Good popcorn thriller to shut your brain off for a bit and enjoy the ride. Didn't feel terribly connected to the characters and found the pacing to slow down here and there, but overall would recommend for the twists and turns it takes.

I liked this, but I liked her previous works better. This was a good popcorn thriller but its not something that will stick with me. I would recommend picking up as a palate cleanser or quick read between series or other heavier books.

In Gillian McAllister’s newest thriller, Famous Last Words, Camilla wakes the morning she is to return to her book agent job after maternity leave to a cryptic note from her husband. Then news breaks the three hostages are being held in an old warehouse with shared workspace. Camilla is stunned when she learns her go with the flow, coffee loving calm husband with no criminal history is the man with the gun holding them there. What has caused him to make such a dramatic shift in who he was that he was willing to commit murder? Trying to help her understand it hostage negotiator, Niall, whose hesitation has a disastrous result that has dire consequences for him, as well as Camilla.

Seven years later, Camilla is still trying to understand what happened that day. Then a mysterious package containing a book shows up at her house that is dark and more twisted than other books she has read. What does it mean? And why does she feel like she is being watched? The tangled web that was woven that fateful day are trapping Camilla and she has to do everything to stay alive, but she can’t trust the police to help her.

Thankfully, Camilla is not one of those female characters that will have you wanting to shake her for stupid moves or thoughts. She is careful and analytical of clues she finds out about the hostage situation and the things she learns after the fact. Niall is a flawed detective who is trying to better himself after what happened that day, not only professionally but personally.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for the advanced copy. Opinions expressed are my own. This book will be published on February 25, 2025. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#netgalley #arc #bookstagram #FamousLastWords #WilliamMorrowBooks #GillianMcAllister

very thrilling! did not see the plot twist coming at all. the book kept my attention all throughout. the plot was very interesting and the characters were likeable. no complaints! will read more from this author

I don’t know what Gillian McAllister put in this book, but it was utterly addictive. I loved her previous books, but this one is my new favorite. The story started with a bang, and I was completely hooked from the first chapter. Every spare second I had was spent reading this book, because I just couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. McAllister is a master at creating complex, layered thrillers with twists you’ll never see coming. This page-turner will certainly keep you up late into the night.

Thanks so much to William Morrow and NetGalley and for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Absolutely could not put this down once I started it. I knew to expect a novel that would keep me guessing, but I think this is my favorite McAllister yet! I really enjoyed how insular it is - the world was just the right size. The clues scattered throughout were well-placed and not at all too close to one another that you’d miss them. I give this one a solid 4.5/5. I also really appreciated the “7 Years After the Second Shooting” section not rushing into them being a happy family all at once.

Picture this: you are happily married with a sweet baby girl and wake up to find a cryptic note from your husband. To your complete horror, you learn that he is involved in a hostage situation, but not as a victim. Your husband—the father of your child, the man you planned to grow old with–is the perpetrator.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS probes how well we really know the ones we love most. Told from the POV of the hostage negotiator and the wife of the perpetrator this layered story unfolds in a riveting fashion. I especially appreciated the nuanced portrayal of moving forward in life amidst profound uncertainty.

READ THIS IF YOU:
-love a gripping start and an ending that delivers
-appreciate thrillers with an emotional bent
-can’t fathom your partner committing a crime

RATING: 4.5/5 (rounded up to 5 stars)
PUB DATE: February 25, 2025

You’ll find FAMOUS LAST WORDS in the Literary Lookbook I recently released with Cindy (available via link in IG bio) and will be featured in my winter reading guide coming in January.

Many thanks to Wiliam Morrow for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cam has the job of her dreams, a new baby, and a wonderful husband. Until one day the police are telling her that her husband is caught up in a hostage situation. She is terrified he’s one of the hostages and the police tell her she has it wrong. He is the perpetrator holding the hostages at gunpoint.

This book was fantastic! It was a page turner and the end of every chapter left you wanting more. The author said it is a love story set in a hostage situation, but it is so much more. It’s complex and the way the story is revealed is flawless.

I really enjoyed all the POVs, but Cam was my fav. I really felt for her and the situation she was in. Thinking I would do the same things for my husband. I really enjoyed the small snippets of a book within a book element. This book had me not knowing any of the twists (except one) until the end. I really like McAllister’s writing style! This is her 3rd book I’ve read and my fav so far. I definitely want to go and read more of her backlist.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy of this book!

Hands down one of the best books I have read this year! This was the first book I have read by Gillian McAllister and it won’t be the last. The storyline had so many twists, just when I thought I had it figured out, I found out I was wrong! A plot of love, loss, heartache, and a love of books that brings the story together at the end. Once you start reading this one you won’t be able to stop!

#FamousLastWords #NetGalley

I love love love McAllister’s writing. She knows how to set up a thriller right and she never disappoints on the ending.
What would you do if your husband left the house without your knowledge? When you discovered where he was, it was because his face was on the news…because he was holding 3 people hostage in a warehouse. This is where Camilla is found at the beginning of this book.
You guys. This story is a story in a story. It’s so twisty and layered and beautifully done. I am incredibly impressed.
Read it. So dang good.
Thank you sooooo much netgalley for the ARC!

This was a phenomenal book!
It kept my attention with the mystery surrounding the siege. At times it felt slow paced but I still zipped through this book. The author does a great job of keeping you invested while feeding you little bits of information and answers along the way.
It was the perfect amount of questions asked and answers given which many mystery/thrillers don’t have. She balances it out so well that you’re rewards with each tidbit you get while still keeping you guessing.
There were a couple things that I guessed but it was nevertheless enjoyable.
She does such an amazing job leaving us breadcrumbs throughout the story so when the twists do hit it doesn’t feel like it came out of left field but is also surprising enough that you get that immaculate jaw dropping feeling when a great twist hits.
The prose easily settles you into this world and I enjoyed the dual POV. This is told in third person though which I, personally, don’t enjoy as much as first.
Overall, this was a great mystery that keeps you guessing and reading late into the night.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you for this book in exchange for my honest review. This book was genuinely written very well and I found myself intrigued the entire time, but the book could’ve been a lot shorter and I wasn’t connected to the characters.

