I've read several of Gillian McAllister books previously and was looking forward to reading Famous Last Words, I wasn't disappointed.
Camilla and Luke on the face of it have a perfect life with their young daughter Polly. Camilla wakes up one day to find a cryptic note from Luke, and try's to contact him to no avail. The police arrive to tell her Luke is involved in a hostage situation and he is the instigator not a hostage. Camilla's live changes forever at this point.
The book is divided into different 'acts' at seven years intervals. This psychological thriller is a tense, edge of the seat read with twists I certainly didn't see coming.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for the ARC.

I thought Famous Last Words was going to be a psychological thriller but it was more of a mix of genres between a romance and a straight thriller. I was quickly hooked on the main premise but then struggled through a lot of the book which was dense with innermost thoughts and little dialogue in comparison. I skim read a lot of the middle of the book, reading mainly the dialogue.

It starts with Cam(illa), her husband Luke and their baby Polly seemingly being a normal, happy content family. It is Cam’s first day back to work as a literary agent after maternity leave but she wakes up and finds Luke missing having left a cryptic short note. During the day Cam hears of a siege taking place in Bermondsey with three hostages having been taken by a gunman. Since Luke’s co-working space is in Bermondsey, Cam is immediately worried that Luke is involved but then it all gets much worse as she finds that he is indeed involved but not in the way she feared.

A hostage negotiator, Niall, is brought in and the rest of the book alternates between Cam and Niall’s points of view with a seven year gap in time at one point.

About 2/5th into the book something happened that I guessed was significant and indeed was as I thought so the ending wasn’t such a surprise to me. I was also a little irritated at one of the main character finding a piece of paper with a username and password on lying in a bowl on someone’s kitchen counter. The contents of the website these details accessed was completely explosive and central to the plot. In short, the short of user details you would have well hidden and written in code too – not on a slip of paper in a bowl on your kitchen counter. And if you had written it there you certainly wouldn’t leave the room with an uninvited guest in your kitchen. This tried my limits of credibility in the plot greatly.

The ending got my full attention back but was over too quickly for my liking.

Not my favourite but thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This kicks off to an explosive start when Camilla’s husband Luke takes three people hostage with a gun on the day Cam returns to work from maternity leave. With no indication of why this is happening and what Luke has seemingly been hiding, Cam is distraught with a million unanswered questions. Bring in the negotiator Niall who has his own chapters alongside Cam and the story just keeps snowballing, lots of suspense and racing through the pages to find out what’s going on.

I’m already a fan of Gillian Mcalister, I’ve always liked her writing and her edgy plots so was super excited for this one. It is definitely a tense one!

Many thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another 5 star book from Gillian! Although this may be her best one yet!

Impossible to put down!
Terrifyingly real
Absolutely loved it

I really enjoyed this story and it was a firm 5 stars until the last 10-15% where I found it lost momentum and I found the ending disappointing and rather random. The whole journey was fast paced, exciting and scary but, for me, the ending wasn’t great. I did overall enjoy it, I would recommend it to others. I just wish the ending had been more exciting.

A very good read, it hooks you in right from the start. Yes, it’s a bit flabby in the middle and is wrapped up a little too quickly; but that doesn’t take away from a great story.

I've heard so much about this book over the last few months and it did not disappoint! This is a high concept thriller that takes the premise of a hostage situation and turns it completely on its head, considering the view of the people on the periphery rather than those immediately involved. The characterisation is excellent, especially main character Cam as she negotiates her way through a living nightmare.

This book got its hooks into my very quickly, such that I devoured it in two sittings, one night after the other. I loved the subplots involving Cam's daughter and sister, and the familiarity of characters working in the publishing industry. I also loved the setting - I'm not familiar with that area at all, but I could see it clearly as a result of Gillian's immersive text.

The plot itself was really well-placed, retaining tension throughout but never to the extent where I felt the need to stop and breathe. An excellent book that I'm so pleased to have read and enjoyed, and highly recommend to other crime and thriller readers.

Another cracking Gillian McAllister book.

Fast paced at the start and end with just a few bits of lull in the middle this really is an increasing-suspense thriller.
The only negative point I would make is that I do feel the author missed a trick at the end by not having a period where people (being deliberately vague) had reached certain conclusions and there was more of a period where you were left wondering what was going to happen next. It all got wrapped up a bit too quickly for my liking as a consequence for the last 10% of the book. However, I did enjoy it throughout - even in the lulls.

The characters were believable, the story was strong and there were plenty of twists to keep everyone satisfied.
Couldn't put it down at the end as so much was being unravelled at once.

4 stars from me.

When Cam’s husband, Luke, takes hostages on a seemingly random summers day, she’s left feeling. He’s a good man, isn’t he? So why is he doing this?

‘Famous Last Words’ follows Camilla and DCI Niall Thompson seven years after the hostage situation, as they fight to uncover the secrets of the unsolved mystery surrounding the siege.

My first Gillian McAllister book, and certainly not my last! There were moments in this novel when my stomach dropped like I was on a rollercoaster, a physical reaction brought on by the authors ability to weave in unexpected twists.

The plot itself went from incredibly fast paced in the beginning, slowing down to then picking back up later on in the book. I find the characters to be relatable with their flaws, worries and actions which always adds an extra layer to a thriller book for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication. I really enjoy Gillian McAllister's work and 'Famous Last Words' was no exception.

