Ruby McTavish ruled high society. An extremely wealthy heiress who found herself at the center of the national spotlight as a mere child, Ruby was used to getting her way. Then there was the pesky matter of her four dead husbands, all of whom died of very different causes that surely never traced back to her.

Ruby has been dead for years, but her adopted son, Camden, has been sucked back into the family circle after a decade away. Other than Ruby, the McTavishes never believed that Cam belonged to their family. They saw him as a piece of commoner trash turned Ruby's vanity project, and they made sure he always knew it. But Ruby left everything to him, including the sprawling family estate they all live in. Cam's wife, Jules, sees the family's long-awaited groveling for funds as an opportunity. She doesn't care that her English teacher husband is actually among the 1%, of course. Buuuuut living a life of luxury certainly couldn't hurt. All she has to do is stand with Cam— and help him outwit his entitled, obnoxious, scheming extended family.

Told through Ruby's old letters as well as Cam and Jules’ present POV, The Heiress unravels a tale of infamy, obscene wealth, and a family on the verge of destruction.

The thing I love about Rachel Hawkins’ books is that they always move at a really steady clip. The Heiress does a great job inserting a series of little cliffhangers that make you want to read just a bit more. This was the case for me even when I was pretty sure where the plot was going. Some elements of the plot are pretty forthright, particularly in Ruby's letters, but the overall storyline also veered into unexpected, deliciously twisty directions.

Hawkins is also an expert at crating interesting characters. They're sometimes unreliable and unlikable, but my goodness, they are fun to read. Ruby McTavish knows exactly what she did, and the novel expertly walks the fine line between judging and humanizing her. Cam and Jules are easy to root for, even when their motives get shifty. The rest of the McTavishes are quietly despicable, but they're exactly what you'd expect after having been raised in a lap of luxury. Even the side characters have distinct, authentic personalities that easily add to the imagination.

It's not without flaws, of course. There's a bit of deus ex machina sprinkled in there, plus some areas where I just wanted the plot to move on. But none of it was super detrimental and I'd still recommend this to anyone who enjoys a light mystery.

There's still a few more I have to read, but I think The Heiress might be my favorite book by the author thus far.

I absolutely love Rachel Hawkins. Her writing style is always captivating. I was very excited for the opportunity to read and review this book. Reckless Girls was my favorite Hawkins read, but now I think The Heiress has taken that spot.

This book was a puzzle, and all the pieces fit together so perfectly. I was on the edge of my seat for a large majority of the time with my heart beating fast. The pacing was fantastic and kept you hanging on for the next twist. I loved the unique plot and the multiple points of view. I could not put this one down. I read it in a single sitting.

A special thanks to Rachel Hawkins, NetGalley, and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

One of my favorite books by Rachel Hawkins yet! Such a darkly fun thriller, full of suspense. I couldn't put this one down. I did guess most of the twists before they were properly revealed so the end felt a bit unsatisfying, but still a great story. I especially enjoyed Ruby's letters. She was such a richly written character. Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this copy.

My thoughts on…

THE STORY:

Oh. My. Ruby. This is solid storytelling.

Ruby McTavish passed a decade ago, and instead of her adopted son Cam stepping right into the shoes of expectation - and what it means to be a McTavish - he turns his back on it all and heads to Colorado. Now he’s married, a teacher, and not looking back. At least, not until he has no other choice.

And that time has arrived as our story opens. Cam is called back home to settle things, once and for all. But what secrets has he been keeping from his wife Jules? Most importantly, what secrets has Ruby taken to her grave?

Told through multiple points-of-view, including from Ruby’s, Hawkins delivers readers with a solid thriller. Readers will be thrust into a gothic South where family blood is supposed to mean everything, and where secrets are not ever to be revealed.

There are twists and turns throughout the story, and just when the reader thinks they’ve figured out something, they are knocked off kilter with another reveal, until the very end.

I loved every page.


THE CHARACTERS:

Hawkins delivers a cast of characters, all with their own agenda, but my three favorites were (in order of favorites) Ruby, Jules, and Cam.

