Camden McTavish has been living quietly in California, renting a small place and tending bar. That’s where he met Jules, there for the cheap wings. They fall in love and get married, moving to Colorado, where Cam gets a job teaching at a boys’ school and Jules works for a museum, teaching visitors about how the pioneers would churn butter while wearing period costumes.

And then, Camden gets an email from his cousin, saying that he’s needed back at the family home. The place has fallen into disrepair, and they need Cam’s help to fix it. Cam is the one with all the family money, after all. His mother had made sure he was the one to inherit her millions along with her estate, although his mother had made sure her sister Nelle could continue to live there until she died.

Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore was Cam’s mother. She had adopted him after the deaths of her four husbands. She had known a lot of grief and sadness, and Ruby had wanted something good in her life, wanted something good to continue the McTavish line after she was gone. So she chose Camden as a son, and then she chose him as her sole heir.

Ruby had lived a difficult life, starting with a kidnapping when she was little more than a toddler. She had been outside of the family home, Ashby House, when a miscommunication between her mother and the nanny left her alone. She’d had time by herself to wander into the woods, to find danger. After long searches, where none of the family or police had found the young girl, finally her father found the man who had taken her. He was an itinerant worker on the estate, and said he’d nabbed the girl to take home to his wife, who had been heartbroken after losing a child of her own. But he quickly gave the child back to McTavish, so he could take Ruby back home where she belonged.

But she’d always wondered where she really did belong.

Camden hadn’t been back to Ashby House since she’d died, back when he was in college. He’d grown up around Ruby and her sister Nelle, Nelle’s alcoholic husband, and their two kids, and Cam had always felt like an outsider. He’d been bullied and slighted, and when he had the chance to leave, he never wanted to go back.

But now Jules knew about Ashby House, and she wanted to stay. She didn’t want to stay in their tiny Colorado rental when there was a gorgeous family home, a mansion, where she could live and not have to struggle. And Camden wanted Jules to be happy. But could they make it work, her happy and him miserable? Ashby House had always hidden secrets and lies, cruelty and isolation. Would Cam and Jules be able to overcome the McTavish family curse, or would those lies envelop them and choke the life out of them too?

The Heiress is the latest gothic thriller by the Rachel Hawkins, a master of twists and chills. These characters are masterfully complex, with layers of secrets that push the story forward into unexpected corners. Told as a narrative interwoven with magazine articles and personal letters, this story unfolds slowly and intensely, a path of delicious bread crumbs that take you through the history of Ruby and her family while keeping you guessing what could possibly come up next.

I will be honest. I wasn’t sure I’d like this book. I’ve read Hawkins’s books for several years, and I thought The Villa was about as perfect as a novel could be. I just didn’t think she could repeat that genius. And while I will still love that one a little bit more, I have nothing to complain about with The Heiress. It is tightly plotted and fascinating to read. It’s an absolute pleasure, and I’m afraid Hawkins’s is just going to have keep writing at this exceptional level for me to stop saying that one of her novels is that much better than the others. The Heiress is an amazing story, pure fun for thriller lovers, and definitely not to be missed. And now, I’m already waiting impatiently for her next book.

Egalleys for The Heiress were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.

When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. She was the victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over, giving her the nickname Lady Kill-more in the tiny town of Tavistock. In the aftermath of her death, her adopted son, Camden wants nothing to do with the house, money, or the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past. Ten years later, his uncle’s death forces Cam to return to Ashby House. As Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about the infamous heiress come to light. Was there any truth to the persistent rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And why did she adopt Cam in the first place? 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.

The book is told through two different POV's - Camden's and his wife Jules, as well as letters and articles from Ruby. There are several twists throughout the book that you will not see coming, and there will be so many questions you have, but they all get answered by the end. There are so many secrets that get spilled during this book, that this reads almost like a soap opera or a Bravo show at times - nice and juicy, and something you are not going to want to put down. This is my new favorite of all of this author's books. I highly recommend it!

This book was captivating, but I felt like I predicted a lot of the main twists. I was interested because I hoped that it wouldn’t be all the twists and there was one or two that I didn’t see coming. This also didn’t have a nice and clean ending and almost lends itself to a sequel but I’m not sure how they could do a sequel for this. Sadly it just didn’t live up to what I thought this would be. Everyone has secrets in this twisted family.

Rachel Hawkins has definitely become an auto-buy author for me and I loved her return to a Southern setting with so many places that are familiar, even if partially fictionalized. Ashby House definitely was its own character, and Jules was easy to connect to as a narrator. I typically don’t love letters as a writing device but this did them well!

