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.

I really loved the construct of The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins. Each of the three main characters; Ruby, Camden, & Jules, move the story forward by speaking directly to the reader within their own chapters. It's also a dual timeline story as we hear Ruby's history and how that affects the current time. The Appalachian Mountains setting provides the perfect mix of small town and chilly, foreboding atmosphere. This is my favorite book so far from this author.

Wow! I haven’t read a thriller that was this engrossing and entertaining in quite some time! This is potentially Rachel Hawkins’s best book so far. It started out establishing who was who, with enough information to get the story started, and leaving the reader with plenty of questions and intrigue. Then intersperses letters from the deceased with shifting POV between the currently alive characters. You think you know what happened but do you? The book and plot are perfectly paced to build the suspense while not rushing or drawing it out too long. And I didn’t see the ending coming, but it was well worth the wait.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins is a compellingly disturbing domestic thriller loaded with unexpected delectable bends and tongue-gnawing tension. My stomach was in knots in the best way possible.

Unabashedly direct Ruby McTavish was the obscenely wealthy owner of Ashby House and multiple properties. But after her death her son Cam is in turmoil about his inheritance. He had left home for many reasons and returning is anything but fulfilling. Jules, his wife of ten years, is curious about his background and encourages him to at least care for the mansion. The household is a motley mix of allies and enemies with layer upon layer of secrets. And then there are the Darnells. Mysterious deaths enter the picture, too.

The dark and suspenseful aspects are stunning but the superfluous bad language is distracting. Otherwise there is so much to love.

My sincere thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this engrossing novel.

🤯 MIND BLOWING MONDAY 🤯 featuring “The Heiress” by Rachel Hawkins!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Ruby McTavish has had a notorious past and reputation like NO OTHER … and she is not only filthy rich, but also a victim of being kidnapped as a child and a widow 4 times over. The child kidnapping never fully added up and each husband died due to mysterious circumstances … what is the truth behind her story??

When Ruby passes away and leaves her legacy to her adopted son Camden, he wants literally NOTHING to do with the money and all of the strings attached to being a McTavish. Camden never felt like he truly “belonged” and his family members always made sure to make him feel like an outsider.

However, ten years after Ruby’s death, an Uncle passes, and Camden is summoned to return back home to deal with some family business. As soon as he walks through the door of Ashby House, Camden is pulled back into a dark and twisted time in his life that he fled from. The secrets, lies and deception run deep within the family bloodline … what else will Cam discover??

Rachel Hawkins, you have done it again! Bravo on yet another dark and twisted thriller that drew me in from the very beginning and left me desperate for more! Thank you kindly to @ladyhawkins @stmartinspress @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on January 9, 2024!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

Ah this was sooooooo good! I listened to it in a day. There was just so much happening ALL.THE.TIME. The characters were forever shedding new light on a situation. The multiple perspectives of Ruby, Jules, and Cam made everything so easy to get into. I absolutely loved it.

The Heiress is a dark slow burn with many twists and turns. I really enjoyed it. The characters were well fleshed out with many flaws. I never knew who to trust and who was unreliable. It is a slow burn that drops little twists along the way. I loved that it was told in multiple pov. I love getting to see the story from different viewpoints.

Publication January 9 2024

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an digital arc.

Ruby Mclavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmor was known to be North Carolina's richest woman. When she was little she was kidnapped and lived with another family. She was returned to her family months later. Then when she was older she was married and widowed four times. We learn all about the deaths of these husbands throughout the book. 

After Ruby passes her entire inheritance goes to her adopted son Camden. Camden wants nothing to do with the money or the family so he moves to Colorado to get far away from that life. One day his cousin contacts him about the passing of their uncle. His wife Jules thinks it would be a good idea to go back to the Ashby house to be with the family, and for her to finally get to know the family and see this side of her husband. 
The story really takes off once they get to the Ashby house and we meet all the family members. While we are in the present time, we are also getting to read the letters that Ruby wrote. I absolutely loved reading Ruby’s letters and hearing about her life and all of her past husbands. I loved her attitude!

Anytime I thought I had figured the ending out another twist came into play. It is a great story about a dysfunctional family with many hidden secrets. The story is also told through multiple POVs.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5* I have read all of Rachel Hawkins adult mystery books and I can say as I read more I think she is getting better. They are always a quick read with interesting plots! This book felt like a mix between the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo mixed with Riley Sager’s the only one left (two books I loved btw)

My thoughts on the one are mixed. I really loved the way she crafted this story. The family drama was just fantastic. The setting was something I just loved, a rich big fancy house is the perfect place for this story. I loved getting to see camden interact (fight) with his family & in contrast seeing Jules want so desperately to be involved/a part of the family is the plot I was wanting. I liked the slow reveals that ruby told throughout her letters. The confessions of what happened to her husbands were just silly & fun. I was not expecting her to go there!

Here’s where I fall short with my love. Rachel Hawkins sucked me in! With everything going on, multiple timelines, ruby’s husbands, seeing how Camden fit into the family, the kidnapped baby story, everything was SO interesting! AND THEN. The big reveal. I’m not even kidding I was like are. you. serious. No ma’am. How are you gonna build up this fantastic story with so much going on to that?? I felt like she had this great idea and just didn’t know how to end it, or how to wrap Jules into the story so her motives made since. Idk I just did not enjoy how it ended.

I will continue to give Rachel Hawkins another chance bc I think she’s almost there! I’m hoping her next book will really hit & pull off the ending I so desperately want from her!

My ranking of Rachel Hawkins thrillers:
1. The villa
2. The heiress
3. Reckless girls
4. The wife upstairs

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins grabbed my attention from the first page. I thought the characters were very interesting, as well as the "universe" the author created. By universe I'm referring to the house, the town, the lore, and the characters. It's so easy to imagine it all. This story is expertly told from multiple points of view, and it kept me guessing all the way to the end.