I think this is my favorite Rachel Hawkins thriller so far! I swear she gets better with every book she writes, and this one had all the things I love in a thriller:
- questionable narrator
- spooky dilapidating mansion
- the WORST people
- twists and turns

Ruby McTavish is legendary. She was abducted as a child, was the sole heiress to the family fortune, and was married four times...all to men who died mysteriously. Now she's gone and her adopted son and heir is being forced to reckon with the property and money she left him, her horrible sister and grand-niece/nephew, and the whole truth about her past.

The Heiress is told partially in the present - alternating povs between Camden (Ruby's son) and his wife - and through Ruby's letters as well as newspaper clippings from throughout her life. The build to the reveals is perfect and I could not stop my pageturning. I loved that there were surprises and after surprises and am full team Ruby no matter her sins. If you're looking for an almost-Rebecca-esque thriller set in a beautiful mansion filled with the worst kind of people, you'll love the Heiress.

Book Review: The Heiress
by Rachel Hawkins


⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️💫

Last night, I dreamt I went to Ashby House again… Okay, maybe I didn’t dream of Ashby House or Manderly. But I couldn’t stop thinking about Rebecca when I read Rachel Hawkins newest release, The Heiress. A southern gothic starring the now dead but unforgettable Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodard Miller Kenmore. Notorious right from the start, she was renowned as the child who was kidnapped and heiress to a fortune. As the richest woman in North Carolina, Ruby McTavish not only ruled over her Blue Ridge Mountain Estate Ashby House but the entire town of McTavish. Ruby’s four dead husbands stand as proof that being rich was no guarantee of happiness. Not to mention that her son Camden, an adopted orphan, beats it out of town as soon as he is able.

When Ruby died, Camden swore he wanted nothing to do with the McTavish fortune. He was happy to leave Ashby House, and all its memories, to his Aunt Nelle and cousin Ben. Ten years later, when his cousin pleads with him to return stating that the estate is falling apart and only he can bring things back to order, he finally relents. Camden is newly married and his wife Jules has never understood why he would relinquish such lavish wealth and is the main reason he acquiesces. As you can imagine, things get very interesting the moment he steps foot on the grounds of Ashby House. Ruby may be gone, but her legacy remains intact.

The Heiress is everything you want in a southern gothic - long buried family secrets, atmosphere, mystery, a palpable sense of peril, and too many characters not to be trusted. The perfect read for a dark and gloomy winter’s night.

4.5 stars
What a great start for my 2024 reads! I really enjoyed this one.

It was a quick read. It was fast paced and full of suspense, twists, and lots of family drama.

The story follows the McTavish family. Ruby McTavish who was the richest woman in North Carolina and the victim of a famous kidnapping as a child. She adopted her son, Camden, who has now inherited all of the McTavish fortune, though Camden wants nothing to do with the family, money, or estate. Camden returns to Ashby House with his wife Jules who thinks it will be great idea to visit after his uncle passes.

The story is told through multiple POVs of Camden and Jules, and also including in letters written by Ruby herself. The multiple perspectives really added to the suspense of the book, as the secrets were slowly revealed throughout. I love rich family drama, so this was so fun to read.

Overall, I wouldn’t necessarily describe it as being a thriller, but it was definitely suspenseful! I would highly recommend this book if you’re looking for an entertaining and suspenseful read!

Thank you to St. Martins Press for my complimentary eARC and to MacMillan audio for my complimentary audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Heiress was a great listen! It is a very paced thriller with no time to be bored. That family was unbelievable. So entitled, so out of touch. But that’s what made it such a great story ! Rachel Hawkins is becoming one of my favorite thriller mystery writers.

So many twists and turns. I had an inkling about how it was all going to work out. But I was still surprised at the end. My favorite chapters were Ruby’s. Such a fascinating life she lived.

All the narrators did a fantastic job with their characters. So many POV’s but each character had their own narrator. It was easy to follow.

3.5 stars.

Like all of Rachel Hawkins’s thrillers, I enjoyed the story.

The gothic vibes of Ashby House were a great addition to the tense, what’s going to happen with this spoiled, insane family feeling.

The dual narration kept things interesting, too. We know Camden has secrets, we know Jules has secrets but we don’t know when those secrets are going to be shared and what’s going to happen because of that.