I loved Wrong Place Wrong Time, so I was ecstatic to get this as an ARC. Gillian McAllister is a master of creating engaging thrillers that will keep you on the edge of your seat with unique plotlines. The mystery of how literary agent Camilla’s seemingly normal husband Luke becomes the perpetrator in a hostage situation, and her resulting hunt for answers is unlike any thriller that I’ve read up to this point. I did take one star off because something about the last third of the book and the ending was unsatisfying to me, and the suspense kind of died down towards the end. Overall though, the book kept me engaged and I could not put it down. I would definitely recommend to any reader who loves a good thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow, and the author for this book in exchange for an honest review.

FABULOUS. 10/10. Gillian McAllister knows how to write a thriller and I always devour her novels. This one was about a husband and wife, so deeply in love, so in tune with one another and out of the blue, the husband takes 3 people hostage one morning. It was such a wild ride and the way it all played out was brilliant. Thank you to NetGalley and Gillian McAllister for an advanced copy! 🤍

The story of Cam who returns back to work after being on maternity leave. While at work she is notified that her husband was holding people hostage in a warehouse. Cam is completely floored, never imagining that her husband could be capable of such a crime. The story really makes you question how well you know the closest people to you. Overall it was a good story. The story kind of dragged a bit until the very end of the book. Wish there was more going on throughout the story instead of just a build up to the very end.

Camilla is a new mom and is heading back to work after maternity leave. During her first day back in the office, the police show up and tell her that her husband is involved in a hostage situation. Camilla’s life is turned upside down.

I really enjoyed the writing style and seeing it from Camilla’s and Niall’s (the hostage negotiator) pov. It kept me guessing and the twists and turns flowed well and were believable. This is the first book I have read from the author but I will definitely be reading more of her work.

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

On her first day back to work after her maternity leave, Cam (Camilla) wakes up to find a strange note from her husband, Luke, with no indication of where he is. As Cam starts her day, she learns that her husband is involved in a hostage situation with an armed gunman and then the police tell her that her husband isn't one of the hostages, but the gunman. Niall is the police negotiator who is tasked with getting Luke to give up the hostages. Through his years of study, he thinks that he can get through to Luke as his instincts tell him that Luke isn't going to shoot. Things are starting to look up with Luke lets one of the hostages go, but that's when two gunshots are heard and Luke is found to be missing. In one day, Cam and Niall's lives are both forever changed through Luke's actions....

Gillian McAllister books are very hit or miss for me- I either LOVE them or find them to be extremely irritating and I'm happy to report that this is the former. This novel is told in the points of view of Cam, Niall, and someone reporting on Cam's movements. While I did end up guessing some of the twists, I still was eager to take in the story and get to the end. The time jump from after the siege shocked me as I didn't see such a huge amount of time passing, but I appreciate that McAllister got us closer to the action. I would advise of trigger warnings for anyone dealing with miscarriages and infertility as those are mentioned in the book. The parallel between Cam and her sister Libby and the pain and grief they both suffer through while both trying to still be there for the other was a nice way to show that relationship.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review!

Giving this one a 3.5, Famous Last Words was an emotional thriller that in my opinion just started off great, got a little slow, and ended with a bang! I enjoyed the beginning- I related to the main character Camilla’s new role as a mother- but after her husband holds 3 people hostage and vanishes the story fell a little flat. I’m so glad I stuck with it though because the last 20% of the book was phenomenal. I figured out some of the big twist but not all, which I always enjoy. It’s enough to keep me guessing but not totally unbelievable that way! I’ll definitely recommend this one with the advice of just keep with it, the ending is worth it! Thanks to the author, Harper Collins, and Net Galley for the ARC. All thoughts above are my own.

I am openly obsessed with Gillian McAllister's books. Her publisher even called me one of her superfans! So I will happily own that title!
When I first saw the plot for her latest novel, I was obsessed anew. I've always wondered about hostage situations- the reasoning behind the assailant's decision to start one, and the negotiations to get the hostages released without harm. I hadn't really considered about the aggressor's family and their reactions to what unfolds from their actions.
Gillian McAllister tackles this idea head on, so we don't need to wonder any longer.
It starts off with Camilla preparing for her first day back at work after her maternity leave, and her husband Luke is nowhere to be found, aside from a note he left her. As events of the day progress, Camilla's world falls apart when she hears Luke is the gunman in a hostage situation.
I loved reading about the siege, and the chapters from Niall, the negotiator provide a fascinating insight into this.
The siege itself is over rather quickly, I had expected it to last further into the book. I think for me, this is where the pacing dropped very slightly. It picks up again as our characters connect the dots, and then I raced through it.
Another fabulous read from my favourite author.
Sincerely, your superfan.

Another fabulous book by Gillian McAllister. This is one of those books you just can’t put down.

Camilla’s first day back at work after being on maternity leave is not what she expected. She woke up to find her husband, Luke, already gone, leaving a cryptic note behind. Shortly after dropping their daughter off at daycare and being back in the office police officers arrive to speak with Camilla. There’s a hostage situation and Luke is the suspect. The events of that day leave Camilla struggling to find answers seven years later. She can’t let it go and is determined to find out what happened to her husband so many years ago.