Thanks to St. Martin’s, the author, and NetGalley for the free gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Heiress is a twisted family drama thriller that has multiple POVs of a super rich and dysfunctional family with past letters woven into the story for an added layer of suspense.

This is not your normal suspenseful thriller - and has more of a creepy slow-burn storyline with different puzzle pieces put together as the book goes on.

This was a page-turner, but not super fast-paced - you just want to see where the the weird and creepy story goes.

Book Review

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Such a great book that keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way through.

I love Rachel’s writing and this book is written through letters and conversations with the reader. It made for a very interesting perspective.

In this story, Camden finds himself returning to the chaos of his home town and his inheritance. This time he’s not alone. His wife is with him and Camden is hopeful that her presence changes Ashby House for him. However, Ashby House has other plans.

This is a story of lies and betrayal that is a page turner from the first chapter. Highly recommended!

This is the second ARC I’ve received from St. Martin’s Press for a Rachel Hawkins book. I’m so thankful to be able to read and review books!

Thank you @netgalley, @stmartinspress, and @ladyhawkins! It was an honor to review this book!

I love Rachel Hawkins writing. I think her thriller books are hit or miss for me at least. Sometimes I think they are more mystery than anything. This one I don't think was her best in my personal opinion. It was good but not amazing. I would read more from this author though.

Rachel Hawkins just keeps getting better and better! I thought The Villa was her strongest novel to date, but then this little baby came along!

If you like terrible characters that you love to hate, look no further than the McTavishes. These people are TERRIBLE, which made for one very entertaining story. I absolutely love how she layers in emails, text messages, newspaper articles, and letters into the novel to make the story even better. There were some smaller twists in there that I didn't see coming, but I totally followed where she was going with the ending, so it wasn't too big of a shock. Still, it was a fast paced story I fully enjoyed!

I gave this one 4/5 stars.

rachel hawkins does it again! she's still one of my favorite authors in any genre."I had gotten away with murder, and I was glad for it."

Sadly, I think this was my least favorite Rachel Hawkins book. I didn’t dislike it - but I also didn’t enjoy it as much as her two previous books. I just didn’t have quite enough brain space to keep track of who was who and how everyone was related (this could definitely be a me issue). I wouldn’t recommend using this book as background noise; you’ll get lost and frustrated very quickly (as me how much rewinding I had to do)! The ending also wasn’t my favorite. This twist was just a bit much. That being said, I’ll still look forward to the author’s next book and definitely request it!

This book was incredible. I’m going to need a little time to process everything I just read but wow. There were times I was a little confused with all the characters but everything clicks at the end. I saw some things coming but definitely not everything. What a solid psychological thriller! 5 stars from me.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this copy in exchange for an honest review and opinion.

This is by far my favorite book by this author. The dark secrets and scandal had me shook! I loved the dual timeline and the backstory really helped develop the plot. I binged this in a day and a half and couldn't get it out of my head for weeks after.

The Heiress is set on a North Carolina estate that's always felt claustrophobic to Cam. But his adoptive mother Ruby, an infamous character and four-time widow, was determined for him to inherit the McTavish riches. As the truths of Ruby's past become clear to the reader, additional layers of unexpected secrets begin to unfurl.

When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she's North Carolina's richest woman--and its most infamous.

Ruby was the victim of a childhood kidnapping that turned the community of Tavistock on its head, and since then her power has grown--as has her list of dead husbands (four). She reigns high in the Blue Ridge Mountains, on her lavish estate.

But her adopted son Camden is living in Colorado with his wife in a modest rental home, teaching school, and firmly determined to reject his sizeable inheritance along with the McTavish family--who are still living in the mansion--and anything to do with Ruby.

After Ruby's death, strange murmurings about her past begin to surface, and Cam is forced to face questions about inheritance, legacy, and family ties that reach beyond the grave.

The story is told partially through illuminating letters from Ruby laying out the unflinching facts of her past actions. When Cam returns to North Carolina to sort out the mansion's repairs, tensions run high with his cold aunt and two outrageously behaved cousins. And it becomes clear to the reader that his estranged family and Cam's beloved wife Jules aren't the only ones keeping secrets--Cam himself has been hiding some essential truths as well.

As in the other Hawkins novels I've read, the story's relationships, hidden truths, and setting feel like the main elements; character development isn't a crucial part of the story's progression. Yet I felt I was enough a part of the characters' inner circle to feel a twinge of betrayal when they revealed their secrets to readers--even if they did not always come clean to each other.

The Heiress has a satisfying ending that also retains some of the story's intrigue among the main characters.

I received a prepublication edition of this book courtesy of NetGalley and St. Martin's Press.

Hawkins is also the author of The Villa, Reckless Girls, and The Wife Upstairs.

The McTavish family are very prominent and have been ruling their town of Tavistock for as long as people can remember. When Ruby McTavish dies, she leaves a mark on the state of North Carolina as not only the richest woman, but also one of the most notorious. You see, she was the victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and has been a window four times over. When she passed she left Ashby House and her entire estate to her adopted son Camden, who surprisingly wants little to do with any of it. Ten years later, another family tragedy brings Camden and his wife, Jules, back to North Carolina - and this time they may be “home” for good. But Ruby’s plans were always more complicated than they appeared. Everyone seems to have something to hide. They quickly learn that they may have more questions than answers and that familial connections transcend death.


