The Heiress: A Novel

by Rachel Hawkins

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

So many compelling relationships, so much tension, so much drama. This gothic suspense is just teeming with intrigue built around a dubious inheritance. You will be hooked.

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins returns with a twisted new gothic suspense about an infamous heiress and the complicated inheritance she left behind.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250280039
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/09/2024
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	9,019
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Rachel Hawkins is the New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs, Reckless Girls, The Villa, and The Heiress, as well as multiple books for young readers. Her work has been translated into over a dozen languages. She studied gender and sexuality in Victorian literature at Auburn University and currently lives in Alabama.

Editorial Reviews

11/20/2023

Hawkins (The Wife Upstairs) delivers a delicious tale of murder, greed, and the ties that bind. The flamboyant Ruby McTavish, who was famous in her home state of North Carolina for surviving a kidnapping as a child and burning through four husbands as an adult, controlled a vast family fortune until her death 10 years ago. Camden, Ruby’s adopted son and sole heir, is now a high school English teacher living in California. He has not been back to Ashby House, his mother’s estate, since she died, nor has he spent any of the money she left behind on himself. Instead, he puts the inheritance toward the upkeep of his deteriorating family manse and his cousins’ dubious business enterprises. An email from one of those cousins brings Camden back to Ashby House so he and the others can finally hash out the details of Ruby’s will. Camden’s wife, Jules, urges him to go, not fully understanding the snake pit that awaits them in North Carolina. After they arrive, past secrets come to light, and dark questions emerge about Ruby’s past, her intentions with Camden, and the fates of her husbands. Alternating Ruby’s frank, funny letters with chapters narrated by Camden and Jules, Hawkins does an excellent job keeping readers off-balance throughout. Nonstop twists and surprises make this a true thrill ride. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"A twisty, twisted tale." —AARP

"Hawkins does an excellent job keeping readers off-balance throughout. Nonstop twists and surprises make this a true thrill ride…a delicious tale of murder, greed, and the ties that bind." —Publishers Weekly

"Rachel Hawkins delivers another read-in-a-sitting knockout. The Heiress has it all—murder, secrets, Gothic vibes, and one of the most deliciously twisted families ever put to page. I loved it!" —Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of The Only One Left

"Featuring unreliable narrators and twists throughout, Hawkins' latest continues her reign as the queen of slow-burn domestic thrillers. This is a page-turner that readers will find hard to put down and is perfect for fans of stories with ambiguous morals and dysfunctional families." —Booklist

PRAISE FOR THE VILLA:

"Flashing between past and present, Hawkins weaves an engrossing tale about betrayal, sisterhood, and the power of telling your own story. Captivating!" —People

"Hawkins brilliantly stitches together past and present, deftly luring readers into a deliciously dark tale. Everything about The Villa is pitch-perfect, again proving that Hawkins is the reigning queen of suspense." —Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of The Overnight Guest

"The Villa teems with sexual tension, festering tempers, and questionable friendships. Hawkins' latest thriller reminds us that writers cannot always be trusted—and certainly not the tales they tell." —Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The London Séance Society

From the Publisher

An ensemble of narrators enhances this thriller's absorbing quality. Ruby has been shrouded in mystery since she was abducted at the age of four and returned to her family eight months later. In a series of letters, Ruby discusses the abduction, her wealth, and four deceased husbands. In alternating points of view, listeners learn why Ruby's son, Cam, is reluctant to claim his inheritance and why his wife, Jules, is eager to embrace change. Eliza Foss gives Ruby a Southern drawl and a regal air, her voice softening as Ruby describes her favorite husband. Patti Murin uses a chipper tone suiting upbeat Jules. Perfect as Cam, Dan Bittner increases his pace and volume during tense moments. John Pirhalla provides news reports in a clear voice. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2024 - AudioFile