*SPOILER-FREE REVIEW*

I received an ARC audio book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first time that I've listened to a thriller as an audio book, and I was so impressed! The use of multiple voice actors really brought the characters to life and added an additional layer to the multiple POVs and sources used to tell the story of the McTavish family. I imagine I would've enjoyed this story just as much reading it in traditional book format, but cannot recommend the audio book version enough.

This thriller follows the interweaving stories of notorious heiress Ruby McTavish, her adopted son Camden, and his wife Jules.

The richest woman in North Carolina and a four-time widow (and, many claim, murderer), Ruby McTavish was under public scrutiny from the time she miraculously survived a kidnapping in the wilderness of the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounding her family estate, Ashby House.

After Ruby's death, the estate and family wealth was left to her adopted son Camden, who chooses to leave the McTavish name and lifestyle behind in exchange for a more modest life out west alongside his wife, Jules. However, when Cam's uncle passes, the couple are pulled back to the estate and plunged headfirst into family drama.

As Cam's remaining relatives begin to scheme and vie for their own piece of the McTavish fortune, the truths behind Ruby's history and Cam's disappearance begin to come out, threatening the life he's built with Jules. But as we soon learn, Jules has been keeping her own secrets as well.

Covering themes of wealth, privilege, legacy, and morality, The Heiress is a swift-paced and entertaining thriller that questions what it truly means to be part of a family. While many of the twists weren't necessarily a surprise for me, this story was a thoroughly enjoyable journey nonetheless.

If you enjoy Succession-style family politics, characters with questionable morals, and plenty of swearing in a lovely southern drawl, this book is for you.

I hadn't read anything by this author yet but was provided an advanced copy from NetGalley and MacMillan Audio. Now, I cannot wait to go back and read more by Rachel Hawkins.

This is a Mystery/Thriller but not in the sense I am used to. There are multiple timelines and POVs. The narrator of the story, The Heiress herself, is who drives the story. She is writing letters about her life, and they are astonishing. However, it seems she is not the only one with deep dark secrets. When I say it's different, I mean there is not one big mystery with this giant reveal. It is just a slow telling of the family's dark pasts.

I was totally enthralled with the story and wanted it to go on much longer. I enjoyed the ending but was still left wanting more.

Well this had more layers than an onion. I loved the multiple POVS and how well she meshed the past and present together with letters from Ruby. She peppered little secrets well and kept me waffling about what I thought was really going on. Shocking, heart breaking, some dirty banter, and a creepy old mansion to boot! I look forward to reading more from this author.

Audio: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

THE HEIRESS is Rachel Hawkins' newest—and strongest—thriller, one full of excess, twists, and some bad, bad behavior.

It's something of an annual tradition of mine. Start a new year, pick up a Rachel Hawkins thriller! You know the baddies will be bad, the stories will be saucy, and you'll never see at least one of the novel's twists coming! I loved Hawkins' thriller debut, THE WIFE UPSTAIRS, and while I was a little less enamored by RECKLESS GIRLS and THE VILLA, I am fully back with THE HEIRESS, a story that plays with naughty narration and voices from the grave to tell the story of a family decked out in diamonds, and the roads many will take to try and grab it.

I won't go too hard into the plot of THE HEIRESS, as the less said, the better. A husband brings his new wife back to his hometown to resolve family matters with regards to his late adopted mother's estate: He gets the fortune, and the rest of the family sits there bemoaning over it. But the McTavish family always gets what they want - and everyone will try and uncover secrets, play dirty, and possibly murder to get what they want.

THE HEIRESS, simply put, checks all the boxes. It's got narrators you can't believe. It's got twists so wild and so subtly laid out you'll be totally thrown off. It takes advantage of historical events (did anyone else get Lindbergh baby vibes out of this one?) and gives you a rich family to both root for and against. It takes advantage of multiple narrative styles (which really soar on the audio edition). And you'll be tearing through the story to find out what happens next. The ending is satisfying and dark. The plot is Gothic and pacy and you'll be waiting for the film adaptation to be announced. Definitely keep this one on your radar. It's delicious.

