Ian Rankin Debuts Detective Gish in 'The Heights' — SkimNews
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- The Heights introduces a new lead character, DS Gillian Gish, who investigates the bludgeoned concierge of a Knightsbridge apartment block whose residents include the rich and famous with Chapman brothers artworks in the marble entrance hall.
- Ian Rankin says the crime fiction that interests him "is predominantly political," tackling "the mess we're in and how we got there," and cites 1970s detective Columbo as an influence for Gish, calling him "a socialist figure" who dismantles the overclass.
- Rankin, 66, says he and his wife Miranda now donate 30-40% of their net income each year to a charitable trust, run in part by their older son Jack, that focuses on smaller charities supporting young people and adults with special needs.
- Rankin's younger son Kit, now in his early 30s, has Angelman syndrome — a genetic condition causing severe learning difficulties, epilepsy, and vision problems — and lives in a care facility near the family, with all four meeting every Sunday.
- Rebus, last seen behind bars following the death of Big Ger Cafferty, will be freed through an appeal hearing, Rankin confirms: "He's obviously getting out. I have no doubt in my mind that's the happy ending."
- Rankin says he chose Knightsbridge over Edinburgh for the novel because "the wealth here is discreet" — you don't see the Rolls-Royces and Bugattis Veyrons that anchor the ultra-rich world he wanted to portray.
Why it matters: By replacing Edinburgh with Knightsbridge and introducing a new lead detective after 26 Rebus novels, Rankin marks his most significant stylistic pivot in decades. The disclosure that 30-40% of his income flows to a trust for charities serving people with special needs — including his own son Kit's Angelman syndrome — reframes his prolific crime-writing career as both a political statement and a personal commitment built around family caregiving.
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