**Review was a bit delayed, as Goodreads crashed while I was over halfway done. writing**

When I saw Rachel Hawkins had a new upcoming release, I was quick to add to my TBR! I’ve read and enjoyed all of her others, and some by her pen name, and this was by far my favorite.

Can you imagine being married to someone for 10 years and never meeting their family or visiting their home town? Oh, and did I mention that said mother in law is an extremely wealthy heiress who was rumored to have murdered multiple husbands, on top of being an infamous kidnap victim as a child??

Naturally, Jules was extremely curious about her husband Cam’s family and upbringing. When life events call the couple back to Cam’s hometown in the mountains of North Carolina, drama certainly ensues. What the couple discovers is surely to keep readers glued to the pages of this novel.

Dual POV, with newspaper articles and letters interspersed, creates almost a scrapbook of pieces to a puzzle that is rife with twists.

It was giving Evelyn Hugo with layers of mystery and family secrets, all set in my favorite place on earth - the mountains of western north carolina. I screamed out loud with RH even mentioned my Alma Mater, Western Carolina University.

Loved this so much! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was just the book I needed right now.. it was an interesting story that was fast paced and full of twists and turns. I really enjoyed how the news articles and the “from the desk of Ruby” letters were intertwined to help tell the story. And just when you think all the twists were done, there was one more at the end. Definitely recommend this one even if maybe Rachel’s other books weren’t for you.

loved this book about family secrets and murder and a family. loved the letters to jules and they way that they are interconnected and that camden knew secrets too but didn't tell that he knew them. loved the mystery of it.

First, thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. I was excited when I was approved to read "The Heiress" but unfortunately it didn't work for me. The book dragggged for the first 40%, so much that when my husband asked what was happening in the book I was reading, my response was "Honestly, I have no idea". The book picked up in a few places (around 60% for a short bit then flowed quickly after 80%) but I feel like a lot of people would have already dropped off by then.

This book is classified as a "mystery thriller" but I didn't think that there was much mystery or thrills. I would probably categorize "The Heiress" as a family drama.

As a resident of North Carolina I really liked all of the mentions of North Carolina and the setting of the Ashby House.

I think "The Heiress" will satisfy lots of readers, it just didn't pan out for me. Hits bookshelves on January 9, 2024.

I have read a couple of Rachel Hawkins' novels and this was by far my favorite! The suspense kept the novel interesting and I loved the world that the novel created for me. I would recommend this book!

Thank you to Net Galley, Rachel Hawkins and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an ARC of The Heiress!

Another great one by Rachel Hawkins! The plot had great twists and turns that kept me captivated. Highly recommend this book!

3.5 stars. Rachel Hawkins is back with another thriller, following the wealthy McTavish family and the mysteries and impacts of the infamous matriarch Ruby that continue a decade after her death. In between the present day chapters, Ruby wrote a series of letters confessing her secrets and explaining her life, which are followed by articles about Ruby and the McTavishes over the years. In the current timeline, her adopted son Camden and his wife Jules are pulled back to the McTavish home to face Camden's bitter family.

Hawkins does setting really well, including The Heiress' family mansion, Ashby House, a place of great wealth and family resentment, set against the mountains and forests of North Carolina. She also paints the town and the way the McTavishes literally own the town and pull the strings of everything around them. Once Cam reluctantly returns, he has to face the dysfunctional family and difficult past he's spent a decade avoiding.

Hawkins puts a lot of threads into this book, jumping from Ruby's past and confessions to the secrets and manipulations of present day. Ruby was the bigger hook for me, and the Cam and Jules story didn't pull me in the way her complicated life did. I'm also not a fan of the narration style for Cam and Jules' POV chapters, especially Jules' voice in hers, which irked me throughout. There aren't real plot events until the end, just secrets coming to light and unraveling who people were, but it did hold my attention.

I found this stronger than the author’s previous titles, though still a little more dramatic than I was hoping for - but that’s on me. This will appeal to and satisfy a hefty chunk of suspense readers.

This suspense novel felt more like a family drama, but I still liked it a lot!

I've enjoyed all of Rachel Hawkins's books, with The Villa being my favorite. The Heiress employs a dual timeline, with current events alternating with letters describing events from the past.

I thought I knew where the story was going, but there were a few surprises I didn't see coming!

Read this if you liked The Villa or The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

Ruby McTavish was the victim of a kidnapping as a child which launched her into infamy. However, it was the death of her four husbands that kept her there for the rest of her life. 10 years after her death her son, and sole heir of Ashby House is forced to return to the one place and people he never hoped to see again. Ruby’s sister and decedents have never let Cam forget that he is a McTavish by adoption and the house never should have been his in the first place. Throughout the story we learn the truth about the family, Ruby’s husbands and discover at what price people are willing to kill for what they believe is theirs.

The Heiress felt like a mix of The Seven Husbands of Evalyn Hugo, Verity and Before We were yours. We are being told the Story of Ruby’s husbands through letters Ruby wrote to an unknown party. During these confessions she reveals the story of her kidnapping and how it affected her family for years to come. Throughout the book I found myself wondering how reliable is Ruby? I loved the idea of this book, and it was a fun quick read, but for me personally it didn’t shine the same way Hawkins past books have.

