Dual POV, romance, mystery, murder? What's not to like? I really loved this book! Gillian McAllister doesn't disappoint. Highly recommend.

Gillian McAllister's "Famous Last Words" is a twisty, suspenseful thriller about a woman, Camilla, whose husband, Luke, takes hostages and then disappears. The story jumps between the present, right after the hostage situation, and seven years later, as Camilla tries to uncover the truth.

Camilla refuses to believe Luke is a monster, and the book explores themes of truth, love, and how well we really know the people closest to us. Early reviews praise the book's clever plot, interesting characters, and surprising secrets. The middle felt a bit slow, but the ending is a satisfying payoff. Overall, "Famous Last Words" is a gripping read for anyone who enjoys a good psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns.

It has been a little bit since I’ve found a book that is so riveting, I cannot put it down. I had to work and sleep, otherwise this would have been read in a day.

New mother Camilla is enjoying life with her baby girl and her beloved husband. That all ends quickly when she finds out her husband has taken 3 hostages in a warehouse. She is shocked, worried, sickened, confused. Did she ever really know him?

I was not expecting most of the twists and turns of this book, keeping me on edge and flipping pages. I found myself wondering how I would handle this situation.

I highly recommend this one and am eager to read more from this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the advanced copy.

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister is a gripping psychological thriller that expertly blends suspense with emotional depth. The pacing is sharp, and the twists are both clever and surprising. I enjoyed it more than Wrong Place, Wrong Time, as it kept me on the edge of my seat with its intricate storytelling and relatable characters. Highly recommend for thriller lovers!

3.5 stars.

I really enjoyed McAllister’s previous novel Wrong Place Wrong Time, so I was really looking forward to this one.

Cam is a literary agent when one day, her life changes. She gets a call saying her husband is holding people hostage at a warehouse. Cam is confused, this isn’t like Luke. One hostage is able to leave, but then they hear gunshots. Luke is no where to be found.

7 years later, Luke still hasn’t been found, or heard from, until Cam gets a text one day. She has a feeling Luke is still out there.

McAllister leads us through twists and turns in trying to figure out what happened to Luke and if he still is alive.

There was a lot to this book, some parts were more dragged out than others, but it was interesting how it came to be.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

This was another great story by McAllister! She is so good at weaving a story together and keeping you guessing. The audio was great and I will continue to always get her books right away!

Famous Last Words is my second read by Gillian McAllister. My first read was Wrong Place Wrong Time and I wasn't crazy about that one. Going into Famous Last Words, I tried to keep an open mind and not let previous work cloud my experience. I really enjoyed this one. Being an introvert, I was able to sympathize with the main character, Cam. She starts to question everything leading up to the hostage situation. I really did not see many of the twists in this book as well. Overall, an enjoyable read. Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Audio for the advanced copy.

A fun, unexpected, have to finish it in one day type of thriller! Famous Last Words is a rollercoaster of a ride in the best kind of way. It didn’t immediately grip me (it took a few chapters), but once I got into it, I was hooked. I loved the short chapters, multiple narrators, and layered story approach. Fans of investigative books and shows will love this one; you feel like you are a member of the police right in the thick of things throughout many of the scenes.

For Camilla, a seemingly normal day becomes the worst one imaginable when police show up at her work and inform her that her gentle, loving, never-committed-a-crime-a-day-in-his-life husband is suspected of holding several people hostage at gunpoint in a downtown warehouse. Before she knows it, her life turns upside down and she’s left with far more questions than answers, but is determined to stand by her husband and uncover the larger story.

Thank you to Gillian McAllister, William Morrow, HarperAudio, & NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

This was my first novel by Gillian McAllister, and I thought it was a good read. I enjoyed the double perspectives from the main character and the detective, which helped flush out the story and make you feel like you were reaching a conclusion from both ends.

While I did find the story to be somewhat predictable, I was still engaged and wanted to know the "whys" to the ending, and that kept me involved until the very end. It was an emotional journey with the female main character that I think readers looking for a women's fiction-type mystery thriller will enjoy this. You think you know your life partner...but do you really?

Thank you to HarperAudio Adult | HarperAudio and NetGalley for the advanced audiobook of this title!

This wasn’t my favorite title by this author, but I did thoroughly enjoy the mystery and the lead up to the twists and ending. The narrator was fantastic and made the slower parts enjoyable.

I thought this was a fun mystery, although it was a little bit predictable and I was sort of waiting to be a bit more surprised as the plot wrapped up.

I loved this audiobook! Emilia Fox always does such an incredible job, and her narration for Famous Last Words was perfect! And Gillian McAllister never misses…I became instantly hooked by the hostage negotiations and trying to figure out what was going to happen next. I absolutely loved this story!

