The Heights

by Ian Rankin

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

'Ian Rankin is an all-time, solid-gold UK crime fiction great - read The Heights and find out why'
LEE CHILD

*****

MURDER COMES TO LONDON'S MOST LUXURIOUS AND EVERY RESIDENT IS A SUSPECT.

The Heights: a gleaming, high-end high-rise looming over Hyde Park. Newly built from steel and smoked glass, a billionaire's playground offering sumptuous suites for the global elite.

But when a night concierge is found murdered in the lobby, the building's rarefied atmosphere is shattered, and the gilded lives within come under intense police scrutiny.

In a world designed to keep prying eyes out, where the residents are not used to being held to account, born-and-bred Londoner Detective Gillian Gish must find a way past their power, wealth and unimaginable influence.

The rules may be different at the top - but is anyone truly above the law? Or could it be that the higher you rise, the further you fall...?

THE FIRST STANDALONE THRILLER IN TWO DECADES FROM THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER IAN RANKIN

A brand-new full-length novel, expanded from the previously published short story The Rise.

*****

PRAISE FOR THE HEIGHTS:

'Terrific'
MICK HERRON, bestselling author of Slow Horses & The Slough House series

'Elegantly constructed and stylishly executed ... A deft, richly layered and tautly woven thriller with echoes of Dickens and Christie which kept me guessing right to the end. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough'
CHRIS CHIBNALL, creator of Broadchurch and author of Death At The White Hart

'A brilliantly constructed mystery ... Taut, atmospheric and populated by wonderfully drawn characters, it's a page-turner that never sacrifices intelligence for pace. Simply superb. The king is still very much at the very top of his game'
ABIR MUKHERJEE, bestselling author of Hunted

'A high concept whodunnit from one of the legends of crime fiction'
STEVE CAVANAGH, bestselling author of the Eddie Flynn thrillers

*****

PRAISE FOR THE ICONIC NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER IAN

'Ian Rankin is a genius'
LEE CHILD

'Great fiction, full stop'
THE TIMES

'Whatever he writes, it will be worth reading ... Rankin has redefined the genre'
GUARDIAN

'Rankin is a phenomenon'
SPECTATOR

'Worthy of Agatha Christie at her best'
SCOTSMAN

'The king of crime fiction'
SUNDAY EXPRESS

'The arrival of a Rankin novel remains one of life's pleasures'
EXPRESS

*****

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Procedural

Audible Audio

Published October 8, 2026

About the author

AKA Jack Harvey.

Born in the Kingdom of Fife in 1960, Ian Rankin graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1982 and then spent three years writing novels when he was supposed to be working towards a PhD in Scottish Literature. His first Rebus novel was published in 1987; the Rebus books are now translated into 22 languages and are bestsellers on several continents.

Ian Rankin has been elected a Hawthornden Fellow. He is also a past winner of the Chandler-Fulbright Award, and he received two Dagger Awards for the year's best short story and the Gold Dagger for Fiction. Ian Rankin is also the recipient of honorary degrees from the universities of Abertay, St Andrews, and Edinburgh.

A contributor to BBC2's Newsnight Review, he also presented his own TV series, Ian Rankin's Evil Thoughts, on Channel 4 in 2002. He recently received the OBE for services to literature, and opted to receive the prize in his home city of Edinburgh, where he lives with his partner and two sons.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/ianrankin

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

A security guard is struck down in the dead of night.

The upscale high-rise is like a glass box with paps and shady individuals coming and going. How is it that no one saw what happened to Dwayne Hogarth? Even the security camera was shut down.

This was my first Ian Rankin and it got complicated.

Here are some things I liked:

👮When Sergeant Gillian Gish first arrives on the scene she does not know what is ahead. The Heights has several celebrity residents and they do not want to give up their secrets. A threat by Dwayne to "share" some of those facts with the paps may have lead to his demise.

🐟Ian Rankin is the king of rabbit holes and red herrings. When we got to the end I could see how far we had come. And what an ending it is!

📚This was my first Ian Rankin and it got complicated. While the many distractions kept those pages turning, there also seemed to be just a few too many characters to keep track of.

At this point I don't think I'll be trying any of his series books, but will be interested to see what he writes next as a standalone. Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for a DRC in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Heights, just off Park Lane and overlooking Hyde Park, is not popular with everyone, just ask the original residents of the area before its construction. It’s the brainchild of Allan Franklyn who raises the money and is also a resident. The semi-occupied luxury suites contain a mixed bag of uber wealthy occupants including a Russian oligarch with obligatory minders, a reality TV star, an elusive woman who has Mozambique diplomatic protection, a pop star, a COVID PPE fortune maker and the wife of a gangster DI Jack Milburn is determined to put behind bars before his imminent retirement. When the night concierge is murdered, Milton and DS Gillian Gish are on the case. Gilded private lives are under intense scrutiny but these are people to whom different rules apply than to mere mortals. However, the higher you fly, the harder you fall.

