4.5/5 stars 
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 Hanging by a thread is a murder mystery novel with a touch of paranormal. We've got our main protagonist, Clare, who has recently moved back to her mother's hometown. Town is an exaggeration; it is more like a cluster of people living within each other's earshot. Which is why everyone was shocked when a murder occurred in two consecutive years. The whole town is scared, which is why when Clare and her mom moved, the town wasn't welcoming. This is mainly due to the fact that her family line has been known to be a little too para-normal, with creepy freaky things happening. No outsider knows but when Clare touches someone's clothes, she can remember the darkest, most wrongful thing the wearer has committed. Convenient for a town that has witnessed two murders right? That's not what Clare thinks. She just wants to be normal and enjoy designing and sewing her line made form vintage clothes. 
 I really enjoyed Clare's voice. She wasn't whiny, but life has handed her an unfair hand. She is physically, emotionally, and mentally suffering by getting involved in figuring out who is the murderer, but her guilt would eat her up if she doesn't. I also really liked the mystery behind it; In all honesty I couldn't guess who was the murder until the very end. Also, you get to witness a little of the dark side of every connected character in the novel when Clare touches a piece of their clothes. This definitely added an aura of mystery and distrust for every character; even the one Clare has started to develop a crush on. 
 The author's writing was not complicated at all. You get so sucked into the story and there are no complex words to get in the way of your reading. The build up of the plot and the addition of this paranormal theme to a mystery novel all added up my enjoyment level while reading Hanging by a Thread. I would definitely recommend it to all young adult lovers. You get a bit of contemporary, paranormal, and mystery all in one book you don't want to miss out on!