When Gillian McAllister first announced this novel - publishing on 30 January 2025 - I had to get a copy. Like Just Another Missing Person, which I read in 2023, Gillian pulled the rug from under me again with a brilliantly constructed story that I *had* to race to the end of.

Cam and Niall - two central characters in the story - are raw, believable and are expertly written, carrying the narrative from the siege to the satisfying final moments of the book.

I fully expect to see this book dominate the list of 2025’s best books a year from now.

Thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph and NetGalley for my ARC.

This new release by Gillian McAllister is nothing short of exceptional—WOW! It delivers a thrilling, fast-paced action narrative from multiple perspectives. Each character is meticulously crafted, showcasing impressive depth and realism. The storyline is packed with shocking twists and turns, ensuring that readers remain fully engaged. The unexpected conclusion cements this book as a must-read for fans of the genre and the author. Do not miss out on this outstanding five-star experience!

Famous Last Words, Gillian McAllister

Synopsis: New mother Camilla's life is about to change forever. After months of maternity leave, she will drop her infant daughter off at daycare for the first time and return to her job as a literary agent. Finally.

But after she arrives at the office, police officers storm the foyer: in the city, just near her work, a man has taken three hostages and is now in a tense standoff with law enforcement. And Luke, the person she's loved for more than a decade, the father of her child, is involved. But he is not a hostage. He is the kidnapper.

📚

I was fortunate and very grateful to have received this advance copy. Gillian McAllister is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me 🫶🏼

And I loved it!

I really enjoy books with multiple POV and this one swaps between Camilla and the hostage negotiator, Niall. Between the two of them you get to the truth of what really happened that day.

I won't say too much more to avoid spoilers, but I loved all the characters and was rooting for the main character throughout.

A twisty book full of intrigue and suspense. Fab thriller to pick up in 2025!

Rating: 4.5 ⭐️

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for an advance copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

@currentlyreading__
Book 74 of 2024

Firstly thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending me an advance copy of the upcoming ‘Famous Last Words’ which will be published on 30th January. I have recommended @gillianmauthor’s books for some time but this one has zoomed into first place for me.

Gillian has very kindly agreed to send the first chapter to anyone who comments on Instagram so if my review interests you go and request. Chapter One will reel you in and you’ll be under the spell too.

Cam Deschamps has been on maternity leave, she is sleep-deprived and due back at work. She is a literary agent and lives and breathes books. Her husband Luke is a ghost-writer but is missing from their house on the morning Cam takes baby Polly to nursery. A hastily half-finished note has been left for Cam and Luke can’t be contacted. This aside, Cam throws herself back into her work and relishes being able to have a hot drink once again.

Then there’s the sirens outside the office… There’s a hostage situation unfolding in Bermondsey and the police arrive to speak to Cam. She knows this will be about Luke but she’s definitely not prepared for what they tell her.

As always with Gillian, there’s a plot which is so intricately woven with characters you just root for from the start. Cam was so thoughtfully portrayed and I loved the time jumps - moving forward seven years after the return to work so we can see how Cam has evolved.

Without giving spoilers, this has elements of a couple of genres and I loved the fact that time had almost been suspended for Cam as our empathy for her character couldn’t be questioned.

This needs to be on your pre-order list. There’s not long to wait - immerse yourself in Cam’s quest to find the truth of what really happened on that fateful day she returned to work.


#bookworm #iamreading #bookreview #kindle #bookreviews #bibliophile #bookreview #mustread #bookobsessed #bookrecommendations #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #netgalley #gillianmcallister #famouslastwords

Brilliant! Camille ‘Cam’ Deschamps is a literary agent, her husband Luke is a Ghost-writer and they have a new baby Polly. It’s Cam’s first day back at work after her maternity leave but it’s about to become the worst day of her life. Luke had gone out that morning without saying anything, leaving a strange note. The next thing she knows the police arrive at her office telling her Luke is involved in a hostage situation and worse he is the hostage taker! Told from multiple POV’s including an unnamed voice, and some narrative from a script Cam has been sent, and in dual timelines, this is a compulsive read from the start.

Briefly, Niall is a negotiator called in to work the hostage situation but before he decides what to do there are shots fired, two people are dead and Luke has disappeared. Not your normal day then! Seven years later Luke is still missing and Cam is trying to sell their house. Niall is still determined to find him, as is Cam, but both are finding themselves up against a brick wall.

Wonderful narrative with some great red herrings and twists and turns, this is really well plotted and executed. A very clever thriller, fast paced and exciting, which kept me guessing all the way through; I had to balance myself to stop falling off the edge of the seat it was that tense! The question is what would you do for someone you love? A very entertaining novel.

Quite honestly the best book I’ve read in a while and I’ve read some excellent ones. I’m really very sorry that I’ve finished it as it swept me along and completely enveloped me in the compelling story, although it will definitely stay with me for a long time and I loved the ending.
The premise is very clever and flips everything you think you know on its head. A caring and lovely man takes three hostages in an old warehouse and he kills two of them before the negotiations can even start.
This is a powerful love story, a tale of a frighteningly real criminal underworld, the complexities of having children and the strength of the love you feel for them and so much more. Forget everything you think you know as the realities flip reverse and then again and again. Wholeheartedly recommend this one, thank you.