Enjoyed this book a great deal! The narrative twists were well grounded - each one felt earned and well set up. That said, I wish we would have spent a little more time in the resolution. I've already recommended this book

Excellent - engaging, entertaining and well-narrated. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

When your husband goes missing, only to resurface as the gunman in a hostage situation making breaking news, how do you even begin to make sense of it all? As the days unfold, you replay the events of the past few weeks, only to realize that he had already begun changing in subtle ways. You start to question his innocence, especially when his last note to you simply reads, “It’s been so lovely.”

In this gripping thriller, the author takes us on a seven-year journey with Cam, a woman wrestling with loss, guilt, and the relentless search for answers. Her struggle to move on is raw and heart-wrenching. From the very first page, the story pulls you in and doesn’t let go.

The narrator’s performance is exceptional, striking the perfect pace as she goes from panic, fear, everyone's desperations, and the arcs that make you deeply for Cam, Nial, and Libby. It’s a journey you won’t soon forget.

Cam and Luke are happily married and have a young daughter.
On the morning Cam is to go back to work from her maternity leave, her husband is no where to be found. Not answering texts, calls, nothing. She did find a weird note but it still isn't cause for concern.

Police show up at her work later that morning and her very sweet, calm husband is on the news for holding people hostage by gun! How is this her husband? She does not understand!

Famous Last Words was a terrific unputdownable thriller. I did not want to stop listening to this one so I requested the book so I could read it when I wasn't listening!

This is told from two perspectives, Cam the wife of Luke a man who changes from doting father to hostage taker and Niall the hostage negotiator.
I enjoyed this one and cant wait to hear what you all think when it comes out soon!

I listened to the audio version of this book, and the narrator did an amazing job with this one. I absolutely enjoyed every minute of this book. The author did an excellent job with the characters and the story line. I thought this was a fast paced thriller that I couldn't put down. I loved the way it was written and the twist. I can't wait to read more from this author. I highly recommend this book to the thriller lovers out there.

Thank you Net Galley, William Morrow, and Gillian McAllister

I started listening to this and was enjoying it very much until I realized that the storyline sounded very familiar and it dawned on me that I had read the print version in mid November. I read a lot of books in a short period of time after the election and for me it was a way to escape from real life for a while. Since I read so much over the course of 2-3 weeks it was easy to lose track of all the different storylines and book titles.
Just from the little I listened to, Emilia Fox is great narrator and it's a great edge of your seat thriller. Whether in print or audio, the story will keep the reader interested in what is going to happen next. Lots of twists and turns.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC and ALC of this title.

On the day that Cam , an editor for a publishing company is going back to work after maternaty leave she can't get a hold of her husband Luke. Luke never leaves without a kiss goodbye and Cam can't remember if he did that or not. The only thing that he leaves is a short cryptic message on a piece of paper that doesn't make sense to her. Later that day at her office Cam has a strange feeling that something is wrong and her nightmare begins when the sirens that are echoing in the street come to a stop in front of her office. Luke is holding 3 people hostage in a warehouse and the police want to know why. Cam has no clue why Luke would do this. Did Cam really know who Luke was and is he capable of what the police is telling her. When the hostage negation doesn't go to plan, the police now have 2 dead bodies and Luke got away. Seven years later Cam is trying to move on and wanting to sell the house her and Luke had lived in. In order to do this she must declare him dead. Now she has a feeling that Luke is somehow leaving her messages and when Cam recieves a manuscript in the mail she can't put it down. Cam feels like this book is leading her to Luke and notices clues that only she would know to look. This is a fast paced book that will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end. I would like to thank both NetGalley and HarperAudio for letting me listen to an advanced copy of this audiobook.

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister starts off with a simmer, lulling you into a false sense of security as you meet Camilla and Luke, a seemingly ordinary couple. But don’t be fooled! That quiet beginning is just the calm before the storm. From the moment Luke, the seemingly normal husband, becomes a hostage taker, you’re thrown into a whirlwind of suspense. I was right there with Cam, Luke’s wife, desperately trying to decipher the meaning of his cryptic note and understand how the man I loved could do something so shocking.

McAllister’s writing is phenomenal. Each chapter peels back another layer of the mystery, leaving you constantly questioning everything you thought you knew. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, BAM! Another twist throws you for a loop.

The dual perspectives, between Camilla’s frantic search for answers and Niall, the negotiator’s, race against time, crank up the tension to almost unbearable levels. This book isn’t just a read; it’s an experience. If you love a story that keeps you guessing until the very last page, Famous Last Words is an absolute must-read. Prepare to be on the edge of your seat!

Thank you #netgalley