Gillian McAllister just keeps getting better. She really is becoming my favorite author of the twisty-turny thriller. I especially loved the characters in this book, they brought me right in before the plot took off and hooked me until the final page. I love the way all the plot threads are woven together by the end... this was a great book!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an Advanced Readers Copy of this book published 25 Feb 2025

I really enjoyed this one. There were so many twists and turns. While I was reading it, I did think it was a bit long, but now that it’s been about a week since I finished it, I think all the information was necessary to really draw you into the story and characters.

This thriller was a unique plotline and I was intrigued to learn more about the mystery. I got sucked in and read it very quickly. Great for fans of thrillers who want a fast paced, suspenseful read.

Gillian McAllister is so consistency good with her family-focused suspense novels and Famous Last Words is no exception. If you like her other books you will love this one just as much.

I love how Gillian McAllister’s stories take the road less traveled, and all the little pieces collect and collect until the satisfying “aha!” moment. Famous Last Words is no exception, and while it’s difficult to discuss without giving away key plot moments, just know that it’s as good as the others in McAllister’s library.

I kind of thought that this book was going in one direction and then BAM. The next chapter starts and it's seven years later. The narrative kind of drug on a bit in the middle and I wasn't quite sure why we were given so much of Niall's point of view. The resolution happened so fast I'm still not quite sure how it was solved exactly.

I don’t know why I waited so long to read this off my arc list, it was really very good, I love a good mystery and this one included a love story. What happens when the man you love and decided to build a family with does something horrific and then immediately disappears? Do you automatically give up on him and all the dreams you had together? How do you move on, do you move on? Is there always that niggling feeling in the back of your mind like you know something isn’t adding up. Cam has the most fun sounding job ever of finding books to be published, married to an author and living her best life after baby and then the seige. Seven years later she’s just trying to live but can’t stop thinking of her husband Luke who hasn’t been seen or heard from since, trying to date again and reading the second manuscript from her client Adam, when everything starts to change again. I’m gonna stop so no spoilers, but I enjoyed this one a lot!

I was so excited for this book since I’ve loved Gillian McAllister’s other work! It started strong, but as the story progressed, it felt overly complicated—especially toward the end. The plot became muddled, and the addition of more characters seemed to serve only to tie things together rather than enhance the story. While I appreciate McAllister’s complex storytelling, this one didn’t quite land for me.

So so boring! Nothing interesting happens. I wish this author would go back to writing scifi thrillers. I would not recommend.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley

Wow, this book really caught you from the beginning and didn't let go!
Cam goes back to work after being on maternity leave, and drops her daughter off at day care. When she wakes up her husband is not there and he left her an odd note.

Then she hears the news about a hostage situation that is developing. The police show up and tell her that her husband is the gunman and that they want her help to talk to him.

The story grabs you and is very well written! I really enjoyed it.

<i>Famous Last Words</i> is easily my favorite Gillian McAllister to date. This family drama / thriller felt unique amongst all of the other thrillers out there. It will stand apart as one that I will remember because of its storyline.
On the day that Cam ends her maternity leave and drops her daughter off at daycare for the first time, her loving and doting husband is nowhere to be found. He isn't there to send them both off, wish them luck on their first days, give them a hug for reassurance as they walk out the door. Shortly after Cam gets to work, the police arrive for her and her life changes forever.
The story follows the timeline of the hostage situation and the police investigation at the time. Then 7 years later, Cam is ready to file her husband as dead so that she can sell the house and move on. Once she starts the process, it triggers other things and the once cold case because hot again. Cam never truly believed he was capable of what he is being accused of, but is he really still out there?
This was definitely a fun one to follow. There were a couple of things that I suspected but wasn't sure of, but there were also a few things that did surprise me and I had to go back and reread what I had just read to make sure I understood it. Love when a book surprises me like that.

You wake up. Your husband is gone. Instead of a good-morning kiss or a "Don't forget the baby wipes," he leaves you a cryptic note. Weird. Then the news breaks: there’s a hostage situation in London. Even weirder. The police show up at your door. Turns out, your husband isn’t one of the hostages. Nope—he’s the guy holding the hostages.

Excuse me, WHAT?!

