I really like McAllister's work, which pairs suspense with interesting family dynamics. This one explores an old but still relevant idea: how much do we really know the people we love? Literary agent Camila is returning from maternity leave the day her husband commits a horrible crime- taking 3 people hostage in an abandoned warehouse. After the fallout, the book jumps ahead. Camila has put her life back together when a mysterious manuscript arrives at her door with clues about the past. I don't want to say more and give it away! The book is full of twists and tension. Worth a read!

I love a good twisty mystery. The author had me very entertained and fooled on some plot points. This mystery is uniquely different from other mysteries, I have read. From the start, I was lured into the story so easily by Cam, the innocent young wife and mother who knows nothing about why her husband would hold 3 people hostage in some old warehouse in London. Then shoot 2 of them dead and disappear. Cam was likeable and interesting to follow through the story as she unravels this mystery. It takes a good while and the case goes cold. I never gave up hope that Cam would solve the mystery somehow.

But would her husband be alive? Go to jail? I had way more questions than this as the story unfolded. Late into the night on my Kindle, I couldn't stop turning pages. And I enjoyed the police procedural aspects of the story. Niall, the cop with a hunch, then its an educated hunch, then his life and career are on the line.

Eventually there was a powerful plot twist which I never saw coming. Then more twists as the mystery unravels. To me this is golden. I absolutely love it when a pivot changes everything.

Gillian McAllister has crafted quite a suspenseful novel which is thrilling and entertaining. It was un- put-down-able !

Another riveting book by Gillian McAllister! I sped read this one because I couldn't wait to see how it ended. It shows the faith that we have in those we love, no matter what things appear to be. Told between 2 main perspectives of dynamic characters, this was a twist and turn story that I couldn't put down.

Thank you to William Morrow and Gillian McAllister for my copy of this book. Its about new mother Camilla and her first day back from maternity leave. She is going to drop her daughter off at her first day of daycare and go back to her job as a literary agent, when breaking news comes out. There is a hostage situation developing in London where a man has taken prisoners. Then she gets a call from the police, and she fears the worst, that her husband Luke is held captive. But things are worse than she ever imagined, because Luke isn’t a hostage, he’s the gunman.

Thoughts: This book had such an intriguing premise and grabbed my attention from the start! I had no idea why anyone was doing what they were doing, and the book started off full of action and intrigue. Unfortunately it did slow down quite a bit, and even when it started to pick up, you had to suspend belief to get back into it. I thought the premise was amazing, but the details left me wanting more.

There was lots of action which was good and I did like characters in the story. I felt for Camilla, even though seven years was a long time to not be able to let go or move on. It also annoyed me how she made assumptions and treated Charlie badly, and then expected him to be there no matter what. Regardless, I did like the plot, and it was a fun story. 3-stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
5 STARS!
I devoured this audiobook in 24 hours! This was my first book by McAllister, and it certainly won’t be my last. The suspense is masterfully built, keeping me guessing until the very end with twists that I never saw coming. The story had me on the edge of my seat, unable to put it down for even a moment. McAllister's writing is addictive, and I can’t wait to dive into more of her work.
Pub day is Feb 25, 2025...add it to your TBR list now—you won’t regret it!

Gillian McAllister's latest novel is a quick and twisty thriller that will delight fans of her previous works. When new mother Camilla learns of her husband's involvement in a shocking crime, she knows in her gut that there must be some mistake. Luke then disappears without a trace aside from a short and cryptic note left behind, and for seven long years, Camilla must shoulder the weight of motherhood along with the never-ending cycle of grief. Knowing she should move on, she attempts to have Luke declared legally dead, but then mysterious events begin unfolding at an alarming rate. Told from both Camilla's point of view and that of the hostage negotiator on the day of Luke's disappearance, Famous Last Words pulls the reader/listener in from the very beginning. One thing that I really appreciated about this book is that McAllister's characters are so easy to empathize with. It often felt like I was reading about something that happened to a friend rather than a fictional character. Perfect for fans of domestic thrillers, but twistier than most! Thank you to William Morrow for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Cam's first day back at work as a literary agent after maternity leave doesn't exactly go the way she planned. But no one plans for the police to come looking for them because their husband is holding three hostages on the other side of town, do they? Luke is the last person she'd have expected to be in that situation, and her world is shaken to its foundations. The hostage negotiator insists on getting her to that warehouse, and what happens there has consequences that ripple outward for years.

