I really enjoyed myself while reading this suspenseful family mystery. Rachel Hawkins is the queen of dark secrets between the characters in her books, everyone always has a secret and the entire time reading you are dying to figure out just what those secrets are. This book is not an exception. This is about the strange life of the notorious heiress, Ruby McTavish, the historic Ashby House, and the twisted McTavish family. When Ruby Passed away, she left her families entire fortune to her adopted son Camden, only Camden doesn’t want to have anything to do with the money, or the house, after the way he was treated when he was younger. In the wake of this uncle’s death, an email arrives pleading for his return to Ashby house. Camden’s wife, Jules, convinces him to return for a short trip to clear things up with his family and the estate. Jules plays the unknowing wife, but she knows all about Ashby house and she has no plans to leave once they make it there. Everyone is lying, nothing is as it seems, and extreme wealth has some extreme problems…

While this one wasn't my favorite story (it felt a little flat to me), I'll always be first in line for this author's books! She's fantastic.

Great book. Not my favorite of hers but I enjoyed it. It was slow at first and some of the twists were predictable but the last few chapters of the book redeemed itself. Thanks for the ARC NetGalley! 4/5 stars

While I typically love and obsess over everything Rachel Hawkins writes, The Heiress fell a little flat for me. I did enjoy reading it, but I think there were opportunities to really make this book pop (like playing up Jules' role a bit more) or giving a little more depth to Libby. Either way, it was enjoyable.

This was a wonderful book. A great Thor ill er that kept me guessing the whole time. I would recommend this to all thriller lovers!

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins was quite a ride. I felt like I couldn't read the pages fast enough. It was full of mysteries and you felt like you knew there was big twist coming throughout the whole book. Hawkins' "The Wife Upstairs" is a favorite of mine but this one is a few favorite. It's a twisty family novel that I didn't see coming.

TW/CW: Sex, murder, domestic abuse, death, suicide

REVIEW: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and Macmillan publishers and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

The Heiress is the story of a married couple summoned to the husband’s childhood estate upon the death of the family matriarch. Written through letters and first-person accounts, it is soon obvious that nothing – and nobody – is what they seem to be.

I really enjoyed this book. I found it to be engaging and interesting, and found myself surprised by the twists and turns that make up this book.

This is also a fairly short book, so it’s a quick read both in the pacing and in the pages.

The one problem I had with this book is that (by the end, at least), everyone in this book is very unlikable. There wasn’t a single character I liked or could really relate with, although it bothered me less in this book than it has in others (it was almost like it was SUPPOSED to be that way).

I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good, twisty mystery and the other books of Rachel Hawkins.

The McTavish family is dark and twisty as the house they live in. So many dark secrets that one might not get the answers to all one's haunting questions...

Suspenseful and twisting I loved that all the characters we interesting. Everyone had their iwn motives behind their questionable behaviour... And I loved finding out how all the husbands of The Hieress McTavish met their ends.

Rachel Hawkins has quickly become one of my favorite thriller authors, and The Heiress didn't disappoint. In fact, it bumped The Villa out of my #1 spot, which was no easy feat given how much I loved that one.

The disappearance of a young child, her miraculous reappearance, a family with each member holding both secrets and long held resentments, a son fleeing his family and their ancestral estate under mysterious circumstances, and his return years later with a wife who is also holding a few secrets of her own. The story premise, with its family drama elements and touches of gothic atmosphere, had me riveted from the beginning.

This was an engrossing, twisty read and a delightful way to spend an afternoon! The Heiress is a complex, multiple points of view mystery with numerous story threads weaved together into a clever, multi layered story. Things intersect and come together beautifully in the end, and I have such appreciation for the authors ability to craft an intriguing, smart story, create characters we love to hate, and seamlessly fit all the pieces together at the end. My only small complaint is that I wish the book would have been a little longer. With a couple of the revelations, I would have loved to know more.