That’s the nightmare Camilla walks into on what was supposed to be her first day back from maternity leave. One minute, she’s navigating daycare drop-offs and inbox anxiety; the next, she’s questioning everything she thought she knew about her life, her husband, and whether she’s somehow starring in an extended episode of Black Mirror.

What I Loved
- The Mystery Keeps You Hooked
The central question is fascinating: How does a loving husband and father go full-blown hostage-taker overnight? (Spoiler: He doesn’t. There’s always more to the story.) The book does a great job unraveling this, keeping you second-guessing everything.

- Cam is Relatable
She’s not your typical "wife in distress" thriller protagonist. She’s sharp, determined, and just as confused as the rest of us, which makes her easy to root for.

- The Big Twists (Mostly)
Okay, one major twist was obvious. (If you read enough thrillers, you’ll spot it a mile away.) But it’s more of a how than a what, and that part stays gripping.

What Didn’t Work as Well
- Mild Predictability
Like I said, I saw one of the twists coming. Did it ruin the book? No. Did I give myself a smug little nod when I turned out to be right? Absolutely.

Would I recommend Famous Last Words? Absolutely. It’s fast-paced, gripping, and has just enough twists to keep you flipping pages. Even if you figure out the big "aha" moment early, you’ll still want to see how everything unfolds.

⭐ 4/5 stars – because every marriage should come with a “Just In Case I Become a Hostage-Taker” disclaimer. ⭐

This story really took off and I could not stop. There were a ton of surprises and full body chill moments and it really held my interest. Read this book!

I have read a lot of crappy thrillers this year, so I'm so glad to have come across this one. I enjoyed the refreshing premise. The missing spouse trope is tired (looking at you, Beautiful Ugly), but the hostage-taker spouse is a whole new thing. McAllister's writing is thoughtful without being overly sentimental, though it sometimes comes close (Yes, we get it, you love him). The inclusion of Polly and Cam's sister added a nice layer, and I found Niall likable if a bit one-dimensional.

I didn't guess any of mysteries, and the ending was satisfying.

I purchased the print book and an audio CD for my library and have been sharing. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This author is new to me, but I will be keeping an eye out for anything else they publish. I loved the story and the characters. The pacing of the story was great and the characters were relatable.

4.25 stars
I was hooked from the beginning simply because I had to know why he did what he did! I enjoyed the unraveling and how everything was pieced together. It all made sense. I would only say it’s not 5 stars because there wasn’t a lot of “action”. I don’t mind that and it’s actually amazing how bingeable and unputdownable it was given the lack of action!

This is my favorite McAllister book. This is a fast paced thriller with a love story at the center of it and a hostage situation. Man oh man this kept me engaged to the very end. Easy read, likable FMC and satisfying ending.

This is the third book I’ve read by this author and my final attempt. Her writing style is just not for me. Once again, this had a promising premise: a married couple with a young baby have their lives Thurber upside down when the husband one day leaves the wife a note stating “It’s been lovely with you both, L xx” and then disappears. Soon after she discovers that her husband is involved in a hostage situation, and he is the one holding the hostages. Sounds like it should be a shocking thrill ride, right? While there is a good bit of time spent trying to unravel the situation, too much time is spent on Cam (the wife) inner monologues and her relationship with her sister, which in the scheme of the story feels kind of irrelevant.
I’m not sure if it’s just that I’ve read so many thrillers that I’ve come to expect so much from them, but this just fell flat. It did pick up somewhat in that last 40 ish percent but that’s too much time wasted. I rounded up to three only because it wasn’t a total wash out by the end.

Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

I don’t even know how to say how impactful this book was for me. I started it going through trauma of my own and latched onto it as my escape. I took it everywhere and thought about the book when I wasn’t reading it and even drew it out bc I didn’t want it to end! I did not see any of it coming!!! This is my favorite read this year by far!

I started this book and expected it to be a quickly plotted crime drama set over just a few days with a simple story. I was so wrong. It had great writing and built and built and I did not see the twist until the very end. It was a perfect crime drama, but I also loved the characters and the family storylines that brought it all together so well. This was my first book to read by Gillian McAllister. I will be reading all of her books now.