This book had me in a grip! I was captured immediately by the POV characters who both have such rich depth and interesting vantages on what takes place. The author gives just enough away at a time to leave you right at the edge of the seat, mind buzzing with ideas of why, how, and what happened, and what might happen next.

Cam is a now-single mother having to make decisions for herself and her daughter she never expected to have to make. What does she tell her about her father? How do they move on from this?

Niall is the hostage negotiator navigating an impossible work/life balance. Something about this particular case bothers him, and he can't let it go until he finds out the truth of what happened in that warehouse.

I am so grateful I had the opportunity to read this book early as an arc reader through netgalley and the publisher. Gillian McAllister wrote my favorite thriller read of 2024 (Wrong Place Wrong Time), and this one has left just as impressive an impression as that one did. I couldn't put it down!

This was pretty good. Loved the story plot and the ending. I’ve read several books by this author. Every one of them have been super good!

Camilla is returning to work after maternity leave and it's also Polly's first day at nursery so Cam is understandably anxious, on top of all that husband Luke has done a disappearing act and all Cam can find is a very cryptic note left by him, what she doesn't know is very soon her life and the life she has known with her family will never be the same again. Just after she arrives at work she hears breaking news that a hostage situation is happening in London and then the police arrive to inform her that Luke is involved but, he's not a hostage, he's the gunman...

Famous Last Words is the latest thriller by McAllister and it hits the ground running on the day of the siege. Told in four parts and from a multi perspective, this is a very cleverly laid out plot which, in true author style, keeps you guessing throughout. With Cam and Niall, the hostage negotiator, brought together through this seemingly unbelievable act by the kindest and most laid back man that Cam has ever met, we see her life descend into absolute chaos and years down the line Niall is determined to get to the truth, whatever the cost to his career. This is a fast paced rollercoaster ride of a read that we've come to expect from McAllister and she delivers every time.

I'd like to thank William Morrow and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy of this upcoming thriller. This book drew me in immediately.. a seemingly perfect couple in the morning, and by the afternoon the husband is a wanted terrorist who has killed two people for no reason? What made him snap? Why did he do it? How did the wife not know? The questions keep coming and the answers don't come until way later.. I couldn't put this book down because I wanted to know what happened and why, but honestly was disappointed in what I learned.

Thank you William Morrow and Netgalley for this ARC! On the day Camilla goes back to work after maternity leave she is visited by the police to advise her that her loving husband has taken three hostages in a warehouse her life turns upside down. How can her quite fun loving husband Luke do such a thing? The story unravels between Camilla and hostage negotiator Naill who can’t seem to shake this case even seven years later. Great character development and a story that will keep you at the edge of your seat with whiplash turns.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. I have read a few books by this author and while they were good, they were not books that blew me away. I thought it started off really strong, but then slowed and then the end part was a little messy and confusing. The one big plot twist, I had figured early on, so that didn't help either.

Thank you for the advanced e-book copy.
This was my first book from Gillian McAllister and I’m already looking into buying her back list. Gillian has a way of writing an excellent mystery/suspense novel..

On the morning of her return to work following maternity leave, Camilla wakes up to find her husband gone and a mysterious note in his place. She soon learns that he is involved in a situation where he has taken hostages. Should Camilla share the contents of his note with the police? What other secrets is her husband keeping from her? A gripping, fast paced novel that is hard to put down.

Boy does Gillian McAllister know how to write a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat furiously flipping pages and anxiously awaiting answers. Famous Last Words grabbed me by the belt buckle and didn't let go. I was enthralled with the seemingly random hostage situation, the hostages with no identities, the naive wife, and a country baffled. I had no idea how everything tied together and what could explain it all!

