Gillian McAllister ingenuity continues to shine through in her nineth remarkable novel. From the very first page, she effortlessly captivates her readers, drawing them into a world meticulously crafted with rich detail and originality. This author's talent for weaving compelling narratives ensures that every book is a unique journey, and this latest one is no exception. pulling you into characters that are familiar, but then twisting the narrative so you don't know which way is up!

In this book, new parents Luke and Camilla, they have the typical family life, until the day it isn't. Camilla is left questioning everything she knows on the day she takes her daughter to nursery, and then it is revealed that Luke is far from the man she thought he was. This is a complex tale, and sure there were times when I had to suspend belief but for the most part, I rolled with the book, trying desperately to work out what was going on.. There is nothing else I can say about the plot, as the less you know, the more there is to enjoy..

To take your thriller reading up a notch, you should read Famous Last Words, a hugely creative thriller beautifully executed.

A brilliant twisty thriller which will flip you on your head - just excellent! Kept me reading far too late into the night, highly recommend the page turner.

I always enjoy Gillian McAllister's books, and this is no exception. The story is good, and twisty, and I found it difficult to guess what would happen next. This is a well-written, and compelling book, and I will definitely be recommending it.

Gillian McAllister is quickly becoming one of my favourite thriller writers and Famous Last Words kept me gripped throughout. I've knocked a star off as it was slower than I personally would have liked but it has a great set of characters and a seriously intriguing plot with many twists and turns. I enjoyed the insight into the worlds of hostage negotiations and the publishing industry. The mysterious Camilla surveillance chapters were a nice touch but I think it also would have been interesting to have Luke's POV at points, although I appreciate this might have been tricky to do without giving too much away.

wow!
a deftly woven tale with a great premise- slows down somewhat in the middle section but plays an absolute blinder in the concluding pages!

I enjoyed the pacing and suspense this book provided. I honestly didn't see things turning out the way they did which is always good in a thriller! However, I felt the actual outcome was just a bit of a let down? Like, it was clever how it was done but it just felt very unbelievable.
I did have a good time reading this book though.

Two things are always and inevitably true of a Gillian McAllister novel: the plot will be utterly gripping and page-turning (I devoured this in one evening), and it will also be somewhat ridiculous when you really consider the details. But honestly, I don't mind at all because with writing this good and twists and turns galore, Famous Last Words is up there with her best. Highly recommended for all crime/thriller fans.

This was my first thriller in a while and I absolutely ate it up!
Gillian’s writing is so clever and slick but also has lots of heart & empathy.

The story itself was really engaging and such an enjoyable read. I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen until about 80% which I love.

The way the clues are pieced together is so satisfying, allowing you to try and figure everything out alongside our protagonist, rather than an info dump at the end.

I thought the characters were real and complex and loveable (some, not all).

I can’t wait for her next book!

I loved this book, it hooks you in immediately.
Cam wakes up and her husband has already left the house, which is unusual. It's her first day back at work after maternity leave and so she is busy but messages him often, with no reply. Until she sees a news flash of a hostage situation in London, and suddenly the police walk in....
This book was intriguing in that the crime has happened right at the start but no-one knows why. the story is told from Cam's point of view, but also the hostage negotiator, Niall. He was sure that the siege could end peacefully, and ends up with PTSD and a sense of unfinished business.
The story continues seven years later.

Such a good idea, McAllister's best book yet.

I was really intrigued by the blurb for this however I don’t think it fully representative of the book. Cam’s first day back at work after maternity leave shatters when the police visit her as they need her assistance as her husband Luke is holding three people hostage - a fact that makes no sense to Cam as she cannot correlate this with the man she knows. The hostage situation really had me gripped however it was only the start of the book as the main action takes place 7 years later. I found act 2 was good for details but it was a lot slower in terms of action and I wasn’t especially gripped however act 3 had some amazing revelations that altered the whole context of what had happened and really turned the story on its head which is something Gillian McAllister excels at. I loved how so many unrelated things pulled together and there were plenty of surprises near the end which made the whole slow burn parts worth bearing with and in retrospect they give a lot more away than you realise and it’s quite fascinating looking at how it all fits together.

Absolutely brilliant!! I loved this book from the first page to the last. It felt effortless to turn the pages and I didn’t want to do anything other than read once I’d started it. I have read and loved all of Gillian McAllister’s thrillers - this one is her best yet! The twists and turns had me gasping. I kept thinking I knew where it was heading but was wrong every time which made Famous Last Words a very satisfying read.

Cam’s husband Luke acts out of character the day their daughter Polly starts nursery and we discover that he’s involved in a hostage situation. Cam’s previously happy life spirals. I love the way the author makes Cam an introvert (like me!), someone who would rather read a book than go to a party. She is forced out of her comfort zone and has to act to save her family, with the help of hostage negotiator Niall who has his own demons. I felt invested in both of their lives and am sitting here feeling a bit lost now that the book has ended but with a warm glow that it was so, so good!

Gillian McAllister is the queen of thrillers, pulling you into characters that could be your neighbours and then giving them an anything but normal.

As is the case for new parents Luke and Camilla, they have the typical family life, until Luke is involved in holding people hostage and Camilla is left questioning everything she knows!

Loved this story, the twists were fab but the part I enjoyed the most was solving the clues along with Camilla (or before Camilla as I realised before she did the relevance of a certain part of the plot - no spoilers!)

Sucked me in as per usual. Already looking forward to the next book!

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion.

Thank you for my copy of this book to read and review.

Gillian McAllister is one of my favourite authors, I've read all of her previous books and I recommend her to anyone that will listen. I was so excited to see she has a new one coming out, and even more excited when I was approved for an early copy.

