed with this one. I loved Wrong Place Wrong Time and had high hopes based on the premise of Famous Last Words, which is a good one. But ultimately, the story devolves into a series of cliches. For some reason, we get multiple insights into the cop’s love life (including his foot fetish) which was not only annoying but also inconsequential to the plot in any way. If you’re looking for a popcorn thriller and want something entirely predictable and maybe even comforting in the way that it draws the characters in caricatures, this one might be for you as a little romp but it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to William Morrow, Net Galley and the author for the eARC.

I really wanted to love this one because I love her previous works, but the pacing did not work for me. The first chapter left me breathless and ready for a thrill ride and then it just slowed way down. The unique plot had potential but I would’ve liked the pacing to be a bit faster.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to William Morrow for the ARC!

Solid thriller with a couple predictable parts but overall pretty bingeable. This was a great palate cleanser after finishing Onyx Storm!

I will say that I think I liked Wrong Place, Wrong Time from this author more, but I think that’s just because it had SUCH a unique way of telling the story. Especially in a thriller! This felt to me more mainstream-thriller-vibe.

What I liked:
• Bingeable
• The family dynamics - especially at the end (I felt like it was a very realistic relationship between the father and daughter and didn’t just give everyone a HEA for the sake of the ending.)
• The publishing aspect for the FMC
• The behind-the-scenes look at a hostage negotiator’s role

What I didn’t like:
• One of the main twists was pretty predictable for me
• The negotiator’s relationship wrapping itself in a perfect bow didn’t feel authentic, I probably would have rathered they each said their piece and went their own ways.

I’d recommend for anyone who like to consistently throw in thrillers to their reading rotations!

Thanks to NetGalley, Edelweiss and Libro FM for the ARC/ALC.

I thought this was a decent thriller. I must say I was more interested in the beginning and middle of the story moreso than the end of the story, but that is just my personal opinion. I will also say that while I really like Gillian McAllister as an author, this book was just ok, and will probably not be a favorite of hers. With that being said, I did not dislike this book, it just personally wasn't my favorite book of Gillian McAllister's. I still think that if you are looking for a thriller to read, it still really is a good book, it just may not be my go-to book for Gillian McAllister. I thought the narrator of this book, Emilia Fox did a good job as well and had a very pleasant voice.

On her first day back from maternity leave, literary agent Cam is adjusting to work when the worst case scenario comes right to her office. Officers break the news that the hostage situation nearby involves her husband…..as the suspect and gunman. She racks her brain to figure out the impossible and how her beloved and mild husband Luke could’ve found himself in this situation. Seven years after he escapes, Cam is unable to move past that fateful day and the years since - is Luke alive, is he innocent, and who else is involved? She’s in more danger than she can imagine but winds up with an unlikely ally, the crisis negotiator who tried to get her husband to surrender.
While it had its slow moments, this ended up being a great thriller that I couldn’t stop reading, anxious to know the truth — and wow the ending did not disappoint!
Thank you to William Morrow for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

It’s the summer solstice, and it also happens to be Camilla’s Deschamps first day back at work after maternity leave, and also daughter Polly’s first day at nursery.
Camilla would have expected some help from her husband Luke, but she arrives downstairs to discover that he’s nowhere to be seen. What she does find is an unfinished note from Luke - “ It’s been lovely with you both “, really weird, what on earth does he mean? However, she has to put it to the back of her mind for now and fully concentrate on her job as a book editor.

Later that day there’s a breaking news story about a hostage situation in London, and Camilla is still worrying about Luke’s whereabouts seeing as he hasn’t answered any of her texts. She doesn’t have to wait long, as the police arrive to inform her that Luke is caught up in the siege, but he’s not a hostage - no, that doting father, excellent writer, the man with a sunny outlook on life is actually the gunman!

This is a great storyline as Camilla’s mundane life descends into a complete nightmare - with the accompanying tension, fear, twists and turns and the raw emotion that Ms McAllister always manages to elicit! Would definitely recommend.

*I was invited to read ‘Famous Last Words’ by the publisher and have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *

This book is well written and I love the author but for some reason the story felt a little flat to me. I can’t even pinpoint why but I was struggling to get through it compared to the other ones I’ve read.

