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The death of us
Not yet published
Expected 12 Mar 26Bringing together the slow-burn simmer of psychological suspense and the propulsive drive of crime thrillers, The Death of Us is the story of a marriage turned inside out by a violent encounter that sets fire to the hairline faults that were there from the start.
Late on a summer’s evening when they are thirty years old, husband and wife Edward and Isabel’s home is invaded by a serial killer. Theirs was a classic story of young love that moves into true partnership—but their solid foundation implodes in the wake of this violence.
At fifty-eight, they are reunited for their tormentor’s trial and forced to confront their lifelong love the secrets, passions, and encounter that bind them still. Isabel has waited years for the man who nearly ended her life to be caught. As she’s tracked news of his increasingly violent criminal life, she’s connected with other survivors and prepared for the moment that she’d get to read her victim impact statement aloud in court. She is sure she’ll speak her truth and finally let the past go. Edward has spent the years since the break-in—and the breakdown of his marriage—trying to figure out how a near-miss with death killed so much else in their shared life. Unlike Isabel, he’s not eager to relive these terrible memories. Even though he’s moved on—he’s remarried, his old life almost unrecognizable to him now—he can’t resist accompanying Isabel to their intruder’s sentencing. What would revenge or justice feel like? Can closure set Isabel free? And what might that freedom mean for Edward?
Late on a summer’s evening when they are thirty years old, husband and wife Edward and Isabel’s home is invaded by a serial killer. Theirs was a classic story of young love that moves into true partnership—but their solid foundation implodes in the wake of this violence.
At fifty-eight, they are reunited for their tormentor’s trial and forced to confront their lifelong love the secrets, passions, and encounter that bind them still. Isabel has waited years for the man who nearly ended her life to be caught. As she’s tracked news of his increasingly violent criminal life, she’s connected with other survivors and prepared for the moment that she’d get to read her victim impact statement aloud in court. She is sure she’ll speak her truth and finally let the past go. Edward has spent the years since the break-in—and the breakdown of his marriage—trying to figure out how a near-miss with death killed so much else in their shared life. Unlike Isabel, he’s not eager to relive these terrible memories. Even though he’s moved on—he’s remarried, his old life almost unrecognizable to him now—he can’t resist accompanying Isabel to their intruder’s sentencing. What would revenge or justice feel like? Can closure set Isabel free? And what might that freedom mean for Edward?
368 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 2025
1407 people are currently reading
34547 people want to read
About the author
Abigail Dean
5 books1,052 followersAbigail Dean is an author from Manchester, UK. She lives in London with her husband, children, and a very cantankerous cat. Her latest novel is THE DEATH OF US, a love story interrupted by a single, terrible act of violence. Film rights have been acquired at auction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,351 reviews
January 15, 2025
Thirty somethings, Isabel and Edward, are left completely devastated after a violent home invasion one Spring night in their South London home. The consequences leave them both with a myriad of issues. Sadly the trauma is such, that it leaves them without the words to express those issues, because the perpetrator didn’t just invade their home, he invaded their marriage and their minds.
We follow Isabel and Edward in the succeeding years, and witness how much destruction that night caused, because it’s only when their attacker is caught, that it's finally time to tell the story of that night.
Not to the world. Or to the man who did it. But to each other.
Though something of a slow burn I was drawn into this crime/ love story, a story that is poignant and revealed slowly and carefully to the reader, allowing us to become intimate with the characters, sharing both their pain and their passion. Moreover, there’s still hope, for without hope there is nothing.
*I was invited to read The Death of Us by the publisher and have given an honest unbiased review in exchange.*
We follow Isabel and Edward in the succeeding years, and witness how much destruction that night caused, because it’s only when their attacker is caught, that it's finally time to tell the story of that night.
Not to the world. Or to the man who did it. But to each other.
Though something of a slow burn I was drawn into this crime/ love story, a story that is poignant and revealed slowly and carefully to the reader, allowing us to become intimate with the characters, sharing both their pain and their passion. Moreover, there’s still hope, for without hope there is nothing.
*I was invited to read The Death of Us by the publisher and have given an honest unbiased review in exchange.*
January 5, 2025
Wow! Such an emotional, heart-wrenching read! Was not expecting that!
Isabel and Edward met through a mutual friend while attending their respective universities. At the time, each were dating someone else. But alas, the heart wants what the heart wants and the pull was too strong. They were simply meant to be.
Years later, happy and quite content in life, their world is forever damaged by the intrusion of The South London Invader. The couple is now left to put the pieces of their lives back together. But will that include each other? Is their love strong enough to restore their magical relationship?
Trauma… big or small it’s still trauma. It reshapes you into someone new. Someone you don’t recognize but that’s the new you, who must carry forth.
Not only is this book a retelling of the night in question, but even more so a narrative on the strength of the characters and of love.
I’m a bit speechless having finished this book. My heart is heavy, yet filled with the hope of no matter the circumstance there is always a chance for healing.
This was my first read of 2025 and I cannot think of a better way to start the New Year than with a five- star read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking
Isabel and Edward met through a mutual friend while attending their respective universities. At the time, each were dating someone else. But alas, the heart wants what the heart wants and the pull was too strong. They were simply meant to be.
Years later, happy and quite content in life, their world is forever damaged by the intrusion of The South London Invader. The couple is now left to put the pieces of their lives back together. But will that include each other? Is their love strong enough to restore their magical relationship?
Trauma… big or small it’s still trauma. It reshapes you into someone new. Someone you don’t recognize but that’s the new you, who must carry forth.
Not only is this book a retelling of the night in question, but even more so a narrative on the strength of the characters and of love.
I’m a bit speechless having finished this book. My heart is heavy, yet filled with the hope of no matter the circumstance there is always a chance for healing.
This was my first read of 2025 and I cannot think of a better way to start the New Year than with a five- star read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking
March 27, 2025
Disturbing and thought provoking but….
When Edward and Isabel are thirty years old, they become the latest Victims of a serial killer, dubbed “The South London Invader”. He preys on “happy couples” watching them painstakingly for weeks so that he can plan the perfect attack.
ONE NIGHT CHANGES EVERYTHING.
Each deals with the traumatic event differently. Isabel wants to TALK about it-with Edward, with the press, and with Etta-the Detective in charge-and it is a story that all of London wants to hear!
Edward doesn’t want to talk about it at all.
Twenty-five years later, Nigel Wood is caught, and Edward and Isabel, now divorced will reunite for his sentencing. It is an opportunity to deliver impact statements and perhaps to finally get closure about the relationship that they lost as a result of the crime they endured.
The story unfolds from the POV’s of Isabel and Edward. Isabel’s chapters are written like it is her IMPACT STATEMENT chronicling the PAST, while Edward’s chapters cover the PRESENT timeline.
The premise is interesting, but I DID NOT find the book to be a thriller, or suspenseful as advertised. Instead it reads like a character study-with the CHARACTER being the MARRIAGE, and the pace was extremely SLOW.
The story is supposed to demonstrate that a traumatic event like this can destroy even the strongest of marriages, yet I DIDN’T find their love story to be epic at all. Edward is a bit dull, and Isabel is a bit cold. If the descriptions of their intimacy, using the crudest of terms (C word) is supposed to convince us of their love-it didn’t work for this reader.