It’s always good to read something by Ian Rankin especially as I’m a huge Rebus fan, indeed, he’s one of my favourite characters in police procedural mystery thrillers. I enjoy this standalone very much especially the atmosphere the author creates around London and particularly around The Heights, with all the feelings it invokes from pride to full blown resentment. It’s described very well and in addition it raises pertinent issues regarding developments in the capital city. It’s easy to visualise the varied characters the building contains within its luxury walls. There are quite a lot of them to get your head around but IR does a good job of giving them a distinctive flavour. They’re not necessarily likeable but that’s often a bonus in this type of storytelling. The characters of Milburn and Gish are great and I love the relationship and banter between them.

The novel has a good, strong, complex and well connected storyline and I enjoy the twists and turns along the route to an outcome I don’t foresee. That’s no huge surprise as sifting through the multiple lies, the deception and the veneer of respectability makes it a tough call. It’s easy to read with an engaging and compelling plot. The pace isn’t especially fast but that suits the difficulties and barriers placed before the police investigation.

Overall, it’s an entertaining read and I would love to see what happens next for the very likeable Gish especially with her situation with her ailing mother and if Milton retires in a blaze of glory! It’s not Rebus but it’s still good and very readable.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Orion Publishing Group for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.

[Ryan Davison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dwayne Hogarth, an apparent simpleton doorman of an opulent London high-rise, receives a fatal head bashing to begin our story. The reader is immediately asked to consider if anyone wealthy enough to live in a fifteen-million-dollar home could possibly stoop to murder, and if so, why? We meet a large cast of suspects in the opening chapters of The Heights, as each resident gossips about neighbors and possible motives. A tag team of detectives is responsible for deciding if an insider or outsider is the culprit. Wise-owl, Jack Milton, an older cop who still uses (gasp!) paper business cards, and Gillian Gish, a risk-taker closer in age to the B-list celebrity inhabitants who communicate mostly through emojis, represent our primary sleuths.

Once Dwayne’s body is carted off, a police procedural sputters along, this author’s most comfortable literary territory. Gish cozies up to a reporter and discovers he was paying the newly deceased for sleazy insider information on the residents. A protestor, seemingly always planted outside the grand grounds, draws suspicion for being at the scene on the night of the murder. The wife of a notorious gangster calls the building home, and she might have been too friendly with the doorman. By the time a second body appears, the cop’s murder wall expands but the reader is nowhere near hazarding educated guesses as to what might have happened.

The pacing of the first half is choppy. Short chapters bounce between characters discussing topics we don’t really understand, and the police digging for clues. Drugs might have played a factor, perhaps organized crime or revenge for an uncovered affair. The focus of the police constantly changes and the reader is never offered a sturdy limb to grasp. Scattered plot lines finally settle on a valuable art theme, for a Picasso went missing around the time of the murder. The painting must be connected to the killings, but as new characters are introduced as late as the 90% mark, the reader can’t help but surrender to the role of bystander.

The writing is fine, but the plotting and pacing are weak. The Heights never decides what it wants to be, and tries many narrative directions, but none effectively engage the reader.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for a review copy.

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ian Rankin's first stand alone novel in many years is a mixed bag.
The numerous characters are varied and well drawn and the dialogue is excellent throughout. The real problem is the dull plot, which is only saved by the excellent last few chapters.
The Heights is a novel that Ian Rankin expanded from a previous short story he had written. I think he should have left it in its original form and not wasted his time (& indeed mine) on this novel.
The Heights, as well as Rankin's previous two dull John Rebus novels, show that this once excellent writer really is losing his touch. Worrying times indeed.

[Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

There is something deeply entertaining about watching DS Gillian Gish enter a building full of people accustomed to money making unpleasant things disappear and inform them that, unfortunately, a dead concierge is not going to be handled by management. Suddenly everyone has privacy concerns. Everyone is very busy. Everyone remembers almost everything about the night Dwayne Hogarth died except the parts Gillian actually wants to know. And within about five minutes I understood that solving this murder was going to require less CSI and more repeatedly asking extremely wealthy people to please stop acting like a police interview is an optional hotel amenity.

The Heights itself is ridiculous. It overlooks Hyde Park and comes with a gym, infinity pool, cinema, concierge service, underground parking, serious security, and enough extremely wealthy residents to make the building directory look like the guest list for an event I could never afford to attend. Developer Allan Franklyn lives in the penthouse, naturally. Elsewhere you've got a pop star, an art dealer, an oligarch, a woman with diplomatic protection, a gangster's wife, a reality star, and various other people whose money has apparently allowed them to become completely unfamiliar with the phrase “just answer the question.” Then Dwayne gets killed in the lobby after a party upstairs, the security cameras have a suspicious little gap in their evening, an apartment key is missing, and everybody suddenly has somewhere else to be.

Gillian is exactly who you want walking into this nonsense because she does not seem remotely dazzled by any of them. She's working with DI Jack Milton, who is getting close to retirement and has his own history with some of the criminal names floating around the building, and I really liked the two of them together. They aren't wasting half the investigation having some dramatic cop feud in the parking garage. They're comparing notes, poking holes in stories, disagreeing when they need to, and slowly realizing that Dwayne's murder may be the first problem on the list rather than the only one.

Because these residents cannot just have one secret. Absolutely not. There is missing artwork worth an obscene amount of money. There are connections to people the police already know. There is another death. There are people protecting other people, people protecting themselves, and people who seem to believe that having enough money should entitle them to select which crimes the police are allowed to ask about. Every new door Gillian opens basically reveals another tiny private disaster somebody hoped the concierge service might keep confidential.