I wouldn't usually be drawn to a storyline involving hostages and gunmen, its just not my usual type of thing...but I'm so glad I looked past this. This book drew me in from the first chapter, a very twisty, edge-of-your-seat story, an original plot and good characters.

Another 5 star read, and still one of my favourite authors.

Such a cleaver book. Really well written. The ending 😶‍🌫️🤐🤯. Well I should say from about the last quarter. So very very good!! I'm not going to spoil anything don't worry. But great work Gillian.

If you know me, you know that Gillian McAllister is one of my favourite authors. Her newest nowel "Famous Last Words" is simply out of this world. I was so happy to receive my early copy from #NetGalley and #michaeljoseph #penguinrandomhouse couple of days after preordering copy for myself.
Back to the book - new family involved in bookish World with a baby girl. All goes well until husband takes hostages in a warehouse and kills them, then disappears... Years are passing yet the wife hopes for his return and believes his innocence. Nial - hostage negotiatior starts to believe her but how to find him and how to figure out what really happened...
This book had so many twist and turns that I kept changing my villain theory couple of times. It was beautiful and masterfully created thriller that increased my already high expectations for the genre. Gillian McAllister has done it again and this time she's managed to deliver masterpiece. 5 out of 5

Many thanks to netgalley, the author and the publisher for approving my request to read this book.

This book captured my attention from the first few chapters and I was soon absorbed within the pages and whilst I did enjoy the story overall I did figure out the twists and I personally think more could have been done with the ending.

Having said that I liked the characters throughout and liked how Cam never gave up. For me this is more of a love story than a thriller but it was a nice change from the books I normally read and it was an enjoyable read.

4.5 rounded up

It’s the summer solstice and the first day of literary agent Cam’s return to work after a nine month maternity leave. She drops Polly off at her nursery but has a persistent niggling concern for her husband Luke. Where is he? There are vague recollections of a goodbye kiss in the early hours, she finds a cryptic odd note and in terms of text messages, it’s radio silence.
She goes to work, tries to immerse herself in tasks but the dread creeps in and builds up… It’s that note. Then she hears the sirens, catches sight of breaking news on the TV screen in the office foyer, observes police officers outside in Kevlar vests, with which her world shatters in an instant.

…..And she’s back with quite a bang! I’ve loved Gillian McAllister‘s books since I read her debut novel ‘Everything but the Truth’ and she’s produced yet another gripping tale. Her novels feel so real and authentic with characters that are so well crafted that I feel like I’m in their shoes. Cam’s unease and escalating fears are palpable, her incredulity and shock are tangible as she uncover secret after secret and has to live with the consequences. Her life and that of others implode that day and watching how that unfolds is fascinating reading. The hot and perfect summer day with bright blue skies and scorching sun are matched by the red hot tension, cliffhangers and twists and turns some of which are jaw droppers.

It’s a novel which has weird, puzzling off notes from the start, things which don’t chime, they are misdirections and on several occasions I set off down blind alleys as the author has my mind working overtime and spinning in all directions. The mystery/conspiracy deepens, there are cryptic clues to unravel and when the truth finally emerges years later, it’s one I don’t see coming.

This is a terrific suspenseful thriller. Yes, there are a couple of things that require some suspension of disbelief and the final third is not quite as strong as the first two. However, there is so much that I will take away from this book. It’s a compelling demonstration of how lives can change in an instant, of how a nightmarish scenario can have an impact for years to come, it’s reflective as the main characters ponder their mistakes, there’s obsession too but overall it’s a heartbreaking love story. There’s also the love of a child who is indeed a ray of sunshine in a dark world, thus enabling Cam to put one foot in front of the other. Now, anyone that can pull all that off in an absorbing novel deserves five stars in my opinion!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Cam and Luke have a pretty good life; they are best friends, happily married with a gorgeous 9 month old daughter Polly, both working sought-after creative jobs. They don't keep secrets from each other, supporting each other through those stressful new parent moments. On the day that Cam is returning to work as a publishing agent and Polly goes to nursery for the first time, Cam is surprised to see that Luke has left early without saying anything, just leaving a half written note.

As Cam gets on with her day, she hears breaking news of an ongoing hostage situation near to where Luke works - and is that the police coming to her desk looking for her? To her absolute disbelief, Luke is involved in the hostage situation but not a hostage, but the perpetrator. She is completely blindsided by the news, as her world swiftly moves from a place of comfort to a place where anything might happen.

Alongside Cam's perspective, we have a dual storyline told by Niall one of the negotiators, who is part of the police team trying to crack Luke's case. Niall has dedicated his life to being a hostage negotiator, sometimes at a cost to his personal life. As the hostage situation develops, he becomes more involved with the action, and the aftermath of the events spill out into his life afterwards.

I love Gillian's writing, her plots are often so complex and multilayered that I find myself dumbfounded by what I've read. I will pick up anything and everything that she's written. I loved the set up of 'Famous Last Words' and the first third was flawless. The plot had one or two convenient plot points that unfortunately jarred as too unrealistic even for me, but overall, I'd definitely recommend it and look forward to seeing what's next- we just know that it'll be nothing like we've seen before.

Camilla drops her baby off at nursery and returns to her job on her first day after maternity leave.
The police arrive to tell her that her husband has taken three hostages at gunpoint in a nearby factory. This is out of character for her husband and she can’t believe it to be true.
A slow moving thriller with a few twist and turns.
Thank you NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unputdownable!!!
This was gripping, exciting and full of twists and turns. I am a massive fan of Gillian and I think this may be her best one yet.
Cam returns to work after having baby Polly to discover a hostage situation happening with her husband at the centre. The way this is written makes you feel as though you're there. You feel all the emotions that Cam goes through and cannot help but route for Luke. I honestly did not predict where this was going which is what I love about a book.
5 fantastic stars, I'm just devastated I have finished it already