The Death of Us by Abigail Dean
Published by: HarperCollins
Published on 10/4/25

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NO SPOILERS

I loved this book but it took me longer to read it then most books do as the subject matter is dark and I had to keep putting it down and reflecting on what I had read.
A riveting and heart-breaking story about life and love after an earth shattering event, beautifully written and plotted it will stay with me for a long time.

Thanks to the author, publisher and to netgalley for providing me with this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

This book explores the impact of a traumatic event on a married couple, revisited when the perpetrator is on trial for his crimes several years after the event, one of several committed by the defendant. It is a poignant and well-written depiction of the darkest of times in a relationship and the ripples caused by it, but the subject matter is not an easy read.

Amazing, heartfelt storyline with great character building allowing you to really get to know both Isabel and Edward. I loved how all of Isabel’s parts were written specifically to the perpetrator.
A really detailed and emotional story, beautifully written

The Death of Us tells the story of Isabel and Edward, a young couple that are two of the many victims of The South London Invader. The novel tracks the changes in their lives, starting from the beginning, meeting as mere teenagers, to a mature couple, as they seek retribution for the trauma inflicted on them.

Fans of Abigail Dean will find the same darkness in its tone and themes as her previous work. The characters are conflicted, and the story telling is careful and measured. Written from Isabel’s first person perspective, directly addressing the perpetrator, to following Edward in the present day, reflecting on the past, this story is tense, gripping and disturbing.

Whatever I say in this review will not do this book justice. As the blurb says it is a book about horror attacks, murder, survival and love. Isabel and Edward had been in love since the first time they met and although the actions of one terrible person would change their lives and claim the physical and some of the emotional parts of their love, he would not defeat them!

Everyone should have this sort of love in their lifetime

This was a thriller with a twist, except maybe not the twist a typical thriller reader would expect. The crime happens at the beginning of the story, and then shows the unravelling of a couple who seem destined to love each other forever. This book shows that when the worst thing you could imagine happens to you, the person that is supposed to love you the most may turn away from the pain caused. This was a thriller and a love story rolled into one. My gripe with it is that it was so deeply slow and boring. It felt more slow literary analysis than fast paced thriller, and I wasn't expecting it.

This is a bit of a slow burner, about the relationship between a couple and set in three parts. I found it difficult to follow due to the slow pace but if you like character driven novels then you will enjoy the read. it's just not for me and I gave up caring about Edward and Isobel by halfway through the book. I didn't like the jumping back and forwards to different timelines, although it picked up towards the end. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Dean has carved out a niche for herself in the telling of unspeakable events through the lens of normal, relatable people. She humanises the horrific which is both reassuring and slightly terrifying. The crimes she describes are quite American in feel: a ‘house of horrors’, a school shooting and, in this novel, a home invasion. For me, this gave the terror a bit of distance, which just stopped it from being too close to home. I’m glad I don’t live in the area of London where this is set because it does feel very immediate, and if you are of a nervous disposition you may need to give this a miss because parts of it are quite graphic.
Ultimately, this is a story of a relationship and of love, and the events of that one night are just an extreme set of circumstances which main characters Isabel and Edward have to navigate. It is this thread which makes the book so much more than just a sensationalist crime novel. We see the beginning of their relationship and then the fallout from the crime and then we see them revisiting events years later when the perpetrator is finally caught and they have to attend his sentencing.
Alternate chapters narrate Isabel’s experience (hers are in the second person and addressed to the perpetrator) and Edward’s, in the third person. This is an interesting structure which has the effect of a camera lens zooming in and out. There are a few twists that propel the plot and I loved the inclusion of the media response to the crimes which really made me think.
This is one of those books that is intensely readable whilst being hard-going emotionally but it is a rewarding and thoughtful story with flashes of humour that continues to showcase Dean’s considerable talents.

This is a beautifully written book dealing with dark themes and the effect of violent crime on the victims. It is also a story of love and survival. The author has the gift of creating well-developed, believable characters. This is a powerful, emotional read that stays with you after you finish the book.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Abigail Dean’s The Death of Us isn’t just a book—it’s a full-body experience. Raw, emotional, and at times, as gut-wrenching as watching a slow-motion car crash, it dives headfirst into love, loss, and the messy truths in between.

The story revolves around Isabel and Edward, a couple whose lives are shattered by a home invasion that changes everything. Decades later, they reunite for the trial of their attacker, reopening old wounds and forcing them to reckon with the past. Each is on their own journey, but the trial binds them together once again.

Dean masterfully weaves psychological suspense with a crime thriller’s intensity, making every page hum with tension. The character work here is next-level—Isabel and Edward feel so real, you half expect them to step out of the pages and ask you for a cup of tea.

It’s not always easy to read, but it’s impossible to put down. Brace yourself—this one’s going to win awards, and deservedly so.

Thank You NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a Review Copy

The Death of Us is a book that will be with me forever. Edward and Isabel meet when they were students and have a deep relationship based on trust and communication. They are at the point in their lives where everything is coming together personally and professionally, and then suddenly everything is destroyed. A violent attacker targets their home and sexually assaults Isabel for hours while Edward is forced to listen outside.
Several years later the man has finally been caught and the couple have come to make statements at his sentencing. No longer together, it’s time to talk to each other about what happened that night.
Abigail Dean writes brilliantly about how a relationship can be blown apart when communication dies and how people can hurt each other time and time again. I ached for Isabel and Edward, they were so lost without each other but couldn’t find a way back to what they once had. The surrounding characters such as Freddie and Nina gave the story real depth and developed our understanding of the couple in other ways.
Brilliant writen, relatable and also absolutely horrifying, this is a 5 star read.

Abigail Dean is one of my favourite current writers, taking very serious subjects and centring a story around them without ever feeling exploitative or sensationalist. This could have been a very different book in other hands, but Dean is wonderful at looking at devastating events from the viewpoint of those affected rather than centring it around the event itself and the result is always utterly engrossing.

The Death of Us follows Isabel and Edward from their first meeting as students and through their marriage which is irrevocably changed by a hugely traumatic violent attack in their own home. The narrative is split between Edward and Isabel – Isabel mostly talks about the past, recounting their lives together and the impact of the attack, while Edward is talking in the present as they attend the sentencing of their attacker, who has finally been caught. It’s a very interesting device as we never really see either of them fully – less about how Edward felt about Isabel and their situation over the years or how Isabel currently feels about him – and that reflects very well the fact that even a close marriage can never really know the other person fully. Similarly, Isabel gives no details of the attack itself and we don’t learn what happened to Edward until near the end, reflecting what they keep from each other over the years.

There is so much compassion in the writing – the main characters are not always likeable but their actions are believable and emotional and you can’t help feeling how deeply they are affected. Other victims and the family of the attacker are also present at the sentencing and their varying responses to what has happened to them is equally sensitively handled. Once I started this book I couldn’t put it down – the subject matter may be difficult for many people but it’s beautifully written and highly, highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Heart wrenching, heartbreaking, heartwarming. This brilliant book is the story of Isabel and Edward, they are a happy couple who have an absolutely devastating and horrific attack on them in their own home. The story alternates from before, after and recently and also between the two of them. This is a story of victims and the life sentence they endure. Will they survive, emotionally, physically and mentally? How does it change them and their relationship? We know early on that they are no longer together but are permanently bound by this one defining event that others cannot possibly understand. Other characters are affected too, the friends, the parents, the police. No one is left unscathed, the ripples of this evil deed spread far and wide. Beautifully crafted and flowing easily into an all encompassing original story of love.

Isabel and Edward Henessey are Londoners, in their 30’s, he’s making his way in the legal profession, and she’s trying different jobs. They met young, married at 19 and their lives seemed set fair.
Until the night that changed their lives forever when their home was invaded by the South London Invader, a serial rapist who will soon also become a murderer. He targets young urban professionals like them and plans his attacks meticulously. Afterwards Isabel and Edward will follow different paths with the memories of that night continually haunting them. He will remarry and she will become a successful playwright. Isabel follows the trail of destruction that the Invader has wrought as he continues his bloody trail; young children orphaned, families completely destroyed. DCI Etta Eliogu has vowed to catch him and has begun to suspect the awful truth. She nearly pays for it with her life.
Now 25 years later, Isabel is told that the man who wreaked such havoc in theirs and the lives of others has finally been caught. She and Edward will be reunited for the court case where the surviving victims will give victim impact statements. He has pleaded guilty and Isabel and Edward are faced with the banality of evil. They are both unfinished business right up until the end of the novel.
It’s a powerful novel of how evil can come into your life without warning and how love can win despite it. I admired the author’s skill in keeping all the different timelines and viewpoints coherent. It’s a slow burn book. However, it is not a police procedural and the events of that night are revealed gradually.
I would have read this book in one sitting as I was so drawn into it but my Kindle suddenly needed charging!
I enjoyed the author’s debut novel, ‘Girl A’, which was also a dark story told with sensitivity so I was looking forward to reading her latest. ‘The Death of Us’ isn’t an easy read but it was a story that needed to be told.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

It was an engaging read.

It follows the story of a couple over several decades. We know from the beginning they are no longer together and the real mystery is why they aren’t together. Meanwhile something terrible did happen to them (a serial rapist/murderer), that impacted on the rest of their lives. So there is plenty of crime investigation and the detective is one of the main characters.

But as you finish the story you realise that it is really about the couple’s journey through the years, and less on the crime. I think the book is well written, and I enjoy the author’s writing. But this feels like a good story about a couple that the author wanted to write, but the publishers wanted something similar to Dean’s first two books (thriller). So the mismatch doesn’t do what is a really good book, justice. Too stifled by forcing it into crime thriller genre.