And there are a LOT of people behind those doors. Somewhere in the middle I realized I had mentally become an employee of The Heights. I knew who lived where, who had been at the party, who had security, who was connected to whom, who owned what, and which person Gillian needed to go bother again because their previous answer had aged badly. I enjoy a crowded suspect pool, but at a certain point I wanted someone evicted purely so I could reduce my administrative workload. Nothing personal, sir, we're simplifying the murder board.

What made Gillian stick with me, though, was going home with her. Her mother Jacqui has dementia, and Gillian has caregivers stay with her while she's working. All day Gillian can push people for answers, spot inconsistencies, follow evidence, and keep digging until something makes sense. Then she goes home to something she cannot solve. She can love her mother and take care of her, but she cannot investigate her way out of losing pieces of her. That got me.

The actual investigating is patient. There is a lot of knocking on doors, circling back, comparing stories, and discovering that yesterday's harmless detail has become today's giant flashing problem. Sometimes I was completely into it because I wanted to see which resident would finally crack. Other times I felt like Gillian and I had been standing in the same extremely expensive lobby for three business days while another millionaire explained why their lie was technically more of an omission. I was ready to start charging them for my time.

But once all those separate suspicious little threads start touching each other, things get much more interesting. I had correctly clocked a few pieces and was still looking in the wrong direction on others, which is exactly where I want to be in this kind of book. And I liked that there isn't one universal reason everyone is behaving badly. Some people are scared. Some are greedy. Some are loyal to terrible people. Some have convinced themselves their secrets are nobody else's business. And some have simply lived inside “Money London” long enough to believe consequences are something that happens outside the building.

I landed at 3.5 stars for The Heights. I would happily follow Gillian Gish into another investigation, especially if Jack Milton comes along, but I am begging their next murderer to live somewhere with twelve suspects or fewer. Give me a bungalow. A duplex. Perhaps a modest cul-de-sac where I can learn everyone's name before another body appears.

Whodunity Award: For Making an Entire Luxury High-Rise Look Guilty Enough That I Started Suspecting the Infinity Pool

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. You gave me murdered staff, missing camera footage, stolen art, gangsters, diplomatic protection, approximately nine thousand wealthy people withholding information, and a detective trying to get a straight answer inside a building where privacy apparently comes standard with the penthouse package. I am going back to apartments now. Sorry, suites.

[suspenseisthrillingme · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

A police procedural with plenty of promise, The Heights was an enticing addition to my TBR. Take a near-empty luxury high-rise, a murdered security guard, and a building full of wealthy individuals hiding oodles of secrets, and it was sure to be quite the thrilling ride. I mean, who doesn’t love a locked-room mystery with chess-like twists and the perfect amount of misdirection? Sadly, though, I found myself having a hard time becoming immersed in Rankin’s world of celebrities, oligarchs, gangsters, and the coppers investigating them all. In spite of this, however, I persevered and was blown away by the ingenious ending and its unguessable twists. Wrapping up with a true shocker of revelation that I didn’t see coming at all, the last-minute surprises, unexpected killer, and explosive conclusion nearly rescued this complex story for me by the time I was done.

I’m sure you’re wondering why this standalone novel still missed the mark for me, though? Well, thanks to uneven pacing, unlikeable characters, and a plot that mostly lacked the suspense I was expecting, I found my attention wavering at times despite the strong premise. Don’t get me wrong, the multiple interlinked plot lines kept me guessing while I side-eyed everyone in turn. You see, this huge cast was packed with some seriously suspicious characters. That being said, if you go into this one expecting a thriller, you’re going to be disappointed just like I was. A true-to-form British police procedural, I was ultimately left wondering if I just wasn’t in the mood. After all, I’m usually a massive fan of this kind of read, so maybe it was the fact that I went in expecting a thrill ride like Lock Every Door instead of standard detective fiction. Rating of 3.5 stars.

Read if you’re a fan of:
- British police procedurals
- Oodles of secrets
- Locked-room mysteries
- Multiple plot lines
- Unlikeable characters
- Murder mysteries
- A tangled web of secrets
- Social commentary
- Rich people behaving badly
- Hidden motives
- An unguessable ending

SYNOPSIS:

Facing Hyde Park, The Heights is London’s most coveted luxury high-rise apartment―designed to satisfy every need, with a gym, infinity pool, cinema, and more, where self-made owner-developer Allan Franklyn himself has claimed the penthouse duplex. His neighbors include some of “Money London’s” biggest personalities: a wealthy art dealer, a young heartthrob pop star, a foreign heiress, a gangster’s wife. The residents are used to service, deference, and privacy, all on their terms.

But when nighttime concierge Dwayne Hogarth is found dead in the lobby, none of that is in their control anymore, and everyone’s under the unwelcome scrutiny of Detective Sergeant Gillian Gish. Her questions begin with the party on the 4th floor the night Dwayne died, which ended with a fight; the missing key to one of the apartments; and a mysterious gap in the security camera footage. Before long, Gish uncovers the unsavory truths and dark secrets that lurk beneath the glittering facades of the building and its inhabitants.