The Heiress is short and sweet with stellar pacing, and it was my first time reading a book in one sitting in quite a while! The chapters were propulsive and the rolling reveals never left me feeling like the suspense was too artificially drawn out. I would have liked a little more time to get to know the other characters, and it’s a credit to the story that I actually wanted more as I have been really loathing books that seem more focused on page count than content lately. Jules was the most compelling narrator for me in the story as opposed to the others. Still, my only major gripe is that the ending left me a little too surprised with so many things going on. I also need to know what happened to one character.

Easy recommendation for a quick and suspenseful read here!

"The Heiress" by Rachel Hawkins is a Mystery-Thriller and Family Fiction Story!

"HEIRESS, PHILANTHROPIST, ONETIME KIDNAP VICTIM, RUBY MCTAVISH CALLAHAN WOODWARD MILLER KENMORE DIES AT 73." ~ The Asheville Citizen-Times, April 2, 2013

Ten years ago when Ruby's entire estate, immense fortune, and newsworthy family history, were passed to her adopted son, Camden McTavish, he turned his nose up at his inheritance and the entire McTavish Family.

Until now...

Now the home and family Camden ran from after Ruby's death are calling him back. The fifteen-bedroom mansion, Ashby House, is in serious disrepair and the tangled mess of Ruby's will makes it next to impossible for the family to request funds for maintenance without Camden's help.

Camden and his wife, Jules, decide together to travel from their home in Colorado to Tavistock, North Carolina, to see the condition of their estate for themselves...

"The Heiress" was a twisty ride and the first book I've read by Rachel Hawkins. I fully understood Camden's desire to flee the old homestead ten years ago. The McTavish clan was a despicable, disturbing, and dysfunctional family that resulted in a barrel of nasty fun for this reader.

Without a doubt, the most entertaining part of this tale was Ruby's story told through letters written to an unknown recipient. Jules' folksy point-of-view was interesting and enlightening, too, but poor Camden was a major stress case making his narrative no fun at all.

This was an immersion reading experience through the gifted Digital Reading Copy and Advanced Listening Copy. The audiobook has four narrators: Dan Bittner, Eliza Foss, John Pirhalla, and Patti Murin. Either format will deliver a great experience but if you have a choice, pick the audiobook. The voices of Ruby and Jules should NOT be missed.

"The Heiress" was a fun read/listen that I recommend to readers who enjoy mystery-suspense stories about complicated, messed-up families!

4.25⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and Rachel Hawkins for a DRC and an ALC of this book through NetGalley. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Wild, twisty, and dysfunctional in all of the best ways. It was an amazing suspense book and I think it really carried itself well! I loved all of the letters and the reveals throughout the book.

I have read Rachel Hawkins's other books but... OMG, this has to be her best yet!!! What a great plot! Full of lies tangled with truths, a house, a rich family - than more than a family it was an infestation of hungry money snakes and a heiress that would do anything to keep it a secret.

Welcome to Ashby House, Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore house, and in a way her prison. She's not only known for being kidnapped at age three and later rescued but also for being married four times, and each time, her husbands died in a terrible accident.

When her adoptive son and his wife Jules decide to go back to Ashby House they enter Ruby's deepest secrets and uncover how she died.

A must-read!!

Thank you St. Martin's Publishing Group and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange of my honest opinion.

So good! I loved this story and the mystery surrounding it. I knew from the start that I would love this book and as I kept reading, the book just kept getting better!

This was a good one!

The way the story wove together was brilliant. I loved the letters slowly releasing details. The intricate web of how the characters were tied together was perfection. There were definitely relationships that left me wondering until the end.

The characters were well developed and I enjoyed how the layers to each relationship were carefully revealed throughout the story. Enjoyed the multiple POV’s. Ruby McTavish was especially well done. I enjoyed the letters they portrayed her power, determination for revenge, and how she navigated her reality

Title: The Heiress
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Source: DRC via NetGalley (St. Martin’s Press) in exchange for an honest review
Publication Date: January 9, 2023
Synopsis: Goodreads
Purchase Link: Amazon

Other books by this author
As Rachel Hawkins:
The Villa
The Wife Upstairs
As Erin Sterling:
The Ex Hex (The Ex Hex #1)
The Kiss Curse (The Ex Hex #2)

Why did I choose to read this book?

When I read the synopsis of this book I was drawn in by the dark secrets and whispers, and I needed to know why the adopted son Camden would reject his sizeable, life-changing inheritance. I’m not usually a gossip hound but the description of this book made me sniff at the air like a cartoon lady floating towards a freshly made pie.

What is this book about?

