THE HEIRESS by Rachel Hawkins

Publisher’s Synopsis:

THERE’S NOTHING AS GOOD AS THE RICH GONE BAD.

When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over, Ruby ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s estate high in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

But in the aftermath of her death, her adopted son, Camden, wants little to do with the house or the money — and even less to do with 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 pulls Cam and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but the legacy of Ruby is inescapable.

And 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.


Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: January 9, 2024
Source: Review copy from NetGalley
Rating: 5 Stars


My Thoughts:

Rachel Hawkins has penned a brilliant Southern Gothic mystery. I just finished THE HEIRESS, and my mind is still spinning. It has some ominous REBECCA vibes that I absolutely love.

Dark secrets and scandals abound within the walls of Ashby House, the Appalachian estate of the McTavish family. Old money made the sole heir, Ruby McTavish, the wealthiest woman in North Carolina. Being kidnapped as a child and leaving behind four deceased husbands made her infamous as well. When she dies, all of her wealth goes to her adopted son, Camden, but he wants nothing to do with that toxic family’s money or drama. But Ashby House and the secrets within will not let go of him so easily.

THE HEIRESS was an expertly plotted book told from the POVs of Camden, his wife Jules, and Ruby, though Ruby’s voice is through her letters only, as she spills the juicy details of her life. There are some delicious, jaw-dropping moments in this book that made me pause! I greatly enjoyed this mesmerizing tale of murder, money, and greed. Highly recommended.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

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