I enjoyed my time reading Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister! I was invested in the characters and the story of Cam and her daughter continuing on with life never knowing what happened to her husband Luke was riveting. Thank you for the advance reader copy!

Good. Not great. I liked the dual narrative of Niall and Cam and the hostage scenario was a great introductory "grabber". It just seemed a bit too concocted as it all came together at the end. I preferred her previous book - Wrong Place, Wrong Time. I do like McAllister's style though; she adds different, refreshing twists to the standard mysteries/thrillers.

This book started with 5 start potential and while I enjoyed the read, the plot somewhat fizzled slowly to the end. I knew fairly early on enough of what was going on that when all was revealed I was not even remotely surprised. It's a good book, just not a great book.
When Cam wakes groggy after another fitful night with her 9 month old, she finds her husband already gone. When she can't get him to return texts or answer the phone, she's confused. But when the hostage negotiator needs her help talking her husband into letting his hostages go, she questions every decision she's ever made. Now it's 7 years later, her husband escaped and they've never been able to find him, and she's ready to move on. But what if...?

I think Gillian McAllister might be coming close to dethroning Riley Sager as my favorite thriller author! I love the way she tells a story and keeps me guessing - bonus points for a London setting, too!

Multiple times throughout this book I thought I had guessed the twist(s), but WOW I was wrong! Maybe it’s just because I’m typically a romance girlie, but I ate. this. up!!! Dual POV? Time jumps? Obsessed.

Definitely add you to your TBR asap!

Unfortunately I can't say much about this book, as it never gripped my attention and I had to DNF it at 41%. I try not to DNF books, but sometimes I can't keep giving it a chance to get good.

This was really good and compulsively readable!! Such an interesting premise and it was laid out so cleverly. Definitely recommend it to anyone who loves thrillers!

I honestly don't know how Gillian McAllister can keep the twists coming, but she is transcendent in this aspect. In Famous Last Words, we meet Camilla, a new mother (somewhat reluctantly it feels like sometimes) as she is heading back to work for the first day after maternity leave. She is annoyed that her husband Luke is not there to see her off and she finds a weird paper that looks like the start of a note, but is dying to get out of the house and back to work so doesn't pay much attention. Not long into her day, she's confronted by the fact that Luke has taken hostages and her life is thrown for a loop. The first section of this book goes a mile a minute and draws you in immediately as Camilla is brought by the negotiator, Niall, to try and get her husband to give up. The second and third sections deal with the fallout and twists so I won't go into them, but even when you expect twists from her, McAllister always surprises. I both read and listened to this book to preview for my library and would heartily recommend both. Emilia Fox does a great narration and the physical book allows you to better flip back to see how you missed clues. A big thank you to William Morrow, HarperAudio, and NetGalley for the early access in exchange for my honest opinion. 4.5 stars

Just WOW! Another brilliant read by Gillian McAllister! Fantastic characters and an amazing storyline kept me flipping pages long past my bedtime. This was a roller coaster ride that was thrilling and kept me guessing until the end. Highly recommend!
Thank you NetGalley, Gillian McAllister and William Morrow for the opportunity to read and review this book

This novel took me a little bit to get into but once I was hooked I couldn’t put it down. I really enjoyed the love that Cam had for her husband even after all that time. I found some parts of the story a little confusing, but overall it was great

After reading Wrong Place, Wrong Time, I was looking forward to reading Gillian McAllister's new book. It was a solid read and kept me guessing although I liked Wrong Place, Wrong Time better.

I liked Gillian McAllister's last book, and definitely looked forward to Famous Last Words. I must say that it did not disappoint - indeed I liked it even more than her last effort. Famous Last Words has an unusual structure for a thriller, both in terms of POVs and in terms of time periods. I could see this as being off-putting for some readers, but I really liked the way it built complexity into both the mystery and the development of character. Though I slightly preferred Cam's POV, I was also very interested in Niall's sections. They complemented each other well and weren't repetitive in terms of reveals of information. In all, I liked the way this book is in many ways a "classic" thriller in terms of combining domestic life with mystery, but also goes beyond all the usual tropes.

I'm giving this three stars, but it was a DNF for me. The three stars are because I think a lot of people are going to love this, but this had some tropes that I don't enjoy reading whatsoever.

First of all, the writing is great. This author really knows how to put a story together and make you feel as if you know the characters so well. The setting is also phenomenal. There was already so much tension and the characters feel like they're responding in a very real way to a disaster.

Now my problem with the story is the child aspect of this. It really rubbed me the wrong way when the main character mentioned how basically after they had a child is such a better time than before they had a child. I didn't love how it was said. This is something that my husband and I often deal with because we've chosen not to have children and people can't comprehend why and how we must feel unfulfilled because we made that decision. That's how the book felt. It felt as if it was preaching to non-parents how life is so much better with a child. I honestly really hated that and I wasn't interested in reading about an MC who was so obsessed with her role of a mother to the point where that seemed to be her main characteristic. If I didn't know this was written by a woman, I would have thought it was written by a man because of that commentary.

The longest day of the year just became the worst day of her life. New mom Camilla is finally heading back to work—until she wakes up to find her husband missing and a cryptic note in his place. Then the news breaks: there’s a hostage situation in London, and her perfect, doting husband? He’s the one holding the gun.

Now, all eyes are on her. The police want answers. The world wants a villain. But only Camilla knows what that note says—and what she does next will change everything.

This is my second book by McAllister, and while I enjoyed it, it didn’t quite hit me with the same level of surprise as Wrong Place, Wrong Time. I spent a good portion of the book wanting to shake Camilla for not seeing what was right in front of her—lady, get it together! Some of the twists felt a little predictable, but I actually found myself more invested in the side stories than the main plot itself. That said, after bingeing 26 seasons of Law & Order: SVU, it takes a lot to pull one over on me—so maybe that’s more of a me problem than a McAllister one! 3 stars, Thank you NetGalley & William Morrow for the ARC.

If you're looking for an original point-of-view in a hostage crisis, this is the book for you. Telling the story from the perspectives of the hostage negotiator and the wife of the hostage taker was unique, and I was there for it. The mystery surrounding the events never let up and had me constantly changing my mind about what may have happened until the very end. Great read!

This is a solid mystery/thriller. I did not have it figured out ahead of the ending.
It was just a bit slow for awhile, but made up for it with a surprising twist.

Absolutely loved this book. Gillian McAllister will definitely be an auto buy author for me going forward. I’ve read a lot of thrillers and I sometimes feel like they all start to blend together but this was not like any one I have ever read before. The premise of this book starts with a hostage situation playing out in London. I recommend going into this one blind like did because within the first 20 minutes of reading this I was shocked multiple times. Thank you Net Galley and William Morrow for the advanced copy!

The premise of this book caught my attention and kept me hooked until the very end -- as a mom of two young kids, I related to the main character and cannot imagine being placed in her situation.

I had some issues with pacing and character development. The ending left me wanting more answers because the plot took a few unexpected turns that I didn't necessarily love -- but it was fun talking to my friends that read it as well. Would make a good book club book or a quick binge read on vacation!

This is a fantastic choice for a book club. I read Gone Girl when I was way too young, and Gillian never misses.

This book kept me guessing from the start. There were a few times I had thought I completely figured it out but then there would be an additional twist. I loved how everything came together at the end!

I absolutely loved this book. I loved the writing and the pace. I love a good domestic thriller and this one delivered.