We report on the development of custom Front-End Electronics (FEE) dedicated to large area SiPM arrays for γ-ray spectroscopy applications in high counting rate conditions. Two types of commercially available 8 × 8 arrays of 6 × 6 mm2 Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPM) and a quasi-circular array of 30 SiPM cells were coupled to dedicated Front End Electronics (FEE) boards and tested in combination with LaBr3(Ce) crystals. Energy resolution measurements were taken with standard calibration radioactive sources (60Co, 152Eu and 56Co) while the timing response was studied in comparison with industry standard photomultiplier tubes. The energy resolution measured in this setup was down to 3.09(9)% at 661 keV, while the best timing resolution measured was 222.3(22) ps. Finally, the design of a SiPM based γ-ray detector, dedicated to fast-timing applications, is presented.