Thank you Libro.fm / Macmillan Audio, for the ALC and St. Martin’s Press/Netgalley, #partner for the advanced e-copy of The Heiress in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan Audio
Published: January 9, 2024
Summary:
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. In the aftermath of her death, that estate—along with a nine-figure fortune and the complicated legacy of being a McTavish—pass to her adopted son, Camden.
But to everyone’s surprise, Cam 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, Camden is a McTavish in name only, but a summons in the wake of his uncle’s death brings him and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but coming home reminds Cam why he was so quick to leave in the first place.
Jules, however, has other ideas, and the more she learns about Cam’s estranged family—and the twisted secrets they keep—the more determined she is for her husband to claim everything Ruby once intended for him to have.
But Ruby’s plans were always more complicated than they appeared. 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.
My thoughts:
I have been a fan of Rachel Hawkins since discovering her first thriller, The Wife Upstairs, so of course I jumped at the chance to get my hands on an early copy of The Heiress…and what a fun escape it was. It’s another gothic tale that kept me completely engaged from start to finish.
I am a huge fan of books that delve into dysfunctional families and boy do we have that here! I loved the inclusion of Ruby’s letters – each one gave just a little more information but at the same time, left you wanting more. And every time I thought I had things figured out, a new twist would come our way and shake things up.
The alternating points of view help to keep this story moving and I loved that the house itself, Ashby House, is as much as character as everyone else. This one oozes with secrets and I loved that as we learn them, it provides motives for each character, though at the same time it also complicates the story.
This book is quite suspenseful as things are hinted at throughout which keeps you on your toes. I had my theories and while some of them did prove to be correct, I was in no way prepared for the ending…it was so clever and so fun! I always enjoy this author’s books and this one was no exception!
Audio thoughts:
As I typically do with Rachel Hawkins’ books, I listened to this one – they just tend to translate really well onto audio. This one was narrated by a full cast and all the narrators – Dan Bittner, Eliza Foss, John Pirhalla and Patti Murin – did a fantastic job bringing this story to life. Each one really did a great job capturing the personality of their character and it was just a great listening experience.
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