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The Death of Us

A Novel

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The Death of Us

By: Abigail Dean
Narrated by: Claire Skinner, John Hopkins
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About this listen

“A page-turner par excellence, written with unobtrusive brilliance, [and] full of sharply observed lines . . . The Death of Us lives up to the hype.”—Stephen King

The Death of Us is astonishingly good—Abigail Dean’s the real thing.”—Mick Herron, bestselling author of Slow Horses

“A devastating exploration of the long-term effects of violence . . . [b]y focusing on the victims rather than on, say, the drama around the police investigation, this wrenching book subverts the normal conventions of a serial killer novel. It’s an unusual and effective approach.”—The New York Times Book Review

It’s the night we never talk about.

It’s the story the world wants to hear.

But this isn’t the story of that night. This is the story of us.

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?

Or will the horror of that night be the death of them?

A captivating portrait of a marriage and its implosion, The Death of Us digs into the stories we tell ourselves about love—and everything love can bear.

©2025 Abigail Dean (P)2025 Penguin Audio
Domestic Thrillers Suspense Thriller & Suspense Scary Marriage

Critic reviews

“This wonderful novel is a page-turner par excellence, written with unobtrusive brilliance, [and] full of sharply observed lines . . . Dean has taken a case that closely resembles California’s Golden State Killer and combined it with the story of Isabel and Edward, a couple whose love is put under a breaking strain by an almost unimaginable tragedy . . . The Death of Us lives up to the hype. Read it for story, always appreciating the no-showing-off clarity of its prose.”—Stephen King

“Abigail Dean has already proven to be a skilled observer of ordinary humans in extraordinary circumstances, and her latest is her most affecting study yet.”CrimeReads (Most Anticipated list)

“Dean transforms tragedy into art with surgical prose and a steely gaze. It’s a triumph.”Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

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I love how Abigail Dean can make the most mundane parts of marriage and life take on a deeper and suspenseful meaning than other authors are able to do.

Abigail Dean understands human psychology like so many authors try to do but fail all the time!

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This book did keep me listening, which is good. However, it is very dark. Not something that will make you happy. The ending was meh. Not the best. I would not recommend to friends.

Very dark

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Where do I start? This book was simply gripping. It tells a tale of a couple who survived a home invader and how it impacted them over the years. But it also tracked the hunt for the serial killer and described all of the people that worked to track him down. As someone who loves thriller books, this kept my interest, but the real story here was a love story between a couple. But the way it was told was so honest and relatable that I could not put this down. I don’t remember getting through a book this fast. The narration was simply superb. I would highly recommend this book.

Absolutely fantastic - 6 stars

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I kept waiting for the twist, for the thing that would set this one aside, It never came, The writing of a very good, it’s just not as original as her first two and some of it is over wrought.

Not as good as her other books

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I was absolutely mesmerized by this book and its characters.
Brilliant insight into love. Highly recommend.

Fabulous Couple!

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A story about how a traumatic crime slowly unraveled a couple who separately dealt with the aftermath of the event. Presents as a crime story but is also a love story, and all the good and the bad that comes with relationships. I found myself routing for the main characters throughout the story despite their treatment of eachother & was sad when the book ended. It vaguely reminded me of another great read from this year, Broken Country. Wonderful writing & enjoyed listening to the narrartors.

wonderful writing!

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The whole story was gripping. I did enjoy the 2 different POV’s and how one told the past time line and the other the present timeline.

Very tragic but beautiful story.

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This is a powerful book about trauma and marriage. Isabel and Edward were the victims of the "South London Invader," a man who spied on people and then entered their homes to rape, humilate, and ultimately murder his selected victims. Twenty-five years later, the perpetrator is finally apprehended. He pleads guilty, but his victims have an opportunity to make impact statements at a sentencing hearing. The novel alternates between Isabel's statement to the perpetrator, Nigel, and Edward's present-day experiences during the court procedures. Their experiences, as well as those of some of the other victims, emerge through these two voices. Abigail Dean paints a powerful picture of a loving marriage torn apart by the events during and following the home invasion, and about survival and recovery.

A read Dean's "Girl A" a few years ago. It was also a beautifully rendered tale of trauma and survival. Dean is a master at making the reader care deeply about her characters, and her dramas are very human and compelling.

The narrators on this Audible version are both perfect for their roles.

Compelling and Compassionate

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