Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC. The publication date is the 30th Jan 2025. This book was a fast- paced whirlwind of a ride! I absolutely devoured it in one sitting.

The storyline had to hooked from the get go and I was fully convinced I had it all figured out I couldn’t have been more wrong!

Oh and the ending!! What an amazing ending one word WOW. I’d highly recommend this book another fantastic book by Gillian McAllister.


🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟stars

As soon as this was ready to request I jumped on it! This author never lets me down. The twists and turns are both surprising AND emotional. One thing I love about the writing style is the heart she gives every book, with a huge focus on family and how the traumatic events affect a family unit or those involved.

I personally loved seeing the perspective of a professional - Niall - the hostage negotiator. His story was so interesting from the way he lived and breathed his job, to the PTSD of missing something with the current case.

I will admit the time jump took me a while to get my head around, but it worked so well!

Definitely recommend to all the thriller / family drama lovers out there.

I hate to say this as I have enjoyed Gillian McAllister's other books but this did not grip me at all. I found myself skipping pages as nothing interesting was happening after the hostage situation. Had to wait till the last few chapters for it to get interesting again.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time is my favourite Gillian McAllister book, Famous Last Words is a close second.
As ever with Gillian's work Famous Last Words grips the reader instantly and is incredibly well paced. The twist at the end was incredibly satisfying and unexpected.
4.5 stars.

Famous Last Words is a book where nothing is as it seems! I truly felt that this book pulled me in, and I could not put it down until I finished it

Gillian McAllister’s Famous Last Words is a gripping exploration of choice, consequence, and the complex tapestry of human relationships. From the very first page, McAllister's unique writing style draws you in, immersing you in a narrative that is both thought-provoking and emotionally charged.

The story revolves around a central premise that hooks you instantly—what if you had the chance to know the last words of someone close to you? This intriguing concept serves as a springboard for deep character development and moral dilemmas that are expertly woven throughout the narrative. McAllister's ability to blend suspense with profound introspection sets this book apart, making it an unforgettable read.

I found myself unable to put the book down, captivated by the twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. The pacing is impeccable, with each chapter leaving me eager to uncover more about the characters’ fates and the weight of their choices. McAllister’s prose is both lyrical and engaging, striking a balance that resonates with readers who appreciate a thoughtful narrative.

While I can see how the writing style may not appeal to everyone, for me, it was nothing short of incredible.

In conclusion, Famous Last Words is a remarkable work that brilliantly examines the intersections of love, regret, and the choices we make. It’s a book that stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking for a compelling story that challenges the way we think about our own narratives.

like always, mcallister has knocked it out of the park. i was hooked from chapter one and had to take my kindle everywhere until i finished! i had no idea what to expect but i loved slotting the pieces together with the characters. another incredible read. 4.5 stars!!

"That feeling you get as a reader, 10 per cent in, when you just kind of sink into the novel and it's world"

This quote from Famous Last Words summed up Famous Last Words almost perfectly, except, it didn't take me 10 per cent. I think it took me about 5 pages. From the first few words, from those first few pages, my reading sense tingled. 

I loved Wrong Place Wrong Time. I recommend it all the time, and Famous Last Words hit in just the same way.  I was absorbed. There was a perfect balance between plot and character development. The plot was well paced, not rushed so the characters could evolve and expand into the gaps, and the tension could soak in, but not so slow that I lost interest.

I kept knitting together various elements so by the end, I'd probably worked it out mostly, but it didn't deter from the telling at all.

Very enjoyable, tense, detail rich love story set amidst a thrilling mystery.

Where do I even begin. This book was a wild emotional ride.

I was gripped me from the very first page. I loved that this book was chopped down into different Acts I think it worked so effectively to tell the story.

Gillian McAllister is incredible at not only immersing you into the story but into the emotions of the characters you are reading. During The Siege I felt like I was Cam, her emotions bled through the pages and were completely consuming.

I spent the entirety of this book praying there was more to Luke’s story than there seemed. How could this fun, Jaffa cake loving man be capable of something so awful? I just didn’t want to believe it. I was rooting for a happy ending for their little family from the first page.

I also adored the chapters from Niall’s POV. I wasn’t expecting this book to be such a heartbreaking story about love, loss and starting over.

This book was full of twists and turns. So many times I thought I knew the real story and so many times I was proven wrong. Reading this was an absolute thrill and I could not recommend it more.

Thank you NetGalley for the free arc ❤️


#FamousLastWords #NetGalley

Another fantastic read from Gillian McAllister! I'm amazed at how she can build such competitive stories that surprise the reader, even one like me who reads Alot of thrillers!
I really liked the character of Cam, and as a fellow introvert, could see myself in her. I liked that the main character was introverted and that was referenced in the book.
There is so much to appreciate in this book, the twists and turns, I finished this in 1 day, much like the other books I've read from Gillian.

Superb read with a great storyline and characters . I really enjoyed reading the book. Different from other stories I have read which made it better!

This is my second book by this author and it was great. Told in dual POV you will be hooked from the first page. Can't wait to read more by her.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Another absolute belter from Gillian Mcallister! I loved the hostage storyline, even better the husband was the hostage taker rather than the hostage. Very very clever written with lots of in depth research. I will always read this author’s work and I cannot express my delight at being sent this copy. The quickest gifted copy I’ve ever read I would say!