I devoured this book from start to finish. The backdrop to the story was disturbing, and played on a mix of recognisable true life stories of folks attacked and often killed by violent psychopaths.
However the primsry characters and the story of them, was so well developed. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher to the advance reader cooy.

The South London Invader terrorised the capital for years. Having finally been caught his victims have an opportunity to tell him, in court, of the impact they have had on their lives. As a result, one couple, Isabel and Edward, are forced to revisit the fateful event.

The Death Of Us from Abigail Dean is a powerful piece of writing. For me, what makes this so strong is what isn't written. The South London Invader is a serial murderer and rapist who targeted couples. The author has avoided including graphic details, her focus remains on the emotions and actions of the victims. As a reader I could feel myself tensing up, holding my breath and my heart pounding, terrified for the victims as their ordeal takes place. Less is more certainly works in this book.

While a terrible series of crimes is at the heart of this story, this book isn't about those crimes. The focus is on the relationship between Isabel and Edward. We meet the couple as university students who have been set up on a blind date. The start of their relationship is a little uncertain but it soon becomes clear that they are perfect for each other. I loved watching their relationship grow and flourish. Edward is strong, reliable and certain of his future, Isabel is a little more emotionally unstable, but the pair work, they bring out the best in each other.

It is ten years into the relationship that the attack takes place. This becomes a watershed moment; where does a relationship go after such a traumatic event? How is an individual supposed to behave? We see how the personalities of Isabel and Edward change. Edward throws himself into his work, refusing all opportunities to discuss his feelings. Isabel becomes the stronger of the pair. Having always wanted to be a writer she uses this as a means of giving voice to her anger. What the couple can't do is talk to each other about the attack and this is what causes the relationship to fracture.

Isabel's narrative is in the form of a victim personal statement, or impact statement, which outlines the evolution of the couple's relationship. I found myself being swept up, completely involved in the life they were forging to then be sucker-punched as the narrative pivoted and she addressed a question to her attacker, reminding you of the atrocious crimes committed.

By the conclusion, I found myself close to tears. Long repressed emotions were brought to the surface for a number of characters, each of them dealing with those feelings in completely different ways, after all, human nature is unpredictable. This is a love story that will stay with me for a very long time. Quite possibly my book of the year.

A beautiful story of love, with all its trials and tribulations.

An awful incident occurred and the fall out was catastrophic.

The characters were likeable, the twists and turns keep you hooked!

I would of liked more on Nigel and his background, his thoughts and reasoning maybe I’m trying to find some justification in his behaviour when really, I guess there’s bad people and not everything can be explained.

Abigail Dean is exceptionally skilled at creating tense, emotionally charged thrillers which are difficult to put down. This one is no exception, exceptionally gripping.

Where do I start with this outstanding book?

The Death of Us is so much more than a crime thriller: it is a beautifully written, rollercoaster of a ride which almost leaves the reader feeling as bruised and battered as the main protagonists. This is an in-depth, intimate exploration of a loving couple’s relationship and how the shocking actions of one depraved individual wreaks havoc on their lives.

The narrative is in the first person, told from the perspective of Isabel, written as though she is addressing the perpetrator, Nigel Wood, and in the third person from that of Edward, Isabel’s husband.

We learn of the events in the years leading up to the terrible night Nigel Wood breaks into the couple’s house, from the first time Isabel and Edward meet as students; the awkward dance of their relationship until they eventually commit to one another, to the present day. Isabel has progressed from being an aspiring playwright to a celebrated one; Edward has become a successful, wealthy lawyer. But while their careers have reached great heights, overshadowing it all is the tragedy that has torn them and their lives apart.

Nigel Wood evades capture for many years, devastating the lives of the couples he targets in their comfortable London homes, progressing from the role of serial rapist to serial killer. Over a quarter of a century later and Wood has finally been apprehended. Isabel and Edward meet again at the trial, after having divorced years earlier. In flashbacks, the reader discovers exactly how Wood’s wicked actions have impacted on their lives and those of some of his other victims.

I felt slightly bereft as I turned the final page, and Isabel’s heartfelt words at the end of the penultimate chapter reduced me to a blubbing mess.
Abigail Dean has crafted an extraordinary novel, and though there is no shock-horror ending nor are there any major earth-shattering twists along the way, the journey the reader is taken on is deeply affecting and at times gruelling. The characters are real and flawed but likeable, and it is impossible not to feel for them as we see how their lives have unravelled in the aftermath of Wood’s intrusion into their home. Whilst the story is centred around one man’s heinous crimes, it is primarily a heart-breaking book about love – and also of regret, for what might have been.

This is an immersive, compelling, extremely memorable read and one that I’m sure I will revisit. A very well deserved five stars from me.

My thanks to Abigail Dean, HarperCollins UK (HarperFiction) and Netgalley for the ARC.