So I liked this one. Didn’t love it.
The narration was great, the story itself was quick and easy to listen to. But my main issue was that nothing happened for 70% of the book. All we get is tons of backstory and history on Ruby’s husbands—which I thought added nothing to the plot. All we hear is she’s killer them and lives up to her nickname.

I feel like no one was truly likeable and everyone had secrets, so when it was revealed that everyone was holding onto something, it lacked the WOW factor I was hoping in a twist.

The narrators were great, the story itself was easy enough to follow, but it was missing drama and intrigue despite it being a family drama with arguments and squabbles.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s, and Rachel for an advance copy of The Heiress.

Title: The Heiress
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Genre: Thriller / Mystery / Suspense
Standalone or Series: Standalone
Rating: 5 stars
Spoilers: Nothing in my review is a direct spoiler

Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore is dead. Ruby was as rich as she was scandalous, having been the victim of a kidnapping as a toddler, widow to four men, and finally adopted mother to an orphan in her incredible life. Upon her passing she has left the mountain estate Ashby House to her adopted son Camden, who is of course * not * a McTavish which leaves the surviving family members in a rage.

Camden wants nothing to do with the inheritance, the legacy, or the McTavish’s. At his earliest chance he flees North Carolina and plans to make his own way without the money or any communication from his past life. He falls in love with Jules and they build a quiet life for themselves, both proud to be where they are considering their pasts.

Unfortunately, the past has resurfaced upon the passing of Cam’s uncle which brings him back to Ashby House, Jules in tow. Cam’s plans to get in and out as quickly as possible clash with Jules' idea that they should stay and make Ashby their home as Ruby declared it was his. As the families collide, questions mount, and secrets start to seep out, Cam & Jules are left questioning the motives of everyone living and dead.

Welcome to my first 5 star read of the year! I’ve been a Rachel Hawkins fan since I first read Hex Hall years and years ago, so when I saw she was branching into adult thrillers I was stoked. And I can say with confidence that she is killing the thriller game.

Ruby was enigmatic. I am obsessed with books where characters who never have a real true moment on a page can carry a story through letters or memories from other characters. I could so easily picture her and what she would’ve sounded like. That goes for all of the McTavish’s. There’s just something about old southern money that sucks me in. I just love a solid toxic cast of characters I guess! I liked Jules as well. Off the bat I got the feeling that there was more to her than initially meets the eye; she struck me as the type who likes to blend in but is always listening, always watching. The character I actually felt the least connected to (as well as the one I feel I got to know and understand the least) was surprisingly Camden, and maybe that’s partially because Camden still didn’t even really know who he was.

The setting - a small town setting that doesn’t feel small. The Blue Ridge Mountains. There’s SO much mystery & allure in that setting even without adding in a notoriously-rich-woman-who-maybe-murdered-her-husband piece of the puzzle. I think Rachel does a great job at selecting locations that are familiar enough for us to envision, but also isolated and unknown enough to give us a good mystery and creeping feeling.

I did see one of the big reveals coming, however it in no way deterred me from the excitement of getting to that point on the page. There are also several twists, up to and including the final page, so I highly encourage everyone to continue reading even if you think you’ve got it figured out. I can almost assure you - you don’t.

At this point, Rachel is an auto-buy for me. The Villa is the only thriller of hers that I rated lower than 4 stars (I gave it a 3.5 rounded down. I blame myself, I did the audio and I found myself confused a couple of times because like I said - lots of twists and turns). Cannot wait to see what she comes up with next!

This is a great little novel! I really enjoyed Ruby and her letters. I thought that Cambden and Jules were fine characters but their POVs, at times, sounded similar. Otherwise, I couldn't put it down! Short chapters that leave you racing to get to the end. It's The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo with a thriller flare (and did not leave me sobbing at the end).

Thanks to Rachel Hawkins, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

I have enjoyed every Rachel Hawkins book I have read, but this is my new favorite! I binged it!

Ruby MacTavish was glamorous and infamous. The wealthiest woman in North Carolina, she was kidnapped as a child and recovered months later, widowed four times under odd circumstances, causing the gossip mill to nickname her "Mrs. Kill-more." She lived in stately Ashby House and owned most of the nearby town. Upon her death a decade ago, it all went to her adopted son, Camden, even though he had walked away from the family and money. After another death in the family necessitates some legal and financial matters be handled, Cam returns with his wife to face his resentful and plotting extended family.

Told in a multiple POV format, through letters, news stories, and narratives, the family drama you think you know at the start is wild enough. But once all the secrets, lies, and dysfunction start coming to light, it's one twist after another! Hawkins does a great job pacing this and building suspense by utilizing this mixed-media format to amp up the drama compellingly. I really enjoyed how this was written.

