The Heights

#1 International bestselling author Ian Rankin returns with a razor-sharp, twisty standalone thriller—this one exposing the lives of the 1% in London’s most exclusive high rise.

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.

Filled with shocking twists and unforgettable characters, The Heights confirms Ian Rankin’s status as one of the most original and compelling crime writers of our time.

• “A high concept whodunnit from one of the legends of crime fiction.”
  Steve Cavanagh, author of Two Kinds of Stranger
• “Elegantly constructed and stylishly executed, The Heights sees Ian Rankin dissect contemporary London in a deft, richly layered and tautly woven thriller with echoes of Dickens and Christie and which kept me guessing right to the end. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.”
  Chris Chibnall, author of Death at the White Hart
• “Terrific.”
  Mick Herron, author of Slow Horses
• “A brilliantly constructed mystery combining razor-sharp plotting with a compelling exploration of wealth, privilege and the secrets hidden behind luxury. 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, author of The Pinnacle
• “Rankin ingeniously combines straightforward police procedure with the flavor of a country house mystery here. The high-rise only has 11 permanent residents, so the people gathered at the owner’s party have that cozy, country house blend of strangers, intimates, and people with secrets and hidden ties thrown together and united by imminent danger. Detective Sergeant Gish, from a hardscrabble background far removed from this atmosphere of wealth and privilege, is a joy to watch.”
  Booklist (starred)
• “With his tightly controlled and professional storytelling, no reader needs to be sold on the merits of Ian Rankin, creator of DI John Rebus. The biggest mystery here is whether newcomer Gish will get a series of her own. Welcome to the Heights, aka the Depths.”
  Kirkus Reviews
• PRAISE FOR IAN RANKIN
  
  "Ian Rankin has become not just a master of the crime/mystery genre but one of the best in the world at what he does."
  BookReporter
• "There's no one like Ian Rankin for bringing us right into the world of detectives."
  Tana French
• "Ian Rankin is a genius."
  Lee Child
• "Rankin remains the most consistent practitioner of finely crafted, richly detailed, literary crime novels being produced today."
  Linwood Barclay
• "Rankin is one of the most significant social commentators of our time."
  Denise Mina