The Death of Us

Praise

Dean transforms tragedy into art with surgical prose and a steely gaze. It’s a triumph.
—Publisher’s Weekly, Starred Review

“You haven’t read anything like this beautiful, brilliant, brave novel, and you are unlikely to ever do so again. A rare mix of propulsive thriller and beautifully drawn characters, it is in a class of its own.”
—Adele Parks, author of Woman Last Seen

“The Death of Us is terrifyingly good—not only a seriously superior thriller, but a heartbreaking and beautiful portrait of a marriage in freefall following a horrifying crime. I was utterly mesmerized by the stunning prose and vivid characters—Abigail Dean is in a league of her own.”
—Katherine Faulkner, author of Greenwich Park and The Other Mothers

“Beautifully crafted, taut, elegant and heartbreaking.”
—Monica Ali, author of Love Marriage

“Such beautiful, confident writing. Abigail Dean at her stunning best”
—Jane Fallon, author of Getting Rid of Matthew

“A beautifully written thriller that is infused with love, the plot hovers like a threat around the event that destroyed two lives irreparably.”
—Liz Nugent, author of Strange Sally Diamond

“It’s an incredibly different thing to bring something new to the psychological thriller but Abigail Dean has done it here, blending the character-driven, achingly human love story of David Nicholls with a pulse-thumping, cat-and-mouse crime story. Beautifully written, even as Edward and Isabel live out their unthinkable ordeal there is still something recognizable on every page. I couldn’t recommend it more.”
—Erin Kelly, author of The Skeleton Key

“The best book I’ve read this year and I doubt anyone will better it in 2025. It’s the most beautiful, intimate novel—a love story, a manhunt, a reflection on grief and loss and heartbreak and betrayal that is somehow still a gripping thriller. The Death of Us will make your heart beat faster and then break it, over and over again. An absolute masterpiece.”
—Jane Casey, author of Close

“I was completely blown away by this emotional rollercoaster of a book. I loved Edward & Isabel’s story—a triumph of love over brutality having endured one of the worst things imaginable. I have read and loved all of Abigail’s books but this really is a stand out triumph.”
—Nikki Smith, author of Unsolved

“Adored this book. Everything about Isabel and Edward felt true, from their very real reactions to the awful event, to how they interacted as a couple. I loved them, cheered with them, cried for them. This heartbreaking story will stay with me for a long time.”
—Sam Holland, author of The Echo Man

“A deeply moving story of a marriage with the gripping pace of a thriller. Unflinching, elegant and so compelling. My heart ached for these characters and I’ll be thinking about them for a long time.”
—Nicci Cloke, author of Her Many Faces

“A phenomenal read. A deeply moving love story, it goes beyond the happy ever after to explore the lasting effects of trauma on a marriage. Heartbreaking, redemptive, and written with such sensitivity, I couldn’t put it down”
—Theresa Howes, bestselling author of The Secrets We Keep