Abigail Dean masterfully blends a twisting, edge-of-your-seat mystery with a tender, slow-burn romance in **The Death of Us**. The tightly wound suspense kept me guessing until the last page, while the protagonists’ evolving bond added genuine heart and vulnerability. A beautifully written thriller that satisfies both mind and heart—highly recommend!

The Death Of Us is a gripping novel by Abigail Dean. This story burrowed into my mind and refused to let go. In this slow-burn narrative, Dean carefully unveils the main characters' world, drawing us into their pain, their passion, and the haunting consequences of a life-shattering event. It’s raw, traumatic, and undeniably dark, but it’s also a story of resiliency and survival.

The novel begins with a chilling premise: Edward and Isabel, a married couple in their thirties, have their lives upended when a serial killer and rapist breaks into their home. The violent invasion irreparably fractures their marriage and sets the stage for a narrative that is both tragic and deeply human. Without resorting to gratuitous shock value, Dean crafts a story of sadness, resilience, and the complex ripple effects of trauma.

Told through alternating perspectives of Edward and Isabel, The Death Of Us skillfully switches between the past and the present. This dual timeline structure allows us to uncover the layers of their shared history and individual struggles. The beauty of the novel lies in its slow reveal. We gradually piece together the characters’ backstories and the long-term consequences of the devastating crime. Through these intimate portraits, Dean explores the emotional undercurrents of grief, anger, helplessness, and resilience.

What makes this book stand out is its depth. It’s not a police procedural or a typical crime thriller. Instead, it’s a story about survival, about finding a way to live and love in the face of unimaginable devastation. The lead-up to the trial of the perpetrator serves as a backdrop to the couple’s evolving journey, offering a powerful exploration of trauma’s lingering effects.

The Death Of Us is the first novel I’ve read by Abigail Dean, but it certainly won’t be the last. It's a beautifully written book with compelling prose and emotional depth. I was moved, haunted, and captivated by this unforgettable story.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Viking Publishing, and Abigail Dean for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

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.

It's well-written, it's an intriguing premise with interesting characters, I don't have any real complaints about it, but for some reason it dragged. I would be interested to read more from this author because I truly did enjoy her prose and storytelling.

This was a slow burn but in the best way.! The pacing gave the story room to unfold with a quiet intensity, and I found myself completely absorbed. Abigail Dean’s writing is beautiful and exacting, each sentence carefully placed, and the emotional payoff is immense.

The relationship between Isabel and Edward gutted me. It’s heartbreaking, raw, and so deeply human. I also loved the shifting POVs; they added texture without ever feeling disjointed. Every reveal felt earned, not forced.

It’s not flashy or twisty, but if you love layered character studies and slow, aching revelations, this one delivers.

Abigail Dean’s The Death of Us is a quietly devastating and emotionally resonant novel that delves into the long shadows cast by trauma, guilt, and the complexities of love. Told through a dual timeline and alternating perspectives, the story follows Isabel and Edward, a couple whose lives are irrevocably altered by a tragic accident involving a child. As the novel unfolds, Dean peels back the layers of their past and present, revealing how loss and grief can reshape identities and relationships over time.

What sets this book apart is its unflinching emotional honesty. Dean doesn’t shy away from the difficult truths—about the failings of the justice system, the aftermath of abuse, and the slow, painful process of healing. The narrative is deeply character-driven, focusing not just on what happened, but on how people carry the weight of what happened with them, day after day.

While some readers might find the pacing slow, it’s deliberate and necessary; the gradual build allows the emotional stakes to settle in, making the moments of revelation and connection all the more impactful. The writing is empathetic without being sentimental, and the moments of hope that do surface feel well-earned rather than forced.

The Death of Us is not a conventional thriller—it’s a psychological portrait of pain, resilience, and the moral grey areas people must navigate after a tragedy. It’s a heavy, often heartbreaking read, but also a beautifully written and thought-provoking one that lingers long after the final page.

