Claire and Daniel arrive at the cottage full of hope. It's isolated, peaceful, and theirs. The garden is choked with weeds, the house needs work – but they're ready for the challenge. A summer of clearing, painting, and building something new.
Then they see the man in the woods across the road.
He doesn't move. He doesn't speak. He only watches.
Daniel dismisses it. A hiker, maybe. Someone local. But the man keeps coming back, always standing in the same spot, always silent. Then one afternoon, he speaks – to Claire.
His name is Peter. He seems harmless at first, even gentle. They talk. Nothing serious. But the more often she see him, the harder it is to forget him. He's steady. Quiet. Easy to be with. While Daniel throws himself into the renovations, Claire begins to wonder whether she belongs in the world he's trying to create.
The cottage changes day by day – walls scrubbed, windows replaced, furniture moved. The parrot in the living room mimics everything it hears, even things Daniel would rather not remember. And as the summer wears on, so does the sense of unease.
The marriage that felt so solid begins to shift.
And the man in the woods is always there.
The watcher isn't going anywhere.
And neither is the past.
Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Ruth Ware, and psychological thriller readers who love a slow burn that explodes into a chilling climax.
