A review by mdgoodrich
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti

3.0

2.5 ⭐️— I liked the characters, I think, but then I didn’t feel emotionally invested in them. I was curious where the book would go, but I wasn’t on the edge of my seat or desperate for one thing to happen over another. The most interesting part was the scene with Hawley and Maureen. That’s also the only section I’d consider to be a true ‘Thriller’…the rest of the book was not. I also wouldn’t describe this story as a ‘Mystery’ — I’d say this is a family drama with an anti-hero dad who is still finding his way, loves his daughter, and does what he feels is right based on his narrow life experience (i.e. violence is the answer to survive). I thought the writing was a bit pretentious…the note at the end about the font used in the book was extra annoying (and that’s coming from a graphic designer). I would have loved more back story on Lily and her mom with some chapters dedicated to their perspectives to each other, Loo, and especially Hawley.