I enjoyed Abigail's 2 previous books, but this one was too depressing for me. It was very dark and filled with trauma, following a couple whose lives had been ruined following a violent home invasion.

I found myself feeling really down whilst reading it (which I have to admit is testament to what a good write Abigail is, that the mood of the book can affect you even when you aren't reading it). I was relieved to get to the end, this book wasn't for me. It was very hard to rate because I didn't enjoy it but I do appreciate that it was well written, so I decided to go for 3 stars.

Completely compelling.

It tells the story of Edward and Isabel with the story switching between each of them, and also changing timelines, flicking from past to present, without ever becoming confusing. We see the start of their relationship, their friendships, their careers ... But Edward and Isabel are victims of a terrible crime - an intruder enters their home, they are separated, Edward is threatened, and Isabel violently assaulted. The story relates how each of them has reacted to this, but also how the serial intruder - who soon becomes a murderer - affects other people's lives, including that of the police officer tasked with tracking him down. The reader also knows that the intruder is now on trial, and there's a question of witness statements, and what Isabel and Edward will reveal when they have their moment in court.

This description barely does the book justice - it really is truly compelling, not just a crime novel, but also looking at the effect a terrible crime can have both on the victim but also on those around them.

I would recommend this to any keen reader I know.

This is an unexpectedly beautiful love story set amidst the fallout of a horrendous crime. The writing is gently paced and pulls you in without you noticing. I did, however, find the book a little dry in places so I’ve given it three stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

This book follows the lives of Edward and Isabel. From falling in love, to the events that tore them apart. An intruder in their house, the book hints at what he did to them, revealing slowly. In present time the intruder, serial rapist and murderer, Nigel Woods has been caught, confessed and is in court awaiting sentencing. The couple are attending listening to other victims stories whilst waiting for the opportunity to make their own statements. Edward tells what is happening in the present , whereas Isabel’s voice tells events from the past.

This was a really powerful story. Just enough of a slow build to keep me hooked, but not too slow that I got bored. The characters were flawed but real and likeable. Their love seemed true. I enjoyed reading of all aspects of their lives together and found myself hoping things would be different between them. My only criticism would be the ending is sudden and for me want satisfying. I wanted to hear the sentence, find out what happened to Freddie and most importantly what became of Edward and Isobel.

This is one I highly recommend.

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, Netgally 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!!!

There are two sides to every story but what if you and your partner are told things about each other from a menace to society?

Edward and Isabel are both succesful in life but when a serial rapist invades their lives things change between the couple.

This man has been choosing middle class couple, who are happy in their lives and he sets out to destroy them in several ways. When rape turns to murder Isabel and Edward seem to be pitted against each other.

This is an hard book to read. I cannot believe how evil can strike in the way it did.

The story is told by the narrative of Edward and isabel and it is quite fascinating how their image of what happened are different. It is also interesting how they now see each other after the event.

The author has written a sensitve but powerful novel that gets inside the readers head and makes them think ...

Another gripping novel by Abigail Dean; she’s an auto read for me now!!!!
The Death of Us is a powerful and emotional story about love, trauma, and survival. Isabel and Edward, once a happy couple, are brought back together at the trial of a serial predator who changed their lives forever. Told through their dual perspectives, the book explores the long-lasting effects of violence on their relationship and individual lives.
The storyline is heartbreaking yet compelling - the must-read of 2025.

The Death of Us follows Isabel and Edward in a dual point of view narrative - Isabel recounting past events leading up to the present and Edward’s view on events as they happen. The current day being the former couple attending a hearing for a man who terrorised residents in South London over a number of years.

I was about a tenth of the way through the book when I felt I had a good hold on the narrative and characters and was gripped by the storyline which at times is incredibly moving hearing about the distressing events that the characters suffered.

I really enjoyed the dual pov narrative and the structure of retelling their relationship and the impact the crimes committed had on their relationship. I also think Abigail Dean is a wonderful writer whose word always have such clarity and power. She manages to take horrific crimes, not describe them explicitly, but still make you as a reader feel strong emotions in response to them.

Overall, not quite 5 stars for me - I felt that in the last third of the book, the tension wasn’t sustained and I wasn’t wholly convinced by the need for the Pearson character’s actions in the final third of the story.

Deliciously dark, no one can make a reader quite as uncomfortable as Abigail Dean. I couldn’t put it down as the unapologetically raw characters revealed their life story. One to recommend.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

Just wow

The best Abigail Dean book so far!

A story of undeniable love through an awful event that would destroy anybody.

Edward and Isabel’s love story is through everything and the ending was perfect. This is the side of a crime book you do not usually see!

2025 is bringing the best books!!

A searing and memorable novel about the impact of a rapist invading a couple's home and terrorising them both. It's a remarkable account of the disintegration of a marriage. Edward and Isabel enjoy success in their careers but cannot get beyond the fact that Edward was banished to another room and forced to listen to his wife being repeatedly assaulted over several hours.
The invader went on to become notorious with his MO of watching seemingly happy middle class families, observing their movements and then striking. He moved on to become a murderer.
Edward believes Isabel sees him as a coward. He has never told her what the rapist said to him.
They are reunited for the trial of the murderer, which causes issues with Edward's second wife.
Although the killer is now 70 and not at liberty, things happen which strike terror into the couple again.
The narrative switches between Isabel's first person account, where she often addresses her attacker, and a third party version of Edward's version.
The changing timelines, and flipping backwards and forwards in time, can be distracting, as can Dean's habit of introducing characters who are new to us, without explaining who they are.

