The first properly good thriller I’ve read in ages!
Famous Last Words starts on a relatively ordinary day: Camilla’s going back to work after maternity leave. But when she wakes up, her husband has already headed out without saying goodbye. It’s a little odd, but she tries not to worry until the police arrive at her workplace. A hostage situation is unfolding in a warehouse – and it looks like husband Luke is the one who’s taken prisoners, with zero hint that he might ever do such a thing. There’s a hostage negotiator on the ground (another main character), and while his gut tells him there’s something off about the situation, the other cops are not in the mood to listen. Soon, it all goes wrong.
I found this a refreshing read after so many thrillers that involve horrible people or follow the same predictable format with ‘shocking’ twists. (There are some twists here, but they made narrative sense to me).
I really felt for Camilla’s situation – trying to hide who she is, having to explain to her daughter where her daddy is, being tactful around her sister who is desperate for her child. She’s also under pressure to move on from her life with Luke, and I thought this was nicely and realistically handled. She knows the evidence looks bad, but she loves him. She doesn’t think he can be a bad person, but she’s got no other explanation for what has happened.
Where there’s love, there’s hope, and she starts imagining she’s seeing Luke again, years after the hostage event. Could it be true…?
An intriguing page-turner with great writing and a lot of heart.
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