Thank you Ian Rankin and Cardinal Publishing for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

PUB DATE: November 3, 2026

Content warning: murder, suicide, violence, alcohol use, dementia

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 2023, I read a short story by Ian Rankin named The Rise, set in a high-rise apartment block and featuring much the same characters as in this novel. At the time, I said I would have preferred to read the story as a novel, as I felt it needed fleshing out. Well, Ian Rankin has returned to fulfil this request. The Rise is now renamed The Heights, a luxury high-rise apartment block facing Hyde Park. When the night-time concierge is found murdered, D.S. Gillian Gish and D.I. Jack Milton investigate.

Since 2023, I have discovered Rebus, but this is a stand-alone novel set in London among those who are wealthy enough - or have enough influence or fame - to live in the luxury of The Heights. These include an art dealer, the wife of a gangster, a reality TV star, a singer and others. However, as is so often the case in these luxury London apartments, most of them are empty - either bought as investments or visited only rarely by those who own them, whether companies or individuals. Rankin does a good job in highlighting the precarious investments, the desire so many of those involved to be seen as successful, and the violence around wealth.

I enjoyed this a lot, am pleased the author revisited and enlarged his short story, and recommend this highly. I received a copy of this from NetGalley, for review.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recently there have been quite a few books set in large apartment buildings, which seems to be a popular trend as a setting. This affords the author to provide backstories from a number of individuals and their interactions, introducing many characters without having to travel very far. This standalone from Ian Rankin uses this trope with varying results. While I was intrigued by the investigators and the SOC participants, I found the numerous residents of the building blended together at times and found that there were periods where I simply did not care. But it is Rankin, and the writing is above par. Still, it could have used a bit of trimming.

[Gary · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

The Heights is a gleaming, high-end high-rise looming over Hyde Park—a newly built steel and smoked-glass billionaire’s playground offering sumptuous suites for the global elite. But when a night concierge is found murdered in the lobby, the building’s rarefied atmosphere is shattered, and the gilded lives within come under intense police scrutiny.

In a world designed to keep prying eyes out, where residents are rarely held to account, born-and-bred Londoner Detective Gillian Gish must find a way past their power, wealth, and unimaginable influence. The rules may be different at the top, but as the investigation unfolds, the question remains: is anyone truly above the law, or does the higher you rise, the further you fall?

I really enjoyed reading this standalone thriller by Ian Rankin, an author I haven’t read for some time. It is a very welcome change of pace from his hugely successful Rebus series, showing off his versatility in a brand new setting. It’s a classic police procedural with a decent, engaging plot and plenty of likely suspects, all of whom seem to have a plausible reason to want the victim dead. While the mystery is well-crafted, I did struggle a little bit at times to keep track of the many different characters moving through the high-rise. Even so, it remained an absorbing and thoroughly good read from start to finish.

The Heights is a tense, clever standalone thriller that brings a fresh perspective to a high-society murder investigation. While juggling the large cast of characters proved a minor challenge at moments, Ian Rankin’s sharp writing makes it a very worthwhile read. A solid 3.5 stars from me!

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

[LeeAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Heights had a premise that promised more than the reading experience ultimately delivered for me. I finished it, but getting to the end felt like a chore. I struggled to connect with the characters, and the uneven pacing made it difficult to stay invested.

Depth
There was potential in the setup, but the story didn’t develop it in a way I found satisfying. By the end, I felt there was a gap between the intrigue the premise offered and what the book delivered.

Connection — Low
I had trouble caring about the characters. That made it harder to become invested in the mystery: I was following what happened without feeling particularly connected to the people involved.

Momentum — Low
The pacing went back and forth rather than building sustained momentum. I kept reading, but it took effort. Finishing was more a matter of pushing through than feeling compelled to turn the next page.

Who It’s For
Readers who enjoy police investigations and don’t need an immediate attachment to the characters may find more to appreciate here.

Who It’s Not For
Readers looking for consistent pacing, strong character connection, and a mystery that pulls them through the book may find it frustrating.

Verdict
Three stars—Read and Release
I finished The Heights, but it was a chore rather than a satisfying reading experience. The premise interested me; the execution never gave me the connection or momentum I wanted.

[Alissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Cardinal/Grand Central Publishing for providing this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was my first book by this author despite his long and lauded catalog. It was competently written and plotted and kept my interest. This is a police procedural/whodunnit where the setting is a main character itself. It felt a lot like a screenplay. I could easily see it being picked up as a limited series.

The book’s biggest strength was its social commentary. Not too long ago, I read an article about central London’s high streets and neighborhoods basically dying for the remaining residents as the ultra rich bought properties but didn’t live in them or patronize the things in a neighborhood that make it feel like a neighborhood. (Much like how AirBnB has ruined so many places in the US). This London problem was a clear theme, with the characters in The Heights each embodying a different type of wealth, and with just one lone protestor acknowledging that this mostly empty box full of jerks was where a community center once stood.

I appreciated that the author included a handful of nonfiction books for further reading, all about how central London has changed due to the influence of the elite, the oligarchs, and all kinds of ultra wealthy assholes.

[Nic & Ry Meltdownerz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and the author for sending us a copy of this book.

