It’s Camilla’s first day back at work following maternity leave, and daughter Polly’s first day at nursery. So when Camilla wakes to find husband Luke is nowhere to be seen, she’s disgruntled at first, but her concern soon grows when she doesn’t hear from him. Not long into her first day back and Camilla’s life changes forever. The police have arrived. They say there’s a hostage situation and that Luke is involved. Only he’s not a hostage. He is the one who has taken the hostages and is now holding them with a gun. This is so unlike Luke’s character and Camilla is utterly baffled. Did she ever really know him at all?

The book starts with the focus on the day to the siege, alternating between Camilla’s POV and the POV of Niall, the hostage negotiator. As events come to a dramatic head, Luke manages to escape and spends the next seven years on the run, presumed dead by some. The book then focuses in on Camilla and Niall’s lives, seven years after the traumatic events that changed their lives forever. When some suspicious activity happens, Camilla and Niall begin their own investigations into Luke’s whereabouts, but just what are they getting themselves into?

This was an utterly gripping psychological thriller. It was so tense at times and the suspense was constantly building. I found the plot to be completely original, like nothing I’ve ever read before, which I always seem to find with this author’s books so she clearly is very clever and creative! I love the uniqueness that she always manages to bring to her books. I really liked Cam and Niall so I was fully invested in their stories and wanting them to come out on top.

I just loved it and whilst it was a very complex and unusual situation, it felt so realistic and believable. I loved it so much I have dived straight into another Gillian McAllister book as my next read! 🤩

If you enjoy tense psychological thrillers with alternating perspectives, this is one for your TBR.

Camilla Deschamps has come to the end of her maternity leave and is about to return to her job in a London literary agency. The last nine months, while challenging, have been full of joy, and she has loved the downtime with her daughter Polly and writer husband, Luke.

On the morning of her first day back, she's drops Polly to daycare and heads to work, concerned that she hasn't heard from Luke since the night before. After a few worried texts that go unanswered, she's sees live footage on the TV in her office of an ongoing hostage situation at a nearby warehouse. A subsequent phone call informs her that Luke is the perpetrator.

Niall Thompson, a police hostage negotiator, is on the scene, but despite his best efforts, two of the three people Luke is holding hostage are dead.

Seven years later, Cam and Niall are trying to move on with their lives, but that fateful day tethers them to the past. Niall's career has stalled, and his wife has left him, while Cam can't let go of her inherent belief that her husband is alive out there somewhere.

This is such a great book, with gripping opening chapters and a concept that's quite unique in a market saturated with thrillers penned by female authors. I really enjoyed the passages about domestic life, almost as much as I liked the tense narrative. The pace is perfect too, and it was very smartly plotted. This is well worth a read; I know many of you will love it.

What can I say.

Brilliant page turner from the start.

Well written,can't wait for more.

Won't disappoint.

This is my second book by the author and I have enjoyed both of them. This wasn’t quite a five star read because I thought a lot of of this was predictable especially the “twist” but it was still a solid four star reading experience.

Basically a young mother awake to find a strange note from her baby daddy and soon discovers that he has taken a group of people hostage. Naturally what follows is a emotional roller coaster as she grapple with the situation and tries to understand how it could have happened because the man she knew would have been incapable of this.

Overall this was a pretty solid reading experience, even having the twist be spoiled because of its predictability didn’t spoil the mystery at the core of the book – which was why? I also thought that for a thriller McAllister managed to portray a new mother quite accurately and she was Very much somebody I felt I could relate to, especially in matters of introversion etc. etc. I can’t say whether I think this is as good as the last one because it’s gotten a bit hazy in my mind but if I had to guess I would say that they Pleased me equally.

New baby, finally heading back to work all is great except your husband isn't here for day one of your return and babies first day in daycare, where is he? Heading through the day getting increasingly more nervous, no response to calls, no contact and then news of a hostage situation and then the police arrives at Camilla's (Cam's) work place and life as Cam knows it is gone!