Early reviews seem to be split between high praise and the opposite, with few in between-and I am one who struggled to get through it. This was a buddy read with DeAnn and Mary Beth…Did they feel differently? Be sure to watch for their reviews.
⚠️ TW: Graphic descriptions of rape/assault
2.5 stars rounded up
Expected publication date: April 15, 2025
Thank You to Penguin Viking for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts.
When Edward and Isabel are thirty years old, they become the latest Victims of a serial killer, dubbed “The South London Invader”. He preys on “happy couples” watching them painstakingly for weeks so that he can plan the perfect attack.
ONE NIGHT CHANGES EVERYTHING.
Each deals with the traumatic event differently. Isabel wants to TALK about it-with Edward, with the press, and with Etta-the Detective in charge-and it is a story that all of London wants to hear!
Edward doesn’t want to talk about it at all.
Twenty-five years later, Nigel Wood is caught, and Edward and Isabel, now divorced will reunite for his sentencing. It is an opportunity to deliver impact statements and perhaps to finally get closure about the relationship that they lost as a result of the crime they endured.
The story unfolds from the POV’s of Isabel and Edward. Isabel’s chapters are written like it is her IMPACT STATEMENT chronicling the PAST, while Edward’s chapters cover the PRESENT timeline.
The premise is interesting, but I DID NOT find the book to be a thriller, or suspenseful as advertised. Instead it reads like a character study-with the CHARACTER being the MARRIAGE, and the pace was extremely SLOW.
The story is supposed to demonstrate that a traumatic event like this can destroy even the strongest of marriages, yet I DIDN’T find their love story to be epic at all. Edward is a bit dull, and Isabel is a bit cold. If the descriptions of their intimacy, using the crudest of terms (C word) is supposed to convince us of their love-it didn’t work for this reader.
Early reviews seem to be split between high praise and the opposite, with few in between-and I am one who struggled to get through it. This was a buddy read with DeAnn and Mary Beth…Did they feel differently? Be sure to watch for their reviews.
⚠️ TW: Graphic descriptions of rape/assault
2.5 stars rounded up
Expected publication date: April 15, 2025
Thank You to Penguin Viking for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts.
June 9, 2025
Phenomenal!!
About the rise and subsequent fall of a relationship in the wake of a brutal home invasion. The story mostly revolves around the trial of the man responsible, but we also read letters written from the wife directly addressed to her assailant.
This was subtlety terrifying in a haunt-the-narrative kind of way. The whole time you *know* the invasion is going to happen, but as the details slowly unravel it’s like gut punch after gut punch. This was not a fast paced thriller by any means (barely a thriller tbh), but omg it was so emotional, dark, depressing, real, and even kind of funny in a cynical, dark-humor-as-a-coping-method way.
I cannot recommend it enough!!
About the rise and subsequent fall of a relationship in the wake of a brutal home invasion. The story mostly revolves around the trial of the man responsible, but we also read letters written from the wife directly addressed to her assailant.
This was subtlety terrifying in a haunt-the-narrative kind of way. The whole time you *know* the invasion is going to happen, but as the details slowly unravel it’s like gut punch after gut punch. This was not a fast paced thriller by any means (barely a thriller tbh), but omg it was so emotional, dark, depressing, real, and even kind of funny in a cynical, dark-humor-as-a-coping-method way.
I cannot recommend it enough!!
January 22, 2025
4-5 stars
This is the story of Edward and Isabel, how they meet aged 19, fall in love and marry. When they are 30, the South London Invader, who goes on to become a serial killer, enters their home and his violent assault devastates and upends their lives. Now aged 58, the perpetrator is finally caught thanks to modern forensics and it’s now his trial. Edward and Isabel are given the opportunity to read their victim impact statements in court. This is the story of their relationship, examining the impact the attack has on their lives. Will they finally get some sort of closure? The pair tell their story which alternates between the past and present day.
Abigail Dean always gives her readers something different and that’s certainly the case here in this slow burner psychological thriller. It’s so good to have a novel that is entirely from the perspective of those impacted by serious crime rather than an “exciting” police procedural with efforts to apprehend the criminal. You see the effect it has on them and others loud and clear and inevitably it affects the couple differently. The storytelling has real intensity as you witness what they suffer and go through. One of the most poignant stories is that of Nina which I won’t spoil for future readers. I like too how it shines a spotlight on the officer in charge for much of the investigation. DCI Etta Eliogu is desperate to catch him and this impacts on her in many ways. The tension and the heartbreaking pain is palpable at times and there are several OMG moments.
It’s a painful, traumatic and raw story and inevitably it’s dark but it’s a novel that needs telling. My heart goes out to the couple as they try to handle the situation in their different ways. It’s poignant and sad but the ending makes me feel grounds for optimism. It’s carefully told , it’s respectful and honest but don’t expect something fast paced - to be frank, that wouldn’t work here. It’s extremely real, powerful, thought provoking and fascinating.
Ps I do enjoy the swipes at media, at ‘corruption’ at incompetence and there are several well earned hits.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins, HarperFiction, The Hemlock Press for the much appreciated epub in return for an honest review.
This is the story of Edward and Isabel, how they meet aged 19, fall in love and marry. When they are 30, the South London Invader, who goes on to become a serial killer, enters their home and his violent assault devastates and upends their lives. Now aged 58, the perpetrator is finally caught thanks to modern forensics and it’s now his trial. Edward and Isabel are given the opportunity to read their victim impact statements in court. This is the story of their relationship, examining the impact the attack has on their lives. Will they finally get some sort of closure? The pair tell their story which alternates between the past and present day.
Abigail Dean always gives her readers something different and that’s certainly the case here in this slow burner psychological thriller. It’s so good to have a novel that is entirely from the perspective of those impacted by serious crime rather than an “exciting” police procedural with efforts to apprehend the criminal. You see the effect it has on them and others loud and clear and inevitably it affects the couple differently. The storytelling has real intensity as you witness what they suffer and go through. One of the most poignant stories is that of Nina which I won’t spoil for future readers. I like too how it shines a spotlight on the officer in charge for much of the investigation. DCI Etta Eliogu is desperate to catch him and this impacts on her in many ways. The tension and the heartbreaking pain is palpable at times and there are several OMG moments.
It’s a painful, traumatic and raw story and inevitably it’s dark but it’s a novel that needs telling. My heart goes out to the couple as they try to handle the situation in their different ways. It’s poignant and sad but the ending makes me feel grounds for optimism. It’s carefully told , it’s respectful and honest but don’t expect something fast paced - to be frank, that wouldn’t work here. It’s extremely real, powerful, thought provoking and fascinating.
Ps I do enjoy the swipes at media, at ‘corruption’ at incompetence and there are several well earned hits.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins, HarperFiction, The Hemlock Press for the much appreciated epub in return for an honest review.
October 23, 2025
How does one overcome a life that has been terrorized by a violent crime? Especially when it takes years for that killer to be caught?
Readers will have the opportunity to experience the impact a series of sadistic crimes has on those who have been victimized and those who have survived. In this regard, it will not be an easy read. But a compelling, empathetic one.
And, especially when you consider the beginnings of a love story that is cruelly interrupted by such a crime and how their lives play out because of it.
The author weaves together past and present, courtroom scenes and victim’s stories, as they have the opportunity to finally seek justice when that person has been arrested and brought to justice.