Cool premise, murder located in a building where the rich live. I wish the characters, building, histories were set up differently and that I liked it more.

My favourite aspect of this book was how British/London it felt 🫶🏾 as a British crime drama stan that was fun.

Maybe it's not 100% my type of book but for someone else this could be perfect.

[Bill Lawrence · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

I'm always there for the latest Ian Rankin. Stepping away from his long running series of John Rebus in Edinburgh, he based his latest around the rich of London in their expensive "suites" in a new tower block The Heights. Gillian Gish (I couldn't help thinking of Lillian Gish, but could see no connection) is the DI investigating a murder at The Heights, rubbing the rich and famous up the wrong way. The essence is the great divide between the ultra rich who devour London and the poor who live and survive in the city. It's an easy read, mostly dialogue so the pages turn quickly and enjoyable enough, but I didn't feel that Rankin quite got to heart of the problem and equally, the crime and solution did seem a bit glib in the way the the answers came together and then it just faded away. But I'll be back for more.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Heights by Ian Rankin was a really enjoyable read with a good pace that kept the story moving throughout. I liked getting to know the main character Gish and seeing more of her life outside of the investigation. The investigation itself kept me interested and wanting to know how everything would unfold. A comfortable read.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been an Ian Rankin fan since discovering his John Rebus series many years ago. Along the way, he has written several standalone books, all equally satisfying. This book, however, didn't grab me. Between too many unlikable characters and slow pacing, I had a hard time getting into it.

The Heights is a luxurious apartment complex in the heart of London. It caters to the ultra-wealthy, offering amenities to satisfy their every need. Its tenants, a mixed bag, range from a pop star to a gangster's wife, but when the night concierge is killed after a party hosted by the gangster's wife, the tenants are subject to a police investigation, led by DS Gillian Gish. Their valued privacy is invaded, and their lives are upended as Gish and her team begin to pry into each tenant's movements. As the investigation deepens and secrets are revealed, Gish finds multiple suspects among the tenants.

It was hard for me to keep track of the many characters; none of them was likable, and most had motives to kill the concierge. It took a while for the pace to pick up, and by then I was having trouble caring who the killer was. I'm a mood reader, and perhaps I was yearning for a different read, because this book didn't hold my attention. There were enough red herrings that I was surprised when the killer was revealed. Overall, this is a good crime novel, but not what I was expecting. 3/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Cardinal, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is November 3, 2026.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rankins first stand-alone for 20 years has moved away from his home country and is set in London. The Heights is the city’s most recent and luxurious apartment block for the super rich. Everything the discerning could want in luxury and security is there but when a night concierge, Dwayne Hogarth, is found dead the lives of the inhabitants are under the microscope. There are a lot of characters, a lot, but the pace was such I found it easy to keep them clear in my mind.

Briefly, DS Gillian Gish, a Tottenham girl, and her mentor and boss DI Jack Milton are handed the case. A very eclectic cast of characters live in the apartments from a Russian oligarch to a pop singer a number of whom are clearly erring on the wrong side of the law. But as they come under increasing scrutiny their lives, stories and alibis start to fall apart.

I really liked the two main characters, I had a lot of sympathy with Gish and her mother, who is living with dementia, as my mother also had dementia, but I also love the banter between her and Milton. They are the perfect foils for each other. I love a good police procedural and this is certainly that. A good plot, great twists and an ending I didn’t expect. I know it’s a standalone but I’d really like to see Gish and Milton again. Good entertaining read.
4.5⭐️

[Mélyssa · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

I love Ian Rankin's writing, I could read his grocery list and I'm sure it would keep me on the edge of my seat, but I just did not care much for the characters and plot in this book. Gish would have potential as a character, but the rest all blend together.

[Tina Fulcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pulled in from the first chapter. Great characters and suspenseful storyline. What a surprise ending! Couldn't guess who did it. Very well written and I would definitely read more by Ian Rankin. I was lucky enough to read an advance copy and leave this review voluntarily.

[Maine Colonial · Rating 4 out of 5]

A standalone Ian Rankin isn’t something you see very often, so I was interested to read this, particularly because he chose a setup that fits so well with our times of extreme disparity between economic classes.

Developer Allan Franklyn has built The Heights, a “super-prime” property, to take advantage of the super-rich who want to live luxuriously in London, but in a tower, so they can be above it all and behind lots of security. Residents include Franklyn, an architect, a pop singer, a well-known internet influencer, the daughter of an African diplomat, the wife of a powerful criminal, and, of course, in these times they must also include a Russian oligarch. In a building with 25 flats (or “suites,” as Allan Franklyn insists they be called), an astonishing 14 are rarely occupied, being used as investments, possible money-laundering pawns, or pied-a-terres.

Real life comes crashing into The Heights when the night security guard, Dwayne Hogarth, is murdered. That brings in DI Jack Milton and DS Gillian Gish, poking into the goings-on at The Heights and ruffling the feathers of a group of suspects who aren’t used to having to cooperate with anybody. With only 11 of the suites permanently occupied, there are fewer on-site suspects than the detectives initially anticipated, but it soon appears that there are outsiders who have to be added to the suspect pool. More crimes pop up, deadly and otherwise, and the case broadens further.

