‘The crime fiction I’m interested in is political’: Ian Rankin on his new novel about the super-rich
The bestselling writer talks about leaving Edinburgh for London in his latest mystery, and what the future holds for Rebus Sir Ian Rankin rarely watches television. Certainly, there’s no gleaming flatscreen in the corner of the apartment in Edinburgh where he writes, listens to music and constructs elaborate Lego models (all four Beatles, their Yellow Submarine and, once, a 6ft version of the Eiffel Tower). Did he…
Key points
- Ian Rankin's new novel The Heights is set in a luxury Knightsbridge apartment building and introduces DS Gillian Gish as a new lead character.
- Rankin says the crime fiction he is interested in looks at society and is predominantly political.
- Rankin and his wife Miranda give 30 to 40% of his net income each year to a charitable trust they set up.
Sir Ian Rankin has published a new novel, The Heights, which moves his crime fiction from Edinburgh to London. The book is set in a Knightsbridge apartment building aimed at the highest end of the property market, whose residents are rich and famous.
The story begins when the building's concierge is found with his head bludgeoned, and DS Gillian Gish arrives to question the residents about their whereabouts. Gish is a brand-new lead character for Rankin.
What Rankin said
Rankin told interviewer Alex Clark that the crime fiction he is interested in looks at society and the mess we are in. He said it is "predominantly political". He also said he felt no trepidation about leaving Edinburgh as a setting, calling it in some ways a wee bit stifling.
The crime fiction I'm interested in is the crime fiction that's looking at society and the mess we're in and how we got there, and it's predominantly political.
— Ian Rankin
Gish and the super-rich
Rankin said one influence on Gish was the 1970s American TV detective Columbo, whom he called a socialist figure who tears apart the lives of very rich people. He said Gish secretly enjoys the idea of upsetting them by asking the wrong questions and interfering in their comfortable world.
Gish lives in Tottenham and cares for her mother after work. Rankin said his story of ostentatious wealth and the ultra-rich's obsession with privacy would not have worked in Edinburgh, where the wealth is discreet.
Rankin's charity and Rebus
Rankin, who is 66, said he and his wife Miranda set up a charitable trust, and 30 to 40% of his net income goes into it each year. The trust focuses on smaller charities, often supporting young people and adults with special needs, including their younger son Kit, who has Angelman syndrome.
Rankin was tight-lipped about his next project. Asked about Rebus, last seen behind bars, he said the character is obviously getting out, adding that he has no doubt it is the happy ending.