Rachel Hawkins pens exactly the type of story I love to get lost in: a well developed mystery with enough hairpin turns to also satisfy my love for thrillers. The Heiress was a fun time from start to finish and will securely remain one of my top thrillers read this year.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for providing me a copy to read and review.

I love Rachel Hawkins' books. This was a great read, and exactly my sort of suspenseful read. The twists and turns made sense and weren't designed for shock value, and the setting was vividly written. I was instantly sucked into the book and couldn't put it down. I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as I did The Villa, but really liked it and highly recommend it. I look forward to seeing what she writes next!

This book had an interesting premise, but it seemed like the author did not do enough research for a Colorado setting.

This was a bit of a let down after The Villa. The story was just not very compelling and in fact I read it a few days ago and barely recall what happened. It was forgettable.

THE HEIRESS is full of complicated characters, most of whom aren’t what they seem. The book is twisty and atmospheric and easy to get lost in. There are lots of mysteries to solve and Hawkins does a great job revealing her secrets little by little.

Camden was adopted by Ruby McTavish - the richest woman in North Carolina - when he was just a baby. Ten years after her death, Camden doesn’t want anything to do with his family’s fortune. Likewise, his adopted family would like nothing more than to take back what they believe is rightfully theirs. When Camden reluctantly returns to his family estate with his wife, Jules, they begin to uncover secrets that have been buried for years.

There’s the matter of Ruby’s four dead husbands, each who died prematurely. Or did they? There’s Ruby’s own childhood trauma - she was kidnapped as a young girl and returned to her family after weeks of searching. And there’s Camden’s family, who despise him and seem to be up to something sinister.

This book is a solid three stars for me, which means I enjoyed it just fine. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of THE HEIRESS and the opportunity to give my honest opinion.

THE HEIRESS is a deliciously wicked, bone chilling, highly addictive gothic suspense thriller masterfully crafted by author Rachel Hawkins. The story is utterly captivating, meticulously plotted and nigh on impossible to put down. Clear your schedule for this one, and above all else, remember it's not over until it's over.

THE HEIRESS centers around the infamous McTavish family, a rich, prestigious, multi-generational family living in Ashby House high in the Blue Ridge Mountains reigning over the town of Tavistock, North Carolina. At the heart of the family is the now deceased, notorious Ruby McTavish, the larger-than-life matriarch who rules the estate and the town in life and death. Once suspected of having murdered four husbands, sharp witted, beautiful Ruby has been surrounded by dark secrets, gossip, and suspense her entire life, starting when she was kidnapped as a toddler from the forest surrounding Ashby House only to be discovered eight months later residing with a family in a nearby town and returned home. Over the years, Ruby ignored the rumors and innuendos that persisted, relishing in the fame, power and protection the family wealth afforded her. Having remained childless, she eventually adopted a son, Cam who was shocked and dismayed to learn he inherited everything including the ominous house and nine figure income upon her death. Turning his back on his inheritance and aunt and cousins who have a lifetime right to reside in the mansion, Cam escaped to Colorado choosing to spend the next ten years etching out a living teaching while truly happy with his wife Jude. It's only under extreme duress that he returns to Ashby House after his uncle's death to settle affairs of the house and family once and for all. While Jude is immediately smitten with the house and obvious wealth that is rightfully theirs, Cam struggles to hold it together as the dark secrets and skeletons he left behind when he fled the premises are waiting, and it's clear they aren't finished with him yet. The story that unfolds is insanely intense, mysterious, sinister and absolutely riveting.

