Book Review: Rear Garden: The Cat Who Knew Too Much by James Barrie

After Theodore moves to the York suburb of Acomb with his owners, Jonathan and Emily, Jonathan breaks his foot and is incapacited for several weeks. With nothing to do but watch Hitchcock films and stare out of the French doors at the houses behind, he soon suspects that there is a murderer at large. Theodore knows that there is a killer in the suburban midst. But how is he to prove it and make sure that the killer gets what's coming to her.

With many references to classic Hitchcock films, Rear Garden is a comic romp through the leafy suburbs, leaving many a bloody footprint (and pawprint) on the well-trimmed lawns.

Confession time: I am an Alfred Hitchcock fanatic. Psycho is one of my top 3 favorite movies, and I love nothing more than to be totally creeped out by an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents or The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, so add a Hitchcock story line to a cat cozy and I'm pretty much in heaven.

Rear Garden takes place as young couple Jonathan and Emily have recently moved to the York suburb of Acomb. When Jonathan is injured on the job he has nothing to do but sit at home all day with a stack of Hitchcock DVDs and watch his new neighbors alongside furry friend Theodore. Jonathan can't get around much, but Theodore sure can, and it doesn't take long before he witnesses the nefarious goings-on next door between a young woman and her mostly bedridden mother. Everyone thinks Jonathan is letting his imagination run wild when he suspects the older woman has been murdered, so it's up to Theodore to prove them wrong.

Rear Garden is deliciously creepy, yet cozy at the same time. If you're a Hitchcock fan like I am you will love all the references to the master of suspense's classic thrillers. Even if you're not, it's a fun visit to the genteel English countryside where one never knows the horrors that go on behind closed doors.

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