NetGalley/the publisher approved my request for this ARC and I read it less than 24 hours later. Oooohhh this was SO GOOD!! The twists, the turns, the scheming, the dysfunction!! This is somehow my first Rachel Hawkins - I have her other books on my tbr but hadn’t gotten to buying them yet, but man will I do that ASAP! Everyone in this book kind of sucks, and I LOVED IT!

Wow. Wow. Wow. I didn’t think anything could surpass The Villa, but I was wrong. This was a complete masterpiece. A masterpiece full of secrets, mysteries, familial toxicity, a hint of Appalachian spookiness, and through it all, genuine love. I was fully immersed from page 1 and stayed up late through the night reading until my eyes were bloodshot and I thought I was hearing things. I love storytelling through letters, especially post mortem. It works great in thrillers to help set the pace and drop clues without providing too much info dumping at once. This novel gave me feelings of the Winchester house (Ashby house and all its secrets) mixed with the Jon Benet Ramsey case (important to note I said *feelings*) mixed with Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (think rich southern gothic vibe).

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the arc! . What a great gothic mystery/thriller. Will definitely recommend. So many twists and turns that were so unexpected to this reader. The author did great with the characters. so many twists to this mystery which will have you thinking what did I just read? In a very good way.
Highly recommend!

“THERE’S NOTHING AS GOOD AS THE RICH GONE BAD!”

Personal review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was easy to fall into, dual points of view; with a cameo from infamous heiress via letters left behind. This novel had a point where the suspense was high and I guessed the ending before it happened, but it was still a fun read. Camden and Jules characters and relationships were more complex than what you thought in the beginning, and Ruby was a HOT MESS. This book was full of rich people drama - which has been a theme of my summer in novels. Ashby House, right outside of Asheville, NC was a fun setting and I loved the aspect of a gothic mansion in current day times.

Synopsis: Gothic suspense about an infamous heiress and the complicated inheritance she left behind

The Heiress has more twists and turns than a corkscrew inversion on your favorite roller coaster. Hawkins has a way of drawing the reader in with a simple set up--a couple heads back to his hometown to settle an inheritance and of course...*of course*...there is going to be family drama surrounding this of who gets what, why they deserve it more than the original recipient, etc.

To quote Stefon from SNL...this book has everything. Backstabbing. Old people dying. Inheritance money. Dan Cortez. Ok, it doesn't really have Dan Cortez, but you get the idea.

Without giving away too much, there are so many layers attached to this book that by the end of the book you're feeling like you're at a tennis match with all the back and forth reveals and truths that come out.

It's a wild ride that doesn't let up until the very last page. Definitely worthy of a read, especially if you're a fan of the previous two books Hawkins published.

Highly recommended.

When you take a very dysfunctional family who has a lot of money, you get a whole lot of drama and this book definitely provided that.

Due to the death of a family member Camden and his wife travel to his family home where he is not been a part of that family for years because he dislikes them immensely.

Throughout the course of the book, you are told the story of the family's history told in multiple generations.

I really liked how we got a first person narrative of past events to help tie into the mystery that was going on in the book.

Thank you to netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really do just love everything Rachel Hawkins writes! This book is about a wealthy North Carolina woman named Ruby who has a history of losing husbands. After her passing she leaves her enormous estate and money to her adopted son. After what his family put him through he wants nothing to do with it.

I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me a lot of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. It’s written in present tense but also talks about Ruby’s life through a series of letters she left. There are some twists and turns that I did not see coming! I loved the two characters Camden and Jules. I love seeing a genuinely happy couple! Ruby is just a total boss. It’s so fun to read about the lavish lifestyles but it also had all of the family drama. It was an interesting book and I definitely recommend!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the Arc!

Do you love a good murder mystery? Do you love a good chase? Do you love a slow burn?

This book is one for you! Hawkins does an amazing job at the slow burn with the twist ending. I wasn't seeing it coming at all! I don't know what I expected when I picked this up, this was my first from Hawkins and I loved it! It got a little slow but it was worth the wait in the end! I am impressed by it all and how much I love the two main characters. I connected with Jules a lot! Wanting to make sure my partner was always happy and trying to make myself happy at the same time! It was an amazing task to do that and Hawkins showed it well with these two. I would say if you love a good mystery with a slow burn this one is for you! It's got murder and mystery with a strange but alluring house! Pick it up soon! So you don't miss out on the who done it!

Compelling and interesting read. Thoroughly enjoyed the characters in this book.
Well written. Kept me interested in what was going to happen next.

Jules and Cameron McTavish have been married for 10 years when he is summoned to his family home in the North Carolina forrest. His adopted mother, Ruby McTavish has died. After years of drama, including a kidnapping and four dead husbands, she has passed away leaving everything to Cameron. What unfolds is a family mystery with dramatic twists and turns throughout.

The Good:
I loved the letters written by Ruby explaining her life growing up, her kidnapping, her marriages and the deaths of her four husbands. It gave her a similar air to that of Evelyn Hugo, or Elizabeth Taylor. It kept me hooked throughout wondering who she was writing to, and why she was being so honest and forthcoming. It added a human element to her character and her relationship with Cameron that kept me turning the pages!

The Bad:
As with many thrillers, I’m not a huge fan of the major twists. They are so necessary to the plot but because they are also written in a trope-like manner, I find them predictable and often take away from the character development. I do think that there is an honesty in the relationship between Jules and Cameron that the twist reveals, and I’m so glad that their connection was saved in the twists and turns of this book!

The Verdict:
I really enjoyed it! I will be reading more of Rachel Hawkins books, amidst a thriller dense literary world, her characters jumped off the page and had me wanting to spend more time with them!

Scandal, greed, and one crazy family! It was full of twists and turns. It quickly became one of my favorite books of the year. I couldn’t get enough! Thanks NetGallery!

Money, greed, family secrets and murder.

When the death of one of their own forces the family to reach out to the sole heir, Camden, he’s reluctant to return home. Camden has avoided everything McTavish since he left North Carolina 10 years ago. Now, he and his wife Jules make the grueling trek “home” to Ashby House and all the secrets it holds.

Phenomenal. This novel is compelling and keeps you on the edge of your seat. This story is a slow burn of secrets and twists that will shock you and leave you speechless.

Camden, a McTavish by name only, is called back to the home and inheritance he has avoided since his adopted mother passed away. With his wife, Jules, in tow we see family secrets and hidden agendas unravel in constant earth shattering fashion.

Written in the form of letters and articles from Ruby McTavish, also known as Lady Kilmore, between chapters of the present keeps the story incredibly fresh and easy to follow as everything piles up and the skeletons in the closet become known. Her sarcasm, and intimidating personality saturates the letters with our unreliable narrator.

This novel was hard for me to put down and I highly recommend this to anybody who loves thrillers with a high amount of suspense and mystery.

For a debut novel, I found this to be charming. I love books that can surprise me with a twist that I wasn't expecting. I love a book that I think I have figured out, and end up being wrong.
Lauren and Jay met the way a lot of younger kids meet these days- at a music festival. They fell for each other right away. (I remember those days!!)
I thought that Lauren was being naive and being played for a fool, but what a delightful surprise to find out that she had secrets of her own!!
If you enjoy mysteries and thrillers, you will enjoy this one!

Rachel Hawkins does it again! An addictive read weaving together the past and present. Cam McTavish is wealthy, but wants nothing to do with his inheritance. He lives a nice quiet life with his wife Jules, who knows very little about his past. When they are summoned "home" after his uncle's death, Jules is thrown into the wealth and crazy surroundings of the Ashby House and the family Cam was so eager to forget.

A twisty, diabolical thriller that keeps you guessing right up to the end. Rachel Hawkins is an auto-read author for me & her latest novel, The Heiress, did not disappoint.

The story of a lavishly rich & disfunctional family centered around Ruby McTavish & her many dead husbands. After her death, her adopted son, Camden, inherits her entire estate, to the dismay of his aunt & cousins who will do anything for the McTavish fortune be returned to them. But when Camden is summoned to return to his family’s home after a decade, he returns with his wife Jules, who brings secrets of her own. Just like everyone else at Ashby House.

