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The Watcher: Some houses aren't abandoned. They're waiting.
Grief led him to isolation. Something else was already there. Watching. Waiting. Whispering.
Jason thought he was running from his past... tragedy, regret, and the unbearable weight of guilt that refused to let go. When he leaves the city behind and moves into a run-down house deep in the countryside, all he wants is silence, solitude, and a second chance at existing without falling apart. What he finds instead is a silence that isn't empty… it's alive.
Across the road stands an abandoned house, half-collapsed and swallowed by weeds. Locals won't talk about it. The mailman won't deliver near it. And Jason can’t stop looking at it. At first, it’s small things... flickers of movement in the upstairs windows, the hum of static on an old radio, unexplained footprints in the dirt. He tells himself it’s just the wind. Just his imagination. Just the ghosts of his own past clawing through the cracks.
But as the days pass, the distance between memory and reality collapses. Objects move. Whispers creep from the shadows. And in the glass… something looks back.
Something knows what Jason did.
Something knows who he couldn’t save.
And it wants him to remember.
Equal parts psychological thriller and supernatural horror, The Watcher is a haunting exploration of guilt, grief, and the unknowable darkness that lurks both outside and within. With chilling precision and a slow-burning intensity, Luke Harding crafts a story where the scariest thing isn’t what haunts the house, but what follows you home.
This is not just a ghost story.
This is not just a descent into madness.
This is the house reminding you that no one ever moves in alone.
Jason thought he was running from his past... tragedy, regret, and the unbearable weight of guilt that refused to let go. When he leaves the city behind and moves into a run-down house deep in the countryside, all he wants is silence, solitude, and a second chance at existing without falling apart. What he finds instead is a silence that isn't empty… it's alive.
Across the road stands an abandoned house, half-collapsed and swallowed by weeds. Locals won't talk about it. The mailman won't deliver near it. And Jason can’t stop looking at it. At first, it’s small things... flickers of movement in the upstairs windows, the hum of static on an old radio, unexplained footprints in the dirt. He tells himself it’s just the wind. Just his imagination. Just the ghosts of his own past clawing through the cracks.
But as the days pass, the distance between memory and reality collapses. Objects move. Whispers creep from the shadows. And in the glass… something looks back.
Something knows what Jason did.
Something knows who he couldn’t save.
And it wants him to remember.
Equal parts psychological thriller and supernatural horror, The Watcher is a haunting exploration of guilt, grief, and the unknowable darkness that lurks both outside and within. With chilling precision and a slow-burning intensity, Luke Harding crafts a story where the scariest thing isn’t what haunts the house, but what follows you home.
This is not just a ghost story.
This is not just a descent into madness.
This is the house reminding you that no one ever moves in alone.
139 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 18, 2025
4 people are currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
Luke Harding
39 books325 followersLuke Daniel Harding is a British journalist working as a foreign correspondent for The Guardian. He was the correspondent of The Guardian in Russia from 2007 until, returning from a stay in the UK on February 5, 2011, he was refused re-entry to Russia and deported back the same day. The Guardian said his expulsion was linked with his critical articles on Russia, while Russia's foreign ministry said that an extended certificate of foreign correspondence was not obtained in time. After the reversal of the decision on February 9 and the granting of a short-term visa, Harding chose not to seek a further visa extension.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 14, 2025
I absolutely loved this book. I thought I was walking into a typical haunted house story, but it turned out to be so much more layered than that. The creepiness is there for sure, but what really hooked me was the emotional depth. Jason’s story isn’t just about what’s in the house—it’s about what’s in him, and how the past can follow you no matter where you go.
The pacing is slower, but that’s what makes it work. It builds this steady tension that keeps you uneasy, and by the time the pieces started coming together, I was completely invested. Some scenes are genuinely spine-chilling, and the atmosphere is so rich and moody I could almost feel the air in those rooms.
It’s one of those rare horror novels that’s just as much about the people as it is about the scares. If you love atmospheric, psychological stories with heart, this one’s an absolute must-read.
The pacing is slower, but that’s what makes it work. It builds this steady tension that keeps you uneasy, and by the time the pieces started coming together, I was completely invested. Some scenes are genuinely spine-chilling, and the atmosphere is so rich and moody I could almost feel the air in those rooms.
It’s one of those rare horror novels that’s just as much about the people as it is about the scares. If you love atmospheric, psychological stories with heart, this one’s an absolute must-read.
October 28, 2025
Really enjoyed this one. It’s a slow burn at first, but once it sinks in it gets under your skin in a way you don’t expect. The house feels alive and the tension keeps building until you realize you’re just as on edge as the main character. It’s more psychological than jump-scary, but that actually makes it hit harder. Haunting in a quiet way and it sticks with you after.
July 30, 2025
Quick, easy read. I couldn't really get into it through, sadly, I don't know the reason why, I just couldn't. But the good thing is that I don't regret reading it. I don't know how to say it without spoiling anything but I really liked how he stood up for himself later on in the book and how that worked out.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews