Book Recommendation – Famous Last Words

A couple years ago, I stumbled on a really good mystery/time travel story – Wrong Place, Wrong Time. It was written by an unfamiliar artist to me named Gillian McAllister. I wrote about the book here.

I was excited to hear that a new book from her would hit the shelves in 2025. As soon as I saw it hit my library app, I put it on hold. I was the 18th person waiting for it, so it was going to be a few weeks before I got my hands on it. Last week, it arrived – Famous Last Words.

If I had to classify the book, I might call it a mystery, but it really is more of a suspenseful story. I’m not sure I’d call it a thriller, either (they do), but it kept my attention all the way through. Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

From the author of Reese’s Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller Wrong Place Wrong Time comes an addictive thriller about a new mother’s world upended when her husband commits a terrifying crime. How well does she truly know the man she loves? And what danger does she face if her entire life has been built on a lie?

It is June 21st, the longest day of the year, and new mother Camilla’s life is about to change forever. After months of maternity leave, she will drop her infant daughter off at daycare for the first time and return to her job as a literary agent. Finally. But, when she wakes, her husband Luke isn’t there, and in his place is a cryptic note.

Then it starts. Breaking news: there’s a hostage situation developing in London. The police arrive, and tell her Luke is involved. But he isn’t a hostage. Her husband—doting father, eternal optimist—is the gunman.

What she does next is crucial. Because only she knows what the note he left behind that morning says…

Famous Last Words is the story of a crime, a marriage, and more secrets than Camilla ever could have imagined. This novel cements Gillian McAllister’s reputation as “the best at putting her characters in impossible situations and making her readers not only contemplate but feel what it would be like to find themselves in those situations.”

The story really takes off right from the get go. It is written in 3 parts. It starts with the hostage situation, then you pick up 7 years later, and finally 7 years after another key event. So the story spans about 15 years or so.

As I have always promised, no spoilers. I will say that it took me a minute or two to see how everything pieced together, and that there was a twist that I should have seen coming and didn’t.

I don’t think this was as good as Wrong Place, Wrong Time, but it is close. I will give it 4 stars out of 5.

Book Recommendation: The Day Tripper

Slowly, but surely, I am working through my “Want to read” list. I just finished one that I almost stopped reading after the first chapter. It begins with a couple in their 20’s who are in the early stages of their relationship. Their cheesy “lovey dovey” exchanges were a bit over the top for me. However, once the story gets going, I was hooked.

The book is by James Goodhand and it is called The Day Tripper.

“Another time-travel book, Keith?! Really?!” Well, yes, but it has a very unique spin on it. Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

The right guy, the right place, the wrong time.

It’s 1995, and Alex Dean has it all: a spot at Cambridge University next year, the love of an amazing woman named Holly and all the time in the world ahead of him. That is until a brutal encounter with a ghost from his past sees him beaten, battered and almost drowning in the Thames.

He wakes the next day to find he’s in a messy, derelict room he’s never seen before, in grimy clothes he doesn’t recognize, with no idea of how he got there. A glimpse in the mirror tells him he’s older—much older—and has been living a hard life, his features ravaged by time and poor decisions. He snatches a newspaper and finds it’s 2010—fifteen years since the fight.

After finally drifting off to sleep, Alex wakes the following morning to find it’s now 2019, another nine years later. But the next day, it’s 1999. Never knowing which day is coming, he begins to piece together what happens in his life after that fateful night by the river.

But what exactly is going on? Why does his life look nothing like he thought it would? What about Cambridge, and Holly? In this thrilling adventure, Alex must navigate his way through the years to learn that small actions have untold impact. And that might be all he needs to save the people he loves and, equally importantly, himself.

This reminded me a bit of Gillian McAllister’s Wrong Place, Wrong Time in the sense that it was not your typical time travel story. In Wrong Place, Wrong Time, the main character just keeps going backwards in time. With The Day Tripper, the main character has no idea where or when he is going to be when he wakes up. He is living the days of his life – just not in chronological order.

One of my favorite quotes in the book was “The worst our enemies can do is turn us into them.” This quote really struck me and plays into the plot of the story. Reviews I read before picking it up compared the story to the Twilight Zone and Quantum Leap. I think you will enjoy it.

Weekend Book Recommendations

With my shift change, my drive is a bit longer because of traffic. It doesn’t bother me, though, because it gives me a bit more time with the audio books I am listening to. The extra time (and extra day’s commute) is also allowing me to get through each book a little faster than before.

A few friends of mine have been on vacation and posting photos on Facebook. Many of the pictures show my friends in hammocks, on the beach, or by a campfire. All of those photos include a book they are reading. So I figured I would post the last couple books I read as suggestions … in case you are looking for something to read this weekend.

Circle of Death – James Patterson and Brian Sitts

Last May I stumbled on the first book of this series and I enjoyed it a lot. It took me back to the Shadow radio shows I used to listen to. I blogged about that book here:

The Shadow Knows!

At the time, I had hoped that there might be a sequel and Circle of Death is it. This one was a bit harder to get into, but that may be because I listened to the audio and didn’t physically read it. The narrator was a bit bland. Over all it was ok. I bet if I had read it instead, I would have liked it more.

Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

When a ruthless killer seeks to overturn the world order, our only hope is vigilante justice.

Since Lamont Cranston – known to a select few as the Shadow – defeated Shiwan Khan and ended his reign of terror over New York one year ago, the city has started to regenerate. But there is evil brewing elsewhere. And this time the entire world is under threat. Which is why Lamont has scoured the globe to assemble a team with unmatched talent.

Only their combined powers can foil an enemy with ambitions and abilities beyond anyone’s deepest fears. As their mission takes them across the globe and into the highest corridors of power – pushing them beyond their limits – can justice prevail?

Just Another Missing Person – Gillian McAllister

Wow! This book was awesome! There were so many twists and turns and I loved every second of it.

I read this one because the author wrote one of the best books I’ve read this year – Wrong Place, Wrong Time. I wrote about it here:

Book Recommendation: Wrong Place, Wrong Time

While I saw some things coming, there were things that blindsided me. It was such a good read.

Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

22-year-old Olivia has been missing for one day…and counting. She was last seen on CCTV, entering a dead-end alley. And not coming back out again.

Julia, the detective heading up the search for Olivia, thinks she knows what to expect. A desperate family, a ticking clock, and long hours away from her husband and daughter. But she has no idea just how close to home this case is going to get.

Because the criminal at the heart of the disappearance has something she never expected. His weapon isn’t a gun, or a knife: it’s a secret. Her worst one. And her family’s safety depends on one thing: Julia must NOT find out what happened to Olivia – and must frame somebody else for her murder.

If you find her, you will lose everything. What would you do?

This clever and endlessly surprising thriller is laced with a smart look at family and motherhood, and cements Gillian McAllister as a major talent in the world of suspense and a master of creating ethical dilemmas that show just how murky the distinction between right and wrong can be.

Other “book” Things

A blogger friend told me about a site called NetGalley. You can request books not yet published and review them on your blog. I signed up and am excited to start reading. There are two books I had on my Amazon Wish List that aren’t due to be published until next year. I requested them hoping to get the chance to read them.

I’ve never really did a “review” before, but I’m sure going to try. Wish me luck with that.

I have three physical books from the library that I am hoping to get done with before they are due. One of them was recommended by my blogger friend, Beth. So far I am loving it and I’ve found myself laughing out loud already.

As always, I would love to hear your recommendations – I’ll add them to my “want to read” list.

Book Recommendation: Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Not too long ago I posted about two books by Anthony Horowitz (Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders) which were truly unique in that there was a book within a book in each one. The whole idea of a murder mystery connecting with another murder mystery story was such an interesting concept. The stories were very intriguing and enjoyable at the same time.

I love your typical whodunit mystery stories where somebody gets killed and a detective, private investigator, or some innocent person gathers clues and finds out who did it in the end. The formula has worked for some of the great mystery writers like Agatha Christie, Earl Stanley Gardner, and others.

I remember reading a book about the TV series Columbo. One of the things that TV networks were concerned about was the fact that they show who the murderer is right from the get-go. They didn’t think anyone would want to watch a detective try to figure out who did it, when the audiences would already know the guilty party. That changed up the presentation of the murder mystery format.

The book that I just finished reading changes it up even more so. In all honesty, it goes against all mystery logic, but that’s what made it a fun read. Let me tell you a little bit about Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister.

Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

“Can you stop a murder after it’s already happened?

Late October. After midnight. You’re waiting up for your eighteen-year-old son. He’s past curfew. As you watch from the window, he emerges, and you realize he isn’t alone: he’s walking toward a man, and he’s armed.

You can’t believe it when you see him do it: your funny, happy teenage son, he kills a stranger, right there on the street outside your house. You don’t know who. You don’t know why. You only know your son is now in custody, his future shattered.

That night you fall asleep in despair. All is lost.

Until you wake . . .

. . . and it is yesterday.

And then you wake again . . .

. . . and it is the day before yesterday.

Every morning you wake up a day earlier, another day before the murder. With another chance to stop it. Somewhere in the past lies an answer. The trigger for this crime–and you don’t have a choice but to find it . . .“

What an interesting way to solve a crime! Each time she wakes up the main character finds a different piece to the puzzle. Along the way she finds out things aren’t as the seem in the present. As she continues to go back day by day, week by week, she discovers more of the events, characters, and clues that led to the murder.

The fact that I enjoy time travel stories is known to anyone who reads this blog. Using the “forced” time travel aspect in this story brought about some extra suspense. The character has no idea how long she will travel back in time OR for how long. She also has no idea if she will ever make it back to the present or just go back so far that she stops existing.

There were times during the story that my jaw actually dropped open because of something I didn’t see coming. It was a great story that at times caused me to pause and reflect on things the main character was feeling. There were things that really made me think about how I approach each day as well.

Does she figure it out? Does she stop the murder? Does she save her son? Does she ever make it back to the present? I highly recommend this book!!

5 out of 5 stars from me!