She’s filthy rich and notorious yet, Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies. Set in the North Carolina mountains, Ruby was the victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and has been widowed four times.
four dead husbands, hmmm….

Ruby ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s estate high in the Blue Ridge mountains. After her death, the estate, along with a nine-figure fortune and the complicated legacy of being a McTavish, is passed on to her adopted son, Camden.

Surprisingly, Cam wants little to do with the house or the money and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. He rejects his inheritance, and settles into an ordinary life as an English teacher in Colorado and marries Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.

Jump forward 10 years when Camden receives a summons in the wake of his uncle’s death. This event brings him and Jules back into the family drama at Ashby House. The views are just as impressive as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but coming home reminds Cam why he was so quick to leave in the first place.

Jules, however, has other ideas, and the more she learns about Cam’s estranged family and the bizarre secrets they keep, the more determined she is for her husband to claim everything Ruby once intended for him to have.

Just by being there, Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, and questions about the infamous heiress come to light. What’s behind the persistent rumors concerning her disappearance as a child? What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And most if all, why did she adopt Cam in the first place?

The book us another well written work of Rachel Hawkins, and quite dramatic. While entertaining, I didn’t find it suspenseful.

How far would you go for your independence?

That’s a main question that comes into play for our main characters. Being adopted into a wealthy family sounds extremely lucky, but Camden McTavish wants nothing to do with his family or his inheritance once his adoptive mother passes away. It’s not until years later, after his uncle passes, that he dares to brave a return to Ashby House. This time he has his faithful wife on his side and isn’t alone.

This had some twists and turns that made it fun and made you pay attention to the little details all the way up until the end. This story was like an onion, with each chapter peeling away another layer of the mystery.

What I found quite enjoyable were the different points of view/timelines as well as writing style (a character speaking to you, but then a letter, and back and forth); this really helped to develop each of the characters and their motivations. It made you want to know their backgrounds and what they would do.

I also liked the backdrop of the house and other small town it was located in because I could picture it clearly in my minds eye.

I’m always curious to read what Rachel Hawkins writes and I can’t wait to read what she comes out with next!

Thank you so much to the author, Rachel Hawkins, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the arc ebook of The Heiress in exchange for my thoughts!

5 ⭐️

This book had me at the book cover. I was completely immersed in Jules & camdens quaint little like in CO…. Until you foresee that the ish is about to hit the fan.

There were several other narratives happening synonymously, ruby had quite a bit to say through her letters. This is the part where you are completely engrossed in this tragic story of someone who has lived a mostly privileged life. The details start to seep out and there is just no stopping them.

We find out Camden left for college and wasn’t supported bc he didn’t do all the things ruby preferred so she cut him off until he was at the point he was forced to go home to hopefully reckon with her. I will leave this for you to find out in the book.

All in all, be prepared for a very juicy, convoluted familial story. Just when you think you’ve reached the Pennicle you likely have only touched the tip of the iceberg.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a psychological thriller esp around family drama.

"New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins returns with a twisted new gothic suspense about an infamous heiress and the complicated inheritance she left behind.

There's nothing as good as the rich gone bad.

When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she's not only North Carolina's richest woman, she's also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over, Ruby ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family's estate high in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

But in the aftermath of her death, her adopted son, Camden, wants little to do with the house or the money - and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.

Ten years later, his uncle's death pulls Cam and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but the legacy of Ruby is inescapable.

And as Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about the infamous heiress come to light. Was there any truth to the persistent rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And why did she adopt Cam in the first place? Soon, Jules and Cam realize that an inheritance can entail far more than what's written in a will - and that the bonds of family stretch far beyond the grave."

The best part of the new year is that we get a new Rachel Hawkins book.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins is the master of gothic suspense!
This is definitely a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Hawkins has filled the pages with mystery, suspense and plot twists to make this impossible to predict.
This is definitely an intriguing read which has kept me hooked, been impossible to work out and I’ve devoured in just one sitting.
Brimming with eerie mystery and hair-raising details. Rachel Hawkins does not disappoint! A unique and suspenseful thriller that will leave you wanting more.

