I absolutely loved this book. I mean, I thought Wrong Place, Wrong Time was good, but this time Gillian just blew my mind. There were so many people involved that I didn't question, and I was along for the ride wholeheartedly. I was routing for Cam and her belief in Luke. At this point I'd read Gillian McAllister's shopping list, especially since her writing style seems to have really evolved and matured with this book.

What do you do if your husband, who you know without a shadow of a doubt is good, kind and gentle, what if he is involved in a hostage situation. Involved, not as one of the hostages (you wouldn’t like it, but you could get your head around that scenario) but as the gunman? The one with 3 hostages tied and masked while, quite literally holding a gun to their heads - you can see it, they’ve shown you the footage?

Cam’s day doesn’t start well - it’s her first day back at work after maternity leave, the first day she’s leaving Polly at day nursery and all she has from her husband is a half written note, no sign of him, no help, no words of encouragement. ‘It’s been lovely spending time with you both’ is what is written on the note - what does that even mean? And her day ends, well it ends so much worse.

An enjoyable twisty turny thriller, with a smidge of romance and a backdrop of crime families and a hostage situation, what’s not to love?

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Highly recommended.

Famous Last Words is my book of the year. I'm calling it, right now!! I always know Gillian's books will be five star reads for me and OF COURSE her latest is no exception! This book feels - if it's even possible - just a step above.

Is it a thriller? God yes. But it’s also a love story, and I’ve never read anything so different, so striking, so beautiful in all my life. It’s an intense exploration of how a hostage situation escalates, years without closure or answers for Cam, whose husband is caught up in it in the worst possible way. It’s completely absorbing, so incredibly thought-provoking, forcing us to answer the question, “What would you do?” It’s filled with tension and so fiercely gripping. It really takes your breath away, and I was sobbing by the end. A truly unmissable book. Please read it!

Woahhhhhhhh!
I was hook line and sinker from the very first page. It’s highly addictive so don’t think you can just pick it up for half an hour, you won’t want to put it down.
There is a vast array of characters each with their individual traits. Easy to follow but that doesn’t take away from the cleverness of the plot. Loved it.

I’ve been a fan of Gillian’s for 2/3 years now. Her books just get better and better!!

It had me gripped from the first page to the very last one. I didn’t know where the storyline was going (unusual for me) and it did not disappoint.

Sypnosis -
It’s Camilla’s first day back at work, her daughter’s first day at nursery.
But husband Luke is nowhere to be seen. The only trace of him is an unfinished note. Camilla tries to put it out of her mind; there must be a rational explanation.
At work, there are welcomes back, and too many distractions.
Then it starts.
Breaking news: there's a hostage situation developing in London.
The police arrive: Luke is caught up in it.
But he isn't a hostage. Luke - doting father, successful writer, enthusiastic runner and eternal optimist - is the gunman.
What Camilla does next is crucial. Because only she knows what the note he left behind says, and the clues it might hold . . .

https://www.facebook.com/Bookstagramshaz

https://www.instagram.com/Bookstagramshaz

Literary agent, Camilla’s first day back to work after her maternity leave is not the peaceful transition she wanted as she is horrified to discover that her husband has been caught up in a hostage situation. When Camilla discovers that her normally peaceable husband is not the victim but the perpetrator her whole world falls apart.

What then follows is a tense and cleverly plotted thriller in which we follow this complex story as it unfolds. We get to know Camilla, her life after the event and her overwhelming need to discover just what made her loving husband act in the way he did and what drove him to such a desperate situation. With a strong cast of supporting characters including, Niall, the police negotiator, who played such a pivotal role in the hostage crisis, a picture of a complex crime starts to emerge.

This is one of those intriguing stories in which it would be all too easy to give away something important so I won’t reveal any spoilers only to say that this kept me engrossed trying to understand why a seemingly mild mannered family man would act so out of character. There are enough twists and turns to keep the momentum going and some dark moments which fit in well with the plot. I enjoyed the reveal, parts of which I didn’t see coming, and felt a great deal of satisfaction at the conclusion of the story and the hidden meaning in the book’s title.

Famous Last Words is a well written mystery/thriller by a talented writer who brings such a sense of reality to her stories.

Another great read from Gillian McAllister

I like her books and was looking forward to this.

I got into in straight away and like the fact each chapter is a character.

There were lots of twists and turns, I did guess some of what was going to happen however it didn’t ruin the book for me.

Literally couldn't stop reading this. Started out as one thing in my mind, only to become another. Appreciated the twists and the theme of leaning on books and reading in difficult times.

I love reading books by Gillian McAllister so I was immediately immersed in this one, it was such a gripping read overall with great twists,

Famous Last Words tells the story of literary agent Cam waking up on the first morning after maternity to leave to find a note from her ghost writer husband. Little does she know that by the end of the day he will be a wanted man. Told through the perspectives of Cam and Niall the hostage negotiator, the book is a thriller/love story hybrid about people who cannot move on from a life changing event.

I was gripped from the first page and enjoyed the pace of the book. I liked the balance between Cam and Niall’s differing perspectives that had a common sense of longing and restlessness. I particularly liked the exploration of Cam’s relationship with her sister and thought inclusion of minor characters worked well to propel the story forward. I thought there were elements that were a bit predictable but I think the build up to the end was written well. I’m a big fan of Gillian McAllister and I’m looking forward to reading what she writes next.

3.75 stars.

