The Ninth Life

"Forget everything you think you know about 'cat mysteries'—a rescue cat is the unique narrator of this "dark and gritty" urban noir mystery series debut (Joseph Finder).

Three figures, shadowy against the light. That's all I remember from my past life, as I am dragged, dripping and half-drowned, from the flood. My savior, a strange, pink-haired girl, is little help. She can barely care for herself, let alone me, or the boy she loves. And although she has sworn to avenge the murder of her mentor, she must first escape the clutches of drug dealers, murderers, and thieves. I would repay her kindness if I could. But we are alone in this blighted city—and I am a cat.

The past is an enigma to Blackie, the voice of Clea Simon's dark mystery series. Combining elements of feline fantasy and cozy whodunit, this book introduces our unusual hero and his human companion, a street child named Care: Two small creatures in a nightmarish urban landscape, fighting for survival, and for the lives and memories of those they love.

"Told from the unique point of view of a narrator who sees things humans can't. It's one I won't soon forget." —Joseph Finder, New York Times–bestselling author of The Fixer and Suspicion

"Noir fans who are fond of felines will find a lot to like." —Publishers Weekly

"A wonderful reading experience." —Breakaway Reviewers

"An exciting, compelling, and utterly unique adventure." —Hank Phillippi Ryan, Mary Higgins Clark Award–winning author