In her unique style, McAllister blends the emotion and minutiae of romantic and familial relationships with a gripping suspense element, to provide a very satisfying read. The reveals are clever and carefully seeded. I enjoyed living in Cam's head as the wife of the hostage taker and found myself wishing I could discuss books with her over a cup of coffee - a very believable character and I was firmly on her side (I loved Niall too!) The child character Polly was actually likeable and not annoying; a tricky thing to pull off in fiction - particularly in psych-thrillers.

'Famous Last Words' blurs genre boundaries being at once, contemporary, romantic, domestic, and suspenseful. It is a book about a siege, a crime, but it is also a book about a marriage, about parenthood (touching also on what it means when becoming a mother isn't straight forward) It holds the love vs. career debate up to the light and makes one wonder whether it isn't one or the other, that in fact we do what we love because of the people we love or our experiences of love and being loved.

I think this is my favourite Gillian McAllister book to date. She certainly know how to reel you in. I couldn’t turn the pages quickly enough.

This book needs to be made into a TV crime series.

Massive five stars.

I really enjoyed this latest thriller from Gillian McAllister, one of my favourite authors.
I don’t really know how to review this, as it’s definitely one of those books that it’s best to go in blind, so you can enjoy the twists and reveals.
The book is told from Cam (Camilla) and Niall’s (the hostage negotiator) points of view, in alternating chapters. I liked both characters, as well as Cam’s sister Libby. I loved the references to Cam’s work in publishing, and how she wanted to do nothing more than to escape into a good book whenever she had free time.
The big twist came quite late in the book, and it was really good. There were also a few reveals towards the end, one of which I’d guessed early on, but it didn’t spoil the story at all.
Once again Gillian McAllister has put family dynamics and relationships at the heart of the book, something that she does so well and that I always look forward to.
Highly recommended if you enjoy thrillers or police procedurals.

Gillian McAllister has written another brilliant pageturner! I read 'Famous Last Words' in record time, couldn't put it down, loved it.
It is Camilla's first day back at work after her maternity leave. She can't get in touch with her husband Luke. It turns out that Luke is involved in a hostage situation and then disappears. Cam is living her life but can't forget Luke and never finds out what really happened. Seven years later things start to unravel and with the help of the hostage negotiator Niall in many twists and turns the truth finally emerges in an unexpected ending.
This is a very well written thriller, highly recommended for all fans of crime fiction.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph Penguin Random House for the opportunity to review 'Famous Last Words'.

I have loved all this author’s books but I’m afraid this one just one just did not live up to the premise. Started off strong but really slowed down after the first act and only picked up towards the end. Not enough suspense for my taste. I’ll definitely read her next one though . Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

A huge 5 stars from me.
Gillian is my go to favourite author & I have to read her books as soon as they come out!
Absolutely loved it!

Now, I love this author and usually devour their books. She's a phenomenal writer, but for some reason, this didn't quite do it for me.

While I enjoyed the love stories that simmered constantly in the background, I found myself getting a bit bored with it (sorry). I'm not really sure entirely what Niall's relationship had to do with the overall story.

I'm not sure whether it just felt a bit too implausible or whether it was just one of those books that isn't entirety for me, the world would be a boring place if we all agreed wouldn't it?

Now, whilst it might all sound negative... it's not! I found myself unable to put the book down. It did grip me and hold my attention.
This is a character driven novel, and as a positive, the characters are well executed, in parts relatable and not at all padded out unnecessarily.

Broken down into four sections, the first part was the introduction to the hostage situation, which grabbed me immediately and had me feeling like I was in Camilla's shoes. The next two parts, for me personally, seemed to go on forever. The pacing really slowed down at this point, which was disappointing as the first part was full on speed. It picked up again for the last part, which wasn't completely unpredictable, but finished the story off well.

I really enjoyed the visualisation this book gave. The author has a fantastic way of creating this in all of her books! I do wish more time had been spent on the actual siege, though.

Overall, it's a decent read, but it's not my favourite by this author and not one I'd be shouting loudly about.

Thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random Books for the ARC.

Another great book with plenty of twists and turns from Gillian McAllister.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Such a great story, beautifully told. I love Gillian McAllister's writing and she always creates characters with real emotional depth. She takes a unique premise - a wife who discovers her husband has taken three people hostage at gunpoint - and adds so many layers. Love, grief, failed marriage, motherhood, all wrapped up in a cleverly structured mystery.

I typically gravitate toward light-hearted rom-coms, but the intriguing blurb for this book completely hooked me—and I’m so glad it did!

The story begins with Cam preparing for her first day back at work after maternity leave, only for her plans to be derailed by an unexpected and shocking crisis: a hostage situation, with her husband, Luke, as the hostage taker.

Told from two perspectives—Cam, the wife, and Niall, the hostage negotiator—the dual narrative does an excellent job of painting a full picture of the events as they unfold. The story is full of suspense and twists, keeping me guessing right until the end. I’ll admit, I had an inkling about a particular twist early on, but even when my suspicions were confirmed, it didn’t detract from the story’s impact or the gripping conclusion.

Like some other reviewers, I noticed the pacing slowed a bit in the middle, but I’m glad I stuck with it because the payoff was absolutely worth it.

Overall, this was a fantastic read that kept me hooked from start to finish. A big thank you to NetGalley for providing the download!

This is beautifully written and so cleverly put together. A real page-turner that I devoured in about a week. Highly recommended for any crime fans!