Ruby McTavish is kidnapped and returned to her family when she was just a child. Her family has the kind of money that controls towns, buys judges, moves mountains – and Ruby was the heir to all of it. The story centers around her past told side by side with her adopted son Camden’s present to show how he came to inherit the McTavish riches and why he might have wanted to reject that legacy. It’s about what family is, what right and wrong might be, and when the ends might justify the means.

What is notable about this story?

I did not see the twist coming. Rachel Hawkins had me the entire way through this book and even made me think I had experienced the twist, when the true one was waiting to slap me across the face when I was looking the other way. This is always something I find notable because I am very difficult to trick or string along. And not only was the twist well disguised, but it made the entire story even more fucked up than it already was, and it’s pretty messed up.

There is a LOT of murder in this story. I mean, I don’t mind a story with murder but my goodness. Money really can buy anything if it was able to hide all this goddamned murder. Woof.

Was anything not so great?

I found it difficult to believe that no one in the direct McTavish family was remotely normal. Not a single human with a conscience in the bunch? It took the adopted kid to bring normalcy?

One of the murders made me so mad I wanted to stop reading the book. Hawkins does not shy away from illustrating the cruelty of the main character Ruby and it is showcased abundantly, almost to the point of disbelief. It was difficult to believe that one person could be so manipulative and cruel; it took me out of the story quite a few times.

There were several moments where the book got a little bit soap opera-ey and made me roll my eyes, but it got dark again quick so I didn’t have to deal with it very long.

What’s the verdict?

4 stars on Goodreads, but it would be 3.5 stars if I could. You’ll read the entire thing, there aren’t any places where the narrative drags or gets bogged down, but the story is dark, manipulative, and murderous so read with the lights on! Go get it!

Wooooooooo! Rachel Hawkins does it AGAIN and AGAIN you know what I love best about her books? They’re a great size for a thriller, great cast of characters, and the thrill keeps on thrilling.
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Be prepared, this is a cast of very unlikeable characters. Each one had ulterior motives for wanting the Ashby House and the money. I COULD NOT BELIEVE the amount of lies that each one was telling. All the secrets that reveal themselves at the right time.
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I wish we would’ve gotten more Ruby. I loved her POV the best. Her storyline was interesting forrrrrr sure. She had the best story to tell and also best ending.
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Overall, another great thriller from Hawkins!
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𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 @𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 @𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 | 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘📱
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Pub Date: TODAY (January 9, 2024)

𝑴𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔:
This is by far my favourite from the author! There was so much going on with the multiple characters. Each character had their own storyline, which all eventually tied into each other in the end.

What I really loved about this book was learning about all of the past husbands heiress Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore had - if that 5 name surname doesn’t intrigue you enough, the stories about how each husband dies will.

Thank goodness I read this book on a long flight, because I could not stop reading! The format of this book was perfect for the plot, and was extremely captivating. There were so many unexpected twists and turns, to the point where every time I thought I had things figured out, something would happen to completely change the course of my thought process.

In my opinion, this is the authors best work yet! I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who likes a good twisty/darkish family drama.

𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒇 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆:
- 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Complex family dynamics & drama
- 🕰️ Dual timelines
- 💭 Multiple POV
- 👑 Dynasty and Succession

𝑾𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈: 2021 Cabernet Franc - Amos Wines🍷

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my digital Advanced Reader Copy in return for an honest review.

If you're in the mood for a gripping mystery filled with twist after twist, look no further than The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins. This book had me hooked from the very beginning and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

The story revolves around an estranged family reuniting at their sprawling family estate in the mountains of North Carolina. From the start, it's clear that every member of this family has deep and dark secrets that they're desperate to keep hidden. Money doesn't buy happiness, and the characters in The Heiress are living proof of this. Their wealth and privilege only seem to lead them further into despair and unfulfilling greed.

What I loved most about The Heiress is that it feels like a modern-day gothic mystery, complete with a grand family estate and a sense of foreboding that lingers throughout. This was my first time reading a Rachel Hawkins novel, and I can confidently say that I'll be picking up more in the future. Her writing style is engaging and keeps you guessing at every turn.

The Heiress is a page-turner that will keep you up late into the night, and you won't want to put it down until you've uncovered every secret hidden within its pages. Highly recommended for anyone who loves a good mystery with a touch of twisted family drama.

“The Heiress” by Rachel Hawkins is a real page turner, and in nearly every chapter, something new about the twisted McTavish family was revealed. At the heart of the story is Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore (referred to by enemies by Ruby Killmore since all her husband suffered untimely deaths). But that isn’t her only notoriety: she had been kidnapped as a child and returned to her wealthy family three years later. Not everyone was happy to have her return, especially since she was the heiress to the family fortune. As an adult, she adopts Camden and leaves him the McTavish fortune. He wants nothing to do with it. Due to circumstances with a family he wishes to ignore, he returns to the estate with his wife Jules. Then little by little, we learn that nothing is as it seems.
Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this incredible book, one which I plan to read again and again.