I like our detective team, Milton and Gish. As the book goes on, more emphasis is placed on Gish, which makes sense since Milton is soon to retire. Gish’s work life is complicated by the fact that her mother has dementia. She’s still at the stage where she remembers people, but she’s passing into the phase where she can’t be left alone. I’m a reader who prefers having as little of a police procedural book as possible devoted to the detectives’ home lives, so this part of the book wasn’t of much interest to me. In any case, it seemed sort of crammed into the plot, rather than integrated. I also wondered why Rankin chose to name his lead Gillian Gish, which is just one letter away from film star Lillian Gish. True, LG’s career peaked during the silent film era, but can it be that neither Rankin nor any of the readers of his manuscript knew of LG? Maybe I’m just that old that it jumped out to me and to nobody else involved in the project—though Rankin himself is no spring chicken, having been born in 1960.

This is a deliberately-paced, classic British urban police procedural. While the various crimes are intertwined, they add considerable complexity. Rankin drops his clues carefully throughout the book, making it challenging for the reader to piece them all together, though easy to recall when the detectives put them together to resolve the crimes.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A member of staff is found murdered at The Heights, a luxury high rise for billionaires and the rarefied atmosphere of the building is shattered. With all its residents coming under scrutiny, it is down to Detective Gillian Gish to find a way past their power and find out who is responsible.

I have never read an Ian Rankin book, but thought a standalone was a good place to start. This ended up being a well written police procedural, with an interesting premise. Despite reading similar tropes, I liked the setting of the luxury building and learning about those who live there. What I didn’t like so much was the amount of characters introduced in quick succession, which I found hard to keep track of and differentiate between. I also found the story too slow paced and drawn out for me, whereby I struggled to stay fully invested and I didn’t feel the excitement, grittiness or suspense I would have liked.

Even though I had some issues with the story, I appreciate the rave reviews this author gets and as written well, wouldn’t be fully adverse to checking out his series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

[Jen Ryland (jenrylandreviews & yaallday)]

I was so excited for this book as it seemed to be just what I love to read. Procedural elements, set in a glitzy high rise in London, a mysterious death, and written by an author whose books I admire.

But I found The Heights as cold and distancing as the glass tower in which it takes place. I felt I never got to know any of the sympathetic and possibly likable characters well enough, like Gish the female detective or Dwayne the unfortunate victim. The rest of the characters were rich people with secrets: like Allan, the pompous building owner or Maeve, the brittle mob wife. I usually enjoy "eat the rich" books but found it hard to care about any of it. Sad, but glad I tried it and maybe it will be a better fit for you!

Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!

[Rich Rosell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here's a twisty British police procedural about a pricey London hi-rise where all of the tenants are wealthy and troubled. When a mysterious death occurs it is up to a couple of intrepid detectives to sift through the red herrings and personal dramas to follow the clues to tie it all together.

Rankin is a prolific crime writer, though this was the first of his that I read so I can't compare it to his other titles. This standalone moves pretty quickly, as a whole gaggle of characters - most of them intentionally not so likeable - weave in and out of the narrative. I really liked the two detective leads, and their constant back-and-forth, so if there was another book featuring them I would certainly be interested.

For fans of British police procedurals - here you go!
Enjoyably fun.....

[Louise Mullins · Rating 1.5 out of 5]

I wanted to put this book down so many times. It's jam-packed with so many people and none of them very different or interesting, many with similar names, and the detectives keep jumping from one to the next without any sequence do it's confusing. They're incompetent too, the first thing you do when someone is wanted is check airspaces and seaspaces. Even private airfields give notice to public ones so it's virtually impossible for people to leave the UK legally these days without being captured on camera or their passport being flagged up. I held out until the end which was majorly disappointing because apparently all the way through from the beginning Gish knew who did it but never followed the lead or told anyone! Absolutely ridiculous.

[Dennis J. Orr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite lots of glowing quotes, I didn't find this book to be up to the level of the Rebus novels. For one thing it wasn't even an original idea, as it was based on his own short story, "The Rise". Lots of red herrings I suppose, but I found the ending to be unsatisfactory. Hopefully Rankin gets back to more Rebus, or even Malcolm Fox, books.

[Steph Hall · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable with great characters, though at times hard to keep track of the minor ones, of which there were many. Great narration and kept my attention throughout. My first Ian Rankin book but definitely a fan.

[Jude · Rating 2 out of 5]

Many years ago, I read a lot of Rankin's Inspector Rebus books and liked them, because they were gritty, edgy, required some thinking, and immersed me in Scotland. Rebus was quite the character. I use his "FYTP" acronym to this day.

I expected another taut and gritty book with the Heights. I was totally bored; there was no feeling to the city of London, the characters weren't at all interesting to me, and I continuously wondered if Rankin had written this book at all. Several times I thought about not finishing.

Sorry, but this book didn't do it for me at all. If I want some good detecting, I'll go read old Rebus books. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this book in return for my honest opinion. 2.5 stars

[Richard Jaffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing | Cardinal for this advance ARC in return for an honest review.

The Heights is a stand alone police procedural / mystery by Ian Rankin, better known for the Inspector Rebus series. Unlike the 25 Rebus novels ( of which I have read 24 ) which are set in Edinburgh, the Heights takes place in London, in a posh new High Rise which is so overpriced that there remain too many empty "Suites" to please the owner-developer, Allan Franklyn, and his cast of rather shady investors.