The Heiress is my favorite Rachel Hawkins thriller to date. I could not put this book down!

Ruby McTavish was kidnapped as a toddler and found a year later. She came from a family of wealth and privilege, and left everything to her adopted son Camden, who wants nothing to do with the McTavish's. Ten years later Cam and his wife Jules make the trip out to North Carolina to finally take over the estate, only things aren't as they seem.

There are so many secrets. Trust no one. There are three narrators, Cam, Jules and Ruby through letters. I loved finding out all the tidbits as we moved throughout the story and piecing things together from what we've learned from each individual. There were a few things I suspected, but most were surprises and I loved the wild ride.

The characters in The Heiress have questionable backgrounds and secrets locked away in musty old attics. Periodically throughout this book, the reader receives a shock that dramatically changes the storyline.
The Heiress fits into lots of categories - suspense, thriller, mystery, romance and fiction; so it should appeal to lots of readers.

I love a mystery that I have not figured out - lots of twists and turns. Just when I thought I could separate the good guys from the bad ones - there was a new twist that changed my mind. There are times in this book that the characters are all good guys and do and say just what you expect. Then there are times that the characters you have built a relationship with do something so out of character for who you think they are.

The foul language in this book did not add to the story for me.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators did a great job. Each one added to the story for me and made it come to life - Dan Bittner, Eliza Foss, John Pirhalla, Patti Murin. I would be happy to listen to any of them do another audiobook.

Rachel has woven a great Southern Gothic novel with The Heiress. It's inhabited with interesting characters who all have their own secrets, which are slowly revealed with clever timing. Of course the most interesting is the heiress herself, whose story is mostly told through a series of letters to an undisclosed recipient. Gone missing and miraculously recovered as a child, there's always been some question as to her true identity. Married (and widowed) four times, mother of an adopted son, she reveals her truths slowly and on her own terms. The repercussions are devastating for some, satisfying for others, and keep coming all the way to the end. Told from three points of view and on multiple timelines, it's a fascinating and atmospheric read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I had both the ebook and the audiobook, and I mostly listened to this one. The narrators of the audiobook were all excellent and definitely added to the story.
Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing copies for an unbiased review.

“Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own”

I have been seeing this book all around and when i went to Netgalley and seen it was there i had to try my hand at getting a copy to listen to.

“I had gotten away with murder, and I was glad for it.”

I loved how much this book reminded me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid but with way more secrets and death. It was also a fast paced book, one min i started the book and then next i was about 20% in within an hour. I absolutely loved listening to Ruby tell her story and explaining to my husband about the ways she um……. her husbands 👀

I had a bit of a feeling i knew what the ending was going to entale sorta i mean i still questioned things and thought it was going to end differently but in the end i did manage to figure out it before hand which is always okay as the way i see things if i at some point am trying to figure it out without guessing right away then the book has done it’s job.

Beautifully written! I was hooked from the beginning. I enjoyed so much all the twists and turns of this book. I am thankful for the advanced copy of this book! Definitely recommend.

I was totally thrown off by the twist in this book. I was not expecting the events to unfold the way they did, which makes this a winner in my book. This is my second favorite Hawkins book behind Reckless Girls.



I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Smart, addictive, and lots of intrigue. Great narrator. Couldn't stop listening till the very end. Another great story by Rachel Hawkins.

This was a fun read. A suspenseful inheritance drama that's set in North Carolina. It features a 3-year-old girl who was kidnapped, four dead husbands, and lots of family secrets. This book sucked me in. So good! The audiobook was outstanding.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC. And to Macmillan Audio for the ALC

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Ruby is what you might call a black widow - married and widowed four times she has earned some suspicious glances and unsavory nicknames. However, she's also a McTavish, of the North Carolina McTavishes, and that comes with a level of opulence that means the occasional scandal can be, well, overlooked. When you combine all this with the fact that she's also the one and only Baby Ruby, stolen from her family and rescued from a poor Alabama family nearly a year later, one might say that she has lived through enough tragedy for anyone to turn a blind eye if something tragic but questionable happens around poor Ruby anymore.

