After the death of Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore, North Carolina's wealthiest and most infamous woman, her adopted son Camden distances himself from the family estate, Ashby House, and its fortune. Preferring a normal life in Colorado with his wife Jules, they avoid the McTavish legacy.

A decade later, Cam’s uncle dies and draws him and Jules back to Ashby House. While the estate remains stunning, the haunting legacy of Ruby resurfaces. As the house entwines them, long-buried questions about Ruby's past emerge. Rumors from her childhood kidnapping, mysterious deaths of four husbands, and the adoption of Cam lead to a deeper understanding of the family's secrets. The tale unfolds, revealing that inheritance involves more than what's in a will, and family bonds extend beyond the grave.

This book was a delightful blend of fun and suspense, this book crafts an atmosphere that makes every page turn an exhilarating experience. Hawkins' ability to keep the mystery elusive is commendable; I found myself engrossed in the story, eagerly anticipating the next revelation. Despite my best efforts, the resolution remained elusive, adding an extra layer of excitement to this reading experience.

The book's strength lies in its continuous twists that kept me guessing throughout. Just when I thought I had it figured out, another unexpected turn in the plot left me pleasantly surprised. Overall, a thoroughly engaging read for mystery enthusiasts who appreciate a story that skillfully combines suspense and surprises.

Thank you NetGalley and Rachel Hawkins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Rachel Hawkins is one of my favorite authors and this book was amazing. It's a slow burn centering on family drama. It was not twisty but still a page turner that I couldn't put down. It has multiple POV, secrets, and overlapping stories. I loved every min of it.

The Heiress is a fast paced, suspenseful and drama filled story with major gothic vibes and incredibly dysfunctional family dynamics. The twists and turns didn't stop with this one, it was a wild ride, add in the unreliable narrators and multiple POV and I was hooked from beginning to end. It's always a good read when inheritance and money is involved and this didn't disappoint.



Was it a bit predictable at times? Yes although, it didn't take away from my enjoyment. I really enjoyed how dark and twisty it was and how everything wrapped up.



Thank you netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

Secrets, Secrets, and more Secrets. That is the theme of The Heiress and I was here for it. There wasn't a particularly great character, I liked some more than others, but they were all flawed. Didn't stop me from enjoying this book though. When I thought I knew what was going to happen, a twist was revealed that made me question everything. I did think the ending dragged on a little too long but it kept me on my toes the entire time.

This book was filled with suspense, deceit, tension, unexpected twists, drama from a wealthy family completely out of touch with reality and so much more. I devoured this book! The multiple points of view was my favorite aspect, because it kept me on my toes. It kept the books pacing quick and I couldn't wait to get back to the different characters to hear their sides of the story taking place. Reading Ruby McTavish's letters was my favorite because she was quite the character and I love the firsthand insight into her past and the mysterious deaths of her four husbands. The characters were very unlikeable and you aren't really rooting for any of them at any given time, but between the different points of view, the storyline itself and all the plot twists, I absolutely loved this aspect along with the casual narrative that took place. It is hard to write unlikeable characters well, but Hawkins did an amazing job with it in this book. The Ashby House was described in such a way that I could easily picture it and everything going on. If you want a quick, fun, gritty, mysterious book to read then this is it. Every time I thought I had it all figured out, there would be another plot twist or some new character revelation. My favorite Rachel Hawkins book to date!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Heiress had me hooked from the very beginning. The setting! The suspense! The twists and turns!! I loved it all. The family drama is so interesting and well done, the characters vibrant, and the reveal SO GOOD. I'll be recommending this one to all my mystery-loving pals.

The Heiress is my favorite Rachel Hawkins thriller to date. I could not put this book down!

Ruby McTavish was kidnapped as a toddler and found a year later. She came from a family of wealth and privilege, and left everything to her adopted son Camden, who wants nothing to do with the McTavish's. Ten years later Cam and his wife Jules make the trip out to North Carolina to finally take over the estate, only things aren't as they seem.

There are so many secrets. Trust no one. There are three narrators, Cam, Jules and Ruby through letters. I loved finding out all the tidbits as we moved throughout the story and piecing things together from what we've learned from each individual. There were a few things I suspected, but most were surprises and I loved the wild ride.

I recently read "The Heiress" by Rachel Hawkins, and having been a fan since "The Wife Upstairs," I found it to be a captivating family drama. The storyline involved a group of rich characters indulging in wild behavior, which I always appreciate. However, my enjoyment took a hit when I predicted the ending, prompting me to round down my rating to 3.5. Despite this, the novel provided a fun and entertaining experience overall.

This may be my favorite Rachel Hawkins book yet! There were so many secrets in this family and just when you think everything is going to wrap up in a nice bow, another twist shows up that will blow your mind. Sometimes unlikable characters don’t work in a story but they really helped pull this story together. Overall I give this book 5/5⭐️

I’d like to thank Netgalley, Rachel Hawkins, and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I don't often read thrillers, but I'm glad I read The Heiress. It wasn't super intense or scary, but it was definitely a page-turner. I feel like some thrillers make me anxious, but this one was more family drama with thriller vibes. There were so many twists that I really had no idea where it was headed. The story was told from the perspectives of Camden and Jules in alternating chapters, with letters and articles interspersed between. What an entertaining read!

