I am always excited to see a new book from Rachel Hawkins, but this one was extra enticing for me: it combined suspense and family drama, which I love. Sometimes I find gothic suspense a little slow moving, but not this book — the Blue Ridge mountains were a fantastic backdrop for this wild tale.

The richest woman in North Carolina, Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore, has died and left behind a complicated inheritance. Ruby was quite the character; she was a kidnapping victim as a child and was widowed four times.

Her adopted son, Cameron, wants nothing to do with his inheritance or the storied Ashby House estate that Ruby left behind. But when Cameron’s uncle dies, he and his wife Jules return to Ashby House and soon find themselves mired in family secrets.

There were a few times reading this one that my jaw literally dropped. It’s my favorite Rachel Hawkins work to date, and I think you’ll love it if you like a blend of mystery and family drama — with an action-packed ending.

Rachel Hawkins books always have a bit of surprise to them. I think that makes me look for them. So, I found some. And then Hawkins through some more in at the very end. It took me some time to become interested in the characters. Most were exceptionally unlikable. Still, I found the entire ending to be very satisfying.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This was my first Rachel Hawkins book and I really enjoyed it.

Told in a dual timelines and multiple POVs, this was a creepy and thrilling murder mystery that I couldn't put down. I loved that Hawkins used letters and newspapers to tell part of the story as well.

Money, deceit, murders, motive, duplicitous family, this book had it all. We never know who is telling the truth and everyone had a motive but the ending was a nice twist. I loved the descriptions throughout the book -- it really made things stand out.

I highly recommend this one! I'll be reading Hawkins' backlist for sure.

✨ Review ✨ The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins; Narrated by Dan Bittner; Eliza Foss; John Pirhalla; Patti Murin

I loved how Hawkins brought together multiple timelines of stories around Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore, the heiress, and Ashby House, featured prominently in the middle. Using newspaper clippings and other ephemera and letters from Ruby, Hawkins walks us through Ruby's life and the death of her four husbands. And then, in present day chapters, from Camden and his wife Jules, we see the story of her inheritance play out. The audiobook used four narrators -- one for miscellaneous sources, one for Ruby's letters, and one each for Cam and Jules, which really brought this to life.

While I'm not sure any of the reveals are super shocking throughout, I was fully engaged and couldn't wait to find out what happened in this. It reminds me most of the The Villa of her books that I've read, in its style and tone. I thought the story was fun and exciting and definitely got me caught up in it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: mystery/thriller
Setting: Golden, CO and small town North Carolina
Pub Date: Jan 9, 2024

Read this if you like:
⭕️ family drama / thrillers
⭕️ rich families with big estates
⭕️ multiple timeline stories
⭕️ letters & ephemera mixed into narrative

Thanks to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

I absolutely loved Rachel Hawkins newest book The Heiress! So many twist to explore in this one. Legacy, family dynamics, and the lasting impact of a matriarch's influence. The return to Ashby house by Camden and his wife Jules after a decade, sets the stage for unfolding stories with complicated relationships.

This was such an interesting domestic thriller because there were so many layers to the suspense and it wasn’t straight-forward as far as a crime having been committed.

If you love atmospheric thrillers with a gothic feel, this is definitely one to check out! Available now.

Thanks to NetGalley , Macmillian Audio and St. Martin's Press for my ALC.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5!
Fast-paced family drama set in a creepy gothic mansion with many unexpected twists! Sign me up! I was hooked from the first page! And when I wasn’t reading about Ruby McTavish, the wealthy and notorious widow who buried four husbands, and her adopted son, Cam, I was thinking about them! ! Will definitely be checking out Rachel Hawkins' back list! Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin Press for the advanced reader copy!

Solid 4 star read. Don’t give up with this super slow build read. I loved the letters from Ruby and hearing her stories. I kept thinking who next? Will she be caught? She was making me so nervous I loved the twist at the end, also. This family was insane!!!

Camden McTavish has been called home to Ashby House, and is bringing his wife, Jules, with him to deal with the family he left behind. Hidden in the Appalachian Mountains, the house is full of mysteries, including the ones surrounding Camden's adoptive mother, Ruby. Letters from Ruby exposing all of her secrets are intertwined with the present-day story, leading to a conclusion no one could have seen coming.

This was an interesting story that I didn't want to put down. I'm not sure I'd deem it a true "thriller," as it never really came to an actual life-or-death point, but I did enjoy figuring out all of the the little mysteries and piecing together how everything was connected. The side characters could have used a little more fleshing-out, especially Ben and Libby, but Ruby's story definitely made up for that.

Wow what an incredible, twisty thriller. This book kept me guessing and intrigued from the very beginning.

The setting in the North Carolina mountains, a mysterious heiress, her childhood kidnapping and her four marriages, her adopted son and his wife, plus the relatives who remained in the family manor, Ashby House, provide the makings of this story.

The reader is brought along to learn the story of Ruby McTavish in her own words through a series of letters and articles interspersed between the perspectives of her adopted son, Camden, and his wife, Jules.

Ruby has been deceased for over 10 years, having willed her home and fortune to Cam. Ruby’s hateful sister, Nelle, and her grandchildren, Ben and Libby, remain as residents in Ashby House in accordance with the will left by Ruby’s late father. Cam, meanwhile, has built a new life in Colorado with Jules and has not been back to Ashby house since Ruby’s death, with little to no contact with the other McTavish family members.

The book begins with a letter from Ben to Cam notifying him that that the home is in desperate need of repairs. He and Jules decide, reluctantly on Cam’s part, to make the trip to NC to assess the needs and bring the home back to working order.

