This audiobook is also available in paperback, hardcover, or Kindle on Amazon or at your local library through the Libby App. The narration is done by four narrators: Dan Bittner, Eliza Foss, John Pirhalla, and Patti Murin. The voice of Ruby is spot on and should not be missed by readers or listeners who enjoy mystery-suspense stories about complicated, twisted, crazy families.

Hawkins brings to life a dysfunctional family in The Heiress, telling the story from three points of view:

Camden McTavish: an orphan boy who unexpectedly inherits a nine-figure fortune from his adoptive mother.

Jules: Camden’s beautiful and supportive wife, but she has an agenda of her own.

Ruby McTavish: through a series of letters left behind, this third perspective connects readers and listeners to the entire McTavish clan: Ben, the wolf in sheep’s clothing, Libby the spoiled brat, and great aunt Nell, who doesn’t hide her disdain for Camden ’s existence or her resentment towards her late sister Ruby.

The story reveals secrets that have been buried for over half a century. The cold-hearted calculations and machinations undertaken by the characters to achieve their goals are vividly portrayed, making it easy for readers and listeners to root for or against them. However, there are dead plotlines that could have been fixed. As in what happens to the housekeeper, what was with the confrontation between Camden and Libby about the gate? What about all those missing hikers? Other little things could have been tied off more neatly as well, instead of letting their plot lines die off into nothingness.

“Heiress, philanthropist, onetime kidnap victim, Ruby Mctavish Callahah Woodward Miller Kenmore dies at 73,” The Asheville Citizen-Times, April 2, 2013.

If she were still alive, Ruby McTavish Callahah Woodward Miller Kenmore wouldn’t be surprised to see her name in the paper. She’s actually quite famous, not only for her wealth but also for that unfortunate incident at the age of three when she was kidnapped, and well, people always want to know about her four husbands, who all died under suspicious circumstances. What exactly happened to them? Is Ruby really a cold-blooded killer? She does have the nickname “Lady Kill-More,” after all.

At the time of her death, Ruby’s entire estate, a nine-figure fortune, and newsworthy family history were passed down to her adopted son, Camden McTavish, who turned his back on his inheritance and the rest of the McTavishes. Until the family calls him back home to Ashby House when his uncle dies, it’s been ten years since Ruby’s death, and Cam doesn’t relish the thought of setting foot on McTavish land. Still, he and his wife, Jules, decide to travel together from Colorado to Tavistock, North Carolina. They find the fifteen-room mansion is in disrepair, and Ruby’s will is a tangled mess that must be dealt with once and for all.

Untangling the will, pulling strings here and there, is like a game of cat and mouse with secrets floating in the air that can destroy a legacy. The discovery of Ruby’s letters to an unknown recipient retelling her life since her kidnapping pulls on those strings, showing readers and listeners just how despicable the McTavish clan is, making it easy to relate to Camden and why he wanted nothing to do with his disturbing, dysfunctional, and a bit mental family. Camden is a total stress case throughout the book, and his voice in the audiobook perfectly portrays that. As for the letters, they were witty, often held a laughing tone, and the detailed machinations and justifications were occasionally over-simplified, but somehow that made them all the more genuine. Honestly, they were the best part of the book, and why this is a 4-star read or listen.