This is book caught me completely by surprise. A love story in so many directions at once, and an absolute masterclass in character study. It feels wrong somehow to say I enjoyed it, given the visceral horror that runs through it, but I absolutely could not put it down. There's a line near the end about Isabel worrying Edward would go hungry in the hospital that I've cried actual tears at, spontaneously, more than once, over a week after finishing the book. It's so tender and considerate and... god. Just stunning.

This is a gripping and emotionally hard hitting story about a couple, one of whom is raped in their home while the other feels powerless to intervene (whether or not that was actually the case).

It is about how their lives were torn asunder into the time before and the time after the attack. While Edward appears to have coped in some way, Isabel is far more traumatized by what happened.

The novel looks at the long term effects of such an attack, and also how similar experiences impact different individuals very differently. The pacing is not ideal as the story does in fact start slowly but it becomes more interesting as the reader moves forward. An insightful read, overall.

I absolutely loved Abigail Dean’s novels, Girl A and Day One, so I jumped at the opportunity to read The Death of Us through NetGalley.
It certainly did not disappoint and had the same gripping, emotional style that I expected. The story focuses on a group of people who have gone through violent attacks by the same man, and their subsequent reactions to the trauma he caused them.
The only criticism I have is that I felt the novel progressed rather slowly for my liking, but overall, a brilliantly written piece of fiction.

This book was a great read a little hard to get into but that’s the way it reads I loved the way it all came together and made the central character tell her story through her eyes and her partners. A devastating thing to happen to anyone and how they cope as a couple both together and seperatly. I loved the way that despite all that happened they ended up together. One more tick and can’t wait for her next book

I hadn't read anything by this author before and I didn't really read much of the blurb about it, but I was blown away by the book and had great difficulty putting it down once I got into it. The story is one we have probably read before - a woman is raped in her own home, her partner is powerless to do anything. But this takes the long view of how the impact just keeps on reverberating through the years and the relationship from 'before' years to the 'after' ones for Isabel and Edward the couple. I'm not sure the timings are clear (deliberately so I think) but we hear from Isabel more than Edward about the impact on them and how she seems to have struggled more in the years after. She was the one raped, he was in another room listening. He could possibly have done something, but didn't. We are given no details about this other than the facts and his feelings of guilt, although he seems able to move on from this where Isabel's ordeal has almost overcome her completely for decades. The novel touches on the other people who have been through the same thing as them, at the hands of the same rapist and later murderer, but there is little comfort there for anyone as they all react differently. They support a young girl who has been orphaned by the murderer and that gives them some light in seeing her grown up strong with their help, but it's not enough. The story isn't overblown, if anything it's underwritten to leave the reader's understanding to do the rest. There is very little description of the rape itself thankfully, it's about the people - the couple and the rapist. We don't hear from the rapist himself, but his attitude is clear from Isabel's view point and what happens in the eventual court case many years later. Both Isabel and Edward continue and make big successes of their very different careers, but Isabel gets no comfort from this and no resolution. It's easy to think that if you aren't killed or injured badly by something then you can get over it, but the writer makes the point that it depends what your starting point is before the events. I found it a very sombre book and it makes very serious points about long lasting trauma.

I don’t think words can express just how much I loved this book… It is unbelievably fantastic. From the wonderful characters and the way the story plays out, to the superb writing style, there is literally nothing I didn’t like about this book. Heartwarming, devastating and so cleverly written, I was absolutely hooked from beginning to end,
I cannot wait to read everything from Abigail Dean from now on. I’m so happy this is my first book of 2025, I’ll be raving about it for a long time to come.

I first came across Abigail Dean when I read Girl A and loved it so I had pretty high expectations for this one. This is a gripping and emotionally charged book that explores human relationships and the impact trauma has on the people involved. This book revolves around Edward and Isabel, a married couple living in London when a serial killer and rapist breaks into their home. Years later, they reunite for the man’s trial.

This book is tragic and dark and everything I expected it to be. It shows exactly how complex and messy life can be whilst remaining true to who the characters are. The book alternates between Edward and Isabel’s views and between present day and the past. I did find it easy to follow because each section has the description of who’s POV it is and when the time period is. These changes in POV also act as chapters as the book isn’t written as chapter 1, 2, 3 etc but as passages instead.

I found it hard to get into the book initially as a lot of Isabel’s POV is aimed at ‘you’ and it took me a while to realise that she was talking to the man that attacked her. Once I grasped this idea, it didn’t take long for me to get into it and not want to put it down. I also felt that the ending felt abrupt to me. I would have liked it to go on further and was left wanting more but I guess too much of a good thing isn’t always good.

Abigail Dean’s The Death of Us is a haunting and beautifully written exploration of trauma, grief, and the fragile bonds of family. Dean masterfully unravels a gripping, emotionally charged story that keeps you questioning every character’s truth. The prose is as sharp as it is poignant, with twists that hit like a gut punch. It’s a thought-provoking and unflinching look at the secrets we keep and the scars they leave behind. A must-read for fans of dark, psychological fiction.

Wow. I've been a fan of both Dean's previous books so came to this with high expectations. On a sentence-level, it's just stunning. Shocking, moving and really unforgettable. I'm still thinking about this books weeks after finishing it. I don't know how she does it

I first discovered Abigail Dean through NetGalley and I am so grateful for the opportunity to review yet another book. Beautifully written and truly a masterpiece.

