This review is written with thanks to Penguin for my copy of Famous Last Words via Netgalley.

Blurb:

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 . . .

Review:

I’ve read and enjoyed almost all of Gillian McAllister’s novels now and I was so excited to have the opportunity to read this one. From the beginning, I knew I was in for a wild ride, as Famous Last Words begins with one of the most tense opening sections I have ever read, and never truly let’s go. My heart rate was racing from the first page to the last.

Famous Last Words is mostly narrated by Cam, a literary agent, and Niall, a negotiatior with the police. I loved the way that this allowed the reader to see quite deeply into both their lives. In these protagonists, Gillian McAllister has created two characters for whom I had sympathy and I hoped they would find the answers they needed as the story progressed. I love the way the author uses vocabulary that pinpoints the character’s emotions so precisely that it is impossible not to feel the emotional connection with them.

It’s quite difficult to say a lot about the plot without spoilers, but once again, I am in awe of Gillian McAllister’s ability to conceive and execute such complex and intriguing plots. The idea for Famous Last Words is incredibly clever and I loved the way it all comes together and the journey to get there. As you would expect, it is full of twists, and I found some of them literally jaw dropping.

I can’t wait to see what the author does next!

Famous Last Words is available from Amazon.