Whenever something bad happens, it is easy to sympathize with the victims but what about the families of the perpetrators? Such is Cam’s position when her husband takes and eventually kills two hostages. Is it wrong if she still loves him? She is an introvert and a bookworm, so it was super-easy to like her. Her fugitive husband, seen from her memories, seems like a very nice guy too, so I was truly rooting for them. I loved all the relationships and interactions in Cam’s life, from her sister to her new maybe-boyfriend. These seemed organic and fleshed out. The other main character is Niall, the hostage negotiator who is dumbfounded that he read the situation so wrong that it ended in disaster. He is the “cop who won’t let it go” so usual in this type of novels, but he is written so well that he seems more human than just a stereotype. The plot was maybe a little predictable for someone who reads a lot of mysteries, but it was still gripping enough that I had to know what was going to happen next. I also enjoyed the passages from the books Cam reads, since she’s a literary agent and has my dream job. It was going to be tough to follow up the excellent Wrong Place Wrong Time, but this is a worthy follow-up.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/William Morrow.

3.5 rounded up.

I really enjoyed this thriller! When it started I was completely drawn in and had no idea what was going on but in the best way! I did feel like the pacing got slower as it went on it I did still feel engaged and wanted to know what was going to happen.

I guessed a few things but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story as it unfolded. I did find a lot of it pretty outlandish but thrillers are like that sometimes and that aspect doesn’t really bother me.

Overall, I’d recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

An addicting twisty thriller that I struggled to put down! Loved this book!

A loving wife and mother is contacted by the police and told that her husband is involved in a hostage situation. Only he isn’t a hostage, he is the gunman……

This was my 3rd Gillian McAllister British thriller and I am absolutely HOOKED on her style of storytelling! Multi POV, full of twisty reveals that kept me on the edge of my seat, with themes of motherhood, marriage, and love!

4.5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to publisher William Morrow for an eARC via NetGalley!

I blew through this story! It is well told and full of suspenseful moments. Gillian McAllister is so good at making you think one way and surprising you with a completely different ending. This story, while suspenseful, is also intertwined with grief and love. I enjoyed the alternating POV between Cam and the detective Niall. Gillian quickly became an auto-read author for me!

This book is part domestic suspense, crime thriller, and romance. This was my first time reading a book from this author! I’ve heard lots of great things about her writing style, so I was excited to pick this one up. The story starts out strong with a hostage situation and a husband that disappears without a trace, but hits a bit of a lull in the middle third. The story is complex with lots of layers, but it takes a while for everything to start making sense. I don’t want to say to much about the plot as it would be to easy to spoil something. Definitely a book where the lees you know going in, the better.

The story is told from the POV of Camilla, the hostage taker’s wife and Niall, the hostage negotiator. I found the dual POV interesting, but I’m not sure Niall’s POV is necessary. Especially when it comes to his romantic relationship. I’m not sure that really added anything to the book. I did think the exploration of Camilla and her love for her husband was a nice inclusion in the book. I feel like crime thrillers don’t typically explore love and family the way this one did.

Overall, a fun and engaging thriller! Just know the middle third hits a lull, but picks up if you stick with the book!

Wasn't for me. Started out great with a thrilling hostage situation and then not much happened until the final pages. I wasn't into any of the characters and they weren't fleahed out well. I actually stopped reading half way and came back a week or so later to finish. Thanks for Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Unexpected, gripping, suspenseful. This book had it all. What do you do when you think you know everything about someone you love only to have to question how well do you really know this person whom you've woken up to everyday and had a child with? After reading a cryptic note, surprises abound when Camilla's husband Luke is involved in an unthinkable situation and all hell breaks loose. What exactly did it mean and could it be a clue in his disappearance? There are secrets that Camilla wants to protect, but mostly she wants to protect her daughter and her heart. So many twists and turns, this book was a page-turner. Great character development and back-stories. I enjoyed this tremendously. Many thanks to #netgalley #famouslastwords #gillianmcallister #williammorrow for the opportunity to read and review this book.