On the night of a party thrown by Maeve Gallacher, wife of well known mobster, Eddie Gallacher, who may, or may not be hiding out overseas, the night "concierge" Dwayne Hogarth is found brutally murdered in in the lobby area behind the desk. DS Gillian Gish gets the call, along with her grizzled partner, Jack Milton, who is counting down the days until retirement.

Given the alleged security of the Heights, the initial focus is upon the residents and attendees of Maeve's party. The residents includes several high profile individuals, including a famous actress ( surprisingly not invited to the party ) a pop idol with a funny name, his shady manager, an African "princess" and her body guard, not to mention an art dealer and Russian "Mobster." Given the notoriety of the inhabitants, Gish and Milton were probably not surprised to learn that many, if not all of them, have secrets, which may or may not lead to solving the crime.

Meanwhile, Milton is still obsessed with trying to track down Eddie Gallacher, as he slipped through the net set by his old task force, leaving most of the investigative work to Gish, who is also distracting with her ailing mother suffering from Alzheimer's. As Milton keeps disappearing with his old NCA (National Crime Agency ) crew who were keeping an eye on the Heights residents, Gish befriends an online reporter to get dirt on the various suspects.

Eventually a second body is discovered in the Russian's Bentley's trunk, left unlocked in the garage, causing a little urgency for Gish and Milton to get results. While trying to track down the African princess, who allegedly left the UK about 10 days before the murder, Gish discovers the motive, and realizes that not only are the 2 murders connected, but a third crime may be at the heart of it all.

As some have pointed out, the plot gets a little complicated, and there are a lot of moving parts/suspects that detracted from an otherwise respectable police procedural. Not sure if Gish is going to be the new Rebus, or if this is a stand alone, but this story is missing a lot of what I love about Rebus including but not limited to his team, and the city of Edinburgh as a back drop. I love mysteries in London, and the UK, see Roy Grace, Slough House and the CB Strike Novels, but Rankin seems to have forgotten that the setting can be as much of a character as the police and suspects that this one falls short of my expectations. Still a worthy 4 stars, but maybe he should stick with Rebus and/or Scotland for the next one.

#TheHeights #NetGalley

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. I liked this one. I mean, it's an Ian Rankin novel so there was a fairly strong chance that it would be featuring a brilliant cast of characters and a plot that would keep my mind whirring and utterly entertained to the very last page. And, as one might expect, he delivered in every aspect. This is a case that starts in perhaps a puzzling, tragic, but relatively mundane way - as much as an unexplained, suspect, death can do that it - and takes one heck of a dramatic, and surprising turn, and it had me hooked from the very beginning. The (not so) great, and the (definitely no so) good of The Heights, in London's extortionately priced Hyde Park/Park Lane neighbourhood, are well and truly in the spotlight, and with some rather dubious connections to less than lawful activities, the list of suspects is as long as the building complex is tall.

A Gangster's wife, a Russian Oligarch, an Art Dealer, a Diplomat's daughter - and one dead night security guard - leave the Detectives in this investigation, DS Gillian Gish, and her soon to be retired boss and mentor, DI Jack Milton with one heck of a headache. Not as bad as that of the victim, his being fatal and all, but bad enough. As you can imagine, nobody in the building is keen to cooperate, least of all the building's developer, Allan Franklyn, who would do anything to avoid the bad publicity given that attention on this sudden, and suspicious, death is likely to draw, and that just adds to the frustration the pair feel as they try to get to the bottom of what happened. And, in fairness, as eventually becomes clear, the guard's death is really only the start.

I liked Gish. She has a pretty complicated home life, as all good Detectives do, but she is focused on the case, no matter how difficult, and messed up, it is set to become. She is very astute and whilst it would be easy to be distracted in her personal situation, it's clear that she is the one person whose focus we need to pay attention to. Ian Rankin has created a really strong character here, one who could easily hold her own series should the mood ever take him to revisit the (other) capital. The team around her all have their merits too, although at times Milton feels more like the Junior to Gish's character, a feeling that stems from his personal countdown to retirement alongside another of his colleagues.

The wider team all add depth and colour to the story, as do the various residents and suspects that they come into contact with, and I love how their different personalities are portrayed, with the kind of authenticity I've grown to expect in an Ian Rankin novel. There are many twists and turns in the book, driven not just from the case but the various people connected to it, some of which lead to some tense, and even surprising, moments and some of the characters themselves showed unexpected traits that endeared them to me in ways that I definitely hadn't expected. Others I found as repugnant and off putting as I expected, with the affectations of power, money and influence eliminating most, if not all, redeeming qualities of their personality, but it all added to the fun of the story. Strangely, seeing some of them get their just deserts did bring a smile to my face.

The complexity of this story sits in the many lies of omission and duplicitous natures of the residents of The Heights, as much as the 'murder mystery' at its heart. There is a story within a story, and some unexpected turn of events that when executed feel like they were actually almost inevitable. It is both a classic Police based investigative thriller, and a study in personality and motivations. A mystery with a potential gangland twist, but also not, and a whole heap of misdirection to keep the truth well and truly hidden, even thought much about the case really does stink ... as the Detectives are set to find out soon enough. But it hooked me at the start and, through the lives of the variously rich and utterly shameful, kept me completely entertained. Definitely recommended.