Presented as a mixture of psychological thriller, police procedural, and love story, this will feel brutal, disturbing and heart-wrenching at times, in its telling. But it is a profound one even as a fiction book, that gives voice to the victims of tragedy.
3.5 stars
Readers will have the opportunity to experience the impact a series of sadistic crimes has on those who have been victimized and those who have survived. In this regard, it will not be an easy read. But a compelling, empathetic one.
And, especially when you consider the beginnings of a love story that is cruelly interrupted by such a crime and how their lives play out because of it.
The author weaves together past and present, courtroom scenes and victim’s stories, as they have the opportunity to finally seek justice when that person has been arrested and brought to justice.
Presented as a mixture of psychological thriller, police procedural, and love story, this will feel brutal, disturbing and heart-wrenching at times, in its telling. But it is a profound one even as a fiction book, that gives voice to the victims of tragedy.
3.5 stars
December 21, 2024
My Rating: 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Easily the best book I have read in 2024!!! Loved it!!!!
This is a slow burn psychological suspense novel, it a love story, but it is a raw and emotional ride that tells the tale of a marriage turned inside out by a violent encounter.
Late on a summer’s evening in London when they are thirty years old, a husband and wife Edward and Isabel’s home is invaded by a serial killer.
Their solid foundation implodes after the violent encounter and they are broken, at fifty-eight they are reunited for their tormentor’s trial and forced to confront their lifelong love, the secrets, passions and the incident that bind them together.
WOW Abigail Dean is the GOAT when it comes to this kind of story, I actually didn’t even read the synopsis before I requested this on NG and I wasn’t disappointed.
I didn’t care what it was about, her writing is poignant and heart breaking and it rips you apart, puts you back together and then rips you apart again. This is I think the third book of hers that I have read and so far I have given all of them 5 stars she is just truly that good.
I loved this, and when I say that I ask you to take caution this story is not easy to read… it covers very very emotional and triggering topics (so take care of TWs) however the way Dean covers it is top shelf. There are some really potentially graphic SA scenes that she handles with such care… you get into the very heart of it without it being so graphic you cannot read it. It is terrifying and emotional.
This story is told in Multi-POV from Isabel and Edward, and multi-timeline, Isabel is in the past going through time as her and Edward got together counting through the incident and then up to current day, whereas Edward tells the story in the current time, through the trial and what is happening in the now. I LOVE THIS!!! It is one of my favourite ways to read a story… it unfolds bit by bit…you do not get it all in one hit and you have to wait a little…
So this is where you have a choice as a reader, if you are impatient and need it all laid out for you then this is not for you. If you do not like multi pov and timeline then this is also not for you… but if you can appreciate a story that is told with care, piece by piece but in a way that you are not told everything you are to understand rather than hear it all… then this will be for you.
I have no criticism of this book, I finished it and knew I would struggle to like the next book I picked up… it ruined me for my next read. AND as I knew I would I blasted through it so quickly. I was a bit sad to finish it but also so impatient to keep reading it… I found myself thinking about it during my work day wishing I could abandon my day to read.
I loved it… it is easily my favourite book of hers, and my favourite book of 2024. I do hope my GR friends (Carol and Rosh in particular) like this one… I would love to discuss.
I think this is going to be one that lives rent free in my mind for a long time and I suspect I will be going back to read it again.
Overall, take note of my points above but this was a slow burn, psychological suspense thriller that is heart breaking and raw… it will infuriate you, shock you and make you sad, but there is some silver linings in there… don’t worry. If you like this author just read it…
Thank you to Viking, NetGalley and Abigail Dean for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. In this case the pleasure is truly all mine!!!
This is a slow burn psychological suspense novel, it a love story, but it is a raw and emotional ride that tells the tale of a marriage turned inside out by a violent encounter.
Late on a summer’s evening in London when they are thirty years old, a husband and wife Edward and Isabel’s home is invaded by a serial killer.
Their solid foundation implodes after the violent encounter and they are broken, at fifty-eight they are reunited for their tormentor’s trial and forced to confront their lifelong love, the secrets, passions and the incident that bind them together.
WOW Abigail Dean is the GOAT when it comes to this kind of story, I actually didn’t even read the synopsis before I requested this on NG and I wasn’t disappointed.
I didn’t care what it was about, her writing is poignant and heart breaking and it rips you apart, puts you back together and then rips you apart again. This is I think the third book of hers that I have read and so far I have given all of them 5 stars she is just truly that good.
I loved this, and when I say that I ask you to take caution this story is not easy to read… it covers very very emotional and triggering topics (so take care of TWs) however the way Dean covers it is top shelf. There are some really potentially graphic SA scenes that she handles with such care… you get into the very heart of it without it being so graphic you cannot read it. It is terrifying and emotional.
This story is told in Multi-POV from Isabel and Edward, and multi-timeline, Isabel is in the past going through time as her and Edward got together counting through the incident and then up to current day, whereas Edward tells the story in the current time, through the trial and what is happening in the now. I LOVE THIS!!! It is one of my favourite ways to read a story… it unfolds bit by bit…you do not get it all in one hit and you have to wait a little…
So this is where you have a choice as a reader, if you are impatient and need it all laid out for you then this is not for you. If you do not like multi pov and timeline then this is also not for you… but if you can appreciate a story that is told with care, piece by piece but in a way that you are not told everything you are to understand rather than hear it all… then this will be for you.
I have no criticism of this book, I finished it and knew I would struggle to like the next book I picked up… it ruined me for my next read. AND as I knew I would I blasted through it so quickly. I was a bit sad to finish it but also so impatient to keep reading it… I found myself thinking about it during my work day wishing I could abandon my day to read.
I loved it… it is easily my favourite book of hers, and my favourite book of 2024. I do hope my GR friends (Carol and Rosh in particular) like this one… I would love to discuss.
I think this is going to be one that lives rent free in my mind for a long time and I suspect I will be going back to read it again.
Overall, take note of my points above but this was a slow burn, psychological suspense thriller that is heart breaking and raw… it will infuriate you, shock you and make you sad, but there is some silver linings in there… don’t worry. If you like this author just read it…
Thank you to Viking, NetGalley and Abigail Dean for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. In this case the pleasure is truly all mine!!!
May 20, 2025
Well, this wasn't what I was expecting. The Death of Us by Abigail Dean isn't exactly a psychological thriller or a crime novel; it's more a psychological drama, a character study, the portrait of a marriage after trauma, a love story. However you want to define it, it's very good. I imagine that Dean must have been inspired by America's Golden State Killer, because her home invader follows much of the same trajectory, albeit set in South London. The perpetrator of a terrible series of home invasions, rapes and murders has been caught and has confessed, and now his many victims come to court to give their impact statements. The first timeline of the novel is written as though it is Isabel's statement, detailing her marriage to Edward, the invasion, the aftermath and the consequences. And the second is Edward's following current events in court.
Dean digs very deep into her characters and I felt I knew Isabel and Edward completely, as well as the peripheral characters. It's a slow burn - don't read it expecting a thriller's pace - and all the better for that. Expect a brilliant character study of trauma, grief and survival with an emotional and tender love story at its heart. Definitely a contender for my reads of the year.
Dean digs very deep into her characters and I felt I knew Isabel and Edward completely, as well as the peripheral characters. It's a slow burn - don't read it expecting a thriller's pace - and all the better for that. Expect a brilliant character study of trauma, grief and survival with an emotional and tender love story at its heart. Definitely a contender for my reads of the year.