The Heiress is the story of Ruby, her adopted son Camden, the McTavish family home (Ashby House), and the level of wealth that seems to blend boredom and insanity in its family members. As Camden tries to find his place amongst the McTavish family as its heir, but not a McTavish by blood, family secrets pour from the walls of Ashby like blood from a wound. And frankly, it seems like that's how Ruby would have liked it.

The audiobook was well-performed, with 3 voice artists handling the 3 POVs of Ruby, Jules, and Camden. Thank you to NG, Rachel Hawkins, and St. Martin's Press for access to an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one was a little slower paced than I expected going in, but overall still fun nonetheless. I love me some rich people drama and this one really delivered on that front. Highly recommend for lovers of Evelyn Hugo but wanted just a little more murder, this one is for you. You're welcome.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Rachel Hawkins for my early review copy!

I don’t even know where to start with this review. This book was absolutely amazing! As I was reading it, I felt I couldn’t keep the story to myself. I had to tell anyone who would listen the crazy things that were happening in this book. This is a 10/10 must read, I have thoughts and need to discuss them with someone else who understands.
The story has two timelines: the scandalous story of Ruby McTavish of the McTavish high society family and the story of Ruby’s adopted son, Camden, and how he does everything in his power to reject the McTavish family, including the power and wealth that comes with it.
Ruby’s life, lived in the Ashby House, the family’s estate in the Blue Ridge Mountains was not an easy one. She was famous at a young age because she was kidnapped during a family outing and found months later with a family in the South. Her name never was far from the front page or without scandal as she grew up, married and became a widow four times over. But now she is gone, and left the infamous Ashby House and a nine figure fortune to her adopted son, Camden.
Camden left Ashby House as soon as he was old enough. He wanted nothing to do with the McTavish family, their wealth or the scandal that followed them. He is now an English teacher, living paycheck to paycheck but happy with his wife Jules. That is until he is summoned to return to Ashby House to take care of the house and the family he left behind. While Cam wants to return home as soon as possible, Jules has other ideas and pictures her life with the wealth and status that Cam left behind.
Will the family welcome them back with open arms or will the secrets and scandal of the past haunt them? Is there any truth to the rumors surrounding Ruby’s disappearance as a child? What really happened to her four husbands? And why did she adopt Camden in the first place?

The Heiress was told in with multiple POVs and multiple timelines. This was organized BEAUTIFULLY—Rachel Hawkins tied this all together perfectly! I loved following along with the story via audio and thoroughly enjoyed there being a full cast of narrators. Each of the narrators voices were easy to understand and they were different enough to where I was able to differentiate who was speaking.

The twists in this book were undeniable—my jaw dropped quite a few times. Whew--That final twist!

If your bookish love language is a twisty thriller that will keep you turning the pages (or listening, as I did!) late into the night, Rachel Hawkins’ new release needs to be high on your 2024 reading list!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The most infamous mansion in North Carolina, a widowed heiress with four husbands dead under suspicious circumstances, a kidnapping, and a fortune anyone in the family may be willing to kill for — these twisted elements are merely setting the scene for a family drama with surprises to the very end.

First off, the audio was excellent! With a full cast of characters who's southern accents authentic enough to sweeten all the iced tea within ear shot, the narration was spot on!

Now to the story...
Ruby McTavish was kidnapped when she was just three years old from the Appalachian woods surrounding Tavistock, the town her family practically owns in the mountains of North Carolina. Almost a year later she was discovered living with a family in Alabama, her miracle rescue making national headlines.