THE HEIRESS is hands down one of the best domestic/gothic thrillers I've read in some time, skillfully intertwining two timelines together over generations to tell a story of greed, entitlement, power, love and hate. Alternating chapters and timelines are brought together with Ruby's letters affording readers access to the appalling true story of the life of the scandalous widow. The story is narrated from three points of view - that of Cam and Jude in the present and Ruby in the past via chilling, remorseless letters left behind telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the sordid truth. Her story is stupefying, heartbreaking and outrageous. Hawkins has an amazing gift for creating empathy for characters with questionable actions by allowing readers to get a peek at the motivations driving them. Be prepared to be shocked when character's scandalous actions and secrets surface clueing readers into their malevolent intent while setting a tone dripping with malice and bad vibes. Unfolding at a fast pace, the story is driven by the unsettling, highly atmospheric setting of a house with secrets and skeletons hidden within its claustrophobic walls, leading readers to wonder if anyone will survive.

Rachel Hawkins has penned what I believe to be her finest work yet in THE HEIRESS. Meticulously plotted with brilliant characterizations, this story never stops shocking readers even in the final pages when you think you've finally learned the whole ugly truth only to realize this author isn't quite finished astounding you yet. From the first page to the last, THE HEIRESS is a stunning, gripping tale of suspense that ranks among my favorite reads of 2023 thus far. Highly recommended to fans of domestic and/or gothic suspense thrillers. Do not miss this one!

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins was so addicting! A page turning read that had me guessing. You won't be able to put this down. The pacing was perfect!

I absolutely loved this ! Twisty, turns, atmospheric fun read. Told through letters and also first person accounts, both in the past and present — Hawkins handles this beautifully! Some authors try to use these devices only to create a confusing mess.
The characters are well defined and the story propels itself naturally. Highly recommend!

Rachel Hawkins has another best seller. This on e is set in the mountains of North Carolina and weaves the story of Ruby McTavish-- from her kidnapping as a child to her four husbands who die mysteriously and finally to her adopted son who chooses a quiet life. What happened when Ruby was kidnapped? Who is she? Why did Camden choose to move to Colorado and become a teacher? And how will Camden and his wife, Jules, deal with the estate? Interesting people, a beautiful setting, and questions and twists as only Rachel Hawkins can weave. Thank you to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the egalley!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read The Heiress. This book had it all-family drama, mystery, intrigue. There were several twists and a great ending!

Ruby McTavish was kidnapped as a child. She was returned to her family, grew up, married four times, and became the richest woman in North Carolina before she died. Her adopted son, Cameron, moved across the country to get away from all of the McTavish family. He and his wife Jules have returned to the family fold in North Carolina to settle Ruby's estate.

If this sounds like a ho-hum story, trust me, it is not. Everyone in this family has secrets that kept the story twisting and turning until the ending. This is a fast-paced, unputdownable mystery.

Ruby's letters were my favorite part of the story. They made her come to life. Thank you, St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book.

𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆, 𝒂 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔. 𝑨 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆, 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒂 𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆.

I tore through this book in just over three hours! This was a masterful story, brilliantly constructed, that kept me guessing until the very end. Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore's claims to fame are many: she was North Carolina’s richest woman, she was a widow four times over (her last husband's death earning her the nickname "Killmore"), and most infamously, she was the victim of a famous kidnapping when she was a child but was returned to her family after a year's absence.

She ruled from the ancestral home Ashby House until her death, and her adopted son Camden wants nothing to do with it or the massive wealth she has left to him. Content with his life as an English teacher and sharing a small home with his wife Jules, his uncle's death ten years after his mother's passing brings him reluctantly back to its doors.

In this book and in a few others by this author, the house is just as much a character as the humans are, and Ashby House quickly took on a life of its own. Despite its stunning views and spacious square footage, the whispered rumors of Ruby McTavish dim the majesty of the stately home. Ruby, a larger than life character, came alive through a series of letters that she left behind that were interspersed throughout the story. Were the rumors about her true? What really happened when she disappeared for a year? Why did she really adopt Camden?

The narrative was filled with twists and turns, each more outrageous than the one before. This book will make you question everything you know about the bonds of family and is a stark reminder that betrayal often comes from those closest to us.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this early read. THE HEIRESS will publish January 9, 2024.