As events unfold during Cam’s and Jules’ visit, we learn nothing is as it seems, and the story comes to a fever pitch that kept me up late finishing this book.

Highly recommend this to lovers of thrillers and mysteries. Rachel Hawkins has once again delivered a masterpiece. There are so many layers to this story, and Hawkins is masterful in weaving the mystery through to the end.

This book follows Camden and his wife, Jules, as they return to Camden's childhood estate at Ashby House. Camden was adopted into wealth by the infamous Ruby McTavish (...Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore) and has inherited Ashby House, the "Luckiest Boy in North Carolina." About a decade after leaving, he is heading back to help with the estate and face his insufferable relatives with Jules.

I have always liked Hawkins' writing, but this is by far my favorite. I am always so skeptical of thrillers and constantly trying to predict the ending, but this book was so different in the best way. I felt so engrossed by the story, the characters, and the writing. I'm going to be really cheesy here, but the book made me focus on the story and not trying to predict the ending like I always do. The ending was done so well and I thought that my feedback was going to be shorten the end to be more precise, like an exclamation point on the book itself, but Hawkins keeps us invested until the last sentence. I absolutely loved this, 5 stars, I cannot wait to read what Hawkins comes out with next.

"The Heiress" by Rachel Hawkins is a slower burn compared to her usual pace,. If you'’ve read her other books and are familiar with her formula, you might see the twist coming. Personally, I preferred it over "The Villa" and "The Wife Upstairs." The increased tension and build-up before the action added depth. I thought there was a missed opportunity to add to the tension by making the house a bit creepier and haunted, but overall, it was an enjoyable read. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted copy.

I finished this book the same day I watched Saltburn and found it to be an interesting but unintentional pairing. Both are stories of how wealth and the desire for it messes people up. The Heiress tells the story of a man who was adopted into a wealthy North Carolina family as a boy, returning to the family estate with his wife after years away. It’s twisty and cleverly put together - the second half is very much worth the slower first half.

The homicidal nonchalance of characters in both the book and Saltburn reminded me of Arsenic and Old Lace, especially in the dark comedy of Saltburn. Having enough money is good, but chasing fortune can be a wild ride.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advance copy of The Heiress! All opinions are my own.

I was really looking forward to reading this book. I've read other books by this author and enjoyed them. This was one of my least favorites.

The book started off well with the story of the missing child, Ruby. It was just so slow. I found myself putting it down often because it was dragging. The characters were ALL unlikable. I don't know which one I liked the least.

The part that actually intrigued me were Ruby’s letters. This was one twisted family but Ruby laid out the history perfectly. The last half of the book was the best. The story kicked up when the big reveal came.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC.

Rachel Hawkins The Heiress was such a good story. There were twists and turns that were completely unexpected and left me guessing until the very end. I was really rooting for the MMC and was a little shocked that it seems like the entire family was not what they seemed. All in all it was an entertaining, kept me on my toes kind of read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Hawkins is able to weave the of the dysfunctional, wealthy family with the secrets those families hold to create this excellent suspense thriller! We see Camden as he struggles with being adopted into the McTavish family and their ‘old money,’ better than everyone mindset. They frequently remind him that he is not one of them. After his mother’s death he takes off-content to never see them again. Ten years later, they drag him back home, and the skeletons start falling out of the closet. This is an excellent book! I was quickly hooked in and couldn’t put it down. There were so many surprises and twist I felt dizzy!

Thank you @NetGalley and @LadyHaekins for the opportunity to read this copy for an honest review!

#TheHeiress #RachelHawkins #NetGalley #mystery #suspense #thriller #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #TheMidNOCBookClub

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. This book was so good! I've read The Wife Upstairs by this author too & this one did not disappoint at all! You get the gothic suspense the whole time that keeps you flipping pages to know what happens next. Loved it!

Dark and twisty with an appropriately ambivalent ending. The characters are well written and the plot is fast-paced, making it hard to put down. I was able to predict a few of the twists, so that was satisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel.

I could not put this book down! Truly an addictive read. The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins is a gothic thriller that includes mystery, suspense, and family secrets. What more could you ask for? This was the first book of hers that I have read and definitely will be checking out more. I was truly in the edge of my seat and didn’t know what was coming next.

This book explores themes of inheritance, hidden pasts, and the consequences of unearthing long-hidden truths. Definitely a must read!

Thank you to the publisher and author for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review. Looking forward to reading other works by this author.

Have read and loved all of Rachel Hawkins' books, and I loved this one as well. There's plenty of mystery, murder, family drama, and unexpected twists. Loved the different points of view and the letters portion of the story. Would definitely recommend.

I’ve only read one other book from Rachel Hawkins before but loved it so much that I just knew I had to read The Heiress, and I’m so glad that I did! Rachel Hawkins has a writing style all of her own with how she’s telling the story and then showing you all the things you thought you knew and all the things you didn’t.
The Heiress is a story, told from multiple points of view, mostly centered around Ruby McTavish and her family’s estate and how even in death, the family estate still haunts her adopted son, Cam, to this day. Cam receives a letter from his estranged cousin Ben and decides to go back home with his wife Jules, to try to make amends and help take care of business regarding the estate. While Jules is completely enchanted with the home, Cam despises it and cannot wait to leave. The big question though, is why does he hate it so much?
All the different points of view may tell different stories but they all come together in the end. If I’ve learned anything from reading this book, it’s that all the little details matter in this story, so be sure to pay attention. There are many secrets that come to light, some more surprising than others.
The Heiress was such an enjoyable book. I really enjoyed the small tribute to Rachel Hawkins’ book The Villa, with the Aestas album reference too. I can’t wait to see what book Rachel Hawkins comes out with next. Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Press publishing for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review. 5/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️