Oooft dun dun dun, what a sweeping start eh. Cam goes through all the emotions, there is no way he could do this, she knows him, she loves him but the police show her, it is indeed her husband. Talk about the rug being pulled out from under you, I think the reason these type of stories grip you so much is the main character is normal, just a worker, a mum a normal person who finds themselves thrown into your worst nightmare.

The book takes us across X span of time, the day of the siege, after the siege and then seven years later, all clearly marked. Different time periods, Cam trying to sort her life, processing, recovering and I think, as the reader, you can't help but put yourself in her shoes. Would you react like that, would you do/think x,y,z way? How do you recover from that, what changed, what did you miss, how could that be your husband, how could he do that?

I was sucked in pretty much from the get go, I could not gage where it was going next, like all this has happened in the first X pages/chapter, where can it go next. I love when a book does that, I am the first to admit I never or rarely ever know the how or why but I think even those who do wouldn't be able to figure out where it is going. An author who keeps you guessing has a talent indeed. The first quarter of the book was intense and packing a punch, it then takes a slower turn but continues to be pacey, engaging and for me anyway invested in the character(s), 4/5. This isn't our first McAllister, it won't be our last, I need to bump the others up the tbrm.

A great thriller read. Gillian McAllister always has innovative story lines that have just the right balance of mystery and plot without being too dark and a good amount of character development. This story is set around a hostage situation and is tense from the first chapter and it doesn’t lose pace throughout. Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK for the ARC

Having loved some of this author's other books, I'm not sure this one quite hit the mark for me. The narration was a little difficult to follow st times and the storyline lacked the author's usual grip. I got a bit bored by the storyline and can't say that the ending left me wanting any more. Not usual for me from this author and I won't let it put me off. And nor should it you if the theme of hostage taking and the costs of underground criminal activity are your thing.

Looking at the other reviews for this book, I do appear to be in the minority with my enjoyment of this! It was an okay read, but didn't grip me as much as I thought it was going to. The story is about Cam who finds her husband is caught up in a hostage situation in London - not as a hostage, but as the person holding the gun. She has no idea what is going on, and no idea why he's doing it. I liked the beginning part of the story and found the build up to what happens full of suspense. For me though, as Cam tries to find out what happened to her husband for him to be caught up in this, it felt like it lost it's pace and began to slow up. Cam's character wasn't particularly likeable, and the hostage negotiator's part in the story was a little confusing. I did finish the story and like the beginning, I quite liked the ending! However, the middle part was just a little too slow and confusing for my liking.

It’s Cam’s first day back at work after having a baby and she’s already feeling anxious about that.
Her husband Luke had left home before she’d woken up and is not answering his phone, which ramps her anxiety up further.
Then a hostage situation develops and she learns that her husband is involved. Only he’s not one of the hostages, but the hostage taker…

Cam’s nightmare situation is gut-wrenchingly palpable. The feeling of thinking of her life before and after the incident and how every single thing will change. Of being lied to. Of not noticing that something was wrong. Of thinking she didn’t really know her husband like she thought she did. Of what people will think and say. And why? What possible reason did her husband have for taking hostage two men and then shooting them in the head.

Seven years pass by and Cam, alongside the original hostage negotiator Niall, start to receive clues that Luke is still alive and they’re both determined to find him and what really happened in that Bermondsey warehouse.

This is an engaging and exciting read. My only slight complaint is that Gillian McAllister is great for the twisty psychological plot-lines but just falls a bit short on character development.

This was a long read which kept me hooked long into the night. I was full of questions , loads of action mixed with emotion as we along with the main character try to make sense of how a moment can change your life forever but part of you still lives in that moment. A note left, a hostage situation played out live and now your husband is on the run and you still cant help think something just does not. This was so full of emotion from all the characters i was hooked from the first word. when i got to the end i felt like i had gone through the story with them all. Skillfully written full of rich complex characters an action packed mystery , I cant recommend this enough. Thank you netgallery, publisher and author for this 5 star read that is worth the length.

I loved Wrong Time Wrong Place and so I was eager to read Gillian McAllistair’s new novel, Famous Last Words.

Camilla, on the day she returns to work following maternity leave, wakes to find her husband missing and a strange, incomplete note left behind. At work, she is shocked when the police arrive to inform her of her husband’s involvement in an ongoing hostage situation - only he is the one holding people hostage….