May 9, 2025
The Death of Us is the story of a marriage turned inside out by a violent encounter. The less said the better in my opinion so I don't recommend reading the synopsis ahead of time.
Abigail Dean's books are anything but ordinary and she's quickly become one of my favourite authors. This story switches between present day and past and is told from the pov's of Isabel and Edward, the married couple whose lives are altered forever by a violent crime. I found it to be very intense and heartbreaking. This is a slow paced story which follows the couple through many years and many changes. 4.5 Stars rounded down, only because I was ready to wrap it up before the book was.
Thanks to Goodreads friend Karly for help in accessng a copy of this novel. I appreciate it so much!
Content Warning: Graphic scenes.
Publication Date: April 15, 2025
Abigail Dean's books are anything but ordinary and she's quickly become one of my favourite authors. This story switches between present day and past and is told from the pov's of Isabel and Edward, the married couple whose lives are altered forever by a violent crime. I found it to be very intense and heartbreaking. This is a slow paced story which follows the couple through many years and many changes. 4.5 Stars rounded down, only because I was ready to wrap it up before the book was.
Thanks to Goodreads friend Karly for help in accessng a copy of this novel. I appreciate it so much!
Content Warning: Graphic scenes.
Publication Date: April 15, 2025
December 26, 2024
ARC for review. To be published April 15, 2025.
Four stars.
When husband and wife Edward and Isabel are both thirty a serial killer and rapist breaks into their home. Their marriage never recovers from this invasion.
Twenty years later the two are reunited for the man’s trial and are forced to face their love that never really ended and all that still binds them. During those years Isabel followed the case obsessively and has met with other survivors. She feels that reading her victim impact statement at the trial will allow her to let the past go.
Meanwhile, Edward has spent those years trying to figure out how nearly losing their lives destroyed their marriage and he dreads reliving that part of the past. How much can love bear?
I found this to be a fascinating set up for a novel, sad, tragic and dark. The author also wrote GIRL A, which I remember enjoying. The whole time I was reading I kept wondering whether my own marriage could survive this, which was surely Dean’s intent. It’s not the easiest read, and the triggers are right out there in front street, but I’m so glad to have read it.
Four stars.
When husband and wife Edward and Isabel are both thirty a serial killer and rapist breaks into their home. Their marriage never recovers from this invasion.
Twenty years later the two are reunited for the man’s trial and are forced to face their love that never really ended and all that still binds them. During those years Isabel followed the case obsessively and has met with other survivors. She feels that reading her victim impact statement at the trial will allow her to let the past go.
Meanwhile, Edward has spent those years trying to figure out how nearly losing their lives destroyed their marriage and he dreads reliving that part of the past. How much can love bear?
I found this to be a fascinating set up for a novel, sad, tragic and dark. The author also wrote GIRL A, which I remember enjoying. The whole time I was reading I kept wondering whether my own marriage could survive this, which was surely Dean’s intent. It’s not the easiest read, and the triggers are right out there in front street, but I’m so glad to have read it.
January 16, 2025
This book starts off where you know the narrator has been a victim of a crime, but you’re not sure what the crime was. She’s also talking to somebody as she’s writing these chapters, and you don’t find out till a short time later who she’s narrating these chapters to.
The crime has been committed, and the chapters are alternating points of view from what appeared to be ex-spouses. The chapters reflect upon the crime and everyone who the crime touched. The victims. The reporters. The police officers. The spouses and families of the victims. But mostly it’s how this crime interfered with a marriage, changed the trajectory of a marriage and left both of them alone and suffering.
It’s a very emotional book but seemed a bit dry to me - the telling of the story through this odd narrative was hard for me at times to enjoy.
Thank you to NetGalley, Abigail Dean and Viking for the e-Arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
The crime has been committed, and the chapters are alternating points of view from what appeared to be ex-spouses. The chapters reflect upon the crime and everyone who the crime touched. The victims. The reporters. The police officers. The spouses and families of the victims. But mostly it’s how this crime interfered with a marriage, changed the trajectory of a marriage and left both of them alone and suffering.
It’s a very emotional book but seemed a bit dry to me - the telling of the story through this odd narrative was hard for me at times to enjoy.
Thank you to NetGalley, Abigail Dean and Viking for the e-Arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
April 11, 2025
Let me talk again, then, about the night you came to our house.
Let me say first that this is not a thriller, not a police procedural or a detective story despite there being a frightening sadistic predator here and a catalogue of terrifying home invasions. The book this reminded me of is Joyce Carol Oates' Rape: A Love Story - another novel which doesn't look away from a heart of darkness but which also pivots the narrative to one of love, of surviving, of finding a way to live in the face of impossible devastation. I wasn't a fan of Dean's Girl A and the maturity and literary control this book shows is wonderful testament to the way she has grown as a writer.
I don't want to give away spoilers here and each reader deserves to make their own journey through this book so I'll just say that there is a flow and fluency to the writing that swept me up immediately; that I believed in these characters and the complicated relationship between Isabel and Edward; and that I was held in the spell of this book, however horrific it is in parts. The attention to the victims of crimes is central with the court scenes focusing on impact statements, not the legal or investigative processess, and I also appreciated the attention to male victims here: with a criminal intent on destroying the relationships between couples, what he does to the men on his brutal spree is different from his treatment of women but as deliberately psychologically torturous and long-lasting.
The pacing seems to get a little drawn out in the last quarter and I was less enamoured of the Nina storyline . Nevertheless, this is a harrowing and dark read that traces a long journey through trauma, pain, emotional devastation to some kind of equilibrium - there's no Disneyfied happy ending, and no pretence that life is fair, that legal justice can make any kind of compensation for lives destroyed - and yet this ends on a note of survival and of a strength between people who have seen and can acknowledge their own ultimate vulnerabilities.
February 18, 2025
3.5
The Death of Us follows the relationship between Edward and Isabel, told via both of their points of view as well as from present and past timelines. They were victims of an in-home invasion and we are introduced to them as they are getting ready to provide their victim impact statements at the sentencing phase of their attacker. This book focuses entirely on their relationship both before the crime and after.
The book is broken up into three parts and part one for me was very difficult to get through. It moved along very slowly, and I was having a hard time connecting to the authors writing style. The prose made it difficult for me to fully invest into the story. Also, we know straight away, who the culprit is as this is the sentencing phase, so there is no mystery on who the attacker was. At this point I almost put it down as I just could not get into it, but I did want to know where it went. I’m glad I stuck with it as part two was much more interesting as it dealt into their early relationship up until that point.
Overall, I think this is a very good book. I just wasn’t the right reader for it. It delves deep into the main characters relationships whether it be the good times or the lowest points possible. For those who really find themselves drawn into books that lean towards more of a character driven novel, this would certainly be for you.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
The Death of Us follows the relationship between Edward and Isabel, told via both of their points of view as well as from present and past timelines. They were victims of an in-home invasion and we are introduced to them as they are getting ready to provide their victim impact statements at the sentencing phase of their attacker. This book focuses entirely on their relationship both before the crime and after.
The book is broken up into three parts and part one for me was very difficult to get through. It moved along very slowly, and I was having a hard time connecting to the authors writing style. The prose made it difficult for me to fully invest into the story. Also, we know straight away, who the culprit is as this is the sentencing phase, so there is no mystery on who the attacker was. At this point I almost put it down as I just could not get into it, but I did want to know where it went. I’m glad I stuck with it as part two was much more interesting as it dealt into their early relationship up until that point.