I loved the sample opening of Famous Last Words at the back of Gillian McAllister's previous thriller Just Another Missing Person: it immediately pulled me into the 'ordinary world' of Camilla, a literary agent returning to work after mat leave, who has no idea that her husband Luke is holding three people hostage at gunpoint until she sees it on the news. Interestingly, when I compared this sample opening with the opening of this ARC, it's taken on more of the characteristics that I usually associate with McAllister's writing, and which I personally struggle with, although I think McAllister's novels have got better as she's gone on. Suddenly, there's a lot more backstory, Camilla is more aware that something is up, and the writing feels a bit more cluttered in consequence - I also identified less with Camilla's shock at the news because we'd already been tipped off that Luke was behaving strangely. In itself, this doesn't matter, but unfortunately it foreshadowed some of the problems I had with the novel as a whole. I struggled to connect with Camilla, especially given the big time jumps, and I never really felt her love for Luke. Her relationships with sister Libby and daughter Polly felt much stronger and more central to the story but are given less page-time, while the B-plot with hostage negotiator Niall - especially his marital problems - was a consistent distraction. It just didn't have the tension or emotion that I wanted. I do think Famous Last Words is a good thriller that will please McAllister fans, but it's confirmed that something about her writing doesn't click for me. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for the ARC

I loved Wrong Place Wrong Time and was so excited for another Gillian McAllister novel. She didn't disappoint. This was thrilling, fast paced and mindbending. I truly never knew where the story was going or who the culprit could be. I love that! It was so engaging and captivating. I had a great time reading in and couldn't pull away. Read the entire book in one evening.

My thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph publishing for a copy of “ Famous Last Words “ for an honest review.

I’ve been a big fan of Gillian McAllister since her first book .She’s the author that I’ve recommended to readers who ask for recommendations at my library . I really felt like Christmas had come early when I got the chance to read this in advance of the publication date , and for me this is her best book yet !
I could have easily just read it all in one go , but I rationed myself .It was suspenseful and I completely lost myself in the story. I was really invested in the characters and it kept me guessing right to the end to how things would pan out..I think this would make a perfect gripping tv series .
Can’t wait for her next book and I’ll definitely be recommending this one as a must read.

Arggggg I’m feeling a bit upset after finishing this - because I’ve finished it! How dare it all wrap up and end! I simultaneously wanted to finish it in one day and make it last as possible. I basically LIVED this book for a few days in that whenever I had a spare minute that I didn’t need to be doing something, I was reading it. I couldn’t leave it alone.

So, the story. Cam wakes up on her first morning back at work after her maternity leave, and her husband, Luke, is not at home - and has left a puzzling note. She feels uneasy but carries on with her day until she sees the news that hostages are being held by a gunman in a nearby warehouse. And her husband is the gunman.

What happens next is an incredible, heart-pounding, emotional investigation into what happened that day and the events leading to it. By Cam, and Niall the hostage negotiator who, honestly I think I might be a little bit in love with.

Gillian has this skill, that I’ve never read in anyone else’s books, that she can create such an intricate mystery with so many interwoven parts that there is absolutely no way I’ll predict what’s going on. Not in a confusing way - I always feel safe that I know as much as I’m supposed to know at that point! And then when it all starts falling into place, it’s just spectacular. Her books are like uncrackable codes and I just love devouring them and musing on them!

Just totally awesome and amazing!

With Famous Last Words Gillian McAllister has cemented her position as queen of the twisty thriller with this unputdownable rollercoaster of a read. In fact, it's so compelling that it almost let me forget that I was stuck on a train rapidly going nowhere for several hours - and that is the hallmark of a good book!

Cam has the perfect life - the perfect job, husband and baby, a lovely London home, a close relationship with her sister. She's a little stressed about returning to work as a literary agent and Polly's first day in nursery, she's excited about a book on submission that she feels has bestseller written all over it, she's worried about her sister who's embarking on a gruelling IVF journey but she has no concerns at all about her marriage. It just seems uncharacteristically unthinking of Luke to not be there for the first nursery drop off and not to wish her good luck for her first day back. Odd he was clearly up and out before dawn anyway, odd he's not replying to her messages. But when the police turn up at her work things go from odd to downright unbelievable. Luke is caught up in a seige - and he is the one holding the gun, keeping three people hostage. Cam has no explanation why or how this could have happened. What has Luke been hiding and why? Does she even know her husband at all?

And so starts a breathlessly fast paced plot, split between Cam's POV and that of Niall, the hostage negotiater. Exciting, clever, you will want to read this in one sitting. Highly recommended.

I love Gillian McAllister and was delighted to be approved for her latest novel.

This is one of those books which has you hooked after the first two chapters - Camiila returns to work after maternity leave, dropping her daughter of at nursery for her first day. Unusually her husband was already out in the morning but Cam thinks little of it until the Police visit her office to tell her that her husband, Luke, has been caught up in a hostage situation in central London - but not as a victim, he is the hostage taker.

Tell me you are not intrigued by that. What follows is a gripping, thrilling ride as we discover what led Luke to be there and the stunning consequences of what comes next.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House | Michael Joseph for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

It made my month to be invited to read Famous Last Words on NetGalley! I luckily received the notification on my day off and read it in almost one sitting.

Camilla lives with her husband Luke and their baby daughter Polly in London. On her first day back after maternity leave, Cam wakes up to an empty bed - Luke has already left the house. Cam tries to contact him to no avail; she drops Polly off at nursery and carries on into work where she becomes aware of a hostage incident happening elsewhere in London. When the police arrive at her workplace and tell her that Luke is involved, she cannot believe that he is in such danger. Until the police correct her. Luke hasn’t been taken hostage - Luke has taken the hostages.

What a rollercoaster this book was. I love Gillian’s writing and the way she builds up her story, with plot lines so cleverly interwoven. I just wish it was out now then I could talk to people about it!

Another five star read. Do not miss this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for allowing me to read and review.