[Johanna Berger · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

London, nicht Edinburgh diesmal. Die Rebus-Stories sind Geschichte. Reichtum und Armut sind in der internationalen Metropole noch deutlicher zu sehen als im schottischen Norden.

Off-Shore gehamsterte Gelder sind in Immobiliengeschäften gewaschen worden und müssen sich rentieren. Sonst bekommt man als Entwickler und Verwalter Ärger von den halbseidenen Investoren.

In einem dieser Wohntürme der Superreichen ist ein Nacht-Concierge ums Leben gekommen. Man ist besorgt, nervös. Viel zu viel Medienrummel. Nicht gut fürs Geschäft, finden die „residents“ und der Immobilienentwickler, der ganz oben hinter den abgedunkelten Scheiben wohnt, und fürchtet, seine noch leer stehenden Wohnungen nicht verkaufen zu können. Unter ihm die Suiten (die nicht „flats“ genannt werden dürfen), das Spa, das Schwimmbad mit Olympiamaßen, das Kino. Natürlich sind die illustren Bewohner und Besucher verdächtig: der russische Oligarch, der nicht irgendwann aus dem Fenster fällt (einziger Spoiler 😉), der jugendliche Pop-Star inklusive raffgierigem Manager, die abgehalfterte Schauspielerin, eine flippige junge Frau aus Mosambik, von Beruf Tochter, Halbweltfiguren mit ihren muskelbepackten Bodyguards, der Unternehmer, der während der Pandemie viel Geld mit Masken verdient hat … Viel Personal, bei dem mir manchmal kurz der Überblick verloren ging.

Die Dienststelle in der Marylebone Road Ist zuständig. Der Ermittler heißt nicht mehr John Rebus, sondern Jack Milton. Er trinkt nicht wie Rebus, sondern ernährt sich von Schokoriegeln und Kaffee. Aber alt ist er auch, kurz vor der Pensionierung. Und einen Intimfeind wie Rebus hat er auch. Der muss nebenbei irgendwie zur Strecke gebracht werden. Und ähnlich wie in den schottischen Krimis gibt es auch hier eine jüngere, aufstrebende Kraft, die das Zeug zu seiner Nachfolgerin hat, Gillian Gish (statt Siobhan Clarke). Wohnhaft in einer Nachbarschaft in Tottenham, der die Gentrifizierung kurz bevorsteht. Der unmittelbare Vorgesetzte der beiden spielt glücklicherweise nicht die Rolle des Ekels, die deutsche Fernsehkrimis für diese Position anscheinend vorschreiben. Beide Ermittler haben ein Privatleben, Gish eine demente Mutter, deren Betreuung sie mit ihrem Job zu vereinbaren sucht.


Kein Rebus, keine Siobhan. Aber die gewohnte überzeugende Charakterzeichnung, die gewohnt ironischen Dialoge und die plastische Darstellung einer gespaltenen Gesellschaft. Ich habe die 330 Seiten fast am Stück gelesen und Rebus und Clarke nur ein bisschen vermisst.


Fun fact: Ich habe gelernt, dass im Englischen der Ausdruck „What gives?“ existiert.

[Richard]

MURDER IN A HIGH RISE!

I received this book free from the author through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Written by Ian Rankin in 2026, this is a British detective novel Published by the HachetteGroup of Cardinal Publishing in New York. The setting is London, England, and the Metropolitan Police Department (the Met). The primary protagonist is Detective Sergeant Gillian Gish, who works with her senior partner, Detective Inspector Jack Milton. The Heights is a high-end condo building that is eighteen stories tall, and is occupied, for the most part, by the rich and famous. In this story, the detectives must solve a murder. No Wait! Two murders.

The first victim is a young black concierge who was struck on the head from behind, but in turn struck his head on the corner of a marble desk when he fell to the floor. His head injury led to his death. Who would want to kill a simple concierge? It is a puzzle. Who did it, and why did they do it.

It doesn’t take Detective Sergeant Gish too long to discover that a valuable work of art has gone missing from one of the condo apartments (suites). Where is it, and who took it. It would certainly be sufficient motive for murder with an estimated value of tens of millions of English Pounds. The basement of the building contains a private garage for the residents, and it isn’t long before another body is discovered in one of the automobiles, a Bently. The victim was a bodyguard for one of the residents. He was strangled manually (by somebody’s hands). Why was he killed?

The pace of the story is fairly fast, although character development is shallow. We learn that Gillian lives with her mother Jacqui, who has dementia. Gillian hires caregivers to come and stay with her mother while Gillian is working.

Maybe it’s just me, but I think I am detecting a trend in detective and mystery novels lately. Authors who lack the creativity of those such as Agatha Christie are substituting a great many characters and an overly convoluted plot for good suspense writing. Such is the case with this novel. For my tastes, this story has too many characters, too many loose ends, and a plot that is way too complex. Still, the author is a fairly good writer so you might very well enjoy this book. I will award four of the available five stars and a recommendation to read it. You might very well like it much more than I did.