I do feel like the most story development is shared in Ruby’s letters and the press clippings. Because the letters were so good, the other POVs weren’t as engaging for me. I definitely wanted to find out what was going to happen, but Camden and Jules weren’t as engaging as Ruby’s character.

Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow Rachel Hawkins really hit it out of the park with this one! The story had great pace, and caught me off guard multiple times. Would not be surprised if this is my favorite book of the year.

Such an addictive read. Picked this up any spare moment I had. One of her best yet with twists and turns all the way up to the last page. I love Hawkins books as they usually start out intriguing and stay consistent through the end. Well paced plot and 100% binge worthy!!

▪️This book has a huge gothic vibe, which I love! A big house with a peculiar (and very rich) occupant who has a strange past? Yes, please!

▪️I was quickly drawn into this fast-paced story. I couldn’t wait to find out what was going on with Ruby McTavish, the current owner of Ashby House. She was a unique character and her POV in the story was told via letters only. Her story alone kept me reading late into the night.

▪️There are two other POVs in the story – Camden (Ruby’s adopted adult son) and Jules (Camden’s wife). Their stories weren’t quite as interesting to me until I got closer to the conclusion when everything came together.

▪️There were plenty of revelations at the end of the book that were wholly unexpected, but they made total sense to the story. There was just a tad bit of ambiguity at the end, too, but it reinforced some of the mystery that was created throughout the rest of the story, so I appreciated it.

▪️This is a fantastic thriller and a unique look at what the definition of family truly is. There are tons of secrets, twists and turns, and revelations that will keep you on your toes!

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an ARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

A twisty family saga full of murder, lies, and rich people. If you’re looking for a super fast paced, entertaining, highly dramatic story about a wealthy elite family, this is the one for you!

Real Rating: 3.5* of five, rounded up because of the fun I had

This book should have a subtitle: "Schadenfreude Unbound" feels about right. Soapy, sudsy storytelling that plunges nasty, unkind, entitled rich idiots into a decades-long feud à la Succession, fighting over money, fighting dirty, being hateful to each other and everyone around them...the poor bastard who actually inherits the family estate and fortune had my complete sympathy for running away. I'd've done the same.

My introduction to Author Hawkins was her largely unloved-by-fans (most I know gave it about three stars to my four) novel THE VILLA (which review is on my blog). I liked it fine. Like this book, it was escapist suds with a mote of social commentary. This was handled in a way that it could be text or subtext, depending on the reader, and the mood.

The family-secrets trope is evergreen. I can always get behind a good story of how awful families are to each other! The more money is involved...and there is an ocean of money in this one...the more awful behavior there is. Cam, our heir-apparent, is the victim of bullying by his cousin-of-sorts Ben as they are growing up...and yet it is Ben who contacts Cam when the disrepair of Ashby House (modeled on Biltmore, the Vanderbilt mansion outside Asheville, North Carolina) becomes too much for the Southern-Gothic, heavily derivative "family" he's left in possession of it to handle on their own resources...they are far too Refined to earn their own money, do you not see? As he's the heir to all the money, and the property, but won't take them into his possession, no one can do anything without his say-so and he won't say so.

I got a frisson when I thought about how much that email must've hurt babbitty, bullying Ben.

Cam and his wife Jules, who tell the story in alternating chapters, are to all appearances a happy-enough suburban couple. They set out to assess the situation in person. The trip is from Colorado; not a minor jaunt. They arrive, and while Jules had until now had no real idea of the scope of Cam's background's wealth (a thing that set my BS filter into fine-mesh mode...no particles allowed through), she has a crash course now. Her impoverished childhood, and the sheer opulence of Cam's adoptive family's digs, sets off a major lust in Jules to stop being a hardscrabble never-was and settle in to being utterly secure.

Financially, anyway.

The adoption of a nobody by the heiress whose fortune is being fought over is unsurprisingly very unpopular with her family. The third PoV in the novel is letters sent by the dead Ruby to an unknown recipient that go a long way to explain her thinking...there are good reasons for it...and the book uses them effectively as spikes to hang the twists and turns of the plot onto. I do not particularly think that the ending was a natural outgrowth of the set-up. I was not convinced that Jules and Cam were happily married at the beginning, given the amount of uncommunicated stuff in their relationship. That this money exists and is legally her husband's money is bound to give her some Feelings. That his wife is seduced by the trappings of wealth that he saw through and rejected is bound to give Cam some Feelings. They were not ignored, these factors, but they got less oomph than I thought was their due.

