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Hanging By A Thread
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Plot Summary of Hanging By A Thread
"

Berkley, Jan 2003, 6.50, 272 pp.
ISBN 0425187144

Betsy Devonshire owns Crewel Jewel, a needlework craft shop located in Excelsior, Minnesota, that is doing quite well. Thanks to the old Minnesota winters, Betsy needs extensive roof work done and she hires general contractor Foster Johns to perform the roofing. All her friends, workers, and customers are appalled and concerned because everyone believes Foster murdered his mistress Angela and her husband Paul.

After the roofing job is completed to Betsy's satisfaction, Foster asks her to find the evidence that will clear his name. He swears he killed neither of them and Betsy intuitively believes him. During her questioning she learns that Paul was an abusive husband and Angela was a battered wife who had an affair with Foster. She also learns that Paul's airtight alibi doesn't hold up which means that he could have killed his wife. Now she has to prove it as well as find the weapon that killed both victims in the hopes that clues will lead to answers.

This is the sixth installment in the popular cozy series and it is every bit as good, if not better, than the first five novels. The heroine has shown tremendous growth as a character and the support cast makes the story line both colorful and humorous. There is no way anyone will guess how the victims died but once presented to the audience it becomes understandable and believable. Instead of knitting on a Minnesota wintry night, this a perfect work to read.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Hanging By A Thread
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 60%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%




Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain? - Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story: - present (2000-2010)
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 70%
Misc. Murder Plotlets - Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator - amateur citizen investigator
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot? - life in small town
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - small businessman
Age: - 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use? - none
Ethnicity/Race - White/American
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - none

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Midwest

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 2
Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to Hanging By A Thread
Blood Lies by Marianne MacDonald
Stolen Honey by Nancy Means Wright
Who Left That Body in the Rain? by Patricia Sprinkle
Twice Burned by Jan Coffey
Murder of a Pink Elephant by Denise Swanson


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