While it’s been a decade since Ruby’s passing, she tells her story through letters. This was an effective choice for her character because she has deep secrets, shocking secrets, and what better way to have an old-money Southern woman reveal them to the reader than through letters. This is where Ruby can be her ultimate, true self without consequence.

Jules. Oh how I loved Jules. She is Cam’s wife and is 100% team Cam, but she also wants him to embrace his McTavish roots…and money. After all, why is she working a job she likes but doesn’t love when she could be living a life of luxury? But do not be fooled. Her love for Cam is genuine. It would just be nice if she could also enjoy some of the McTavish money he refuses to touch.

And then there’s Cam, the adopted son of Ruby. I keep using the term adopted because the McTavish family will not let him forget it. He is not one of “them,” and because of this, they do not believe he is the rightful inheritor. The money and property should stay “in the family.” Specifically, in the “blood” family. What are they willing to do to cut Cam out of it all?`

I had no use for the rest of the McTavish family. I found them to be stereotypical of an old-money family, which is fine. That’s why they are there, to contrast who Ruby, Jules, and Cam are/were as characters.


THE ATMOSPHERE:

This is a Southern gothic thriller, and once readers are on Ashby House land, they can feel the strangulation of how old-money doesn’t allow for growth in the most greedy.

I loved Tavistock as a setting for the town. It’s clear the townspeople want good things for the town, but also for Cam. As someone who has lived in a small Southern town, the book perfectly captures that atmosphere - everyone knows everyone and there are no secrets; rumors are everywhere and are probably more true than anyone wants to admit.

OVERALL IMPRESSION:

Hawkins is becoming a stronger storyteller with each book she publishes, and this was, by far, her best one yet. I am still thinking about this story, and it’s been a couple of weeks since I finished.

WHO WILL WANT TO READ THIS: This book will appeal to thriller readers looking to read a book with twists and turns that tickle the brain and make them question what is true and what is not.


This book was provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

The Heiress is a gripping, atmospheric, domestic gothic mystery full of dark family secrets of a complex, mysterious heiress and the inheritance she left behind.
1943 Tavistock, North Carolina. On September 12th, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC, a three-year-old daughter (Ruby) of Mr. Mason McTavish and his wife Anna seemingly vanished into thin air while on a picnic. Mr. McTavish is among the wealthiest men in the state of NC.
Ruby disappeared for almost a year. Manson McTavish hired a Private Investigator and found the child alive and well, living in Spanish Fort, Alabama, eight months after she first disappeared with a family by the name of Darnell, who called her Dora—reunited with her family.
When Heiress, philanthropist, and one-time kidnap victim Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies at age 73, she is NC's wealthiest and most notorious woman. 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 stunning estate high in the Blue Ridge mountains.
Ruby also had a string of bad luck and mishaps with her husband's death. The last husband gave her a nickname in NC, Mrs. Kill-more. She reverted to her maiden name, Ruby McTavish, afterward.
After her death, her adopted son, Camden, will inherit the estate and the nine-figure fortune stipulated in her will. Cam wants little to do with the house or the money. He rejects his inheritance and leads an everyday life as an English teacher in Colorado. He marries Jules, a woman who also escapes her past.
Ten years later, Camden is summoned upon his uncle's death and returns to the Ashby House with his wife, Jules. His cousin, Ben, his childhood tormentor and bully, contacts him after his father's death to deal with the family's problems.
The more Jules learns about Cam's estranged, twisted family, the more she is to claim everything that he is entitled to.
Was there any truth to the persistent rumours following her disappearance as a girl? What happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And why did she adopt Cam in the first place?
In addition to the POV, there are other estranged family members: the Nanny, Ben, the cousin, an estate lawyer, his sister Libby, and great aunt Nelle, Ruby's sister. Behind closed doors, this family has so many dark secrets hidden from their public personas.
Who are these people? The people they were born to be or the people they became— by their fate. Are we made up of different types of people?
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.
Told alternating in the past and present, there are different POVs from Jules, Camden, and Ruby (letters from the desk of Ruby A. McTavish). Who was she writing to?
These POVs teach us about childhoods, scandals, secrets, and marriages. All three are hiding secrets from one another. Nothing was simple with Ruby. From past to present, the complex past unfolds, and Ruby's mysterious childhood and letters, all the unlikeable characters and their lies and dark secrets and scheming within the family, kept me frantically swiping the pages on my Kindle late into the night. I was anxious to see how it would all turn out.

