Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister

 

Camilla Deschamps is flustered, she's returning to work following maternity leave. The note left by her husband Luke before he left the house is unusual but not enough to worry her until she receives a visit from the police informing her that Luke is involved in a hostage situation.

I only discovered author Gillian McAllister a couple of years ago when it seemed like everyone was talking about Wrong Place Wrong Time. I loved the book and the author's following novel, Just Another Missing Person. When the chance to read and review  Famous Last Words came up I leapt at the chance, knowing I wouldn't be disappointed.

What follows is probably one of my shortest-ever reviews because I don't want to spoil anything for the reader. It's clear from the outset that Cam and Luke have a happy marriage, so when Luke holds hostages at gunpoint in a warehouse Cam is filled with disbelief. I felt every emotion as Cam tried to understand her husband's motivation. What would possess a quiet and unassuming writer to turn violent?

The hostage situation becomes a watershed moment for Cam, splitting her life into before and after. Still unable to comprehend what had driven her husband to commit such a terrible crime she decides to investigate, tracking what her husband was doing in the days before the incident and discovers that he was keeping secrets. You can also feel the turmoil she suffers as she has to continue living her life and protecting her daughter from the knowledge of what her father did.

The reasons behind the crime are slowly revealed, but that doesn't mean the storyline is slow, the way in which the author has broken the story in to sections makes for a pacey read. Revelations are impossible to guess as twist after twist is uncovered.

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister will be published on 30th January 2025 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for a review copy.

Author Details

Gillian McAllister is the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of nine stand-alone novels. Her books have been selected for the Radio 2 Book Club, Reese's Book Club and the Richard & Judy Book Club. Her previous novel, Wrong Place Wrong Time, was a Waterstones Thriller of the Month and was shortlisted for The British Book Awards 2023 Crime & Thriller Book of the Year and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Gillian's books are published in thirty-eight languages.