The Death of Us is unlike any book I’ve ever read due to its emotional depth. It is part psychological suspense, love story, and crime thriller. Edward and Isabel met in college, married, and began building a life together. Then, when they were 30 years old, they were victims of a violent home invasion, and nothing was ever the same between them again. The trauma continues to tear them apart in small and large ways through the years, and they eventually divorce. When they are fifty-eight years old, they are reunited at the trial of the man who almost killed them, along with many others. They are there to read victim impact statements (at least Isabel is) and hear his sentencing.

This book is very traumatic and sad. It’s an excellent study of these two characters, Isabel and Edward. There is a point of view from Isabel and one from Edward. The book goes backward and forward in time, showing how the couple fell apart slowly, bit by bit, after the home invasion. I couldn’t stop reading. It was riveting, emotional, gut-wrenching, but also tinged with hope. I will be thinking about this one for a long time.

Thank you to the publisher for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This one definitely deserves more hype! It's a very dark. emotional story and so well-written. Definitely recommend if you love psychological thrillers and character studies.

The Death of Us is a haunting and elegantly crafted thriller that explores the long-term impact of trauma on love and identity. The story shifts between past and present to reveal how deeply violence can fracture—and sometimes reconnect—people. It's a slow-burning, emotionally rich read.

Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, Penguin Books, and Viking Books for this free copy of "The Death of Us."

This book broke my heart from the very beginning and I knew it was going to trample all over it, but I wanted to hear every bit of Isabel and Edward's love story and to see if it would survive.

Isabel and Edward were crazy in love 25 years ago when the the serial attacker who terrorized South London broke into their home and assaulted them.

Years later, it's time for his sentencing and they, along with all the other living victims, have been asked to give impact statements about the effect on their lives.

It was heart-wrenching but beautifully told as Edward finally talks openly about what happened to him that night.

Many, many thanks to Viking and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Death of Us follows Edward and Isabel, a divorced couple in their 50's, who decades past were the survivors of an attack by a serial murderer and rapist clearly modeled on the Golden State Killer. Edward and Isabel, along with other survivors and the loved ones of victims, have all gathered for the sentencing and victim impact statements after the murderer has been caught, years after his crimes ceased. This book is written in alternating perspectives, with Isabel speaking directly to the murderer, Nigel, telling her and Edward's story from the time they met until their divorce, and Edward telling their story in the current moment.
This book was incredibly well written, plotted, paced, and structured. This is a genre mash up of crime fiction, psychological drama, and a love story (NOT a romance); but in my opinion, it is primarily a character study of what happens to a couple, a family, or an individual in the years following a trauma. I've never read anything like it. Most crime fiction deals with the actual crime and immediate time period afterward. This largely deals with the long term aftermath. Not only do we see how the experience slowly and realistically pulled this couple apart, we also get glimpses of how the other survivors have dealt with this trauma; all in different ways, all in ways that make sense. In addition to how well this was told, the writing is a huge level up from most of this type of fiction. Further, I greatly appreciated how Dean does not give detail or primary focus to the acts committed, but to the impact on the survivors, including the detective assigned to the case. I highly recommend this book to anyone who can handle a dark read, but one that is smart, and thoughtful, and respectfully told. This was a huge 5 star win for me, and I am incredibly impressed.

A serial predator in London has left a path of destruction in his wake. Two survivors, whose marriage broke up in the aftermath, each tell their sides of the story after the perpetrator has been caught and is being tried in court many years later. Secrets, lies, misunderstandings, and a love story are slowly revealed, as Isabel opens her heart in the pages of the book, while we follow the present day via Edward. What really happened that fateful night? What really caused the end of Isabel and Edward’s marriage? Can love survive something like this?

This is a genre mashup, a crime novel with the underlying suspense of a thriller, equal parts psychological character study and love story. Are the characters likeable? Well, not always, but they are human, very human. These are deeply flawed, realistic characters surviving horrific events, and I found them fascinating. The only reason I put it down from time to time was that it was so intense that I needed to give my psyche a break.

Absolutely riveting, emotional and thought-provoking, with a very satisfying ending.

The inspiration for the plot is obviously the non-fiction book I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara. Google it if you are not familiar with this and you will have a feeling if you will be able to handle the intensity of The Death of Us, because it is dark.