This was incredible. A truly magnificent read. It's a study of love and marriage and the effect of outside forces on relationships. Told through the present and the past, I absolutely adored hearing the different voices and seeing how Isabel and Edward adapted and changed and what parts of them remained the same. The story behind it all, of the invasion of their home and person and the ongoing trial of the perpetrator in the present is gripping. It's just so wonderfully done, everything weaving together really skillfully, I looked forward to reading it every night and am so sorry to be finished it now. If I could give more than five stars, I would.

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.

Actual Rating: 4.5

Anyone whose picked up a book by Abigail Dean before will already be aware of how vividly emotive and unique her approach to the thriller genre is. Her novels have a tendency to utterly captivate a reader whilst telling a tale that takes a different route to most within the crowd. And ’The Death Of Us’ is probably the hardest of her books to categorise yet. It’s undeniably a vividly compelling narrative surrounding the aftermath, and eventual trial, of a horrific crime yet something about this one feels closer to literary fiction than a thriller offering on the whole. This isn’t a bad thing by any means, just something readers should be aware of in advance.

Like always Abigail Dean’s writing instantly reeled me in and left me unable to pull myself away from the pages of this book. It starts off with a section in Isabel’s perspective which immediately got its claws beneath my skin. Her chapters are written as if she’s speaking to her attacker, talking in a surprisingly intimate manner that feels almost conversational but is deeply personal at the same time. Alternating around these chapters are those of Edward which offer additional insight into their past as well as covering the present timeline at the trial itself. Having these two viewpoints works wonders for keeping you invested and offering slightly different insights into certain moments in time. Over the course of both narrative voices events are revealed that you can’t help but form some degree of judgement over, yet later on further light tends to get shed that makes you see things in a whole different manner. It’s a deeply emotive and layered journey that is utterly compelling to unravel.

One thing that I particularly like about ’The Death Of Us’ is how complex, messy and true to life it’s characters feel. They make mistakes, they have problems of their own and although the invasion that they suffer through naturally has a catastrophic impact upon them, their attacker isn’t the only defining feature of their lives. Both have problems and struggles that existed prior to his entry into their lives. Both feel utterly fleshed out and believable. And both struggle through and react to the horrific invasion that they were victims of in a highly believable manner.

As you’d probably imagine from the premise this isn’t the easiest of reads as it deals with some very dark and difficult subject matters. What I always appreciate about this author’s books though is that she does so in such an emotive and moving way. Nothing dark and grisly is shied away from but it’s generally covered in a manner that puts the focus on the emotional impact of such horrors. Nothing is sensationalised simply for the sake of it. Although I will say that in this particular book I do think a few more details could have been shared. Not about the invasion at Isabel and Edward’s home but instead about some of the murders that followed. Not in a gory manner either, it’s just that the culprit’s crimes were escalating but very little was said about most of those later invasions. Given some of the action towards the end I think a couple more insights could have been beneficial too. Although it is hard to say exactly how they’d fit as ultimately this novel is what its title promises – the collapse of a marriage after a horrific crime.

Ultimately I recommend ’The Death Of Us’, particularly to anyone who wants a thriller that focuses more on the impact of crime than on the atrocities themselves. It’s a beautifully written and harrowing tale about the devastating events surrounding a horrific home invasion. At times it’s difficult to read given its dark subject matter but the manner that it’s written in is utterly compelling throughout. And its character work is simply phenomenal. Needless to say I can’t wait to see what the author writes next.

A fantastic thriller that had me gripped from the beginning. It's told from the point of view of the two main characters. Tragic, twisted. I loved this til the very end when I was gobsmacked. Definitely recommend.
Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy

"The Death of Us" by Abigail Dean is a horrifically brilliant book. Perhaps not as harrowing as her previous two books but the topic covered (home invasion) is bound to upset some readers. As you read on and the plot unfolds, you get to know the wonderful cast of characters. I loved that through the tragedy they were able to find love, comfort and a family in each other.

This was heartbreaking, heartwarming, gritty, bleak, and quite terrifying in parts.
I was so invested from the start, I loved the fact a lot of the narration was Isabel talking to her attacker. It really hammered home how something like that stays with the victims for the rest of their lives, and the impact that has on every aspect of their lives.
A brilliant book that deserves every one of the five stars I've given it.

An achingly beautiful yet tormented love story which follows the lives and relationship of Isabel and Edward, before, during and after they fall victim to a notorious serial killer. This was a slow read which is something I struggled with at times, simply because my usual preference is the twists and turns of thrillers but it was well worth the journey. The character development is fantastic and the author writes so beautifully that it's hard not to keep turning the pages, even when not much is happening at all because despite their flaws, you have such a deep-rooted connection with the two protagonists and what they have been through. I would agree with other readers that the ending felt too sudden for my liking and I yearned for more.

A really powerful and shocking book. A true thriller even you know who the perpetrator is, it goes back in time in flashbacks and more horror unfolds each time. The story captures the aftermath of experiencing sexual violence and how it affects a couple and their relationship.

Although this book is extremely well written I found it hard to get into at the beginning and it really wasn’t the sort of book for me. The issue of trauma was handled beautifully but I didn’t find Isabel a very likeable character.

The Death of us by Abigail Dean
⭐⭐⭐⭐⚡ 4.5/5

Pub Date 10th April 2025

I read this in under 48 hrs!!! That's always the sign of a fantastic read as I'm not the speediest of readers!

In a nutshell 🥜
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.

Abigail Dean is a fantastic writer. Akin to her fantastic novel "Day One", she takes a traumatic event and gradually reveals to us the heartbreaking and life altering effects on the victims. Told from Edward's POV in present day and Isobel's POV in the past this slow burning, yet addictive story really held me from start to finish.