After reading Rachel Hawkins’s novel “The Villa” for my book club, her name jumped out and “The Heiress” intrigued me.

Pretty much all it takes is a massive, old manor and I’m sold. Hawkins is now on a roll with two good novels back-to-back.

The main characters Jules and Camden McTavish are a married couple who live a simple life in Colorado; Camden is a teacher and Jules is a re-enactor at their local museum. When Camden hears that his adoptive mother Ruby has died, he reluctantly agrees to travel to North Carolina to help settle her estate.

Jules couldn’t be more excited to see the house and learn more about his mysterious family but Camden dreads seeing them and confronting his complicated upbringing.

Ruby was an infamous heiress who was nicknamed “Mrs. Kill-more,” a play on words from her fourth husband’s last name Kenmore. All four of her husbands died in freak accidents. But not only that, she disappeared when she was 3 years old, only to be found eight months later with a nearby family who had kidnapped her.

Yes, there’s a lot going on. But all of that barely scratches the surface. After Camden comes home, Hawkins reveals twist after twist.

Despite the complex plot, Hawkins bridges everything together well by switching between the points of view of Jules and Camden and letters written by Ruby herself.

Thriller is a genre I typically stay away from for multiple reasons I don’t have the space to list. But what makes Hawkins an exception is her storytelling ability, complex characters and unexpected events.

“The Heiress” is a hit in my book and I highly recommend it to thriller fans.

Candice Black can be reached at cblack@newsandsentinel.com.