Thanks to NetGalley and Viking Press for providing me an advance copy of this book!

The Death of Us tells the story of a married couple, Isabel and Edward, from their meeting and through an encounter with an infamous London serial home invader and rapist, and beyond.

The story is told in alternating perspectives, with Isabel’s first-person perspective taking us through time, jumping months or years along the way. Edward’s chapters follow more of a moment-by-moment account of the sentencing procedures of the man who attacked him and his wife.

I love to read novels centered around crime and its personal or psychological impacts on the victim, both direct and far-reaching, but the story told here has the extra intriguing layer of the crime’s impact on the dynamics within a marriage.

There were a few plot points that I didn’t completely understand and which left me with frustrating questions. This frustration wasn’t nearly severe enough to dissuade me from considering more of Abigail Dean’s novels in the future, though. I am certainly curious enough about her style to read more from her in the future.

Overall I would definitely recommend this book, especially to people who also enjoy a look at the psychological impacts that violent crime has on a person and their close relationships. This intriguing subject paired with Dean’s overall style (her writing isn’t flowery, but also isn’t overly simple. It feels real for her characters’ thoughts) made for a great read.

This was a slow paced love story, that is not a romance. I liked that a dual time lines were told through the husband (Edward) and the wife (Isabel) points of view. For fans of crime and court room dramas.

One evening, married couple Edward and Isabel are victims of a home invasion by an eventual serial killer. The attack impacts them in different ways and over time their relationship devolves. Twenty-eight years later they come together to face the man in court. Isabel is eager to read her impact statement and share how this man ruined her life, but Edward is more hesitant to address the attack out loud and discuss the secrets of what really happened that night.

This was a heartbreaking, beautiful story. I thought the alternating format of Isabel's written statement sharing their whole relationship and Edward's perspective in modern time was so interesting. I loved seeing how their relationship changed over time and also how they are interacting today. The only piece I did not love was the focuses of their sex life because it felt like it was there more for shock than to give us insight on their relationship.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Together, Edward and Isabel move to London. They are young and in love, occupied by friends, work and fun. But late on a spring evening when they are thirty years old, their home is invaded by a serial killer. In the wake of this violation, each tries to come to terms with a night that changed everything—and their marriage begins to crumble.

Twenty-five years later, their tormentor is caught, and Edward and Isabel reunite for his sentencing. Isabel has waited years for the man who nearly ended her life to be brought to justice. Edward has tried to think about anything else. As they prepare to deliver impact statements in the public eye, it is time to revisit their love story. Will they finally be able to confront the secrets, longings and lies that tore them apart?

This was a slow burn for me and I found myself getting confused with what was actually going on.

This was so good! It felt like it took the domestic thrillers so many are making and added something new. I liked Girl A but this was so much better in my opinion. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.

What an interesting and gut wrenching story. I went into this expecting a thriller, but it really wasn't. It's the story of a couple and how they're affected by a home invasion. We alternate between chapters from both Isabel and Edward- Isabel is reading her victim impact statement which tells the story of what happened and Edward's chapters are in the present tense during the sentencing. I think Dean's exploration of trauma and how it differently affects people will stick with me for a long time to come. The story was tough to read at times but I couldn't put it down. Check the trigger warnings before reading!

Wholly original, fast paced and a total thrill from start to finish. I was surprised by how graphic this was, but felt that was important. So smart, so empathetic, and unforgettable.

The Death of Us is Abigail Dean's best work by far! Almost thirty years ago Edward and Isabel are victims of a home invasion and assault by a serial killer that implode their happy and healthy marriage. In present day they are brought together once again for their attackers trial. This is a true mash up of psychological suspense, love story. crime thriller and most of all a character study which came together for the perfect read. Told through alternative view points- Isabel in her victim statements directly to the serial killer starting when her and Edward first met at 19 and Edward's present day view of the days leading up to the trial and sentencing. Edward and Isabel are brought to life and will break your hearts reading about what they went through with the attacker, and everything following.