So engrossing & addictive to read. Once I thought I had an idea of what was to come, another secret was revealed to take you in a different direction! Highly recommended this thriller to everyone!

PS - Shout out to the subtle reference to Lara Larchmont

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins is a wickedly addictive Southern gothic tale that had me hooked from the start. This twisted story revolves around Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore, North Carolina's wealthiest and most notorious woman, and the dark inheritance she leaves behind.
Camden, Ruby's adopted son, wants nothing to do with the family's estate or fortune. He leads a simple life as a teacher in Colorado, supported by his loving wife, Jules. But fate brings them back to Ashby House, and that's when the real drama unfolds.

I loved the multiple perspectives in the book, with letters, articles, and interviews adding an extra layer of mystery. The pacing was spot-on, making it impossible to put down. Ruby's character was especially fascinating—her letters were like talking to someone with a mischievous twinkle in their eye.

The twists and turns were brilliantly executed, and though I caught some hints along the way, the surprises still blew me away. The way everything wrapped up was satisfying, though I'm still curious about that last newspaper clipping!
Overall, The Heiress is a captivating blend of family drama, dark secrets, and karma. If you crave a fast-paced, binge-worthy read filled with a variety of storytelling styles, this book is perfect for you. I couldn't get enough of the tangled mysteries, and I'm already missing the world of Ashby House. Highly recommended!

*** My in-depth review will be posted online and links will be provided closer to publication date

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The Heiress, out January 9, 2024

At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of The Heiress, but once the pieces began falling into place, I couldn’t put it down.

Cam tried to leave his family and their backstabbing anger behind, but when he and his wife Jules return to the home his adoptive mother left to him, they uncover old family secrets and current resentments. The Heiress has it all: unfathomable wealth and it’s consequences, stolen children, a string of dead husbands, a mysterious mansion, and a pile of confessionary letters.

As the secrets and drama unfold, readers are drawn in to three perspectives: those of Cam and Jules as they return to Ashby House and work through their own perspectives and agendas, and that of Ruby—Cam’s adoptive mother, the richest and most notorious woman in North Carolina—as she reflects on her tumultuous past and gives her own complicated account of the childhood disappearance that changed her life and family.

Foreshadowing had me anticipating some of the twists, but that didn’t make them any less impressive in their complexities. I actually really enjoyed how everything wrapped up in the end, though I would love insight into that last newspaper clipping 👀

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC. All opinions are mine.

What a spooky read! I loved the setting being close to home here in North Carolina. This gave me major Lucy Foley Hunting Party vibes. It felt a little predictable, but seeing it wrapped up was fun. And the tidbits added at the end….I would’ve loved to have seen that expanded on! Definitely recommend!

Can someone tell me what did I just read?! This is brilliantly smart and extremely addictive so you won’t be able to put this down. With unexpected twists and heart-throbbing pacing, it draws you into a captivating mystery set within Ashby House. The story is filled with intertwined mysteries that fit together like puzzle pieces, making you want to read faster to uncover the big secrets.

The story unfolds through three points of view. Camden; an orphan boy who unexpectedly inherits a fortune from the McTavish family. He rejects the family's money and He moves to Colorado, becomes a teacher, lives in a small rental with his wife. Jules; Camden's beautiful and supportive wife. She finally sees a glimmer of hope when her husband decides to return to Ashby House and finally Ruby McTavish; the infamous heiress and presumed husband killer. Ruby's four husbands mysteriously died under suspicious circumstances, but her family's money silenced any further investigations.

The story introduces us to other estranged family members, including cousin Ben and his sister Libby. We also meet great aunt Nelle, Ruby's resentful sister, who has harbored jealousy towards Ruby for years and doesn't hide her disdain for Camden's existence. Behind the closed doors of Ashby House, there are so many secrets.

But these aren't the only secrets that will upend the delicate balance between family members. Each character hides larger truths that have the power to change their entire lives, including Camden and Jules, who may seem better than the McTavish family but have their own rotten pasts.This is so gripping and entertaining. I highly recommend all of you to read this.