Overall, I think this is a very good book. I just wasn’t the right reader for it. It delves deep into the main characters relationships whether it be the good times or the lowest points possible. For those who really find themselves drawn into books that lean towards more of a character driven novel, this would certainly be for you.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
August 22, 2025
I’m not sure what to make of this book. Billed as a cross between a psychological suspense and a crime thriller, I found it to be neither. It’s much more of a slow burn character study of a couple whose lives and marriage fell apart after they were assaulted in their home by a serial rapist/killer. Now, 25 years later, the man has been caught, has pled guilty and they are called to give their impact statements. The question at the heart of the book is whether this invasion caused their marriage to break apart or if there were already problems that would have caused its eventual failure. It’s a very sad, dark story and I struggled to engage with it.
The story goes back and forth in time, providing the reader with their background. Isabel’s sections are a letter written to Nigel, the criminal, and speak to the past. Edward’s sections are third person narrative and told from the present POV. It revolves around how the two partners reacted so differently to this event. In a typical male characteristic , Edward keeps everything bottled up and refuses to talk to anyone, even Isabel. I kept wondering if something had happened to him beyond a blow to his masculinity.
As the book went on, I’ll admit to becoming less engaged, not more.
I listened to this and it was not a great audio experience. Not because of the narrators, but just because it was so dark and depressing.
The story goes back and forth in time, providing the reader with their background. Isabel’s sections are a letter written to Nigel, the criminal, and speak to the past. Edward’s sections are third person narrative and told from the present POV. It revolves around how the two partners reacted so differently to this event. In a typical male characteristic , Edward keeps everything bottled up and refuses to talk to anyone, even Isabel. I kept wondering if something had happened to him beyond a blow to his masculinity.
As the book went on, I’ll admit to becoming less engaged, not more.
I listened to this and it was not a great audio experience. Not because of the narrators, but just because it was so dark and depressing.
October 12, 2025
Listened. Both Claire Skinner and John Hopkins were phenomenal.
THIS BOOK GUTTED ME.
I just read through a slew of others' 5-star reviews, hoping to glean/cull/plagiarize the best ways in which to summarize how I felt after listening to this masterpiece. There are a great many terrific in-depth reviews of the story where those readers, aside from professing their justified adoration, mainly focus on:
--the fact that this is not a true "thriller" in the strictest sense of the genre;
--its literary bent;
--Ms. Dean's almost otherworldly grasp of the nature of trauma;
--the story's emotional heft; its poignancy and sadness;
--the fully-rendered main and side characters;
--the skillful, razor-sharp writing.
So I shall not bother to reiterate any of that. Assume it all to be true.
What I find intriguing is that there is barely any mention of the unassailably wicked humor. The banter between Isabel and Edward, particularly in their early days, had me snorting at times. I adore British snark and so so appreciated the smart barbs that were hurled about throughout the telling of this dark tale.
Put simply: although a great mess of books remain on my 2025 TBR list, I have no doubt that I shall proclaim THE DEATH OF US to be the best book (well--AUDIOBOOK since I have no idea how I would have felt if my eyes had taken it all in) of the year.
I wept. I laughed. I snorted (see above). I sighed. I gushed. I reveled. I applauded.
THIS BOOK GUTTED ME.
I just read through a slew of others' 5-star reviews, hoping to glean/cull/plagiarize the best ways in which to summarize how I felt after listening to this masterpiece. There are a great many terrific in-depth reviews of the story where those readers, aside from professing their justified adoration, mainly focus on:
--the fact that this is not a true "thriller" in the strictest sense of the genre;
--its literary bent;
--Ms. Dean's almost otherworldly grasp of the nature of trauma;
--the story's emotional heft; its poignancy and sadness;
--the fully-rendered main and side characters;
--the skillful, razor-sharp writing.
So I shall not bother to reiterate any of that. Assume it all to be true.
What I find intriguing is that there is barely any mention of the unassailably wicked humor. The banter between Isabel and Edward, particularly in their early days, had me snorting at times. I adore British snark and so so appreciated the smart barbs that were hurled about throughout the telling of this dark tale.
Put simply: although a great mess of books remain on my 2025 TBR list, I have no doubt that I shall proclaim THE DEATH OF US to be the best book (well--AUDIOBOOK since I have no idea how I would have felt if my eyes had taken it all in) of the year.
I wept. I laughed. I snorted (see above). I sighed. I gushed. I reveled. I applauded.
June 27, 2025
I didn’t consider reading this book until author Claire Fuller gave it 5 stars. On first inspection—especially the front cover--with the hefty-sized font and title, it looked like a genre crime or police procedural. I thought it was going to be a cousin to Riley Sager or Ruth Ware, or maybe Frieda McFadden. If that is what you are aiming for, don’t read this book. In fact, Abigail Dean writes more like Katie Kitamura or Claire Fuller herself. If you seek a fast-paced and bloody pile-up of bodies, you’ve come to the wrong book. Instead, this is a nuanced examination of a marriage.
The premise centers on a twenty-five year old crime, when a home invasion occurred in Edward and Isabel’s house, and how this event has affected them over the years (they are now divorced). Did it break an already wobbly marriage? Did it shatter a once wonderful union? Or was it to blame for anything in their lives that went wrong? Read it and weep throughout.
The narrative is told in alternating chapters of the couple: Isabel—in first person, but she is talking to the perp, Nigel, telling him what she knows of him, what she thinks of him, and what she wants to happen to him--and Edward, in third person POV. The prose is stunning, the voice elegiac but compelling. This is not a Karin Slaughter genre that aims to exhort us with splatters of blood, sounds of gunshots, or graphic rapes. Sure, some of that is woven in, but the nub of this book is a forensic probe of a traumatized couple, not an overwrought police investigation.
Victims from before and after the home invasion of Edward and Isabel are judiciously drawn into the narrative. Untangling some of these connections takes time and patience (for the reader), as seeds of clues gradually sprout into flourishing revelations. A tenacious detective, Etta, stays in touch with Edward/Isabel and some of the other survivors. She is determined to see this all the way through.
An unusual and gripping first page fastened me to the novel. Instead of opening with a search for the perp, it begins after Nigel has been convicted. The surviving victims are invited to London to give their impact statements in court. Over the course of the novel, we experience how Edward and Isabel first met, their ensuing and offbeat love story, and the fissures in their relationship that expand, rupture, and repair through the years.
I don’t do spoilers; I just wanted to reach out to the right readers for this book. It’s penetrating and messy, like a marriage. There are some “what ifs,” as in what if one of them had married somebody else? I felt wrung out at times—in a good way—this novel is a beast! Open the first page and wake it up!
The premise centers on a twenty-five year old crime, when a home invasion occurred in Edward and Isabel’s house, and how this event has affected them over the years (they are now divorced). Did it break an already wobbly marriage? Did it shatter a once wonderful union? Or was it to blame for anything in their lives that went wrong? Read it and weep throughout.
The narrative is told in alternating chapters of the couple: Isabel—in first person, but she is talking to the perp, Nigel, telling him what she knows of him, what she thinks of him, and what she wants to happen to him--and Edward, in third person POV. The prose is stunning, the voice elegiac but compelling. This is not a Karin Slaughter genre that aims to exhort us with splatters of blood, sounds of gunshots, or graphic rapes. Sure, some of that is woven in, but the nub of this book is a forensic probe of a traumatized couple, not an overwrought police investigation.