I can only get up to three and a half stars because these factors kept me from getting to the ending with the author. A very entertaining book, a good commentary on the fragility of relationships, a brutal take-down of the superrich and their appalling sense of entitlement...all yes, and all positives. The ending being of a piece with the set-up...well, not for this reader.

Go into it with a heart full of malice for rich people, and enjoy the hell out of it on that level.

Camden wants nothing to do with his adopted family. Their wealth is tremendous but so are the secrets and the pure evilness. When he left, he never returned. Good riddance! That is until the death of his uncle. Now Camden and his wife, Jules are back. And it is just as he imagined it would be, except only worse.

This is a book I want to think about a minute before I post my review. But it is also a book I want to share with everyone so you can go BUY IT NOW and we can discuss it!

I was so engulfed in all the secrets, family drama and mystery surrounding this estate. I listened to this book in almost one day. Camden is someone who broke my heart and yet…then there is his wife Jules. GEEZ! I still don’t know what I think about her. As a reader, you pick up on quite a few things where she is concerned. And it all comes together as one big twist at the end! And no one can forget about Ruby! And that is all I am going to say about her!

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This cast of narrators, Dan Bittner; Eliza Foss; John Pirhalla; Patti Murin, is amazing! Fabulous job with this crazy family! Greed is a powerful thing!

Need a wonderful family drama with massive secrets….THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

“Truth is something we chose to believe.”

Wow, THE HEIRESS is gripping. Not in the typical thriller way, but in the “What in the world is this family DOING?” kind of way. HAPPY PUB DAY, @ladyhawkins ! Thank you for my early digital and audio copies @macmillan.audio and @stmartinspress .

The storyline is a meshing of perspectives, from Cam, Jules and Ruby- some from the past (Ruby) and some from the present (Cam and Jules). Cam is the heir apparent to the MacTavish fortune (and an elaborate home settled in the mountains of North Carolina), only he is refusing to take part in anything to do with the MacTavish fortune.

I was hooked to Ruby’s stories and why she lost 4 husbands over the course of her life (much like Jackie O’s story), and Ruby’s life is quite interesting: she was abducted from her family’s land while in the woods as a young girl, and found 8 months later in a sleepy little southern town (also sounds much like a cross between the Lindburgh baby and Patty Hearst!).

There were a couple of “surprises” that weren’t surprising to me at all (ugh Ben and Libby), and other things that happened in the storyline that left me shocked!

Loved the Knoxville cameo, btw.

If you like a good, keep you guessing who/what/why/how then you will like this one!

CW: death of family members, murder, adoption

Thrillers are not my go to genre but I'm trying to branch out into new genres. I couldn't stop reading this one! The multiple points of view were so engrossing. This was my first book by Rachel Hawkins and it did not disappoint. I loved that it was a thriller, mystery, and family drama all wrapped up in one book. There were so many unseen twists and turns that I was captivated the whole time.

This much anticipated thriller dropped on January 9th. I’m seeing tons of rave reviews and love that for everyone…but this wasn’t my favorite domestic thriller (or even my favorite by Hawkins.)

Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore is famous for being the richest woman in North Carolina, being kidnapped as a child, and for having four deceased husbands. When she passes, her adopted grandson Camden is set to inherit the palatial estate. But the blood relatives have their claws out, ready to take Camden down. His wife Jules has her own motives and history with the estate that he doesn’t know about. Woven throughout are news articles and Ruby’s POV.

I love gothic thrillers and this setting was great. The house was its own character! I think this was less of a hit with me because I just listened to “A Likeable Woman,” where the past perspective was way more compelling for me. I also found the twists here unsurprising. It read more like a dysfunctional family mystery than a thriller. I much preferred Hawkins “The Villa” to this one. This was just fine for me.

✨Trigger Warnings: Murder, Domestic Abuse, Suicide, Kidnapping, Death of a Parent

Anyone else finish Rachel Hawkins books in 2 days or is it just me?
Sometimes having an inheritance is not all you thought it would be or had wanted. Cam and wife Jules are living a simple life when word comes that his adopted mother, Ruby, has passed away and left her entire estate to Cam. Only one problem, Cam wants none of it. Jules convinces Cam to drive up to the estate to visit estranged family and to sign off on what he thinks is the final paperwork. Little does Cam know what is in store for him. In preparation for her inevitable passing, Ruby has left Cam a family history letter of sorts that once read chages everything. Everytime I thought I knew where a character was heading to, plot twist! Having everything being written in Ruby's words as Cam is at the family estate was an amazing way to read the story. It kept everything tied together and you could actually picture each situation playing out. And having the big secret with jules?! I had to read that part twice, my eyes didn't believe it! This is definitely another bestseller!

