🔥🔥🔥 Publication date: 8 October 2026 🔥🔥🔥
"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."
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Solid but didn't quite grab me
Having never read any of Ian Rankin's work before, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when picking up The Heights, but given how hugely popular he is in the crime world, I was definitely curious. Unfortunately, while I can see why so many people rate him, this particular book just didn't grab me.
The plot itself is clever but there were too many characters and I found the story a bit of a slog to get through in parts. The pacing felt quite slow to build up and I struggled to get properly invested in the characters or what was happening. I kept waiting for that spark to kick things into high gear for me, but it stayed at a fairly steady, slow burn all the way through.
That being said, the writing is solid and he creates a really believable atmosphere with a strong sense of place. It certainly wasn't a terrible read by any means, but it just lacked the grip and excitement that I usually look for in a thriller.
Overall, while it didn't quite hit the mark for me, fans of slower crime stories might enjoy it a lot more than I did.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for enabling me to read an advanced copy and share my honest thoughts.
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