If you enjoy unlikeable dark characters, lies, secrets buried in the past, deception, murder mysteries, dysfunctional families with drama, past & present timelines, twists, gothic vibes, manipulation, ambiguous morals, and stories of the wealthy behaving immorally, I highly recommend The Heiress. Money truly is the root of all evil—The Rich Gone Bad.
Dark, sinister, wickedly addictive, riveting! It is my first time reading Rachel Hawkins, and it won't be my last—

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ADC in exchange for an honest opinion

I love this cover. I love a good family drama. Add in some mystery and a little thriller and I am sold. The change in point of views made the story even more dramatic. I enjoyed not knowing the things and slowly being fed little bits and clues. The twists were surprising. I loved the ending. I highly recommend this one. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I unfortunately will not be able to review due to the SMP boycott. Incredibly disappointing as I LOVE Rachel Hawkins and everything she writes

Wow, one of her best books yet. Devoured it in one sitting. Plenty of twists and the perfect locked room setting made for a great thriller.
Thank you Netgalley for a copy in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own.

The Heiress
Author Rachel Hawkins
Available now!

Thank you, @stmartinspress and @netgalley, for my #gifted e- arc! This is my second read by Hawkins, and now my favorite!

Of course, I love the setting of the fictional Ashby House in the Blue Ridge mountains, so I was immediately pulled right into the family dynamics after the notorious and exorbitantly wealthy Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies. Not only was Ms. Ruby widowed four times over, she was a victim of kidnapping, and the richest woman in NC.

Ten years later, Ruby's adopted son, Camden, who adamantly rejected his inheritance and his surviving family, and his wife, Jules, are pulled back to the Ashby House after his uncle dies, and so the drama begins. There are so many unanswered questions about Ruby's past, which ultimately affect Camden's past.

Through a series of letters written by Ruby herself, the reader, Camden, and Jules learn of Ruby's past, her secrets, and her betrayals. It's the unveiling of the dirty sins that get covered up because of the wealth and influence over this small NC mountains town that's mysterious, shocking, and intriguing all at once. The Heiress is definitely a quick and engaging read of the rich gone wild!

Many thanks to my friends at @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted copies of this book.

What a surprise! This was a twisty, fun gothic mystery that I didn’t want to put down!

Honestly, I wasn’t sure about this read when I first saw it circulating. But then, the buzz was hot. So when @thats.one.for.the.books asked about a buddy read, the FOMO made it an easy yes.

Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore. The richest woman in North Carolina. Kidnapped as a child and widowed four times under mysterious circumstances. Now THAT is a life with a story to tell.

From the beginning, I found myself easily engaged with the storyline. I was fascinated by Ruby. Each chapter left me eager for more of her story.

And then there was the rest of the family… what a tangled web!

Rife with secrets and full of drama, this read was just the juicy entertainment that I needed. It was twisty and fast paced, and the anticipation built into a satisfying finale.

This is my favorite read by Hawkins to date. Much like Ruby charmed her many husbands, I think this book will easily thrill many readers.

🎧 The audiobook was excellently narrated by a cast, breathing life into the various point of views and showcasing the drama filled twists. Extra shoutout to Patti Murrin, the narrator for Ruby. She truly exemplified Ruby’s feisty and bold nature.

Domestic thriller full of unsavory characters and lots of drama.

