A hypnotic and terrifying psychological thriller about a man held hostage in a remote location by the “love of his life”—aka the woman he refuses to marry.

She only wants one thing:
for him to love her the way he used to.

When her boyfriend hesitates to propose—and then cheats instead of leaving—she decides the relationship needs structure. Space. Consequences. A reset. Retreating to an isolated house in the countryside feels like the responsible choice. A place where distractions disappear and commitment can finally take root.

He doesn’t see it that way.
At least not at first.

To the outside world, the man in her basement is her ill husband—too fragile for one of those homes, she explains. She’s devoted. Patient. Doing the work. No one asks too many questions.

Enter Luke.

Luke fixes problems.
Not the kind you call the police about.
The kind people quietly hope someone else will handle.

When he takes a job renovating an isolated country house, he knows something is wrong immediately. The work requests are about privacy, sound, containment. The woman who hired him is calm, polite, and lying badly.

He doesn’t intervene.

As Luke works, he watches her devotion harden into something stranger—and far more interesting. When he realizes her plan is flawed, he doesn’t stop it. He improves it. Suggests a way to make her boyfriend jealous. Engaged. Afraid of losing her.

It works.

What begins as an experiment turns into alignment. What looks like obsession becomes efficiency. And as lines are crossed—quietly, rationally—Luke understands the truth before she does:

Some relationships aren’t meant to be saved.
They’re meant to be replaced.

You’ll Love The Handyman If You Crave:

✔ Twisted relationship thrillers with intelligent, self-justifying villains
✔ Obsession reframed as loyalty, care, and commitment
✔ Seduction built through control, proximity, and shared secrets
✔ A connection that deepens as moral lines quietly disappear
✔ Stories that dare you to root for the wrong outcome

Darkly funny, unsettling, and compulsively readable, The Handyman is a psychological thriller about love, control, and what happens when the wrong person decides to help. Perfect for fans of You, Misery, and The Housemaid, this is a story that dares you to root for the solution—even when you know it’s wrong.

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH RELEASES MARCH 19, 2026