This wow! book details the circumstances surrounding deaths (natural, executions, suicide) and the last words spoken by the person(s) who died when they realized death was imminent. Some are surprising, some proclaimed innocence to the end whether they were innocent of a crime or not, others poignant and heartbreaking. From confessions to allusions to secrets to words of love to instructions to the executioner, this book is unputdownable in its intensity and captivation. Most of the stories took place in the last few hundred years with a few more recent and highlight both famous and not famous people.

When hanging and beheading were de rigueur, executioners were paid for good "service". Some executions occurred swiftly as planned but some were unfortunately drawn out. Bodies were often used for scientific research and some took it upon themselves to hasten deaths for payment. Mary Blandy was concerned about propriety when she was hung. Many last words were pleas to their Maker such as Sir Henry Irving's which those he used on stage during performances, "O Lord Into Thy hands". King Edward VI's were similar as were Lady Jane Grey's, while she pathetically groped for the beheading stone. Every single story is incredibly interesting including the Charles Smith book made of his skin!

Suicide notes are goosebump inducing, moving and poignant and the last despairing and revealing moments of the person's life are sometimes recorded in detail. The most heartbreaking to me was the letter from a father to his daughter. A few saw a humorous side, others instructive. Murderer Burke said, "The knot's behind" to his executioner (should have been to the side). A few shook hands with their executioner and thanked prison staff for good treatment. The degrading ducking story was just awful...the man responsible asked for forgiveness at his death. Another man blamed women for his downfall and one pleaded innocence until he was executed and it was discovered later that he indeed had been innocent. One couple recited wedding vows to each other just seconds before they were hung.

There are photos of locations and suicide letters. If you are at all intrigued by a sociological compendium of true death events and how various people viewed death in their last moments, this book is definitely for you.

My sincere thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for the privilege of reading the e-ARC of this fascinating book. Well worth reading!

I would have appreciated a better approach to the organization of the materials presented here, but the content itself is fascinating.

The last words are mostly from now obscure people executed in Victorian England, although there some murders and suicides as well (and a few natural deaths of old age), and the deaths range somewhat into the 18th and 20th centuries as well. Oddly, there are three famous executions from the Tudor/Stuart era randomly mixed in too.

The work could have benefited greatly from being presented either chronologically from 16th to 20th century, or by category, for example: ‘murders’, ‘suicides’, ‘executions,’ ‘old age’. Instead, we skip around a lot here in time and what type of death, although ALL deaths here are in Britain, and, as I said, mostly Victorian executions.

I appreciated that Wood – mostly – sticks with extremely obscure historical figures, and not just that, he clearly dug deep into the record to pull out every detail recorded about them. Lower class folks are so often lost to history, but here Wood presents the overlooked sorts of people, such as the parlor maid Charlotte Ellen Reeve who threw herself in the Thames in 1900 after writing a farewell letter to her sister, with a heavy subtext that she had been raped by her employer. Or William Watts, forced to go into a workhouse for lack of any other economic options, and died suddenly – maybe of an aneurysm – after wishing he was dead.

My favorites were Priscilla Guppy and Thomas David Cunnington.

Priscilla Guppy died of old age at age 82, to all appearances a little old grandmother who had lived an ordinary 19th century life – but just before she died she confessed to committing a shocking murder back in her youth.

Meanwhile, Thomas David Cunnington, struggling with depression in his 40’s, stuck his head in an oven and then proceeded to keep a written commentary after he finished his suicide note on how his death was going. “Half an hour with my head in the oven.” Followed by: “I’m getting to think gas will run out.” And onwards until he finally did pass out and die. I feel bad for laughing, but it was just sooo very British in tone – like what Bertie Wooster’s suicide would be like. The humorless coroner ruled his death ‘suicide whilst of unsound mind’, stating that anyone who would write such frivolous notes during their own death must be insane.

The executions showcase how much the Victorians considered death to be a “teachable moment” both for the crowd and the person being executed, with a confession expected on the scaffold as well as a show of deep piety that the modern reader has trouble taking seriously. And oh the shock from the audience when a murderer deviates from the script!

Overall, a great look at lower class Victorian England and how murder, suicide, and executions were viewed in that time period.

What an amazing book. It was not what I expected so was pleasantly surprised. It featured the last words of famous people like Sir Walter Raleigh, Lady Jane Grey, William Burke to name a few but it also featured last words from very little known people whose words were quite prophetic and lingered. Some were admissions to guilt of crimes from the past which then solved it, but some were also from people protesting their innocence which later (Too late) were sadly proven right. Chris Wood has clearly done his research and is to be commended for it. I found it to be really interesting and addictive reading. I look forward to more from this author

Famous Last Words is an interesting book that chronicles different people and what they said right around the time they died. Some are famous, but many I did not know at all., I found the book fascinating. It was a bit dry at times but it is a history book after all. It is extremely well researched and the author has a great writing style which kept me engaged. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the history and crimes of the past.