Wow, reading this was like taking a wild ride on the dark side! The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins is a suspenseful thriller that keeps you turning the pages. There is so much to take in and try to piece together that you just can’t set the book down. There’s lies, murder and deception throughout the story and pretty much by every character involved. It’s a family of greed that tears each other apart. Ruby McTavish is at the center of the story. But is she really Ruby or is she Dora Darnell, a poor little girl that was bought to take the place of Ruby when she goes missing? Later in life Ruby adopts a son Camden. He is someone she can leave everything to, but Camden isn’t really interested. He wants no part of this family or anything that comes with it. The rest of the McTavish family is irritated by this because they feel they are more deserving of the inheritance by being blood related. Camden’s wife Jules adds a whole other dimension to the already twisted story. This was a great read, one I really enjoyed and it’s one I’ll definitely be recommending to others. I’d like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the arc. I’m giving this a much deserved 5 star rating and I look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

OMG! This was BRILLIANT! It gave me Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibes in a thriller format and I was LIVING for it. This will for sure go in one of my best books of 2024 and I’m so glad I picked this up as a palate cleanser from all the fantasy because it was absolutely fantastic and did not disappoint.

I think i just read my new favorite rachel hawkins book?? i absolutely loved reckless girls, but the others were iffy for me. this one however makes me want to read everything she writes from now on. it was a home run for me!

"It was a strange feeling, being caught between two lives. I think that's something you might understand."

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4.5/5 stars

The Heiress tells the story of one Ruby McTavish of North Carolina; famous for being kidnapped as a baby and later for her string of husbands who all mysteriously died. We see Ruby's story both past and present with her estate and fortune given to her adopted son and heir Camden, who returns to North Carolina with his wife to sort out the affairs of his childhood home and rotten family who still remain there.

Never once in this story do you know quite who to believe or where the story is going. Through letters from Ruby written to a mysterious someone, as well as newspaper articles and present-day events, you see the story of Ruby and the McTavish's play out—with twists, turns and revelations you never would have guessed.

This felt very similar to Alice Feeney's Rock, Paper, Scissors which I had a fun time with, but wasn't too scared to go to sleep at night. Which is just how I like my thrillers—mysterious, twisty, a *little* dark, but not terrifying. I've read two of Rachel Hawkins' other thriller novels and this one is by far my favorite.

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"Now his name and mine are linked forever by something even more binding and eternal than wedding vows—gossip."

The Heiress was published on January 9, 2024. Thank you to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley and the author for the advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced ecopy in exchange for review.
Hawkins has written another unputdownable novel. I was immediately intrigued by the story of a wearily heiress who had been kidnapped as a child, and the murders that followed her as an adult. I think Hawkins artfully wove Ruby’s story into that of the current-day lives of Camden and Jules. The pace was adequate enough to keep me invested in the story and I enjoyed seeing how the web unravelled and further secrets were shared.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC of the Heiress. It absolutely made my weekend as I tucked in for a delicious feast of delights.

Rachel Hawkins has done it AGAIN. I absolutely devoured this layered mystery (that’s mystery on top of mystery) that left me questioning until the final page if there were even more truths to uncover. Very little is black and white, and painted best in a shade of gray is the deceased heroine of the Heiress, Ruby McTavish. Ruby not only has four dead husbands, but famously went missing as a child, leaving many still uncertain of what happened before her triumphant return. Even perhaps more shocking is that Ruby adopted a son in her twilight years, and upon her demise, has left the entire McTavish fortune to him, leaving the remaining members of the McTavish clan out in the cold.

Camden, the prodigal son who would love very much not to return, is happy living the simple life with his wife, Jules. Yet, when his family begs him to return to at least see to the upkeep of the McTavish family home, he and Jules reluctantly drive back into the lion’s den, drudging up years of painful history, and lingering questions. Did Ruby really kill her husbands, as local legend suggests? What happened when Ruby went missing, and what brought her back? And in this game of inheritance, who stands to gain the most? Jules is our buddy, the fish-out-of-water character that is thrown into the chaos, certain to learn more about her husband’s history, and the man she thinks she knows best.

There’s nothing better than a mystery in a big creepy house, set in the mess of generational wealth and trauma. You should read this book if you support women’s rights AND women’s wrongs, and if you want to be sucked in with your whole being until the final ‘what if’ finally finds its answer. You’ll still be wondering if you know the whole story. As many say, there’s always three sides: his, hers, and the truth.

I absolutely loved this book! I felt drawn in from the very first page and couldn't put the book down. I finished it so fast! It was twisty and left you guessing until the very end.

The Heiress follows 2 timelines and three POV's. We get wealthy and infamous Ruby from the past through letters telling the story of her childhood and her 4 husbands, her adult son Cam in present day coming back to the family home a decade after Ruby has died, and Cam's wife, Jules, as she learns more about Cam's life before she met him. Each POV was equally as intriguing. Rachel Hawkins has a way of ending the chapters perfectly so you just have to keep reading!

I have no complaints or changes I would make. I truly loved this story! Highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan for an advanced e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Amazing. I loved the twists and turns. I spent hours reading this to the end. I’m ready to read her next book. Fan for life!!

This book had me hooked at the very beginning! Finding out all of the secrets this family kept buried to keep their name clean was insane! Definitely did not see that ending coming either!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

North Carolina’s richest woman, Ruby, passes away. She was a victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over. In the aftermath of her death, her adopted son, Camden wants little to do with the house, the money, and the family.

10 years later another death in the family finally pulls Cam and his wife Jules to the Ashby House. Questions start to surface about the infamous Heiress and everything that happened so many years ago.


I was a little confused with the characters at the beginning. Then as I read on I was able to figure it out, until it got a little muddy again.

There are some predictable shocking moments but also some plot twists that you may or may not be surprised about.

It was a fast paced, shorter story that I moved through very quickly.

Why I didn’t give it a higher rating was because of the confusion of characters and there are two connections in the story that gave me the ‘ick’.


Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for a DRC. The Heiress is available now.