Rachel Hawkins weaves her compelling tale from the vocal strands of matriarch Ruby McTavish, her adopted son Camden, and Camden's wife Jules. It doesn't take long after readers arrive at Ashby House to realize that they've fallen into a den of vipers... and that everyone's motives should be suspect.

The Heiress reminds me of one of my favorite mystery tropes: is this person the true heir? DNA tests have killed that favorite of mine, but it still lives on in books like Josephine Tey's Brat Farrar and to a tiny degree, here. After all, the McTavishes who've stayed at Ashby House would like nothing better than to take every penny of Camden's inheritance away from him, and they're not too picky about how they do it.

One of the highlights of the book is the letters Ruby wrote to Camden. Her words prove her to be strong, sympathetic, and devious. Those letters, combined with occasional newspaper articles, are the backbone of The Heiress, and they define a fascinating character.

To one remote, beautiful mansion, add a hornet's nest of characters, and some delicious plot twists. What do you get? A wonderful story that you can't read fast enough. After enjoying The Heiress so much, I know that I'll be reading more from Rachel Hawkins. ( )

WOW! Again I didn't think this book was going to be the blockbuster it turned out to be. I don't read a lot of dark and sinister anymore and this wasn't one of those, but the twist and turns were awesome right up to the last page! ( )

Thank you NetGalley, St Martin's Press and author for an ARC copy of this book. I read it in two sittings.

This is a really good book. If you like a bit of gothic, domestic fiction, and family ghosts this read is for you. Twists and turns abound until family is no longer family. Or are they? The main character, Ruby McTavish, has been dead for a decade or more. Her sister, grandniece and grandnephew are still living in the McTavish mansion and financially dependent upon a trust controlled by Ruby’s adopted son Camden who left home ten years prior. The mansion sits atop a mountainside outside Ashville, NC and looks down on the town owned by the family where the grandnephew rides roughshod over the townspeople. Ruby’s adopted son Camden and his wife Jules arrive from Colorado at the request of the family (or was it?) to loosen the purse strings of which he (Camden) has control. Everyone has a secret in this book and the meaning of family is up for debate. Sparks fly, history is revealed and well, sparks fly.

As another reviewer stated, I read for pure enjoyment. I even retired early to read more. The Heiress captivated me from the start, and I never stopped reading it until I fell asleep and woke up to finish the book. I love to read, and I loved this book. This is Rachel Hawkins' best yet. Enjoy! ( )

After the demise of a family member, Camden McTavish reluctantly returns to Ashby House, the family mansion in the Blue Ridge Mountains he had left over a decade ago to tend to certain family matters. Adopted by the late Ruby McTavish, Camden never quite felt a part of the McTavish family, though Ruby doted over him. Kidnapped as a child, found after eight months and returned to her family, married and widowed multiple times, Ruby led an eventful life but her secrets and her manipulativeness drove a wedge between her and her adopted son. Though Camden left North Carolina after Ruby’s demise over a decade ago, Ruby’s sister Nelle and her grandchildren stayed on to live in Ashby House and resent the fact that Camden inherited the home and the family fortune. While Camden isn’t too thrilled to be back, Jules is more than impressed with the family mansion, the grandeur, and the promise of a life very different from the one they share in Colorado and wouldn’t mind making Ashby House their permanent home. But there is a lot about the family and Camden that Jules does not know and similarly, Camden is unaware of Jules’ intentions. What follows is a tangled web of secrets and more secrets, lies, and manipulation.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins! The narrative is shared from the perspectives of Camden and Jules with letters written by Ruby interspersed throughout the novel through which she shares all the juicy details about her life! Ruby McTavish is one of the most interesting (fictional) characters I have come across in recent times. Intriguing plot (though not entirely original), consistent pacing, twists and turns, and surprises galore, this novel is an entertaining page-turner. While certain aspects of the story were not entirely unpredictable, there were enough surprises to hold my interest and I really liked the ending. Overall, this was a fun read that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to fans of this genre!

This was my first Rachel Hawkins novel and I hope to explore more of her work.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. ( )

Domestic thriller full of unsavory characters and lots of drama.

It’s time. Camden and his wife, Jules, must return to Ashby House and face his estranged and dysfunctional family — the wealthy McTavish clan of North Carolina. Although he had left them and his inheritance behind for a happy life with Jules in Colorado, he must go take care of the estate affairs after his uncle died. The survivors want all the money and the beautiful house up in the Blue Ridge Mountains. But the matriarch left Camden everything. Unfortunately, he was adopted by Ruby and the rest don’t think he deserves to inherit. What lengths will they go through to wrest it all from him? It seems, however, that Ruby had a few ideas about how to prevent that.

Lots of family secrets and lies as usual with a climax that was probably meant to be a surprising twist that missed the mark with me. Although predictable, the narrative was fast and easy to read though I can’t say I liked any of the characters. Somewhat convoluted, it all does eventually come together as rumor, speculation, and innuendo are answered.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this e-book ARC to read and review. I enjoyed it. ( )