This is an incredibly clever and well plotted book which I thoroughly enjoyed and raced through in a couple of days.
Luke and Cam are happily married with a beautiful baby girl. One morning Luke goes out early and doesn’t reply to calls or texts. Starting to worry Cam takes their baby to her first day at nursery and makes her way to work hoping there is an explanation for Luke’s disappearance.
When a hostage situation is reported she quickly discovers her husband is caught up in it and she begins to question everything she thought she knew about him.
The book fast forwards seven years and Cam is a single mother but she still yearns for things to return to how they were before that fateful day.
The other excellent character is Niall the police hostage negotiator who feels guilty and let down, determined to solve the case that has blighted his career and his personal life.
As I said earlier this is a great book, it really was the sort of novel I couldn’t put down. The characters were all well drawn and the mystery at the heart of the story, very complex and indeed compelling.
I really wanted to know how it would all end and if Cam was right in her pursuit of the truth and her determination to believe in the innate goodness of her husband.
I definitely recommend this as a five star read and I will certainly look out for more books by this author in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

Another 5 star thriller by Gillian!
Straight into the story, with a fab unique storyline where you just can't guess where it's going!
I loved the connection between Cam and Niall

Definitely give this a read!

Absolutely phenomenonal. What a rollercoaster ride of twists, turns and totally unexpected reveals.
Yet again my housework suffered because I needed answers! I couldn't put it down.
One of the best authors for thinking outside of the box and coming up with brilliant plots that are precisely thought out and well written.

Try to avoid detailed reviews, you’re best off going into this with as few preconceived ideas as possible.

I loved, loved, loved, this book. I was gripped immediately and was desperate to read a few pages here and there.
I've read a few from this author now, and this is without a doubt the best yet, in my opinion.
She has such a great style of writing, it's always complex, but makes sense in the end!
The characters were great, the little hints throughout the book were great, as was the overall ending.
Definitely the best book I've read in a while, and recommended to everyone.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a super original premise and I was hooked right from the start. Cam is due back to work after maternity leave when a siege hits the news. Luke has disappeared and won't answer his phone when Cam discovers that he is actually at the heart of the drama. This book had excellent pace and good twists. I really enjoy the way this author writes and would read more in future.

Famous Last Words is a cleverly written compelling mystery thriller that starts off with an almighty bang.

Told over three different timelines, it is a character driven story with enough twists to keep you guessing through out.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Do you have an author you can trust to deliver every time? For me, Gillian McAllister is one of them - and Famous Last Words proves it yet again.

Camilla and Luke seem to have it all: fulfilling jobs, a cosy home, and a beautiful baby girl. But one fateful morning, Camilla wakes to find an ominous note from her husband. Hours later, her worst fears are realised - Luke is involved in a siege. The twist? He’s not the victim. He’s the one holding the gun.

How could her fun-loving, easygoing husband be capable of something so unthinkable? That’s the question Camilla must answer before the police - or someone far more dangerous - gets to him first.

From the gripping first chapter to the satisfying conclusion, I was hooked. I devoured this in just two days, drawn in by the clever narration style with excerpts and shifting timelines. While I did piece together some of the twists early on, it didn’t lessen my enjoyment one bit - if anything, it made me eager to see how it would all unfold.

The pacing is spot-on, with tension that builds relentlessly and chapter endings that practically beg you to keep reading. The hostage scenario is particularly nail-biting, but it’s the emotional depth that truly sets this book apart.

McAllister’s characters are so well-crafted. Niall, the hostage negotiator, stood out as a richly developed and pivotal figure - not just a narrative tool. And Camilla’s raw pain, confusion, and desperate need for answers made her journey incredibly compelling.

This is a first-rate thriller packed with sharp twists, authentic characters, and a haunting reminder of how one split-second decision can alter everything. Famous Last Words is another McAllister winner that I’ll be enthusiastically recommending to everyone.

A huge thanks to NetGalley, Penguin, and Gillian McAllister! All opinions are my own.

As always with a book by Gillian McAllister this is extremely well written, cleverly plotted and well researched. I was gripped from the start with the hostage situation, intrigued why a family man with no previous criminal connections would find himself embroiled in such a situation. Following on, the next seven years make for good reading and a desire to get to the bottom of the situation that never fully resolved. I liked Niall and his dogged determination to push on the investigation at the risk of losing his job. Eager to get to the end to find out the truth I did find the latter part to be very slow moving. Maybe it was just my impatience to see the outcome but I do feel that the book would have been better for being, maybe, 50-100 pages less. Nevertheless I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to more of the same from this talented author. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC. My review is voluntarily given.

I’m a huge fan of Gillian McAllister and this did not disappoint. Full of twists you will be on the edge of your seat and flipping those pages at the speed of light. When a hostage situation doesn’t seem right. Things are revealed. My favourite yet!

I adored FAMOUS LAST WORDS by Gillian McAllister. Such a masterpiece of a drama centres around a siege, following the hostage negotiator and the wife of the criminal through the story and its aftermath and ultimate conclusion. A very satisfying conclusion with some great twists along the way.

Absolutely brilliant book!
I am a big fan of this author and love the writing style!
I cant wait to read more!

As a fan of Gillian McAllister’s books I was excited to get the opportunity to read an ARC of this one from NetGalley. To review without spoilers, I was surprised that the hostage incident itself concluded so early on in the book, but liked the subsequent time jumps that allowed us to check in with the characters and how the incident had continued to impact on everyone’s lives. It kept me guessing to the end. Would recommend!

Once again an absolute corker of a story! The pacing was relentless, and the suspense kept building with every chapter. The final twist was unforgettable. Loved it.

First but definitely not the last Gillian McAllister book I’ll read. This one starts with a siege and then we see things jump to 7 years further on, as Cam is learning to live without her husband, as well as hostage negotiator Niall still thinking about the case… I did spot a few things ahead of time, which I’m impressed with, as I don’t always!

It’s a gripping story that has twists and turns and all comes together beautifully at the end. Definitely recommend this one.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.