The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

The Heiress is a mystery in whose characters are mostly unlikable, with a suspenseful curious plot about greed, deep secrets, narcissism and murder…lots of murder. With one shocking twist after another, it will continually keep you enthralled and on your toes! It is so juicy!

It all begins with the disappearance of a young girl named Ruby McTavish from a very, very wealthy family who live on estate named Ashby House in North Carolina. She disappears during a picnic. Gone as if she never existed. Her mother, devastated falls to pieces. But, months later, a man emerges with Ruby and says he took her because his own daughter had died, and his wife was beside herself. End of story, right? Well, not really…

With Ruby back and a new sister born named Nellie, the emergence of hatred between not only them, but other family members begin. It is obvious that this is not your regular family, and as time passes you see that the McTavish’s get whatever they want. And as Ruby grows up, she realizes she must follow in her father’s footsteps as she is the heiress apparent. At a young age Ruby marries her first of four husbands. You see, they all seem to die…and she also decides to adopt a son. His name is Cam. 

As Cam grows up, as close as he is to his mother, or as close as she allows him, he sees the spectacle of the McTavish clan and realizes there is something wrong with them and eventually leaves and marries a woman named Jules. But when his uncle passes away, he must return to the famous Ashby House estate because you see, he is now the heir as Ruby died a while ago. The rest of the family needs money and he holds the purse strings, so he must put his fears and memories aside and go visit a place he has not stepped foot in for years. So as Cam and Jules, who seems excited at the prospect of seeing the infamous house, ascend on Ashby, he feels the hatred coming off his relatives, Nellie, his cousins Ben and Libby. The only ones left with the McTavish name. And they have an agenda and it’s not good!

Through a series of letters Ruby has written, we begin to see what dark family secrets have been hidden for years. How Ruby kept them all at bay and how she was able to keep secrets from them never to be found. But who were the letters meant for?

And as the jealousy and greed of those still alive begin to become apparent, Cam decides he needs to walk away again from this dysfunctional, evil group of relations. But Jules isn’t so sure. You see she has her own secrets. 

Can evil run in a family? Is it genetic? The Heiress will not disappoint and will keep you guessing until the end. Which of these materialistic, self-absorbed, egotistical relatives will finally try to burn the McTavish name down? The answer will shock you!

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress #RachelHawkins #TheHeiress for the advanced copy.

The Couple in the Photo by Helen Cooper

Who could imagine an innocent vacation photo could lead to deadly secrets being exposed, murder and lives being changed forever? Well, in this new thriller, The Couple In The Photo that is exactly what occurs! And be warned! Once you begin the book, you will not be able to stop until you find out the truth!

Lucy and Adam, Cora and Scott have been best friends for years. Adam, Cora and Scott were besties in college. They and their children do everything together. They have even bought a cottage which they are fixing up so they can spend even more time together. 

But something changes this friendship when Lucy sees a picture taken by a co-worker during her Maldives honeymoon on her phone. It seems to be a couple they met and it’s her friend Scott and the woman beside him is not his wife Cora! She asks her friend their names and even though she is absolutely sure this is Scott; the name is not his. As a matter of fact, he was supposed to be on a work trip in Japan when the picture was taken.

With her interest piqued, of course she goes home and tells her husband, Adam. But he thinks she perhaps made a mistake because of course Scott would never cheat on Cora and he was in Japan.

But that all changes when she confronts Scott and discovers some suspicious clues. Then, her co-worker ghosts her as she once again tries to see the photo. Why on earth would she avoid her? But once the Pandora’s Box is opened, it cannot be closed and when the mysterious woman ends up dead, murdered in the Maldives, well Lucy knows she must go to the police.

She begins to suspect not only Scott of nefarious behavior, but Adam and Cora as well. Lucy must make some very hard choices which could not only ruin all their lives, but could possibly put her in danger as well.

Perhaps she has unknowingly become the next victim in a pact made years before which she never knew existed. But what happened back then which could possibly affect what is happening today?

The Couple In The Photo is a jaw dropping read which will continually shock you and the ending? Well, picture perfect!

Thank you #NetGalley #G.P.Putnam’sSons #TheCoupleInThePhoto #HelenCooper for the advanced copy.