Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

59 reviews

bellaa's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

this is aggressively fine. I liked the writing and the narration, but I guessed plot points early. was originally 3.75 but I took a star off because the narrators mispronounced Appalachia

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Murder, and Domestic abuse

literarymary95's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I was not a fan of how this was written. It felt jarring and a little all over the place, which understandably so the family is all over the place. I've read other Rachel Hawkins books so I wasn't sure what this one would be like.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Kidnapping and Alcoholism

lawsonemmae's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Slight spoiler warning: I was able to make a prediction based on the cover art. This was really frustrating as it feels like watching a movie after the trailer spoils something. Ultimately, I found the book to be a page-turner, but the story didn’t blow me away. Ruby was the most interesting character to read about, but I never became terribly invested in Cam or Jules. By the end, it just felt like we were getting twists for the sake of it as opposed to anything that would feel gratifying. 

This may be the weirdest/whiniest part of my review, but the cursing just felt excessive. I have nothing against cursing, but at a certain point, it loses its weight. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism

louisekf's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

This is probably a case of “it’s not you, it’s me.” I think this genre just isn’t my cup of tea these days. There have been plenty of reviews that summarize the plot so I’ll skip that and just say that it was a quick read, full of the drama inside a dysfunctional very rich family. Some chapters are narrated by Camden (Cam), the adopted son of Ruby McTavish, (the titular heiress) and some by Cam’s wife, Jules. There are also some emails from various family member to Cam, and a number of confessional letters written by Ruby shortly before her death, where she reveals the truth of how each of her four husbands died. 

If you are a fan of family dramas with lots of secrets that gradually get revealed, you will most likely enjoy this book.

I mostly listened to the audiobook version of this title, courtesy of my public library, which was narrated nicely by two narrators: Dan Bittner and Eliza Foss.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book, although I was a bit late to it. All opinions are my own.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse

shesflippinpages's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Classism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Suicide, Violence, Drug abuse, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Death of parent, Car accident, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Bullying

kenziburke's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Murder, Domestic abuse, Cursing, and Suicide

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Pregnancy

rachelle_reads's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

What a propulsive read! I would have finished this in one sitting if not for a migraine forcing me to close my eyes and ears for a while. The writing is great. All the characters were interesting

(except I thought the housekeeper might get a twist, too)

and the shifting motives of a few of them kept me on my toes. Excellent thriller. I’ll read anything this author writes, and I think this might be her favorite of mine so far. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Trafficking, and Child death

ladylothlorien's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I am a sucker for Rachel Hawkins’s gothic stories. And this one didn’t let me down at the end like The Villa did, although I felt like there were way too many reveals at the end and many of the twists were fairly easily guessable. Still I was completely wrapped up in this book and just had to know how it ended. It was exactly my cup of tea: gothic mansion inhabited by a messed up family with secrets aplenty. There’s even a gothic-esque ending. So my gothic heart is very happy. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder

Minor: Kidnapping, Suicide, and Domestic abuse

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

   When Camden McTavish is called back to his adoptive family's estate in North Carolina to sort out financial matters, his wife is eager to see his family's home and experience the wealth she never had. But all the family secrets will be laid bare, and more than one McTavish will end up dead, just like his mother, Ruby McTavish's four husbands.
   While I saw some twists coming, others surprised me. I like how the book was paced as it kept me engaged. As well as the mix of narrative POVs, letters, and articles.
   The characters weren't particularly likable, but just likable enough for you to care about them.

 Narrator(s) Rating: 5 stars
  The narrators did an excellent job, and the constant change of narrators as you went from each part kept me engaged instead of my attention wandering.

 

Extra ratings:  Fluff-NA  Heartfelt-3/5   Helpful-NA    Horror-NA   Inspiration-NA   Love aka Romance-1/5  Mystery-2/5    Predictability-1.5/5  Spice-0/5   Suspense-3/5   Tear- 1.5/5  Thrill-4/5   Humor-2/5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicide, Cursing, Blood, Bullying, Classism, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Murder, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Grief, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child abuse, Terminal illness, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, and Infertility

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Car accident, Self harm, and Sexual content

helenferg's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Death, and Fire/Fire injury