The Heiress

I have to be honest, I was disappointed in this one. I think it is because, a) I have high expectations for Rachel Hawkins (I generally really enjoy her books and had pre-ordered this!) and b) I’d just read The Only One Left (which had similar themes around a potentially murderess older woman and a beautiful old estate) which was just a much better book. Ruby McTavish is one of North Carolina’s richest women, but she’s also notorious: she was kidnapped as a child and as an adult, she had four husbands who all died in different ways. Ruby and her family ruled the little town of Tavistock (think of maybe Cashiers) and her family all lived in a beautiful estate in the Blue Ridge Mountains: Ashby House. But the family has never gotten along. When she died, she left Ashby house and her entire fortune to her adopted son, Camden. Camden just wants a normal life and nothing to do with his house or the money (his cousins feel differently). When his uncle dies, Camden and his wife Jules find themselves back at Ashby House. Questions about Ruby’s background come to life. Was she actually Ruby McTavish? What actually happened to those four husbands? Why did she adopt Cam to begin with? I liked this book but expected it to be better. I found a lot of times the plot went over the top and too off the rails. The twists were easy to guess. It is still a fun read but not Hawkins’ best.