50 Must-Read 50 Beta
← The Must-Read 50
Cover of The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah TintiThe Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley
Modern · Fiction, Young Adult, Adventure

The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley

by Hannah Tinti
2017 · 399 pages · Fiction
Critics' pick
≈ 10 hours to read · about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Twelve-year-old Loo moves back to a New England fishing village with her father, Hawley, who works the boats. Over them hang the mystery of her dead mother and the ghosts of Hawley's past as a professional criminal.

Why it's worth reading

It was a finalist for the Edgar Award.

You'll love it if you liked

Good to know

It's a crime novel and a father-daughter story.

By the numbers

58.3Must-Read Score
  • Readers34 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics21 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Bestseller3 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Buzz7 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

Shortlisted
Edgar Award finalist (2018)

Reads as

Adventurous

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

If you like this, read next

Cover of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. RowlingHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's StoneJ. K. Rowling
Cover of The Book Thief by Markus ZusakThe Book Thief
The Book ThiefMarkus Zusak
Cover of The Hunger Games by Suzanne CollinsThe Hunger Games
The Hunger GamesSuzanne Collins
Cover of The Help by Kathryn StockettThe Help
The HelpKathryn Stockett
Cover of A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled HosseiniA Thousand Splendid Suns
A Thousand Splendid SunsKhaled Hosseini
Cover of Six of Crows by Leigh BardugoSix of Crows
Six of CrowsLeigh Bardugo

Explore the best-of lists

All 47 best-of lists →

Quick answers

Is The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley worth reading?

Yes. It was a finalist for the Edgar Award. It ranks #2,689 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 58.3 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley about?

Twelve-year-old Loo moves back to a New England fishing village with her father, Hawley, who works the boats. Over them hang the mystery of her dead mother and the ghosts of Hawley's past as a professional criminal.

How long does it take to read The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley?

About 10 hours (399 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley?

If you liked it, try Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, The River by Peter Heller or The Secret History by Donna Tartt.