I enjoyed this book, it kept me engaged and it was not predictable at all. The writing style was different and I enjoyed the plot

📚 Just finished 'The Heiress' by Rachel Hawkins, thanks to an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and St. Martins Press.

I got quite sucked into this one and managed to read it in a day [maybe it was also the procrastination from doing work things? Likely a combo of both].

This gripping book together murder, greed, money, and family secrets with finesse!

🕵️‍♀️ Set around the vast fortune left by the flamboyant Ruby McTavish, the story follows her adopted son Camden and his return to the family estate in North Carolina.

With multiple points of view, including Ruby's own letters, and narratives from Camden and Jules, and media articles, Hawkins expertly builds up to an finale full of twists.

The clever interplay of perspectives deepens the mystery and enriches the character development, making the big reveals even more satisfying.

Plus, the epilogue provides a perfect round-off to this story.

If you're a fan of family sagas with dark secrets and unpredictable turns, mark your calendar for this release in January!

I love Rachel Hawkins and I loved this book. I loved the setting and the different points of view that it was written in. It was so entertaining and fun.

Notorious widow Ruby McTavish Kenmore is infamous in Tavistock, North Carolina. Each of her four husbands died under suspicious circumstances, earning her the nickname Ruby Kill-more. When she dies, her adopted son Camden inherits her grand estate but surprisingly wants nothing to do with it. Ten years after Ruby’s death, Cam and his wife Jules set out to Ashby House to settle some estate matters and are confronted with a house full of secrets and danger.

No one does gothic suspense like Rachel Hawkins does gothic suspense, and this may be my favorite of her books to date! Told from three perspectives: Jules, Cam, and Ruby (through a trove of letters), this book is full of explosive twists and turns that kept me glued to the pages. You know these characters are not what they seem, but even when I thought I had them all pegged, there were still some surprises in store! This tale of murder, lies, and family intrigue is the perfect fast-paced thriller to start off 2024. Fans of Riley Sager or The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo should definitely read this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me an advance copy of this book.

This was probably Rachel Hawkins best work yet. This mystery thriller had my full attention after just a few pages. As an audiobook it just got better. Dan Bittner, Eliza Foss, John Pirhalla and Patti Murin were the narrators and they were excellent . I read and listened to this and recommend both. I felt like I was there and oh what a ride. Cleverly written with many twists and turns that had a fitting ending. Great story and I was grateful for the opportunity to get advanced copy before release.
These are my thoughts and feelings about the novel.
Thanks St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.

Camden and his wife Jules live a humble life in Colorado but after hearing from his estranged relatives filthy rich relatives, his life is turned upside down with drama and secrets! Does money really buy happiness?

This book was a page turner! I couldn’t put it down and needed to know what happens! So many twists and turns all the way up to the end. I kept guessing what would happen and I was wrong everytime! I loved how the story was told through the point of view several characters as well!

Thank you to Rachel Hawkins, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Wow, I really enjoyed this latest book by Rachel Hawkins! I have to say, I really love the formula she used in her last two novels with the main character reviewing old letters, that are revealed back and forth, character to character over the course of the novel. While The Villa was a fun summer getaway steeped in suspense, The Heiress was cozy yet chaotic, steeped in suspense. I usually don't finish a book within a weekend, but this story had me on the edge of my seat. While this novel is definitely of the mystery/psychological thriller genre, it has a lot of the historical fiction, romance, and glamour of the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo which was a very entertaining surprise. Would highly recommend.

First off I want to thank Net gallery for giving me the opportunity to read this book. The overall concept of the book was good however I felt like many ideas lacked, and there wasn’t much character development

An emotional, roller-coaster ride full of suspense! I could not stop reading!

Heiresses seem to have it all. Ruby McTavish is no different. How she came into her wealth was a surprise.

Every family has secrets, but the McTavish family is over the top. Secrets are revealed throughout the reading experience as we learn about the characters.

My favorite Rachel Hawkins book!

What happens when a family has more money than they can spend in several generations? That's the main question of this book.

Ruby McTavish is a North Carolina heiress who has lived an interesting, albeit tragic, life. Widowed 4 times, the owner of night clubs, world traveler, she's lived a full life. But were all 4 of her husbands deaths truly natural deaths? And after being widowed 4 times, what will happen to the McTavish fortune?

Enter Cam. Ruby adopted Cam when she decided she wanted to make the world a better place. He grew up with his cousins, Ben and Libby, his great aunt Nelle and his Uncle Howard. When he was 18 he left for good and hasn't thought about the family since. But now he's been summoned back to his ancestral home 10 years after Ruby's death. This time though, he's not alone. His wife Jules will be there and she can see first hand what happens when people have too much money and no consequences.

This book does a great job of delving into the motivations of all the characters. Between letters from Ruby, and then the POV of both Cam and Jules you really get to understand the motivations at play. That being said, you could cut Jules' POV and you would end up at the same place.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book.