There are gothic vibes as isolated Ashby House looms large and sets a mood. It is inhabited by backstabbing, messy, greedy characters, all of whom are vivid and memorable. I was glued to the page to see what they would do next! We get to know Ruby through her old letters, where she reveals her secrets and scandals to the recipient. She is a fantastic character, looming larger-than-life over Ashby House and its inhabitants even a decade after her death. I don't want to say much more for fear of spoilers, but I highly recommend this addictive read. It's escapist and wildly entertaining!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the free book!

Tavistock, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge Mountains - September 12, 1943

Ruby Anne McTavish, age 3, went missing when the wealthy McTavish family were having a picnic in the mountains nearby the family home, Ashby House. She was found and returned to her family 8 months after she went missing.

Years later, Ruby, at age 73, has died at her family home, Ashby House. She had been married and widowed 4 times in her life and each of her husbands died an unusual death. Her only child is Camden who was adopted and Ruby has left everything to him.

Today, Camden lives in Golden, Colorado with his wife of 10 years, Jules. He teaches English at an all boys school and Jules works at a replica of an old western farm. Now, he and Jules must return to Ashby House.

What an incredibly engrossing story that held me captive in my reading chair wanting to absorb every word. There are so many twists and turns that just when I thought I had this family figured out, I realized there was more yet to come. It’s amazing how money can make things go the way a rich family wants it to. Don’t miss this one!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy! This is my third Rachel Hawkins book and probably my favorite so far. Ruby is the heiress to a large fortune. She’s nicknamed Mrs. Kill more after her 4th husband dies. She adopts a son and makes sure to leave him her fortune so her rotten family won’t get their hands on it. This book took a couple of weird turns but all in all I liked it.

Hawkins just became an auto-buy author for me! I love how she drops little bits of information, drama and suspense through the book that come together perfectly in the end. Another thing I love about Hawkins’ books is how she paints a magical setting, that even though have secrets and murder, still make you want to be there. The character development is superb to many other thrillers I’ve read, making them feel like true, complex people. I can’t recommend The Heiress (and Hawkins’ other books) enough!!

I absolutely love multiple points of view in a thriller, especially one like this where one of the characters is "speaking" from behind the grave. Ruby McTavish wrote letters before she died and those are honestly my favorite part of this book. Sly and cunning, Ruby lived a life full of secrets and exposes each and every one throughout this novel. Faced with the possibility of a life with no worries, each character in this story has a reason for wanting Ruby's fortune after her death and only one is supposed to receive it, according to her will.
There are some quirky family members who want to lay claim to Ashby House but Camden, the heir, can't decide what he wants to do with it. As the story progresses and more secrets are exposed, no one is who you thought they were and the ending will truly shock you!

I highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of domestic suspense, long-buried lies, and a climactic ending.

Imagine consistently having your life play out in the eye of the public. This is the reality that Ruby McTavish lives with. As a child, Ruby was the victim of a kidnapping. The media attention covering the kidnapping and return of young Ruby captivated the press for years. The attention continues to flourish as Ruby transitions through her adult years. With not one….not two….but FOUR husbands that have strange circumstances surrounding their deaths, Ruby stays at the center of gossip in the press.

After Ruby’s death, her entire McTavish fortune was left to her adopted son Camden. Surprisingly – Camden wants nothing to do with the McTavish money or estate. However – the recent death of an uncle brings Camden back to the estate and the mysteries that surround his family legacy.

The Heiress is the latest release from Rachel Hawkins to hit bookshelves. It is a tangled web of secrets, lies and handwritten letters from Ruby herself. I found myself curious about Ruby’s life and the revelations that she would come to release in each letter to Camden. As always – Rachel Hawkins never fails to give readers a thriller that keeps you second guessing yourself until the very end. I can’t wait to see what books are on the horizon for this author that keep a place in my ‘favorites’ list.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
The Heiress
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Source: NetGalley
Pub Date: January 9, 2024

