The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins [Book Review]

Meet the McTavishes: Masters of Dysfunction! Dive into the exciting mystery of Rachel Hawkins’ The Heiress. Read my review.

If you’re in the mood for a gripping mystery filled with twist after twist, look no further than The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins. This book had me hooked from the very beginning and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. Find out what the book is about and then read my review.

What is the book about?

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. [GoodReads.com]

My Thoughts

The story revolves around an estranged family reuniting at their sprawling family estate in the mountains of North Carolina. From the start, it’s clear that every member of this family has deep and dark secrets that they’re desperate to keep hidden. Money doesn’t buy happiness, and the characters in The Heiress are living proof of this. Their wealth and privilege only seem to lead them further into despair and unfulfilling greed.

What I loved most about The Heiress is that it feels like a modern-day gothic mystery, complete with a grand family estate and a sense of foreboding that lingers throughout. This was my first time reading a Rachel Hawkins novel, and I can confidently say that I’ll be picking up more in the future. Her writing style is engaging and keeps you guessing at every turn.

The Heiress is a page-turner that will keep you up late into the night, and you won’t want to put it down until you’ve uncovered every secret hidden within its pages. Highly recommended for anyone who loves a good mystery with a touch of twisted family drama.

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