Four marriages and four dead husbands later, Ruby is still making headlines. Whether as Mrs. Kill-more (how can anyone be *that* unlucky in love?) or as a benevolent and generous philanthropist (not just funding organizations for needy children but adopting a young boy and giving him everything money can buy), Ruby is an enigma.

The narrative unfolds through three voices:
♦️ Ruby tells her story in mysterious letters written to an unknown “Darling.”
👨‍🏫 Camden, her adopted son, has chosen to sever all ties to his family and his fortune. But he can’t escape the demons that still haunt him, no matter how far he runs.
💍 Jules met Cam by chance and is now his wife. Despite barely scraping by, they are each other’s soulmates, true loves, and confidants. Aren’t they?

As the sole heir to the McTavish fortune, Cam — the adopted son — is hated by his entire family. When he returns to North Carolina one last time to make arrangements for the care of the estate, secrets that have been buried for generations start finding their way to light. Old resentments and accusations can be deadly when the largest fortune in the state is the all-or-nothing prize.

This one makes you wonder how much darkness there is inside any of us...if we are good (or bad!) by nature or nurture...and just how easily we can justify our actions when we’re pushed to our breaking point.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and the author Rachel Hawkins for the copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

This is my 3rd book by Rachel Hawkins. Unfortunately this my least favorite that i’ve read by her. Not saying that it’s bad, I just like the other two books I have read by her more. This book had a very interesting plot and the family dynamic was intriguing. The twists were definitely there and moved the story along, they just didn’t come as jaw dropping as I was hoping they’d be. I really enjoyed the letters throughout the story and Rachel has such a unique way of incorporating those fun elements that make you wanna see what happens next. Overall, a very fast paced and fun thriller, the wild family dynamic is like watching your favorite soap opera with a thrilling twist. Highly recommend if you’re getting into thrillers or you need a gripping fast paced read, also try her other thrillers as I’ve loved those as well!

An adopted son reluctantly returns to the home and family he repudiates, only to be sucked back into a past marked by murder, and a future dangerously uncertain.

Ruby McTavish, once famous in North Carolina for surviving a kidnapping and becoming a widow four times over, unfurls sinister truths about her life in posthumous letters. Eccentric and wildly wealthy, Ruby is eternally embroiled in controversy. Upon her death, Ruby leaves the vast McTavish fortune to her adopted son, Camden—much to the fury of the rest of the family.

Now, ten years later, Camden is called back to Ashby House following the death of his uncle. Married and working as a high school English teacher, Camden rejects his inheritance, as well as everything and everyone having to do with his family. At the urging of his wife, Jules, however, they return to North Carolina to face his past once and for all.

As the story unwinds in the present, we learn more about Ruby’s illustrious life through letters she’s written: What happened when she was kidnapped as a young girl? What really happened to her four husbands—all who died mysteriously? What led her to adopt Camden? What secrets did she conceal over the course of her life?

Everyone hides something in this fascinating and original novel from Rachel Hawkins (The Villa). Ruby’s letters are witty and utterly engrossing, juxtaposing a forebodingly gothic ‘present’ narrated by both Camden and Jules. It’s all comes to a surprising and satisfying climax.

I loved this book. Loved its originality and approach. Propulsive pacing and intriguing, morally ambiguous characters made it a non-stop thrill ride impossible to put down.

alrighty, let us start by addressing the elephant in the room: this ain't realllllly a mystery/thriller (in my personal opinion), I would say it is more a mild family suspense novel. It was an okay read, I like reading about rich peoples problems but I definitely got halfway through and was like ... wait why am I reading this what actually happened am I trying to figure something out?

The cast of characters I could take or leave, but again I did enjoy the book well enough. There was never a point in time where I was considering not reading the whole thing because I was into it but I just think if I had realigned my expectations I would have liked it better? I don't usually lean suspense novels in the kind I like.

My last main point is just that I didn't like the different storylines each equally which can be a huge issue for me. There is such a risk at implementing different storylines because if one is less interesting than others it substantially effects my book enjoyment haha.