Ian Rankin’s new novel probes wealth and power through a Knightsbridge murder
Ian Rankin’s new crime novel, *The Heights*, moves beyond his familiar Edinburgh setting to examine wealth, class and political power in London. It follows DS Gillian Gish as she investigates the killing of a concierge in a luxury Knightsbridge apartment block, using the mystery to expose the protected world of its super-rich residents.
Rankin says he is drawn to crime fiction that explores society and how it reached its present state. Gish, who lives in Tottenham and cares for her mother, is partly inspired by *Columbo*: Rankin sees the detective as a socialist figure who unsettles wealthy suspects. He felt the story’s display of wealth and demand for privacy would not have fitted Edinburgh.
- Ian Rankin’s new mystery is set among Knightsbridge’s ultra-rich.
- DS Gillian Gish investigates a concierge’s killing.
- Rankin uses crime fiction to explore class and politics.
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Ian Rankin is a Scottish crime writer best known for detective novels set in Edinburgh. His new novel, The Heights, is set in London's wealthy Knightsbridge area and centres on investigating a concierge's death at a luxury apartment block. A departure from his familiar Edinburgh settings, this book uses the murder investigation to explore themes of class, wealth and political power.
Detective sergeant Gillian Gish investigates the concierge's murder. Unlike the super-rich residents she must interview, Gish lives in Tottenham, cares for her mother and comes from modest means. This contrast drives the novel's exploration of inequality and social division.
Rankin has long been interested in how crime fiction can reveal how society functions and what shaped it. The Heights uses a murder mystery to examine the world of London's wealthy elite and what separates them from ordinary life.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “‘The crime fiction I’m interested in is political’: Ian Rankin on his new novel about the super-rich”.