Ruby McTavish was rich and infamous, and now she’s dead. Known best for 1- being kidnapped and then returned as a small child and 2- having been married four times to husbands who all passed unexpectedly, Ruby is the owner of the sprawling Ashby House. When she passes away, her entire estate is left to her son, Cameron- much to the disgust of the rest of the McTavish family. Cam was adopted by Ruby when he was a child, and in the eyes of this uppity family, not a worthy heir to her fortune. After years away from the mansion he grew up in, Cam returns to Ashby House with his wife Jules to settle things once and for all. But once there, this gothic mystery spirals into a vortex of family secrets where it seems that everyone has something to hide.

Ruby as a character truly embraced the dichotomy between villain and misunderstood do-gooder. She gave me Evelyn Hugo vibes- an elderly rich woman sharing the secrets of her past. My personal view of her changed so many times during the book depending on what letter of hers I was reading. Throughout the book, I found that the letters from Ruby get harder and harder to read. The secrets that she shared are heartbreaking and painful. And in the letters, I quickly noticed that they were not addressed to anyone specific, leaving me guessing who the recipient was throughout the majority of the book.

With short but satisfying chapters, I could have easily finished this book in one afternoon if I had the time to. I was hooked on finishing a chapter and seeing what the next would bring. The chapters switch between multiple points of view and include mixed media with inclusion of news articles, emails, and letters. This is one of my favorite ways for a book to be written, and Hawkins used the mixed media approach without flaw. As much as I needed to know what happened, I really didn’t want this book to end- I was enjoying it that much!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Rachel Hawkins, and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Camden McTavish, for the past ten years, has been staying far away from his family — ever since his adoptive mother, Ruby, died. But Ruby wasn’t just a regular lady, she was an infamous heiress to a fortune. A fortune that is now Camden’s but that he wants nothing to do with because his extended family is toxic. However, with another death in the family, he is called home to deal with his responsibilities to the estate. But as the days pass, secrets slowly unfurl and ulterior motives emerge. What will be the fate of the McTavish line?

First, Rachel Hawkins is brilliant. When I saw she had another novel coming out, it was a no-brainer to pick up. And it did not disappoint. The structure of the novel — a mix of perspectives from Camden, his wife Jules, letters from Ruby before her death, and articles documenting events of the wealthy family — was absolutely perfect at providing just the right amount of need to know information to keep a person turning the pages. I also enjoyed the character building of each player in the story as we see how human nature affects their decisions and the ultimate truth they want to live by. A great story to gobble up and satisfy. 5 stars.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for sending this Uncorrected Digital Galley for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Loved this book! It was thrilling and an easy read. Unfortunately because it's published with Saint Martins Press I cannot review it on my social platforms. Please speak up and hold some accountably for your employees actions.

This was my first book by this author and I loved it! It had so many twists and turns that I did not see coming. I highly recommend this book.

I am so excited to say that this is Hawkins best work yet! After reading The Villa last year and not enjoying it I was a bit hesitant to go into this with any hopes but I'm so glad that I gave it a chance because I loved it!

We have the classic rich people mystery involving a child abduction except the child in question was found and returned years later.Now that child has grown into a woman who isn't very fond of the family she is part of and decides to give all the family fortune to her adopted son on her passing. Now enter Cam, the adopted son who also wants nothing to do with the estate and family he was adopted into but has to go back to take care of paperwork and remodeling and whatnot. He brings his wife, Julia who is also hiding some skellies in her closet and we meet cousins Ben and Libby who are jealous of Cam having the money and also trying to prove that Ruby, his mother, is not who everyone thinks she is.

We also get letters written from Ruby that are so good. They tell of her marriages to her 4(!) Husband's and what befell them and reveal oh so many scandalous secrets.

While this wasn't the most shocking mystery, it definitely was fast paced and drama filled and entertaining.

If there is one thing I wanted more of it'd be the ambience. Maybe a scene in the woods surrounding the house because it's talked about a lot. Maybe another death or two. Maybe a conclusion on that small snippet we get at the end!

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy!