Great book! Lots of twists and turns throughout the book. Reminded me of a mix between the “Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” and “Gone Girl”.

3.5 stars
This was fast paced and easy to read (love short chapters in a mystery!) which was a bonus. I liked the mix of storytelling - dual POV, letters, newspaper articles, and the plot was interesting. The things that were meant to be “bombshells” didn’t feel that exciting. I kept waiting for a big twist that never seemed to come. Not the most thrilling thriller I’ve ever read, but bonus points for the quick pace and readability of it.

This book is a bit slow getting started. I recommend that you continue because this book gets more interesting, twisty and horrifying as you get into the story. The storytelling may also be a bit confusing. Sometimes the story is being told by Ruby, the woman who disappeared as a child, and who, when reunited with her fabulously wealthy family, experiences disfunction and tragedy. Her story is mainly told through letters. The story is also told by Cameron, her adopted son, who has escaped the web of dysfunction to live as a "normal" person. The third point of view is that of Cam's wife, Jules. And sometimes there are news articles that fill in different parts of the story.

I found the book to be a great read, although it does take a bit of concentration to keep everything straight. However, once I got to the 1 1/2 hours left point in the book, I found it impossible to put down. I recommend this book to people who love stories about dysfunctional wealthy, powerful families, but that also takes the reader through a gauntlet of twists, turns, and surprises.

After reading the Villa and this book, I can confidently say that Rachel Hawkins books are now insta-buys for me. I really enjoy her writing and her storytelling.

This is just exactly my kind of thriller book. I could safely read it at night without getting too creeped out, but it still had me on the edge of my seat. There was enough going on, but it wasn’t over the top twisty or creepy.

With all the characters seemingly so sinister and self invested, I really didn’t know what way it was going to go. The journal entries and POV changes were done in a way that unraveled the story well while letting you get to know the three different characters.

The setting was really cool, and explained vividly. It really made the story I think, because it set such a dark, haunted, old money corruption scene.

Make sure to read the epilogue! It is not a skip, but rather a nice shiny (necessary) bow on the story.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you Rachel Hawkins and St. Martins Press!

This book was pretty faced paced and did keep me guessing. I wouldnt go into it thinking it’s a thriller,it’s more of a family drama with secrets and murder, which I’m always a fan of. I enjoyed the blending of past and present.

One of the criticisms I have of this book is that hikers going missing was heavily teased, but it was dropped and never explored. I feel like that was an odd choice. I do feel like some other plot details needed fleshed out a bit more, as well.

Overall, an enjoyable and readable dysfunctional family suspense. (3.5 ⭐️ rounded up)

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the copy of this book.

Another great story by Rachel Hawkins! Ruby is an heiress to a fortune and sprawling estate. Her younger sister is not and her son and grandchildren are none too happy with the situation. Especially when Ruby adopts a son! This story has LOTS of twists and turns that kept me interested from start to finish.

Ruby was famous due to her rich family, being kidnapped as a child and her many husbands.

This is the story of the ultra rich McTavish family.

Heir Camden must return home to sort out the financial mess even though her turned his back on the family and the inheritance long ago.

I enjoyed Ruby's part of the story the most. This is told via letters throughout the book.

The rest of the family I could live without. Let's just say I'm glad to not be related to any of these people.

Great family drama.

Thanks to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc.

Daggum this book is WILD. So many twists. So much insanity. I don't usually like rich family drama, but this one sucked me in hard with all the dead bodies. Flew through it in one day.

Omggodness, this was so good. This is my first Rachel Hawkins, and it's definitely not my last!

I was reminded of the Seven Husband's of Evelyn Hugo while reading with the style - how Ruby was telling her version of the story (and the Cecilia name also brought me to think of it). It was a great mystery, with a lot of information but written in a way that it was not hard to keep up at all!

I thoroughly enjoyed all the characters; whether it was someone you were pushed to love, or the kind you love to hate. I personally am both a "Ruby McTavish" & Jules fan, two women who made things happen.

The timing of the suspense was perfect and all engrossing. I read this in a day, so it's definitely a fast-paced page turner.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & St Martin Press for an eARC; I will be buying a hard copy for my collection on January 9!

We all have dysfunction in our family, right? Well, this book may have taken family dysfunction to a whole new level.

Ruby McTavish's life is a true roller coaster ride - she is kidnapped at three years of age by a family who lost their child, but it eventually reunited with her original family. Her life is a whirlwind of adventures and includes four marriages - all that end in the suspicious death of her husband. She also has an adopted son, Cam, who has left home and wants nothing to do with his mother or her family.

Upon Ruby's death, Cam stands to inherit all of Ruby's vast fortune but wants nothing to do with it. Despite the estrangement from the family and Ruby's fortune, Cam does opt to return to McTavish estate, known as Ashby House, to settle matters with the estate. During the visit to Ashby House, we are introduced to the various relatives who add twists and turns to the story by sharing their secrets.

You might want to grab a large glass of wine to accompany your reading to prepare you for all of the shocking information shared by the characters during this story. Just when you think you can't be shocked anymore, you just need to turn the page.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

#TheHeiress #RachelHawkins

Fans of Hawkins' The Villa will not be disappointed by The Heiress, a juicy, gothic tale of the richer than rich McTavish clan of North Carolina. Roots going way back, a famous estate and a notorious kidnapping in the 1940s define the family. In the current day, prodigal son Camden is returning from California with his loving wife Jules to North Carolina to face the family.

Everybody's hiding something (of course they are) and the tale is conveyed with newspaper articles, letters, and the alternating perspectives of Camden and Jules. It's a devious little tale, with all the scandal and mystery you could want in a twisty suspense novel. Hawkins even brings in at least one reference to The Villa, wink wink.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. The Heiress will be published early January 2024.

TW: DV
I really enjoyed this family drama about a bunch of rich people trying to figure out who was inheriting Ashby House and their fortune. The author kept me interested because there was a bunch of different things going on- present day, previous letters from Ruby, and the backstory about Ruby being kidnapped as a child. This book is definitely suspenseful!
This book kinda gave me Evelyn Hugo vibes when Ruby was talking about her 4 previous husbands. I liked having the letters throughout, as well as news articles, to break up the story.
I did figure out the one character's alternate identity, which was a bit of a bummer because I think it was meant to be a bigger plot twist. It was still a very good read though, and there were still other shocking parts.

Thanks so much NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC!

If I had to describe this in one line it would be: Evelyn Hugo but with more murder. I really enjoyed this one. It’s dark and twisty and all the things I love in a thriller. I don’t always love domestic thrillers but this is a good one. The characters are all hiding things (the best kind of story) and the cards aren’t all on the table til the very end.

Yet another gem from Rachel Hawkins. She never fails to disappoint with her intriguing and distinctive characters along with a great storytelling ability. Ruby MacTavish is such an intriguing character and the mystery surrounding her is so superbly executed. I highly recommend this book for fans of classic domestic thriller/suspense.

Well written but just wasn’t for me. Too much drama and I was left just feeling bored. The twist didn’t give me the wow factor I hoped for.

This is my first book by Rachel Hawkins but I will immediately be reading her backlist.

The Heiress was an incredibly atmospheric, twisty domestic thriller. It felt like it ran in the vein of Evelyn Hugo but with a darker side. The characters were all unlikeable and manipulative but Hawkins made it so easy to root for the ones you needed to root for. I never knew who to trust.

With a mix of POVs, letters and newspaper clippings, this story was told so well. I couldn’t put it down once I picked it up. I would definitely recommend this book to any and everyone

I really enjoy Rachel Hawkins as an author, so I was afraid that my personal expectations would make this fall flat—it’s happened a time or two before—but it delivered.

Despite the fact that the Heiress, Ruby McTavish, has been deceased for over a decade at the beginning of the narrative, she comes alive on the page through the letters and newspaper accounts of her life. The story begins as her adopted son, Cameron, and his wife, Jules, are called back to the family estate, Ashby House. With shades of Manderly, Ashby house and its inhabitants are filled with secrets and lies just waiting to be discovered.

I really liked that the reader doesn’t have all of the details of the story until the very last page and you are left wondering if there are still things that have been left out. While I didn’t feel like Cam and Jules are the most exciting characters, the story was like an avalanche that picks up speed as it goes and it carried the action all the way to the end.

While I wouldn’t really consider this a thriller, think of it like The Nest or Pineapple Street but more gothic and full of revenge.

Ooh this was a good thriller. It had me on the edge of my seat and I absolutely couldn't put it down. I loved that we got an insider perspective on the family from Cam, even though he's adopted and didn't have the happiest time growing up in that house, and an external perspective from Jules, who has married into the family and doesn't know them.

There were so many questions in the story. What really happened to Ruby as a baby - and did the right baby come home? Why did she adopt Cam? How did she die? And what happened to all of Ruby's husbands? What secrets is Jules keeping?

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest thriller by Rachel Hawkins, with the audio perfectly narrated by Dan Bittner; Eliza Foss; John Pirhalla; Patti Murin - 5 stars!

Toddler Ruby McTavish was lost as a child and returned back from another family. Her life has continued to be quite an adventure ever since. She writes letters telling about those adventures and all her husbands before she dies at an elderly age. Her adopted son, Cam, and his wife, Jules, leave their home in CO to go back to NC after being summoned by a cousin. Cam is the rightful heir to Ashby House, a decision that has made the rest of the family upset. Cam never wanted anything to do with his greedy family, but Jules convinced him to go back.

Told from the viewpoints of Cam, Jules and Ruby (through her letters), this is such a wild and twisty ride. Hawkins takes so many different events and time periods and seamlessly weaves them together into such a tale of family, greed, jealousy, power. You will love to hate these characters! And just when I thought the last twist was over, the ending blew me away. Highly recommended!

I have loved Rachel Hawkins past work, The Wife Upstairs is still one of my favorites. But this book was so hard for me to get into, all the main characters bothered me. I finally DNFed at 70% because I couldn’t read it any more.