Victims from before and after the home invasion of Edward and Isabel are judiciously drawn into the narrative. Untangling some of these connections takes time and patience (for the reader), as seeds of clues gradually sprout into flourishing revelations. A tenacious detective, Etta, stays in touch with Edward/Isabel and some of the other survivors. She is determined to see this all the way through.
An unusual and gripping first page fastened me to the novel. Instead of opening with a search for the perp, it begins after Nigel has been convicted. The surviving victims are invited to London to give their impact statements in court. Over the course of the novel, we experience how Edward and Isabel first met, their ensuing and offbeat love story, and the fissures in their relationship that expand, rupture, and repair through the years.
I don’t do spoilers; I just wanted to reach out to the right readers for this book. It’s penetrating and messy, like a marriage. There are some “what ifs,” as in what if one of them had married somebody else? I felt wrung out at times—in a good way—this novel is a beast! Open the first page and wake it up!
April 26, 2025
I went into The Death of Us expecting a thriller, but it turned out to be so much more. It’s a character study of grief, trauma, and survival. Abigail Dean doesn’t just tell a story; she digs into the rawest parts of being human and somehow finds something hopeful buried inside it.
Edward and Isabel’s pain felt so real it hurt to read. The writing is vivid and relentless, and there were moments that stayed with me long after I finished.
This isn’t an easy book, but it’s an unforgettable one. It gutted me in the best way, and I can’t recommend it enough.
Edward and Isabel’s pain felt so real it hurt to read. The writing is vivid and relentless, and there were moments that stayed with me long after I finished.
This isn’t an easy book, but it’s an unforgettable one. It gutted me in the best way, and I can’t recommend it enough.
May 11, 2025
Definitely missed the memo on this one. I was so excited to read this that I bought it new in hardcover. However, I feel this was incorrectly marketed as a thriller and it was nowhere near a thriller. It was a very slow burn of a character study of a married couple who survived a tragedy and what their life looks like now. And that’s it. Nothing really happens besides them describing their lives now and they also go back in time to describing how they got married. Just a big fat no thanks.
May 11, 2025
This is a beautifully written book that explores the pre cursors and aftermath over a number of years after a violent home invasion and rape. The undercurrents of grief, sadness, helplessness and anger are intertwined in the two main characters’ points of view in the lead up to the trial of the perpetrator. This is a powerful read which deserves all the accolades it has received. It’s utterly heartbreaking and uplifting, all at the same time.
March 23, 2025
This is not your typical serial killer story. In fact, it is a love story, it is a survival story, it is an emotional roller coaster. If you have read Abigail Dean before you will know that she has a unique style and is very much character oriented in her stories. It is a slow burning tale but believe me when I tell you that you will not want to put it down. I read this in less than 24 hours, completely invested from start to finish.
Isobel and Edward were happy and in love when one night changed everything. Their home is invaded and they are attacked by the man in the mask. This is the story of Isobel and Edward, before and after the invasion. It breaks them, it brings them together. But things can never be the same. 25 years later they reunite to face their attacker in court for his sentencing, finally being caught after terrorising the capital for so many years.
This is highly emotional as you would expect. People react differently to trauma and things don’t always make sense. It is hard to read in places, but it does have its bright spots. I thoroughly enjoyed it .
Thank you so much Harper Collins Australia, Book Buzz for my advanced copy to read. Releases April 2nd
Isobel and Edward were happy and in love when one night changed everything. Their home is invaded and they are attacked by the man in the mask. This is the story of Isobel and Edward, before and after the invasion. It breaks them, it brings them together. But things can never be the same. 25 years later they reunite to face their attacker in court for his sentencing, finally being caught after terrorising the capital for so many years.
This is highly emotional as you would expect. People react differently to trauma and things don’t always make sense. It is hard to read in places, but it does have its bright spots. I thoroughly enjoyed it .
Thank you so much Harper Collins Australia, Book Buzz for my advanced copy to read. Releases April 2nd
May 5, 2025
I really wanted to love this book! I think the IT factor was missing for me. It didn’t have it, unfortunately. The setting was poorly done so I had a hard time remembering characters and their traits and how they all intertwined. The audio did have a dual male female narration so at least that was enjoyable. But sadly, it missed the mark for me.
January 22, 2026
A powerful, layered and compelling crime thriller, with slow-burn psychological suspense.
This absorbing story follows the lives of Isabel and Edward, before and after their home is invaded by a serial killer. More than twenty years after the attack, they reunite as their attacker is sentenced in court. This character-driven tale explores fractured relationships, residual trauma, and the struggle for survival.
While dark, this was a very interesting read, and I am looking forward to reading more from Abigal Dean in the future.
This absorbing story follows the lives of Isabel and Edward, before and after their home is invaded by a serial killer. More than twenty years after the attack, they reunite as their attacker is sentenced in court. This character-driven tale explores fractured relationships, residual trauma, and the struggle for survival.
While dark, this was a very interesting read, and I am looking forward to reading more from Abigal Dean in the future.
June 15, 2025
Engrossing and moving, a crime novel that digs deep into its characters. You may not expect this book about the impacts of a terrible crime to be just as much about marriage but it does both deftly.
There are some trappings here of a more traditional crime novel, something full of suspense. We have two narratives on different timelines--Isabel covers a span of decades following the entirety of her marriage, while Edward focuses solely on a few days far in the future--and Isabel's section is almost like a victim impact statement, as if she is talking directly to the man who has made her a victim. But while this may give it the look of a thriller (and while the jacket copy may call it one) this really isn't. (There is a little bit of a C plot that feels tacked on, but it isn't enough to brand this a Thriller.) This is a psychological drama, a character study. We know from almost the beginning what the crime is and who committed it and that the perpetrator has been caught. So there is no real suspense. And yet Dean expertly creates tension throughout the story as we see how differently this crime affected Isabel and Edward.
At its heart, this is a story about how men struggle to deal with trauma. At first this may feel mostly like Isabel's story, but over time it becomes Edward's more and more. To the extent that there are real questions it is all around Edward's experience, one he does not share with Isabel. We also see not just Edward but the other male victims insist that their lives are fine or become devoted to vigilantism. That the crimes committed against them were specifically made to humiliate them only heightens all of this.
This was an incredibly satisfying read, especially in a year that has been pretty mediocre in crime fiction. Audio was also strong. Note that there are several rapes in the book, and mostly they are off the page but there are occasional details given and it is a constant theme throughout.
There are some trappings here of a more traditional crime novel, something full of suspense. We have two narratives on different timelines--Isabel covers a span of decades following the entirety of her marriage, while Edward focuses solely on a few days far in the future--and Isabel's section is almost like a victim impact statement, as if she is talking directly to the man who has made her a victim. But while this may give it the look of a thriller (and while the jacket copy may call it one) this really isn't. (There is a little bit of a C plot that feels tacked on, but it isn't enough to brand this a Thriller.) This is a psychological drama, a character study. We know from almost the beginning what the crime is and who committed it and that the perpetrator has been caught. So there is no real suspense. And yet Dean expertly creates tension throughout the story as we see how differently this crime affected Isabel and Edward.