It’s time. Camden and his wife, Jules, must return to Ashby House and face his estranged and dysfunctional family — the wealthy McTavish clan of North Carolina. Although he had left them and his inheritance behind for a happy life with Jules in Colorado, he must go take care of the estate affairs after his uncle died. The survivors want all the money and the beautiful house up in the Blue Ridge Mountains. But the matriarch left Camden everything. Unfortunately, he was adopted by Ruby and the rest don’t think he deserves to inherit. What lengths will they go through to wrest it all from him? It seems, however, that Ruby had a few ideas about how to prevent that.

Lots of family secrets and lies as usual with a climax that was probably meant to be a surprising twist that missed the mark with me. Although predictable, the narrative was fast and easy to read though I can’t say I liked any of the characters. Somewhat convoluted, it all does eventually come together as rumor, speculation, and innuendo are answered.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this e-book ARC to read and review. I enjoyed it.

I am a huge Rachel Hawkins fan! This one might be my favorite yet. If you like rich people family drama this one is for you. I loved the heart throbbing suspense that takes place in Ashby house, a mansion in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina. The house itself provides such an intense atmosphere, it becomes a character itself. I will definitely be reading from this author again.

This was a great quick read thriller with a slow burn. Things really don’t pick up too much until more than half way through.

I loved the atmospheric setting and the multiple POV’s. The creepy gothic house combined with the old family drama made for the perfect thriller vibes. While it didn’t move super fast paced, there was an overall feeling of needing to know what happens next.

I wasn't planning on reading 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦. I didn't love Rachel Hawkins' 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘜𝘱𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘴 or 𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴 and I skipped 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢, but after seeing some friends post saying they enjoyed her latest, I decided to give it a listen. I'm glad I did.

Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore is an infamous heiress who was kidnapped as a child and later widowed four times under mysterious circumstances. After her passing, her adopted son Cameron comes back to their ancestral home with his wife, bringing long-buried family secrets to light.

The dual timeline, multiple POV story had some great twists and I love dysfunctional families like the McTavishes. I was all in on the dead husbands (I can't be the only one who got some Evelyn Hugo vibes, right? Even the green dress in the portrait on the cover feels like a nod!) and I highly recommend the audiobook - the full cast narration was perfect. Guess I'm now a Rachel Hawkins convert...

Thanks to St. MArtin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the copies to review.

4 stars.

I really liked The Villa and thought that The Wife Upstairs was brilliantly dark & twisty.

The Heiress was another winner by Rachel Hawkins.

Interestingly, this is the story of the boy adopted by the heiress, and what he goes through to try to escape the bizarre and messy lives of his relatives who despise him for inheriting. Lots of great twists and turns and well-conceived wacky characters. I'd love to see this one turned into a movie.

So many twists and turns!! I did not see the ending coming for this one. Beautifully written, a must read for 2024! 4.5/5⭐️

I haven't read much of Rachel Hawkins' work before now to be honest, but this one was actually a pretty quick, fun, and captivating read for me (despite the overall pacing of the story being that of a very slow burn). This is more of a domestic mystery/suspense novel than it is a ~twisty~ thriller in my opinion, but I personally liked that and how the plot leaned more into the family drama side of things at times (I love mess! 😂). Reading this book has made me want to read more of Rachel's backlist though, so I'm very grateful for the opportunity with this eARC (thank you again!), as it's allowed me to discover a "new" author to look forward to!

Rachel Hawkins delivers another wonderful mystery/thriller with THE HEIRESS. A family drama full of secrets, deception, and twists that are revealed one chapter and one character at a time.

“Family” is a complicated word––more complicated for me than a lot of people, I’d guess. I’ve spent so much of my life trying to figure out what that word even means to me…

Highly recommend!

THE HEIRESS is good family drama novel with a bit of mystery. It’s very slow-burn, but I really enjoy that in mystery and/or multigenerational stories. The past chapters were my favorite; Ruby’s life was fascinating and notorious for crazy reasons, just as the description promised. I wished there was more of a plot in the “present” chapters to level out the story, but that was my only complaint. Thank you for my gifted copy!

This was a surprising one! I thought it was a full on thriller but it was not? It was entertaining though, a slow burn. This was my first time reading a Rachel Hawkins book, I will be checking out her other books though.