The novel is told by two narrators - Cam, the wife of the gunman and Niall, the hostage negotiator. I appreciated the dual perspectives and really appreciated the time lapse. It was superbly executed and with the start of each new part (there are three), I was literally scratching my head thinking WTH!?

I kept trying to imagine myself as Cam - dropping my child off at daycare for the first time ever and then being approached by the FBI at work with news that my husband was a gunman in a hostage situation. The panic, the fear, the questions.... it was unfathomable but somehow McAllister put the emotions to paper and I could feel the terror and stress emanating from the pages.

If you're looking for a great mystery/suspense novel that you will devour, this is it!

Thank you to William Morrow for the advanced copy.

Famous Last Words had me glued to my seat, trying to avoid work, sleep, and all other responsibilities! There was not a “slow” moment in this book and every page kept me wanting more. I love the character development- most prominent in Niall, the character interactions, everyone was brilliant!

If you are looking for a dual POV story, following both the victim and police sides of an investigation, look no further. Niall, the hostage negotiator who had it all- then nothing, following a failed negotiation where two hostages end up murdered; and Cam, wife and literary agent who’s husband held three people hostage before killing two of them and disappearing without a trace.

This is not a book where you’re guessing the twist- you’re literally reading as fast as you can to understand what happened and why. 5 stars on this one! Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC!

I feel like this will be a little tricky to review because I think it’s best you know very little before starting it, but if you like the sound of it based on the description I say try it! I really enjoyed it, I found it to be engrossing right from the start and it went in directions I never predicted. The premise was so great, I could easily play the what if? game as I was reading it. What if your partner went off the deep end and took people hostage? It’s an insane thought and made for such an interesting book and a really entertaining read. It did slow down a bit towards the latter half, but overall this was pacey, well written and original which is all I need in a thriller!

Cam is like any new mother getting ready to return to work- anxious about taking her child to daycare and exhausted with the idea of leaving her. When she wakes up on the day she is set to return to work her husband is nowhere to be found. She doesn’t worry right away, but after many unanswered texts and calls she realizes something is very wrong. When police show up at her work to inform her that her husband is involved in a hostage situation, she immediately panics. However, her world is really turned upside down when she finds out her husband is the one that has taken the hostages.
Fast forward 7 years and her husband, Luke, has never been found. There have never been answers as to what happened the day of the siege or why. Many questions and the only one who holds all the answers is Luke.

McCalister is an artist when it comes to putting together a story concept that is new. She often takes a direction you never expect and I’m here for it! I always enjoy her books!

GENRE: thriller/mystery
VERDICT: I liked it-ish
MOOD: 😳🥱🤔🙂

This book starts with a bang! Camilla, a new mother set to return to work after maternity leave, wakes up and finds it odd that her husband is gone & has left only an ambiguous note. Later at work, the police show up to tell her there's a hostage situation and her husband is involved.

In true Gillian McAllister fashion, I was immediately hooked. The writing was mostly fast-paced and left mini cliffhangers at the end of each chapter. The middle portion of the book seemed to drag just a bit and she redeemed herself with the ending, even if I did guess the “twists.” I get that she was giving us depth to the characters & touching on some important topics, but I do feel the book read like it was longer than ~350ish pages. And overall this book is well-written and goes a bit deeper than a typical popcorn thriller, however.. it just felt a little lackluster to me for reasons I can’t seem to pinpoint. This is the third book I've read by this author and I’m never disappointed by her writing but am also not blown entirely away either. My favorite still remains Wrong Place, Wrong Time.

5⭐️
This book had an absolute CHOKEHOLD on me from cover to cover while I was reading it. I’ve read Gillian’s last three novels and loved them all, but this is by far my favorite. I had absolutely no idea what was going on until the twist was revealed (in the best of ways) but it all made sense and the pieces fell together perfectly. This is an absolute must read thriller when it comes out!