Rachel Hawkins has been a bit hit or miss for me - I loved The Wife Upstairs, but didn’t care for Reckless Girls or The Villa, so I went into this one a bit hesitant but with an open mind. This book was a bit of a slow burn, but I loved the atmospheric nature of this one and thought each of the characters were so well developed. Ruby’s letters throughout the book were well placed and I enjoyed getting snippets of information that “clicked” everything together through them. I got really excited when it was time for another letter or news article! The twists were clever and added to the intricate plot! If you’re looking for a family drama with a good suspense element to it, be sure to pick this one up!

I was looking forward to reading this, as it was the first one I've read by this author. I was really intrigued by the idea of an older heiress having secrets that were discovered after her death and the estate seemed very mysterious. I did enjoy learning more about each of the characters, including Ruby. I honestly was a little disappointed by the overall plot, due to not feeling very surprised by the "twists" that were revealed. Some of them seemed a bit obvious, but some just didn't seem to add to the story, in my opinion. I think the plot had a lot of potential and the building up of the characters was interesting, but overall this was not a book I loved.

“You can put miles and mountains between you and home, but eventually home will call you back.”
Domestic thrillers are quickly becoming my go-to for the genre. In The Heiress, we have three main characters: Ruby, the deceased heiress, Cam, her beloved adopted son, and Jules, his wife. In reading, we find more and more about the affairs of the MacTavish family, more specifically: Cam’s aunt and cousins’ hatred for Cam being Ruby’s heir. The multiple POVs, along with multiple timelines is what really make this book. The reader is immediately captivated by Ruby and the fact that she is a widow four times over. However, her innocence is immediately questioned, and the ride is fantastic. We also come to learn that Cam and Jules are also hiding some secrets and as the truth begins to unfold, you can’t help but read faster and faster. Overall, this was a solid way to end my 2023 reading year and I think will be one any thriller reader would love.

Best Hawkins book yet! This was a good read - I really enjoyed this book. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

This is the first book that I have read by this author and I have added all her other works to my TBR. I could not stop myself from reading this book it had my attention the whole time! I am a sucker for a fast paced story and boy did this one deliver!

I love the way that the author used 3 different points of view to tell this story so that we got a peek into all of the characters and their own voices.

This story is about a woman named Ruby McTavish and when she dies her adopted son Camden inherits the family mansion where he grew up and her huge fortune. He didn't want anything to do with any of it until his wife came along. They head back to the house and boy does the story unravel. Just how many secrets did Ruby McTavish leave behind?

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves family drama, secrets, and the like!

Thank you to Netgalley, The Author, and the Publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

An entertaining mystery that will keep you guessing. Things are not as they seem, and this makes the story of a wealthy 4-time widow who leaves it all to her adopted son, a page-turner. The present-day story of this son, returning with his wife to the mansion where he grew up, is interspersed with flashbacks in the form of letters from his mother that tell her story. The characters were fascinating and the story moves quickly. It's a book that truly deserves the "unputdownable" adjective that I normally loathe! A worthy read!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for proving an advance review copy of this book. My review is based on the audiobook version, but also includes input from my mother, who read the e-book. My opinions are my own.

I've enjoyed all of the thrillers I've read from this author so far, and this title was no exception. A propulsive storyline, fascinating characters, and plot twists I didn't see coming (although I found this book slightly more predictable than some of her past thrillers). Will continue reading her books forever.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins is another solid mystery from Rachel Hawkins! I read this book in one sitting, fueled by its fast-paced mix of kidnap, murder, greed, and deceit. If you like Rachel Hawkins other books, you should definitely pick this one up!

Thank you to #Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Best suspense novel I've read in awhile. Rachel Hawkins is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me.

Cam and Jules McTavish are headed back to Blue Ridge Mountains to tie up a few loose ends. Those ends? Just a massive estate with a family that despises them. Because Cam inherited everything - including Ashby House. A last dig from Ruby after she died, the matriarch - leaving the entire legacy to her adopted son. The surviving McTavish's aren't keen on giving up their unearned money and estate, and have several questions regarding Ruby's four very dead husbands.

I have read every book by Rachel Hawkins and this is far and away her best one. Cam and Jules head back to Cams childhood home. Both rife with secrets. The book changes view points as we see Cams perspective, Jules perspective, Ruby (Cams mom) letters, and history articles about the time in which Ruby lived.

Not often do authors write dual point of view with each side having their own voice, but she did. Cam as a poi t of view was generic typical book format. But Jules. I was cackling. You see her wit and humor and spunk. It was incredible. You also see a 3rd voice in ruby's letters and even then Hawkins mastered the voice of an old white rich lady. Brava.

I was curious about the twist and I got like 97% right.

It's hard as a mother to read some of this stuff because why are people so ridiculous sometimes. And if my husband ever treated my daughter the way dora dornells dad did (you'll see why when you read it). Well let's just say I'd probably turn into a Ruby mctavish myself :)


You should read it. It was great. And I'm always grateful for the opportunity to read Rachel Hawkins book a bit early.

A perennial library favorite Rachel Hawkins returns with yet another completely addicting mystery thriller. Heart-pounding suspense and unexpected twists abound in The Heiress, which would be enough to hook me in, but what kicked it up to next level was the southern gothic fiction elements of the story. Heck, Ashby House feels just as much a character as Camden, Jules, or Ruby. A must-read!