A twisty, well constructed read which I really enjoyed. I did guess the outcome and some of the twists ahead of time, but I enjoyed the journey nonetheless! A safe bet if you love a thriller! 4.5/5

The tagline of this really dragged me in, and I'm so glad it did. I adore Gillian's writing anyway and I really enjoyed this. Whilst it wasn't my favourite of hers, mainly due to some of the details feeling a bit unrealistic, I still enjoyed reading it and would always recommend any book by Gillian to anyone wanting a thriller to devour!

WOW ! Twists galore in this story that had me gripped from the start. Another great story from this author.
Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC which I highly recommend

A clever thriller with a jaw-dropping twist. On Camilla's first day back at work after maternity leave, the Met police arrive to tell her that her husband is involved in a hostage siege and that he is the gunman. As events take a a surprising turn, it soon becomes clear the situation isn't quite what it seems. Genuinely gripping.

From the bestselling author of Wrong Place Wrong Time comes Famous Last Words – a jaw-dropping thriller that will keep you turning the pages late into the night.

It is June 21st, the longest day of the year, and new mother Camilla is ready to return to work after months of maternity leave. But her plans are shattered when her husband, Luke, vanishes—leaving only a cryptic note behind.

Then comes the breaking news. A hostage situation is unfolding in London, and Luke is at the centre of it. But he is not a victim. He is the gunman.

As the truth unravels, Camilla is forced to question everything she thought she knew about the man she loves. What led him to this moment? What secrets has he been hiding? And what danger is she in if her entire life has been built on a lie?

With shocking twists and an addictive plot, Famous Last Words is a must-read for thriller fans. I was completely hooked—each revelation hit me in full force!

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Yet another great read from this author. The story had me hooked from the first page, and I found myself so absorbed I was turning the pages to read what happens next. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep you reading. Highly recommend this book.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review

Another beauty of a read from this author. A really unusual story, that hooks you in immediately. Very subtle thriller which definitely keeps you guessing right until the last chapter.
Thoroughly enjoyable, I loved it.

Camilla is racing around her London home preparing to go back to work after nine months of maternity leave. It’s a busy morning as she also gets baby Poppy ready for her first day at nursery school and is surprised husband Luke is not there on this big day for them. He’s also not responding to text messages and has left an odd note stating, “it’s been so lovely with both of you”. Luke is a ghostwriter so she would expect him to leave a more clear note but maybe he has an urgent deadline she’s forgotten about and had to go to his co-working space, still something doesn’t feel right.
When the police come to the publishing company where she works Cam is terrified to hear Luke is caught up in a hostage drama. Then horrified when she’s told he’s the one who has taken three people hostage in a warehouse and threatening to shoot them. Her Luke would never do something like that and where would he even get a gun.
The story is told by Cam and hostage negotiator Niall who are separately trying to figure things out as something doesn’t quite make sense. It then picks up seven years later with the same narrators.
It’s an interesting concept and had me hooked. The reader is just as in the dark as Cam and Niall and it’s compelling. In the end it didn’t quite deliver on the promising start but had enough for a solid mystery that’s great for a weekend read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

It is Camilla's first day back at work after maternity leave but when she wakes up her husband, Luke, has left home leaving just a cryptic note for her. After dropping baby Polly at nursery Camilla arrives at her office where she works as a literary agent. She's becoming increasingly concerned that Luke still hasn't been in touch, when she learns that he is involved in a hostage situation but not as a victim but the perpetrator. One hostage is released but two are shot dead and Luke escapes and disappears without trace.
Seven years later Camilla is in the process of having Luke declared dead when strange things start to happen which lead Camilla to wonder if Luke can possibly still be alive.
Told from the perspectives of Camilla and Niall, the hostage negotiator, this is a very enjoyable read with plenty of twists.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity of reading an ARC of this book.

Excellent, she has done it again with a masterful story. Engaging characters and a fantastic plot. A short review to avoid spoilers, but just read and enjoy. Thank you for my early access kindle edition.