Book review: Famous Last Word by Gillian McAllister
Genre: Suspense
Release date: Feb. 25, 2025
Goodreads rating: 3.75
My rating: 4
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I was drawn to the unique premise of Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister. Camilla, a new mom, learns that her husband Luke—a loving husband and new dad—has been involved in a hostage situation… but not as a hostage… as the hostage taker himself! This sends Camilla’s life in an immediate spiral. Even more confusing is the cryptic note that he left her before leaving that morning.
I loved the pace of this book. The hostage crisis, which covers the first quarter of the book, is truly gripping. I could not put the book down. We experience the crisis from Camilla’s point of view and from the point of view of Niall, the police hostage negotiator. We see facts from both of their different perspectives and quickly build our own perspective as a reader too.
Fast forward seven years… we rejoin both Camilla and Niall as they mutually continue to try to piece together the truth of what happened that day, while also both trying to piece their lives back together after this life-changing event.
I found this story original and found the characters very relatable. This book is part thriller, part mystery, part love story, which brought a nice balance to the story. I also loved getting glimpses of Camilla’s life as a literary agent… this was weaved into the story perfectly, I found.
Gillian McAllister is a great storyteller. I recommend picking up this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.