While I enjoyed this story, I just don't feel like I'm going to think about it ever again. It's a very interesting concept, and after the first third I was finally starting to get into it, but it lost me again towards the end. In my opinion, the ending got a little clunky and I didn't find it very satisfying.

That being said, I did enjoy the pacing in the middle of the story and I really enjoyed following Cam as our protagonist. Her relationship with her sister was so enjoyable to read about and I wish we'd had more of that. It did have me on the edge of my seat in the middle third, however a lot of the twists were a bit predictable by the final third.

This was another incredible story from Gillian McAllister. I was sucked into the narrative from the start as it was just so easy to read. The story is mostly told to us from two points of view, the wife and the negotiator, both of whom had life changing moments on that day but, was everything really as it seemed?!
We see what happened on that fateful day through their eyes as well as following them both seven years later and see how they are coping with life after. Cam, Luke's wife, still trying to reconcile the man she thought she knew with the man he seemed to be and Niall, the negotiator, trying to figure out what he did wrong that his life changed so much that day.
As the hidden facts surface it seems that there was much unknown that day and even though I did guess some of the answers, that ending was incredible! It made sense of everything that had happened and really made me wonder, what would I have done?

Another really great thriller by Gillian McAllister. This book was gripping and emotive. We follow Camilla as she discovers that her husband has been accused of taking several people hostage and then years later as she works to unravel the truth of situation. As expected with Gillian McAlister this has all the makings of a great thriller including the twists and turns but also has a focus on the humans in these situations. I really enjoy her books as they immerse you in the story whilst also making you empathise and think about the characters. Fans of her previous books will also enjoy this one!

The author says that this book is: "...a love story set in a hostage situation." Which is accurate.

As always with Gillian McAllister novels, the plot is complex and unexpected. A ghost writer and new father leaves a note one morning and disappears. The note is not clear in its meaning and he is uncontactable. When the police arrive at his wife's workplace, she finds out that he is involved in a hostage situation - only he is the kidnapper and he has a gun. A negotiator is called in but people die and the kidnapper disappears somehow.

The story is told through two points of view in the third person, the wife and the negotiator. As the mystery unfolds of why a nice man became a kidnapper and what became of him, the two narrators attempt to deal with other issues in their personal lives too. The hostage siege is a turning point for both.

From such a great premise the book weaves through some aspects of the publishing world, the Dark Web, infertility and pining for lost love. At times it is slow and the pining bit is a tad repetitive. This makes the story drag, particularly towards the end when everything is coming together. The thing that drives the reader through is the need to find out the truth of what really happened and who these other characters are.

​The story is original and there is a good mystery to solve, but not really a thriller. A bit short on suspense and long on the gazy love aspect (not for me) but a worthwhile read.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Well, not really sure I have enough superlatives to describe how I felt about this book!

Gillian McAllister at her absolute best. The Master of the thriller has struck again with Famous Last Words, a compelling page turner of a book.

Camilla hears a breaking news story on the TV of a hostage situation in central London. A few minutes later, the police arrive to tell her that her husband Luke is the gunman.

What follows, is a stunning pacey thriller interwoven with jealousy, hurt, deception and love as Camilla's world turns upside down and will change her life forever.

A must read - easy 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher the opportunity to read this ARC

Another really book from Gillian McAllister and thanks to the publisher for my early copy. It’s a tense story of a woman whose husband committed a crime and disappeared, but whose guilt she doubts. With good characters and writing it has plenty of suspense and kept me hooked to the end. Just released in the last week, fans of previous books by this author will not be disappointed!

Camilla's first day back at work after maternity leave isn't off to a good start. She wakes to her husband having already left and a half written note. Oh well, drop her daughter off then head to work. It's not until the police turn up at her office, that she realises something is very wrong!

Her husband has taken 3 people hostage. What is going on?

I honestly didn't expect this to go the way it did. What a thrilling ride we go on as this story unfolds. Also, this is a love story aswell as a crime thriller. So good!

I was gripped by the premise of the book, especially with the husband being the perpetrator and not the victim as you'd likely expect. But this being a Gillian McAllister book, you know that things aren't so simple and clear-cut...

I like how she weaves love stories into the mysteries and explores what the love you have will make you do to protect that person and find answers. In Wrong Place, Wrong Time the protagonist goes to extraordinary lengths to protect her son (a great novel that I'd recommend), whereas this book is more traditionally focused on the love between husband and wife. Her husband has, supposedly, done despicable things and then vanished without a trace but she ploughs on regardless, not quite understanding the danger this puts her in.

The mystery surrounding her husband's circumstances unravels nicely, and the dual perspective gives you a deeper insight into the story, allowing you to start piecing it together. I always read her books and think it's so obvious that X = Y but the rug is always pulled out from under me and I'm left utterly surprised!

Famous Last Words has an intriguing premise and I was hooked into the narrative straight away. There are two key narrators. Sam is a character you empathise with straight away and you suffer through the events in her timeline with her. Niall is a more complex character but with an equally interesting storyline and jumping between their stories built up the pace and my concern !

Sadly for me I guessed the way this would play out too early so was then impatient for the reveals and it lost much of its suspense for me. It's a great story though and well told so deserving of 4+ stars - especially as these characters and events will stay in my head!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC. Gillian McAllister remains a must read author for me!

Another fabulous read from Gillian
She always manages to keep you intrigued throughout.
I loved the concept of this story and kept asking myself what would I do if this was me!
Thank you so much for allowing me to read for a review