Abigail Dean’s novels get better and better. ‘The Death of Us’ could just as easily be called ‘Portrait of a Marriage’ but that title was taken half a century ago! The reader is introduced to Edward and Isobel on the cusp of adulthood. There is an immediate attraction, although they don’t become a couple for a while. They marry in their twenties, embark on highly regarded careers and buy a house in Camberwell. They like nothing more than spending time together; they are a ‘great fit’. Lucky them; so far, so good.
And then, one night, they are subject to an appalling attack. Nothing will be the same ever again.
Abigail Dean’s portrayal of their lives following this tragedy, its reverberations and ongoing repercussions is entirely convincing and beautifully written. ‘The Death of Us’ examines how a couple who seemed to have it all try to navigate their marriage in the aftermath of the crime. The love is undoubtedly there but recklessness, fear and loneliness also become intimate bedfellows in the years ahead. Finally, Edward and Isabel have to learn to live apart.
The South London Invader is eventually brought to trial. Edward and Isabel are reunited in court, face to face with the perpetrator of the trauma which all those decades ago made them who they are now. A thought-provoking, sensitively explored and thoroughly involving read. Highly recommended.
My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, Hemlock Press for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Abigail Dean specialises in books which, while superficially thrillers, are really more about trauma and about how people cope after they become victims of crime. Her first novel, Girl A, dealt with the long-term trauma of growing up in an abusive family, while last year’s Day One was about the aftermath of a school shooting. Her books are astonishingly good and empathetic, taking care to centre the victims within their own stories.

The Death of Us is no exception to this, being astonishingly good and empathetic once again. In both the courtroom scenes and thematically, it reminded me at times of Apple Tree Yard. It does come with a big trigger warning for rape, something which I usually prefer not to read about, but which was handled with delicacy and care.

I absolutely loved Dean’s previous two books and was excited to receive a ARC of this. I devoured it in a night and was completely caught up with the characters. Dean is the master of psychology and complex characters that are morally grey. This was a gripping tale that had me feeling raw by the end.

An exceptional read. The slow unveiling of the horrendous assault and the destruction of a relationship is just heartbreaking. Hard to read at times but the author brings the characters to life so completely - it’s extraordinarily well written. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. I enjoyed Abigail Dean’s previous 2 books and I was excited to read the Death of us. I was thoroughly gripped by this intriguing and thought provoking story. The story is told from 2 perspectives and jumps back and forth in time while remaining easy to follow. The story looks at grief and trauma and how every individual deals differently with it. I found the characters to be strong and inspiring, especially Isabel. A fabulously written story that I will definitely be recommending. 5 stars.

I’ve read and enjoyed the author’s previous novels so was hugely looking forward to reading The Death of Us. It tells the story of Isabel and Edward and how their lives and relationship are impacted when Isabel is attacked during a home invasion. The narrative moves back and forwards over the course of 30 years from when they first met, to the court case when the man charged with multiple crimes is finally on trial.
This is an intense and emotional read, filled with sadness and I found that I was holding my breath throughout it. The author sensitively and insightfully follows the relationship of the couple and shows the impact trauma has on our lives. It’s a powerful portrayal of love and trauma and I was completely drawn into the lives of Isabel and Edward. On occasion I did get confused with the different timelines but overall this did not impact the quality of the novel.
An intense and powerful novel that I would recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
4.5 stars

5 stars all the way. This book is simply brilliant. The development of the characters, the plot, and the circumstances are all well thought out, not a detail wasted. Reading this book is like going on an emotional rollercoaster, you are completely emotionally vulnerable to the twists and turns and hope you make it out intact. I spent all night reading it, hooked all the way to the end. The characters have such a depth to them that makes them feel real, and the emotions that they make you feel. This is the first book I've read by Abigail Dean, and I will be going back and checking out her previous works after this gripping one. A must-read for 2025!

If you read one book in 2025, make it this one. Harrowing and emotional I couldn't put it down.

Isabel didn't die the night a serial killer entered her house and neither did her husband Edward, but the effect it had on their marriage was catastrophic. Twenty eight years later he's been caught and they'll see him in court.

Told in chapters that move back and forth from the events of that night the characterisation is superb. A tale of survival and hope against a backdrop of loss and devastation.

Totally recommended.

This book was a powerful, compelling and really an emotive read it explored how trauma can affect people in many different ways after such a horrendous ordeal.

The book has stayed with me long after I’ve read it and I read it within a day! There were many characters from Edward to Isabel all entwined by traumatic events. It had many twists and turns and I found myself not knowing what would happen next.

This book was beautifully written and will a must read when it comes out in April! I’d highly recommend this book and would love to see this turned into a film or a series.