PUBLICATION DAY
Rachell Hawkins is a personal favorite author for me with an extensive thriller book catalogue that is sure to please readers. The Heiress does not disappoint. What a premise when you have a wealthy heiress, Ruby, who went MISSING as a small child but was recovered and returned to her family. When Ruby dies, she has outlived four husbands and has left behind a large inheritance to her adopted son, who doesn’t want the money or North Carolina homestead. But others in the extended family want the inheritance, and ten years later, the adopted son and wife decide to visit the property from their Colorado home to investigate the family fortune. Shit gets real with lies, lies, and more lies and a ton of secrets thrown in for good measure. The ending of this book is really good, so DO NOT read ahead. What does it mean to feel like you don’t belong and can’t trust anyone? Woohoo, this book is yummy. Enjoy. #TheHeiress @ladyhawkins @netgalley @stmartinspress #thriller #mystery #death #inheritance #lies #secrets #suspense #arc #fiction #NorthCarolina #BlueRidgeMountains #dark #RachelHawkins
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I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this novel. Pub. Date: Jan. 9, 2024
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#book #books #bookAddict #BooksOfInstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #reader #booklove #bookreader #reader #reviewer

Oooh, this one was a fun and thrilling read! I was pulled in from the first chapter and the story just wouldn’t let me go. So many twists and turns, most of which I didn’t guess (hooray!) I think this is Rachel Hawkins’ best book yet. Rich people behaving badly is one of my favorites in fiction and this. book. DELIVERS. 👏
I received an advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

My new favorite Rachel Hawkins book! I could not put down The Heiress; it was a great mystery/thriller page-turner.

The story follows Ruby McTavish, who was lost in the woods as a young girl. Eight months later, she’s found and returned home.

Ruby wrote letters prior to her death depicting her life and her four tragic marriages. Now the heir to the famous Ashby house, Camden returns home with his wife (Jules) after the passing of his uncle.

The story is told through Ruby, Camden, and Jules POV. Whose story is the truth? Is Ruby really a cold-blooded killer? Secrets of the Ashby House and the infamous McTavish family unfurl…

While reading, I got Evelyn Hugo vibes from Ruby McTavish’s character. There are some twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and a few I guessed. Regardless, I really loved this book. It was the perfect way to end my 2023 reading goals.

Current rankings of Hawkins’ thrillers:
1. The Heiress
2. The Villa
3. Reckless Girls
4. The Wife Upstairs

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A heady concoction of charm, murder, manipulation and sophistication!

Thanks NetGalley St Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Synopsis –

Camden McTavish and his wife Jules, are summoned to their ancestral home, the Ashby House, 10 years after the death of his mother, the infamous Ruby McTavish (‘Kill’more). While Cam wants nothing to do with this house, Jules, stunned by its elegance and grandeur, can’t help but be intrigued about this estranged family’s past and the secrets the house might be hiding. But Ruby might have had a plan of her own.

Review –

I think this is the best yet from the author! Everything is executed to perfection – the setting, story building, plot construction and amazing character development.

I could vividly picture the magnificence of the Ashby House – its picturesque surroundings , nestled in the Blueridge mountains and its foreboding presence.

Hawkins builds suspense, intrigue into her story, weaving it all with the history of the McTavishes, a certain ominous feeling about the house and a unique spell of mystery conveyed via Ruby’s voice.

Ruby steals the show with her notoriety and resplendence - as she spills her juicy secrets from her past. Oh how I loved her larger than life, classy persona - despite her questionable actions and behaviour! Her shrewdness, sass, masterful mind games, all balanced with great benevolence and magnanimity left me speechless.

With the narratives of Cam, Jules and Ruby, the present is inextricably linked to the past with revelations that are unimaginable and near impossible to guess. As everyone’s secrets slowly comes to light, I could only marvel at how smartly the plot lines come together. Simply genius!

At the end, I just shook my head in disbelief, laughed at my naivety and inability to see the traps. I bet you will fall for it all and repent just like me!

If you love mystery thriller with a strong female lead, who is morally grey, yet impossible to adore and cheer for, then don’t miss #TheHeiress.

An eerie, haunted, twisted tale of what ends people will go to, whether it's to cover a secret or protect their fortune. It's a dark fascinating world of the wealthy, and uncovering those secrets is a great mysterious adventure!

Rachel Hawkins is a great author who draws you in and throws twist after twist at you to keep you enticed and guessing. With the multiple POV, this gives you a full rounded story about the darkest corners of the McTavish family.

I loved this one. Possibly my favorite Rachel Hawkins book yet. I listened on audio and the cast/narrators are amazing and give such life to the different stories and timelines of this book. I'd love a sequel to see how the McTavish bloodline continues. The ending blew me away and I did not see it coming at all!

As a retired Trust/Estates Paralegal I am always intrigued by any mystery that involves Estate matters. I have a few nightmare stories of my own that would make excellent material for a book. I just love a juicy family scrabble over the property especially when there are deep, dark secrets involved. A good knock down scrabble would have been an improvement. We get a family that has psychologically abused each other forever and don't know any other way to relate to each other. Told from three points of view you get a real close-up picture of why this family is so messed up. Fascinating and yet depressing. I didn't know who to root for and, in the end, everyone had a secret.

Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore has lived a lot in her seventy-three years and through her letters we get to see her life from her perspective. What she endured and why she did what she did.

Camden McTavish is Ruby's adopted son. Life wasn't easy for him at Ashby House, the family home his mother shared with her sister family, all of whom made his life a misery. When Ruby died and left her vast fortune to Cam, he turned his back on all of them and left to live his own life somewhere far, far away from Ashby House. Now he has returned and life in Ashby House is still a misery.

Jules Brewster is Cam's wife and for the ten years of their marriage Cam has been a high school English teacher and Jules has been a docent at an historical park in Colorado. She has bided her time, waiting for Cam to return to North Carolina and claim his rightful inheritance. But what she finds at Ashby House is not going to make her happy.

Secrets, old and damming, tend to come to light and Ruby has more than her share of them and so do the other inhabitants of the house. Is Ashby House evil or is it the malicious people who live there? Jules and Camden love each other but will that love survive and thrive in Ashby House or will it turn to ashes under the weight of all the secrets.

My thanks to the Publisher and the Author for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

This was a fun, twisty ride. The story follows the McTavish family of North Carolina, a horrendously rich and awful family. Ruby, the central character, was kidnapped as a child and the notoriety of that act followed her throughout her life. She was married four times and each husband died under questionable circumstances. Upon her death in her 70s, the entirety of the family fortune passes to Ruby's adopted son Camden, who has distanced himself from the family, its wealth, and its ancestral home, Ashby house.

Things I liked: Lots of good twists, lots of villainous women, lots of unreliable narrators, gothic vibes
Things I didn't like: A little bit of 4th wall breaking that I find a bit cheesy.

Definitely recommend to any fan of the thriller/mystery genre.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"...and of course, we can never discount that most dangerous of animals, our fellow man."

After listening/reading The Heiress, about a killer dysfunctional family, by renowned thriller author Rachel Hawkins, I couldn't stop smiling at how cleverly written this story was and it's easily my favorite book by this constantly surprising me writer.

Ruby McTavish's life is the definition of eccentric. Born into North Carolina's wealthiest family she is lost in the woods at age four. There's a national manhunt and fortunately, she's eventually found safe. Ruby grows to be a dynamic woman the sole heir to her family's fortune. Her first marriage ends on her wedding night with a gunshot. Three more marriages end leaving her a widow each time. Her only joy is her adopted son Camden.

Now Camden wants nothing to do with his adopted family. He prefers a quiet life as a teacher with his lovely wife Jules. You can't blame him. His Aunt Nelle, Ruby's sister, is a bitter hurtful woman and his cousins are cruel bullies. They all live in the family mansion, hoping each other leaves and they will have all the wealth for themselves. There is nothing redeeming about any of them.

Eventually Camden comes home to deal with Ruby's passing finding the letters she left him explaining, with great sarcastic humor, her life, her dead husbands and the possible truth about getting lost in the woods.

Listening to voice actors Patti Murin, Dan Bittner, John Pirhalla, and Eliza Foss bring this dysfunctional family to it's shocking conclusion is a pure delight. I was actually giddy as each crazy twist after another was revealed up to the very last page. The Heiress is a wealth of sharp writing, love to hate characters, and just a perfect suspense thriller ready for the big screen.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Heiress centers on Ruby McTavish, the richest woman in North Carolina, after inheriting her father’s fortune. A widow herself, Ruby adopts Camden and makes him the sole heir of her fortune. As Camden becomes an adult, he wants nothing to do with the estate but when his uncle dies, Camden is forced to deal with the greedy family that wants their share and the secrets that everyone is hiding.

Ok this one sucked me in from the beginning. I binged this in less than 24 hours but know that this is less of a fast paced thriller and more of a twisty family drama. The North Carolina mountains and the creepy old mansion made for a great setting and I loved getting into the minds of Camden, his wife Jules and of course Ruby (through letters) who was my favorite of them all! None of the characters were likable but that was the fun for me!

4.5 stars

Rich people behaving badly...one of my favorite genres.

Written in dual povs (well in three if you count the letters from Ruby) this story has a feeling of anticipation as different characters have different secrets they are hiding. I really enjoyed the twists and cunning in this book. I will always support women's wrongs (if they are justified) and I definitely supported them here.

I enjoyed this thriller aspect of the book, but I felt like the ending seemed a bit rushed. The final reveal as well came out of the blue and I would have loved a longer explanation....maybe even a sequel???

Rachel Hawkins sure can write an entertaining thriller and this is perfect if you are looking to be entertained!