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

4.5⭐️I loved this book! This was a 5-star book the entire read.. until the end. I got confused. I feel like I missed something. There is just one loose end and I don’t know if I missed it or it just wasn’t addressed. I found myself going back and rereading parts as thing started to come together and fall into place, so it’s possible I just forgot?? But other than that one plot point that is destroying my mind, this book was SO good! Everyone should read this book. I loved the style and layout of how this book was constructed/written. The story was moved forward in such unique ways. In the chapters, I could feel the voice of the characters. I am obsessed with this book. I had to force myself to stop reading at parts because I didn’t want to rush it and didn’t want it to end. Also the end of chapter 13: iykyk👀 If Rachel Hawkins other books are like this, I will be wanting to read them. This book will not be leaving my mind for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for this twisting and darkly beautiful ARC!

"The Heiress" by Rachel Hawkins is a captivating exploration of legacy, family, and the enigmatic Ashby House set against the backdrop of North Carolina's Blue Ridge mountains. The novel begins with the death of Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore, a woman whose life has been marred by a notorious kidnapping and a string of marriages. As the narrative unfolds, the focus shifts to her adopted son, Camden, who surprises everyone by rejecting his substantial inheritance and choosing a simpler life as an English teacher in Colorado.

I rate this novel a solid 4 out of 5, acknowledging its artful execution despite a few predictable plot twists. One of the strengths of Hawkins' storytelling lies in her ability to weave suspense and gothic horror seamlessly into the narrative, with Ashby House emerging as a character in its own right. The eerie ambiance and mysterious history of the McTavish family residing at the estate contribute significantly to the novel's atmospheric charm.

The narrative perspective alternates among Camden, his wife Jules, and even the deceased Ruby, through her old letters. This multifaceted approach provides readers with a comprehensive view of the events, as each character brings their own lens and motives to the unfolding story. The changing viewpoints add depth to the storytelling, allowing readers to connect with the characters on a more profound level.

Rachel Hawkins gives us an inside look into a dysfunctional family, a wealthy heiress' fortune, and the things we would all do for money. From her early days in "The Wife Upstairs" to her most recent release, "The Villa," Hawkins has done well in creating the right air of mystery, keeping you interested just enough to keep going. "The Heiress", her latest thriller releasing in January 2024, checks all the right boxes as maybe her best thriller yet.

Told in multiple POVs, Hawkins delves into the life of North Carolina's richest woman, Ruby McTavish, her adopted son, Cameron McTavish, and his wife, Jules, to tell the story of where the wealth and fortune ends up. While Cameron and Jules' commentaries are in the present, Ruby's words come from letters written to an unknown source. Let the drama begin!

This was the first of Hawkins' books that I found incredibly difficult to put down. Every second felt important, every detail vital to the ending of the story. The few twists in the book proved to be gasp-enducing, but nothing too outlandish.

The characters themselves were definitely interesting and I found myself more in awe of the supporting cast, including the disturbingly rude Ben and the ridiculously ignorant Libby. Their presence on the page really added to the feeling of overall uncomfortable vibe of Ashby House and all that house is about.

Overall, the vibes were immaculately creepy, the characters believeable, and the ending left much too be desired while also answering some of the big questions. Definitely a thriller to check out once released. Hawkins definitely has a hit on her hands!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for this honest review!

I really enjoyed this book. The story has a lot of twists, and it keeps you in suspense. The story is written from the perspective of the two main characters, and we get a glance into the past in the form of letters and newspaper articles. It was a well-written, gothic story, but it still left me pondering about some unanswered questions.

I devoured The Heiress! I loved the multiple point of views and quite enjoyed the multiple methods of unveiling the story (letters, articles, character POV). Even though I caught onto a few of the plot twists, I could not put the book down! I just had to know how it all played out! I did experience flashes of other stories and movies as I read. It feels like a new story that felt familiar.

ARC via NetGalley

This is my third experience with this author and I continue to really enjoy each unique reading experience. She really kept me on my toes with this one and hooked me from the start. I binged it in two days and loved the multiple povs. So many secrets!! Definitely recommend to those wanting a quick and fun read.

4.25 stars
I enjoyed Hawkins’s last book, The Villa, but this novel was a whole step up in terms of everything.
There are three main characters in the novel, Ruby, Jules, and Camden. We meet Jules and Camden as they’re living a loving yet slightly lower middle-class existence in Colorado. Kim has chosen to turn his back on his inheritance (almost $100 million dollars) and his hideous family back home in Asheville, North Carolina- until he gets an email that speaks to him in some way that all previous entreaties from his family have not. He decides along with Jules that it is time to go home to Asheville and face his family- and the family secrets that exist amongst all of them. I really enjoyed this novel, and the way that the author chose to tell it. Hawkins uses a combination of present day perspective and events in some chapters and chapters in the past from Ruby’s perspective. She also uses letters to an unknown audience from Ruby, talking in her real voice, and as her real self, not bothering to cover up who she really is, so even though Ruby died 10 years before the start of the novel we really get to know her and her voice. She is a really interesting and compelling character. If you enjoy thrillers, I think that you would really enjoy this book. I highly recommend it.

okay wow, I went into this blind and am glad I did. I think this will be a favorite thriller of 2024. Mark your calendars for release date 1.9.24!!! I loved the Asheville/Biltmore vibes, the family drama, the plot twists, the alternating chapters between characters, newspaper articles, AND a diary all in one. Truly a fun, fantastical thriller. I think this is Hawkins best yet and I cannot wait for this to be out in the world!~

I was in a major reading slump before I picked up an early copy of THE HEIRESS, Rachel Hawkins’ latest adult suspense novel. It turns out that Hawkins’ signature pulpy suspense is just what I needed! Thank you, St. Martins Press!

There are 3 narrators and points of view in this book. First we have the infamous Ruby McTavish, a wealthy heiress who was kidnapped as a child and became a widow four times over. Then we have her adopted son, Camden, who has rejected Ruby’s legacy but is compelled to return to the family estate, Ashby House, in the wake of a family death alongside our third narrator, his wife Jules. Each character is hiding secrets and Ashby House has a way of keeping the family in its grip…

Although I predicted most of the plot twists early on, I found this book a delicious experience that I gobbled down. Ruby is the kind of sardonic narrator I love to read and her past was really fascinating. (It almost gave me The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo but with murder lol). Jules is a classic Hawkins character and I mean that in the best way. Camden felt like the weakest character in some way and I wish there had been just a few tweaks to his twists. I wanted a bit more about his childhood/his reasoning for leaving the family.

The end, however, was just as twisty as I dreamed and overall it was a highly entertaining read! Sometimes you just need a gossipy, juicy popcorn read that feels like digging through old family secrets… It seems like a new tradition for Rachel Hawkins to release a thriller each January and I throughly approve starting off your reading year with some murder-y bookish fun!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book!

When I finished this book (after one sitting), I texted several friends and told them I had their next vacation read picked out! This is a fantastic Southern Gothic mystery with fascinating characters and a setting that absolutely captured my imagination.

I read a lot of thrillers, so I know better than to trust any main characters, but I couldn’t help rooting for Jules and Camden from the very beginning, especially Jules. Hawkins does such a good job on intentionally making her such a relatable character so that the reader can make a connection while surrounded by truly horrible people for most of the book. And of course, the twists. This book is told in two timelines, one through Jules’ and Camden’s alternation points of view, and the other through the deceased Ruby McTavish’s letters about her life. Both storylines are gripping and the way they all come together - chef’s kiss.

If you read The Villa by the same author, keep an eye out for a fun Easter egg in the story! However, you should know that while Hawkins’ other books are good mysteries, this is by far a superior story in my opinion. I absolutely loved this and highly recommend it as a vacation read!

The Heiress is a stunning tale. That is, to say, Ruby’s story was so interesting and engaging, I could not read through her letters fast enough! The present-day story was not so interesting. In fact, it was a burdensome interruption to the real story told by Ruby. I wish Ruby had been alive to tell her story instead of learning of it
Posthumously. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

Camden and his wife Jules share the narration of this story about the McTavish family. Camden's mother Ruby has passed, and ten years later, Camden and Jules are called home to the family estate, Ashby House, to deal with lingering matters. Ruby was a larger than life woman who married and buried four husbands. Through letters she tells the stories of those marriages and the truth about what happened to her husbands. Her sister and niece and nephew remain at the family estate and believe it belongs to them, and not Ruby's son and heir Camden. Everyone has secrets in this story, especially Camden and his wife Jules. No one is really who you think they are, except perhaps Camden's cousins who are really as narcissistic as they sound. There are a lot of twists in the story. A few of the twists seem obvious and you expect them, and then another one comes along and completely surprises you. This is a quick enjoyable read.

There's a lot to love about The Heiress. It has that fun, devious mystery thriller vibe to it which is what I'm looking for when I pick up a book from this genre. Having read the author's three previous books, I'd say this one is her best yet.

The bare bones of the story is 3 year old Ruby disappeared and months later she is found living in Alabama. She is brought home to her wealthy parents' estate, Ashby House, located in North Carolina. She accumulates more and more wealth as she gets older, and when Ruby dies, she leaves basically everything to her adopted son, Camden. Ruby's sister and her family ain't too happy with that decision. Camden doesn't want anything to do with his relatives or the money and flees to California where he meets and eventually marries, Jules. Fast forward a decade, and he will be setting foot in Ashby House once again.

I enjoyed the storytelling method as you get Camden's and Jules' POVs as well as Ruby's via letters she wrote. Newspaper articles are also sprinkled in throughout the story. The pacing was good and it was a quick read as I never once lost interest.

There are many components to this story so it's not like you are just working your way to the ending. You are getting plenty of juicy stuff along the way. The weak spot is it was lacking any jaw-dropping moments. I'm racking my brain but I don't recall any key moments that I hadn't considered a possibility at some point. I wouldn't go so far to say the story is predictable but the author leaves quite a few clues. And in her defense, some stuff you are only a beat or two ahead of before she reveals it. Maybe nothing truly shocking, but it still was a fun binge read.

Recommend as a good weekend/vacation thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to review. All opinions are my own.

Married couple Camden and Jules are traveling back to Cam's childhood home, from his new life in California to North Carolina. He hasn't returned to the home since his adopted mother Ruby McTavish passed away. Ruby left him a small fortune, which is wanted by multiple relatives, creating some tension within the McTavish family. She also left behind the house, in need of many repairs, and questionable deaths of her former husbands.

The Heiress follows Ruby in the past, along with Cam and Jules in the present. Through flashbacks, letters, and news articles, Ruby shares more about her life to her relatives. Hawkins transports the reader to North Carolina, in the Ashby House, and develops both timelines and plot points seamlessly. In true thriller fashion, it is full of twists and surprises that I did not see coming. The Heiress explores family connections, the power of money, and how far someone will go to get what they want.

I really enjoyed reading The Heiress. I would rate this book a 4.25 stars out of 5. This was my first book of New York Times Best Selling Author Rachel Hawkins, and I will definitely be reading more. The characters were interesting and well developed. The twists kept me on my toes. It was a really entertaining, satisfying thriller.

If you have read any of Rachel Hawkins other books, you will definitely enjoy this one. There's lots of twists, a fun location and setting, and unique character perspectives.

The Heiress will release on January 9.

Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore led a long and eventful life. When she was six years old, her kidnapping made headlines and had the entire country praying for her safe return. Her first husband was shot on their honeymoon. Her second was electrocuted in the barn of the family estate. Her third and fourth husbands also died under questionable circumstances. She left everything to her adopted son, Camden, who refuses to have anything to do with the family estate or the relatives who still live there. He's created a life for himself in Colorado and is doing just fine without Ruby's money until an email from his cousin draws him back to Ashby house and his wife gets a look at everything he walked away from. Told through Ruby's letters, brief news stories, and the point of view of Cam and his wife, this book kept me hooked from the beginning. The old scandals and current drama between family members combined to make an absolutely fascinating read.