Famous Last Words (2025) by Gillian McAllister falls under the thriller genre but I think it also works as an inverted mystery where you know who committed the crime but the mystery is why?
And so why would Luke Deschamps, a good husband and father, wake up one morning, write his wife Cam (Camilla) a loving but cryptic note, leave their London apartment only to show up on the news a few hours later in the middle of a hostage seige with Luke being the hostage taker? And then something goes wrong during the hostage seige and Luke is able to escape.
Seven years go by and Luke’s wife Cam raising their daughter Polly and the hostage negotiator, DCI Niall Thompson cannot move on. Niall still blames himself for how he handled the hostage negotiation. And Cam is furious at Luke for what he did but she also still loves him. Niall and Cam want answers. Where is Luke and most important what would cause him to unravel in the way he did?
The thriller genre is not a favorite of mine as a rule. But with Famous Last Words I have finally struck gold. To start with Gillian McAlister is a talented writer. I found this novel to be gripping and Niall and Cam are well drawn. The internal dialogue they have with themselves as they try to get their lives back on track rings true. The twists were not many and the ending was plausible.
Famous Last Words will restore many a reader’s faith in the domestic/psychological thriller genre. 4 star read for me.
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