In the shocking pink bathroom, the hand of a woman is sticking out from the bathtub. As we get a closer look, her body is sinking deeper into the water with only a bit of her face still showing. This is all courtesy of the cat who let himself in through the window and is wearing a camera around his neck that is broadcasting this eerie scene to anyone interested in watching it.

This is the focus of the brief prologue to Catherine Steadman’s latest psychological thriller, NINE LIVES. Different themes appear throughout the book, and the title might give you a hint to a major one. If not, this quote from Agnès Varda that precedes the story may say it all: “This is all you need in life: a computer, a camera, and a cat.” Well, this novel gives you all three, but it is the feline connection that drives everything through to its conclusion.

"NINE LIVES occurs over a period of less than two weeks, and Catherine Steadman keeps the tension mounting with each passing day.... [T]he book feels like a modern version of Rear Window..."

Another theme is colors. Our protagonist, Frankie Green, has just relocated to a glamorous London neighborhood with her Persian cat, Blue, who is the only holdover from her failed marriage. Her ex-husband moved to the States where he got remarried, and she is hoping for a fresh start. Unfortunately, she finds out pretty quickly that her neighbors are slightly off and something is very amiss in her new house.

On her first night there, Frankie wakes up at 4am and swears someone is in the bedroom with her. The next day, Blue returns from a day of galivanting outside with the words HELP ME scratched into his collar. Beyond this, Frankie finds her front door wide open after she swears she had locked it. A locksmith comes over and changes the lock, but he says that it looks like the door had to have been opened from the inside.

Adding to her fears, Frankie begins to wonder about her neighbors --- including the overly eager Matt, who keeps hitting on her and asking her out. She finds out about the neighborhood chat group and checks it out to see what they’re all about. She is incredibly surprised to learn that one of her neighbors is an actress who is living there under an assumed name. 

Frankie’s trepidation increases after she puts a “cat cam” collar around Blue and then replays his adventures. She witnesses many things she wishes she had not, like a couple viciously arguing and a woman who appears to be locked in a basement. Might she have been the one to write those chilling words on Blue’s collar? Luckily, Frankie learns the woman's identity and the name of her captor. If only she can get anyone, including the police, to believe her.

NINE LIVES occurs over a period of less than two weeks, and Catherine Steadman keeps the tension mounting with each passing day. In addition to its running themes, the book feels like a modern version of Rear Window, with a feline being used instead of a pair of binoculars to spy on possibly suspicious neighbors. This is a nice summer treat!