An absolutely incredible read - Abigail Dean has done it again, I literally could not put this down! Told from the perspective of victims of a serial rapist and killer, it lays the characters and all of their flaws bare, in a similar way to Girl A, and I was both rooting for and shouting at Isabel and Edward, the main characters. I cannot wait for Abigail Dean's next book!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

A dark mystery about the long term impact of severe crime on victims. I liked the premise but the two timelines and Isabel "writing" to her offender got in the way of some tender writing. I did not like Isabel and Edwards relationship.and as people they lacked warmth. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Wow, this book was so extremely powerful. I was gripped from the start.
There's a lot of darkness to read about including murder and rape, but I think it genuinely gets the feelings of the victims across, like nothing else I've read.
Its a mix of a crime novel, & a love story, following Isobel and Edward, who are attacked in their own home.
I think this book will stay with me for a long time.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

**read electronic book and listened to the audiobook also**


I have found Abigail Dean really hit and miss - and unfortunately this was a real miss. I was so desperate to like this book. Feel its been given so much hype and lots of people have loved this book. Whereas I just couldn't get into it!!
I tried numerous time, and even the audiobook.
I didn't like the narrator... and found the opening really lack lustre too.

Maybe I will try again later down the line, but for now... I just couldn't keep going with it.

What a cracking, emotionally weighty novel. I devoured this raw wound of a tale as I was anxious to see how it would end. I was not disappointed as it has left quite a mark on me.

In The Death of Us we are introduced to Isabel and Edward, who were once married to each other. Their story unfolds in phases in this novel narrated as a one-sided conversation from Isabel to the man destroyed their happy existence when he invaded their home years earlier. We learn of Isabel and Edward's early lives, when they met, and hopscotch through their life together up until the night they encounter the South London Invader in their home. From there it is a painful story of the emotional wounds they must cope with and how it leads to the end of their marriage. Tough reading but it felt so honest as the after effects of such a traumatic event linger far longer than the one might wish.

What I enjoyed most was the way their lives, so closely entwined, break apart but still retain a distant closeness as Edward goes on to remarry. The life they envisioned did not not come to pass but what they gained, in the relationships with other survivors of the South London Invader and the police investigator, added a different kind of richness to their lives. Raw and difficult to process, at time, but slowly hope brings positive change.

This is a powerful story of suffering and redemption, too. I haven't read anything quite like it in a while and feel changed by its message of human resilience.

I finished this book a couple of days ago and couldn’t do my review straight away as I didn’t know what to say.
Wow, everyone should read this - I was left a bit speechless 😶
This is the best book by Abigail Dean so far.
A story of undeniable love and what happens after an awful event that would destroy any relationship and the ending was perfect.
Although this to me in a way is a crime book it is also a love story - I cried !!
Another on my best book list for 2025.
Thank you x

I love books by this author so I took this away to read on holiday. I was immediately immersed in this extremely dark story.
The story is narrated by Isabel and her husband Nathan. They have been happily married for a long time when they suffer a horrific intrusion and gruelling attack by a serial killer. The story goes back and forth to before and after the attack, from when they first met to the years after it.
They were such well written, believable characters and it was easy to emphasise with both of them. Their lives and love are so brilliantly portrayed and vividly brought to life.

I found this slow at the start, and I had difficulty getting into the book and relating to the characters. In part, I think it was because Isabel’s chapters are written in the form of a victim impact statement, addressing her assailant directly.

I did get past this - the chapters talking about their past, how Isabel and Edward met and fell in love, really pulled me in. Although I still didn’t find them relatable (well-off, successful at a young age, and carefree), their love story was interesting, and I became intrigued to find out what had happened to them.
The present-day chapters that dealt with their strained post-divorce relationship, the trial of their assailant, and their unresolved issues were tense and sad.

This is a book that’s disturbing and at times upsetting. Not an easy read, and definitely a slow burn, but one that examines love and trauma, and will make readers question what they would do in Isabel and Edward’s place.

I don‘t think I loved this as much as many early reviewers, but it *is* very good. Like the author‘s previous two books it takes a horrific situation but deals more with the emotions around it, rather than explicitly covering the crime / event itself. (Doesn‘t mean it‘s not scary as hell though!) 😧 😱

Isabel and Edward suffered a terrible crime and are now forced to confront what happened to their relationship then, and in the decades since.