#happypubday to @ladyhawkins & her newest book! this scandalous suspense story depicts a tale of old southern money & the deception that comes with power and greed.

notorious southern belle and 4-time-widow Ruby McTavish has passed away, leaving the Ashby House estate & its accompanying riches to her adopted son, Camden. this results in much bitterness & turmoil amongst the surviving McTavish family members, even though Cam wants nothing to do with his inheritance—instead, choosing to live in a modest home as an English teacher in Colorado with his wife, Jules.

it’s only when another McTavish passes away 10 years later that Cam is summoned to return back to the North Carolina estate. after years of avoiding his past, he returns with Jules, where they both uncover twisted secrets about the infamous heiress, the estranged McTavish family, and even what darkness lies within themselves.

this was such an entertaining read! at just over 300 pages, it’s a quick read with short, engaging chapters that alternate between the perspective of Camden, Jules, and the tell-all letters of Ruby McTavish. this is a must-read for lovers of scandals, suspense, and historical wealth & notoriety. Hawkins expertly foreshadows events throughout the book to give us that feeling of being one step ahead of the characters, while still executing a few surprising twists and turns for readers. the suspense of the family’s estrangement in addition to the flashbacks from the past to present made this book super binge-worthy.

thank you to @netgalley & @stmartinspress for my #advancedreaderscopy of this book!

Ruby McTavish is the wealthiest woman in North Carolina. She is also one of the most interesting, with being the "toddler that was kidnapped, and then returned" as well as multiple Widow. So when Ruby McTavish passes away, it creates quite the stir in the North Carolina social scene. But really the only one who is affected, and the last person who wants to be involved, is her adopted son, Cam. Per her will, Cam inherits all of the wealth, leaving out the rest of the McTavish family. As Cam and his wife return to North Carolina, and the family mansion, they must navigate the family dynamics, and along the way discover that Ruby had more to her than they initially thought.

-Fast paced read
-Tons of surprises and twists
-Strong Female characters
-Morally grey characters
-Abundant amount of family drama and betrayal

Overall, I would recommend this for anyone interested in surprising mysteries, and stories of family betrayals.

I feverishly read this one in a day. Rachel Hawkins never lets me down and is 💯 an auto buy author.

I was immediately drug into this one. After seeing reviews comparing it to Seven Husbands, I was even more enthralled. I really did enjoy this one. The plot twists were not super shocking as I saw the foreshadowing for them in the pages, but they were unique. This whole plot line was unique. I especially loved the mixed media Hawkins uses to tell the story. I would agree that it has a Seven Husbands vibe but that isn’t the essence of the story. It’s almost Seven Husbands mixed with something else and new I cannot mention without giving spoilers.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Rachel Hawkins is always a must read for me. I was a little hesitant because The Villa wasn’t everything I had hoped but she has redeemed herself with The Heiress. The Heiress was everything I wanted and more. I adore Rachel’s writing - it’s so easy to read, so captivating, and so well planned out. There was just the right amount of characters and moving parts. I love a multiple POV book and this one always kept you suspicious of everyone’s motives. My most favorite part is when all the many puzzles pieces of the books finally all click together. Bonus points for a plot twist I did not anticipate.
Highly, highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read such an amazing book in exchange for writing an honest review.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @stmartinspress for an advance copy of THE HEIRESS in return for my honest review.

Tucked away in the Blue Ridge mountains lies the sprawling Ashby House - home to the McTavish family… and their secrets.

Estranged from his adopted family, Camden McTavish reluctantly returns to the “haunted house where the ghosts hadn’t had the courtesy to die yet.”

This psychological thriller has all the deep dark, well-to-do southern gothic family secrets vibes. I loved the multiple points of view and alternating timelines via letters from a ghost!

As always, I recommend going into this one blind. It’s a slow burn suspense with a few twists that I 😲 didn’t see coming! You got me @ladyhawkins 👏

Just think of it as Evelyn Hugo with a dark and gritty twist 🤗

Read this book if you like…
⛰️ Atmospheric Southern gothic settings
🔍 Generational mysteries
🕷️ Black widows
🌪️ Unexpected twists
🤫 Rich families with dark secrets
👥 Multiple POVs (one in letter format)

i usually buck against thrillers that make far too liberal use of a dual timeline but i found this one surprisingly effective. this is my first rachel hawkins book since i read her young adult series rebel belle around eight years ago. glad she's doing well!