At its heart, this is a story about how men struggle to deal with trauma. At first this may feel mostly like Isabel's story, but over time it becomes Edward's more and more. To the extent that there are real questions it is all around Edward's experience, one he does not share with Isabel. We also see not just Edward but the other male victims insist that their lives are fine or become devoted to vigilantism. That the crimes committed against them were specifically made to humiliate them only heightens all of this.
This was an incredibly satisfying read, especially in a year that has been pretty mediocre in crime fiction. Audio was also strong. Note that there are several rapes in the book, and mostly they are off the page but there are occasional details given and it is a constant theme throughout.
January 8, 2025
I enjoyed the parallels between this and the golden state killer but overall I found it slow, dry, and too retrospective.
May 8, 2025
A character study in trauma and how two people experiencing a violent attack handle it differently.
25 years ago, Edward and Isabel were targeted by the South London Invader, a serial killer who has terrorized the area for decades. A former police officer, he started with stalking and vulgarly, working his way up to rape and then murder. Isabel was sexually assaulted and they were terrorized on one night that changed everything.
The book is multi- POV; Isabel is writing a victim impact statement and writing in second person directly to her attacker. Edward is writing from the present, they are now divorced due to the aftermath of the attack. And they were on the earlier end of Nigel’s reign of terror, as he murdered 9 people in the years after their attack.
This was very dark and thought provoking. I was expecting a mystery/thriller and this was neither mysterious nor thrilling. It was more or less a book about human behavior and how this experience split up a happy couple. We know who the attacker is from the beginning and that the marriage hasn’t survived, so it is not suspenseful.
That said, it was still dark and sad, and gives the reader a journey through the madness of victims and how they connect with their attacker.
TW: on page sexual assault, murder, violence, stalking.
25 years ago, Edward and Isabel were targeted by the South London Invader, a serial killer who has terrorized the area for decades. A former police officer, he started with stalking and vulgarly, working his way up to rape and then murder. Isabel was sexually assaulted and they were terrorized on one night that changed everything.
The book is multi- POV; Isabel is writing a victim impact statement and writing in second person directly to her attacker. Edward is writing from the present, they are now divorced due to the aftermath of the attack. And they were on the earlier end of Nigel’s reign of terror, as he murdered 9 people in the years after their attack.
This was very dark and thought provoking. I was expecting a mystery/thriller and this was neither mysterious nor thrilling. It was more or less a book about human behavior and how this experience split up a happy couple. We know who the attacker is from the beginning and that the marriage hasn’t survived, so it is not suspenseful.
That said, it was still dark and sad, and gives the reader a journey through the madness of victims and how they connect with their attacker.
TW: on page sexual assault, murder, violence, stalking.
May 18, 2025
This is the third book I’ve read by Abigail Dean, and I honestly think her books are shelved under the wrong genres. Yes, there’s crime involved, but they’re not really thrillers or suspense novels. What she does so well is write beautifully and with real empathy about the long-term impact of trauma—how it affects people in very different, very human ways. Her focus is much more on the emotional and psychological aftermath than on the crime itself.
Her characters always feel real and fully developed, and the writing is absolutely stunning. That said, I found this story quite upsetting and pretty heavy in places—it left me feeling a bit low.
The Story: Edward and Isabel meet when they’re nineteen. At thirty, their home is broken into by a man who later becomes a notorious serial killer. Now in their fifties, they come back together for his sentencing—and are forced to face the truth about what really happened that night.
Her characters always feel real and fully developed, and the writing is absolutely stunning. That said, I found this story quite upsetting and pretty heavy in places—it left me feeling a bit low.
The Story: Edward and Isabel meet when they’re nineteen. At thirty, their home is broken into by a man who later becomes a notorious serial killer. Now in their fifties, they come back together for his sentencing—and are forced to face the truth about what really happened that night.
July 8, 2025
I have read any number of literary serial killer books in my lifetime – and yes, the category does exist. Those books include Wolf at the Table by Adam Rapp, about a family harboring a serial killer in their midst, A Tiny Upward Shove by Melissa Chadburn that traces the journey of two of society’s castoffs as they make their way to each other as criminal and victim, and Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka, a novel that explores the aftermath of a serial killer’s actions through the perspectives of women connected to him.
All were quite good. But I have never, ever, read a tour de force like Abigail Dean’s The Death of Us. In a remarkable feat, the author defines what may be the most intimate and enduring relationship a woman might ever experience – the relationship between her and her rapist and potential killer – and how it adds an unwanted third party to a one-time happy marriage.
Abigail and Edward are at a good point in their marriage. Certainly, it is not perfect – no marriage ever really is – but it’s built on love and caring. And then, in the middle of the night, a serial rapist, whose feats have been reported on often by local media, gets into their home in the middle of the night. For over five hours, he brutally rapes and abuses Abigail while Edward is brought to another room. We do not know for quite some time what psychological horrors Edward endured that night.
We meet up with this couple after a few decades, when the perpetrator, who has graduated to killing, is finally brought to justice and the victims are brought together to share impact statements before sentencing. His name is Nigel Wood. We know this because right from the start, Abigail addresses her chapter to him, using the “you” pronoun. For example, she reflects, “There was no exorcising you, Nigel. You changed the way I walked home on a Friday evening. You changed the taste of wine, the plot of a novel, the confidence of Edward’s hands.” As the novel progresses, Nigel is always inside her, constantly directing how she thinks, reacts, feels, and experiences herself. The only one who can possibly understand is Etta, the detective who is initially assigned to the case.
Abigail’s chapters are always written in the past, as she recalls what happened and the resulting years. “I wasn’t friendless, but I was entirely alone,” she says. Edward’s chapters are firmly linked to the present – the up-and-coming victim statements. Through the years, he has given himself back to the business of living, running from the demons that haunt him including his powerlessness that fatal night.
The Death of Us is not a “serial murder” story. It is a story of love, a story of two people who, despite small cruelties and bigger mistakes, in spite of a shattering night that changed everything, manage to triumph. Not completely, of course – nothing will erase Nigel’s connection. But in a most essential way, choosing to live despite him. This novel, filled with psychological insights and complexity, gives us a glimpse of the stories we tell ourselves to struggle forward.
All were quite good. But I have never, ever, read a tour de force like Abigail Dean’s The Death of Us. In a remarkable feat, the author defines what may be the most intimate and enduring relationship a woman might ever experience – the relationship between her and her rapist and potential killer – and how it adds an unwanted third party to a one-time happy marriage.
Abigail and Edward are at a good point in their marriage. Certainly, it is not perfect – no marriage ever really is – but it’s built on love and caring. And then, in the middle of the night, a serial rapist, whose feats have been reported on often by local media, gets into their home in the middle of the night. For over five hours, he brutally rapes and abuses Abigail while Edward is brought to another room. We do not know for quite some time what psychological horrors Edward endured that night.
We meet up with this couple after a few decades, when the perpetrator, who has graduated to killing, is finally brought to justice and the victims are brought together to share impact statements before sentencing. His name is Nigel Wood. We know this because right from the start, Abigail addresses her chapter to him, using the “you” pronoun. For example, she reflects, “There was no exorcising you, Nigel. You changed the way I walked home on a Friday evening. You changed the taste of wine, the plot of a novel, the confidence of Edward’s hands.” As the novel progresses, Nigel is always inside her, constantly directing how she thinks, reacts, feels, and experiences herself. The only one who can possibly understand is Etta, the detective who is initially assigned to the case.
Abigail’s chapters are always written in the past, as she recalls what happened and the resulting years. “I wasn’t friendless, but I was entirely alone,” she says. Edward’s chapters are firmly linked to the present – the up-and-coming victim statements. Through the years, he has given himself back to the business of living, running from the demons that haunt him including his powerlessness that fatal night.
The Death of Us is not a “serial murder” story. It is a story of love, a story of two people who, despite small cruelties and bigger mistakes, in spite of a shattering night that changed everything, manage to triumph. Not completely, of course – nothing will erase Nigel’s connection. But in a most essential way, choosing to live despite him. This novel, filled with psychological insights and complexity, gives us a glimpse of the stories we tell ourselves to struggle forward.
April 8, 2025
Devastating, dark, and almost unbearably eloquent.
At the age of thirty, Isabel and Edward became the latest victims attacked in their own home by a perpetrator dubbed "the South London Invader". Though they both survived the night - unlike the Invader's subsequent victims -, their scars borne after hours of torture became a fault line in their marriage that eventually lead to their separation and divorce. 28 years after their ordeal, Isabel and Edward reunite at the trial of the South London Invader, who has finally been caught.
Their story is revealed through alternating storylines: Isabel's words, told in first person and addressing their attacker, start in 1990 when she first met Edward, detailing the decades-long progression of their love and the eventual derailment of their relationship; and Edward's perspective, in third person, begins at the start of the trial. The two different styles of storytelling were incredibly effective and helped the overall narrative merge together flawlessly once the two timelines finally met up.
If you are looking for a mere psychological thriller, "The Death of Us" might not be a good fit - it is so much more than that. While the book is absolutely nerve-wrecking, its suspense doesn't stem from a clever whodunnit with unforeseeable twists, a thrilling police procedural chasing the perpetrator, or even the actual crime, but from the inevitability of the wreckage left in its wake which is clear from the start: the death of a marriage, which you know from the outset is doomed because of the violence Isabel and Edward will encounter, and all that will ensue from that night.
That this is a difficult read is a testament to the author's immense talent of immersing the reader in the story. Survivors of sexual assault in particular will recognize themselves all too well in the myriad of Isabel's emotions and the way she deals with her trauma. And yet, despite its dark subject matter, "The Death of Us" is, at its heart, a love story that is both deeply moving and never fully without hope.
I was absolutely stunned (and shattered) by this book. It hit very close to home for me, forcing me to read it slowly and take frequent breaks, but I could not recommend it more. "The Death of Us" is devastating in its emotional impact, almost unbearably eloquent, and flawless in its execution.
Many thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Viking Penguin for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
"The Death of Us" is slated to be released on April 15, 2025.
At the age of thirty, Isabel and Edward became the latest victims attacked in their own home by a perpetrator dubbed "the South London Invader". Though they both survived the night - unlike the Invader's subsequent victims -, their scars borne after hours of torture became a fault line in their marriage that eventually lead to their separation and divorce. 28 years after their ordeal, Isabel and Edward reunite at the trial of the South London Invader, who has finally been caught.
Their story is revealed through alternating storylines: Isabel's words, told in first person and addressing their attacker, start in 1990 when she first met Edward, detailing the decades-long progression of their love and the eventual derailment of their relationship; and Edward's perspective, in third person, begins at the start of the trial. The two different styles of storytelling were incredibly effective and helped the overall narrative merge together flawlessly once the two timelines finally met up.
If you are looking for a mere psychological thriller, "The Death of Us" might not be a good fit - it is so much more than that. While the book is absolutely nerve-wrecking, its suspense doesn't stem from a clever whodunnit with unforeseeable twists, a thrilling police procedural chasing the perpetrator, or even the actual crime, but from the inevitability of the wreckage left in its wake which is clear from the start: the death of a marriage, which you know from the outset is doomed because of the violence Isabel and Edward will encounter, and all that will ensue from that night.
That this is a difficult read is a testament to the author's immense talent of immersing the reader in the story. Survivors of sexual assault in particular will recognize themselves all too well in the myriad of Isabel's emotions and the way she deals with her trauma. And yet, despite its dark subject matter, "The Death of Us" is, at its heart, a love story that is both deeply moving and never fully without hope.
I was absolutely stunned (and shattered) by this book. It hit very close to home for me, forcing me to read it slowly and take frequent breaks, but I could not recommend it more. "The Death of Us" is devastating in its emotional impact, almost unbearably eloquent, and flawless in its execution.
Many thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Viking Penguin for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
"The Death of Us" is slated to be released on April 15, 2025.
April 12, 2025
4.5 ⭐️ Chilling, emotional, gripping story of the aftermath of an attack by a rapist/serial killer, whose escalating crimes remind me of the Golden State Killer.
Isabel and Joseph are 30 years old, in love, happily married, successful, when the crime occurs. The story focuses on the devastating toll on their marriage. What the author does well without going into the gory details of the assault, is focus on the life altering, lingering trauma the couple carries.
Told in alternating chapters with Isabel’s voice in the past addressing the attacker before his capture, and Joseph’s in the present. Clever writing, sad at times, but also a touching, satisfying ending. I highly recommend!
#TheDeathOfUs #NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley and Viking Publishing for the eARC in exchange for my honest review
Isabel and Joseph are 30 years old, in love, happily married, successful, when the crime occurs. The story focuses on the devastating toll on their marriage. What the author does well without going into the gory details of the assault, is focus on the life altering, lingering trauma the couple carries.
Told in alternating chapters with Isabel’s voice in the past addressing the attacker before his capture, and Joseph’s in the present. Clever writing, sad at times, but also a touching, satisfying ending. I highly recommend!
#TheDeathOfUs #NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley and Viking Publishing for the eARC in exchange for my honest review
December 15, 2025
A powerful and effortlessly captivating read. Described as a thought-provoking story of survival, The Death of Us follows a couple whose lives are forever torn apart, both during and decades after a brutal home invasion.
When their attacker is caught, it’s finally time to tell the story of that night.. not to the world.. or to the man who did it.. but to each other. Man, this one really took me by surprise. It’s been on my radar for such a long time and I definitely already had high hopes — but it’s still somehow managed to exceed them.
This is a slow burn, it flicks back in time often to properly introduce us to characters, and is absolutely worth seeing through until the very last page. After part 1, I could’ve believed that these were real people and that this book was non-fiction. Such intricately crafted backstories that eventually lead to present day, it’s pretty hard not to care for these characters and I quickly found myself emotionally invested in their lives.
4.5 stars. This is definitely one of my favourites from 2025 so far. I will be reading her other books soon for sure.
When their attacker is caught, it’s finally time to tell the story of that night.. not to the world.. or to the man who did it.. but to each other. Man, this one really took me by surprise. It’s been on my radar for such a long time and I definitely already had high hopes — but it’s still somehow managed to exceed them.
This is a slow burn, it flicks back in time often to properly introduce us to characters, and is absolutely worth seeing through until the very last page. After part 1, I could’ve believed that these were real people and that this book was non-fiction. Such intricately crafted backstories that eventually lead to present day, it’s pretty hard not to care for these characters and I quickly found myself emotionally invested in their lives.
4.5 stars. This is definitely one of my favourites from 2025 so far. I will be reading her other books soon for sure.
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