Isabel and Edward are an affluent young couple living in Camberwell Grove then their lives are ripped apart. The South London Invader attacks them one night, Isabel assaulted and Edward powerless to help. The police have DNA but no match and the perpetrator goes on to kill nine other people. Twenty years later and a man had been caught and confessed, the victims are invited to court to give their statements prior to sentencing. For Isabel and Edward a chance to reconnect.
This book is absolutely brilliant! I can't really praise it highly enough. As a story about the love between two people it is kind and honest, as a crime novel it is intricately plotted and as a psychological novel it is tense and not sensational. That idea of a lack of sensationalism is something that Dean does incredibly well, her previous novel (day One) and this take events that are horrific but they are not detailed, they are alluded to, they are skimmed over, there are a few dispassionate details given but they are not the focus. Here, the aftermath and the years of suffering are the focus and it is a generous, coruscating and balanced story.

Abigail Dean’s third novel was published this week and from my own perspective, it’s a return to the form she showed in her first novel Girl A. Her second novel Day One was a bit of a mess I felt, but The Death of Us is a well put-together and interesting story that kept me turning pages. It’s not a thriller as such, but rather a love story and a tale of survival with a cat-and-mouse element to the backstory.

Isabel and Edward are a couple who survived a horrific assault when a serial attacker (turned killer) invaded their London home many years prior. The attacker who becomes known as the South London Invader went on to be caught and is standing trial, and Isabel and Edward are reunited in London to attend the trial and provide victim impact statements at his sentencing. As they reflect back on their lives before and after, we get to know the couple intimately and how events led to their break-up.

This is fiction with an element of suspense, in the sense that the author withholds certain details to keep you turning pages, and it works. Dean has a certain style - her prose is elevated above pure thriller fodder, but sometimes it does come across as a bit over earnest for me. What she does well here is examine the toll that violence and trauma has on its victims, and I became quite attached to Isabel and Edward over the course of the novel. Propulsive without being sensationalist, this was a solid read. 3.5-4/5 ⭐️

Many thanks to Harper Collins and Hemlock Press for the advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This is a harrowing, moving, thought-provoking read, which might give me nightmares for weeks. It’s not horror, but for me, the events are so possible to real life that I know they will play on my mind for a while.

Isabel and Edward meet and are immediately attracted to each other, though their relationship’s start is a slow-burn. They appear to be made for each and marriage is inevitable. The book slowly reveals their courtship and connection developing. However, it follows a second timeline which is in the current day and it is clear that life has not treated them well.

Their relationship has broken down due to an attack in their home. The narration is unusual as Isabel speaks in the first person and directs her story to her attacker. She counts down to his attack as this is the moment that her life changes irrevocably.

This is a story about the aftermath of their attack. It is heartbreaking to learn how devastating the events are on their relationship. The portrayal feels genuine and captivating. This is a story I will return to in my head many times. Gritty and real with complex relationships - don’t miss it!!

The death of us

I wouldnt really say this was a thriller, you wasnt left guessing or wondering who done it etc like you would expect with a crime thriller. I did really enjoy this book but found it difficult to read in parts so it took me a few weeks to get through. I loved that it was written with multiple POV's - i would have liked a couple of chapters with the serial killer .


“It's never been a question of loving you, Isabel. It's a question of how much loving you I can take.” - This made me cry, i felt like i knew Isabel and Edward.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions expressed are my own.

Edward and Isabel's lives and marriage are turned upside down when their home is broken into and they are subjected to an awful physical and psychological abuse by the 'south London invader'.
The couple now have to come to terms with what has happened and put the pieces of their lives together. But will they be able to do this as a couple?
Years later when the perpetrator is finally brought to trial they are forced to open old wounds and relive the past all over again.
Along with the other survivors it seems they will all be tied together by their shared tragedy.
I loved the way Abigail Deanhas written and put this together. The book not only describes the horrific ordeal the characters have been through but also the lasting trauma.
Would highly recommend - a brilliant portrayal of survival and healing.

This was another great read from Abigail Dean and I have to say she sure knows how to tell a good story each and every time we are privileged to read a new book. After quite a slow start the story then develops and I found myself totally immersed in the book and that’s all down to the brilliant writing by this author. I’m not going to say anything about the plot line as I think it’s better going into the story and not knowing just quite what is going to happen and there are some big surprises believe me!
So for me, this is a book that I can highly recommend and think it will a huge success and that’s well deserved.
My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A real rollercoaster , gripping, suspenseful novel set across two timelines. The storyline kept me on the edge of my seat as events unfolded, although I felt parts were drawn out. Isabel and Edward tried to overcome all they had been through when their lives were torn apart.

CW: OH BOY… Attempted Murder, Blood, Bodily Harm, Home Invasions, Mental Health Institutions, Mental Health Issues, Murder, Rape, Robbery, Sexual Assault, Stalking, Suicidal Themes

I say all of the above with the upmost love, because this is Abigail Dean at her absolute best. ‘The Death of Us’ is her most intimate, personal and claustrophobic book yet and I practically inhaled it. I had read both of her previous works and while I loved ‘Girl A’, ‘Day One’ fell a little flat for me, but you know what they say… Third time’s the charm!

This book reads almost like true crime, and has a lot in common with notorious serial killer Joseph James DeAngelo (The Golden State Killer), whose M.O. was chillingly similar to the plot-line of ‘The Death of Us’: ex-police office, stalking and invading homes undetected for years, splitting the couples and assaulting them in separate rooms and eventually progressing to heinous murders.

Naturally, this comes with the book (and subsequent HBO series) recommendation for ‘I’ll Be Gone in the Dark’ by the late Michelle McNamara, who was a woman possessed by this case and in the end, aided in the tracking down of this man who had gone undetected since his crimes began in 1974.

In our story, Isabel and Edward are one such couple who suffered at the hands of our villain, Nigel (known in the papers as ‘The South London Invader’). Isabel gives insight into the past, leading up to and immediately following the attack by Nigel, and Edward narrates the ‘now’, after the suspect has been apprehended. We are addressed directly by Isabel, who writes as if she is monologuing to the assailant himself, which gives the book a super invasive feel, drawing us in and putting ourselves in the heart of the narrative and making us feel like we are involved somehow – this in turn gives the characters a more rounded and realistic feeling. Genius.

Seeing these characters go through what is most peoples’ worst nightmare is really scary and I found I was listening out for a creak of floorboards or a tap at the window, such was the atmosphere that Dean has built. She gives realistic and believable reactions and consequences – the mutual grief and heartache Isabel, Edward and many other characters go through at the hands of The South London Invader. It’s infuriating, it’s grim and it’s wonderful. I am very excited to see where Dean goes next and to see the films rights have already been acquired, I am dream-casting for all the lead roles as we speak…

Thanks, as always, goes to the author, to NetGalley and the team at Hemlock Press for an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

Another superb novel from the ever-challenging and satisfying Abigail Dean. Girl A and Day One were both fascinating and The Death Of Us is equally impressive, telling as it does the story of a couple whose lives were turned upside down when their house was invaded by a murderer. As the latter awaits trial, the pair describe events from their point of view. Stunning!

So its clear that this is 5 stars, the writing, the plot, the characters, the ramifications are all masterful. However the subject matter is heavy, so its not going to be for everyone.

I think overall it's a love story, but the catalyst and central character is a murderer and rapist. Isabel and Edward are victims of a carefully orchestrated rape and assault, within the apparent safety of their home, over multiple hours. The book covers the ramifications of this night on their relationships and lives in general, further impacted by the ongoing investigation.

It feels so real and raw and human and tragic. Its thought-provoking and intense, and that is just the story. Storytelling at its best.

Wow! I absolutely loved this book. I couldn’t put it down and was totally blown away start to finish. A raw emotional and heart wrenching read.
A marriage that is brutally shattered by one violent event. The story follows the aftermath of how their lives and the lives of those around them are affected. It’s beautifully written and so powerful. You can just feel the fear, tension, love and heartbreak leaping off the pages. I love the authors writing as it’s so poignant and has a unique style about it. A character oriented story told in multiple POV’s and timelines from Isabel about the past and Edward about now. I liked how these were woven together so well.
A brilliant slow burn psychological suspense thriller/love story but so much more. I highly recommend this one if you enjoy this genre. It’s deeply moving and so engrossing. This is definitely one of my favourite books read in 2025. I can’t wait to see what @abigailsdean writes next.
With thanks to #NetGallery #HarperCollinsUk @harperfiction for an arc of #TheDeathOfUs in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 10 April 2025.