Death—what a concept, am I right? One second we’re here and the next, well, we’re not. Many a young person (and homicidal maniac) has thought about the idea of going out with a bang. Well, some of the fine folks covered in this book did just that… with their words. In Famous Last Words, Chris Wood brings together a rogues’ gallery of murderers, queens, and everyone in between and details their final utterances, for better or for worse.

To be honest, I love the Tuder era of English history. You know, the king with 6 wives and all that jazz? This is probably a character defect of mine, but I just can’t help it; I love this saucy clan. Very predictably then, my favorite chapter was on the tragic 16th century queen, Lady Jane Grey. Wood details her rise to the throne and fall—all within nine days—at the hands of Mary Tudor, making for a drama that would cause the Kardashians to blush. Lady Jane’s meteoric rise and fall are emblematic of what is great about this book; her last words, give us a glimpse into who she was as a person, in a perhaps more honest way than any other available sources. In this case, Lady Jane died a woman who held firm to her faith, and yet displayed a fearful youthfulness that broke my heart as I read.

Famous Last Words generally details the lives and deaths of largely unknown figures. This fact, in my opinion, could be a great thing, or a negative. For the more adventurous readers, you will have the pleasure of being introduced to an entirely new cast of characters, and will get to know them in such a unique way—during their final moments. For others, who are looking to learn a bit more about familiar historical faces, this book may not fulfill that need.

In any case, my morbid soul had a wonderful time reading Famous Last Words, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for an enjoyable nonfiction that they can read in one gulp, or in bite-sized chapters. Either way, there are some quotes in here that, in my opinion, have more than earned a total mic-drop.

Thank you to the Chris Wood, Netgalley, and Pen & Sword History for giving me an opportunity to read such a interesting book!

Nothing focuses the mind more starkly than impending death. Its inevitable spectre greets us all; from princes to paupers and nobility to the needy. Prepare to mount the scaffold and share in the final utterings of the condemned; join the stricken in their death beds and witness unburdened tongues wag their closing, and often remarkable confessions as deeply entrenched secrets are finally unshackled in the wake of imminent death.

‘Fates and Final Words’ collects a fascinating selection of destinies culminating in their often flamboyant yet always captivating, final utterances before shuffling off this mortal coil.

We have all heard the stories of the last words spoken before someone is put to death. Usually, it was in cases of medieval beheadings, etc. But this book goes beyond that, taking into account different cases over history, and sharing the crimes, the verdicts, and the final walks of those convicted, giving us a more full story of the punishment - and the crime.

For true crime lovers, this is a great delve into different cases, horrendous murders, and those convicted. For historians, its a glance back into the past, and the immortal last words spoken by those condemned. Chris Wood went above and beyond the expectations I had for this book (even though I thought it sounded fabulous from the title, I was not sure how the content would be arranged), but it was easy to read, and the facts and cases keep you pulled in. Prepare for a book hangover, because once you start this book, you will not be able to put it down until you have finished the last sentence.

I absolutely loved this book! I want to thank Pen and Sword for an ARC copy of this book. The opinions above are my own.

I really Loved reading this it was very informative and interesting. Worth a read!would definitely recommend!!

Couldn't really get into it, but I could see how others would enjoy this book. Seems like a well researched book, but was very dry

This book was a bit dry to read but definitely had some interesting stories. It was not quite what I expected.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

My thanks to Pen and Sword Press, Chris Wood and Netgalley.
I'm of two minds about this book. I was actually expecting "last words." Death bed confessions. Oh, lawdy, lawdy, I'm a gonna hang..so now I'll confess?
What I didn't expect, nor really want was their life story! Most of these people are well known, even hundreds of years later. They got no sympathy then and they deserve none now. Except for a very select few. I finally got impatient and had to quit reading nearly 3/4 of the way through.
There are too many ways to retell an old story, and they are still freaking tiresome!
Great concept for a book. Sorry excuse for a follow through.

“Famous Last Words” by Chris Wood is a book that caught my eye immediately. Maybe it’s the darker side of my personality speaking, but I really liked the idea of reading the last words spoken by people at the moment they were facing their death. It was immensely interesting reading the words spoken and imagining the person uttering those very words as they were preparing to die. Being an avid fan of everything history (and macabre!), I couldn’t pass up the opportunity of reading this book. It was almost like an historical journey back into the lives of well known people who have lived and died. It may not appeal to everyone, but it’s a book that will definitely appeal to all history fans and those who are curious about what goes through a person’s mind in the moments leading up to their death. My sincere thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.