Review: Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister — a Book of the Year 2025 contender
There’s only one word to describe Famous Last Words: Wow.
Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister – The key details
- Publish date: 30th January 2025
- Genre: Thriller
- Publisher: Penguin
- Series/standalone: Standalone
- No. of pages: 402
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…
Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister — The review
There’s only really one word I can use to describe Famous Last Words, and that’s ‘wow’. This is the first Gillian McAllister book I’ve read, and I’m simultaneously thrilled there are more for me to read, but also kicking myself that I’ve slept on them until now. Gillian’s writing is simply beautiful: I’ve never read a book that manages to be so gripping, so thrilling, and yet with prose that’s so poetic, thought-provoking and evocative. Again: wow.
Famous Last Words is the story of Cam, a married mum who is just returning to work after her time off on maternity leave. Her relationship with her husband Luke is rock-solid, or so she thought. On her morning returning to work, he’s nowhere to be seen, and he’s not answering his texts. It’s unusual, but Cam doesn’t let herself think too much about it. That is, until the police arrive at her place of work, telling her about a hostage situation that’s unfolding in London. Luke’s not only caught up in it; he’s the one holding the hostages.
Cue Cam’s world simply unravelling right there and then. Yes, over the course of the book McAllister will reveal how Luke’s situation came to be, but Famous Last Words is first and foremost a tale of how a wife can even begin to deal with finding out such a shocking thing about her husband. The grief, the not knowing, the questions: it’s all explored so richly, with so much raw emotion.
Famous Last Words also delivers narrative from the perspective of Niall, the hostage negotiator on the job that day, and from a third, mysterious perspective. Cam is our primary protagonist, but having different perspectives on the same event adds some valuable depth to the story. Niall’s a great protagonist, too, with his own demons to deal with, and getting to know him is a joy.
While Famous Last Words might not be the most fast-paced thriller you’ll ever read, it doesn’t need to be. Its gripping nature comes from just how well it’s written, from how desperately we need to know the truth, and from how wonderful Cam is as a main character. I was rooting for her right from the start, desperate for everything to work out, for there to be a simple explanation for everything that happens.
I genuinely think Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister might be one of my favourite books ever: it’s certainly a strong contender for Book of the Year 2025. Seeing as it’s only February, that’s a bold statement to make, but I cannot understate how much I’ve loved this.
This review is based on a retail version of Famous Last Words that I purchased myself.
