The Librarians' Q&A: The Heights by Ian Rankin

July 9th 2026

In the latest Librarians' Q&A we catch up with Ian Rankin, four times Crime Writers' Association Dagger Awards recipient, ahead of the publication of his first standalone thriller in two decades The Heights. This is a brand-new full-length novel, expanded from the previously published short story The Rise.

As a lead ambassador for the National Year of Reading 2026, Ian tells us more about the campaign, the importance of literacy and the benefits of adult literacy in particular.

Your upcoming book The Heights is a new full-length novel, expanded from the previously published short story The Rise. What made you decide to revisit this story now?

When I wrote the original short story, I enjoyed the setting, plot and characters and felt there was more I could do with all of them.  Sometimes you don’t get the chance to revisit or expand a work, but everyone I spoke to said how much they liked my detective, Gillian Gish, and that they would like to see her again in future. That got the gears moving in my brain.

What’s your writing routine like?

When I’m working on a book, I like to write seven days a week. That way I’m much less likely to forget things or slacken the pacing. The first draft is really the skeleton of the book – does everything join together convincingly? The second draft adds flesh in terms of character development and fixing things that weren’t quite right. The third draft is a further refinement, usually taking on board advice from my wife, agent and editor.

You famously donated your literary archive to the National Library of Scotland: what’s your relationship with libraries? Do you think public libraries are important, and what was the last book you borrowed?

Where I grew up – a mining village in Fife in the 1960s – there was no bookshop, but we did have a small, well-stocked library. I haunted that place, always taking out the maximum number of books allowed. These days I tend to use libraries for research (looking up old newspapers for example), though my wife still borrows regularly from our local library. The last books I borrowed would have been guide books to Japan, which we visited recently.

Was there a person in your life who particularly inspired you to read? Are there any fiction writers or books you’ve been inspired by?

No one in particular inspired me to read, I just loved reading. I used to buy as many comics (Dandy, Beano etc) as I could afford and that was me on the first rung of the literacy ladder.  I did have a succession of really good English teachers at my various schools, and I also had an uncle who told my parents not to be embarrassed by my love of comics: “It doesn’t matter what Ian’s reading, just so long as he’s reading!” As to authors, I have been inspired by so many. Muriel Spark and Robert Louis Stevenson, to name two – and both of them from Edinburgh! And in crime fiction, the Scottish author William McIlvanney.

2026 is the National Year of Reading and you are a lead ambassador. What have you enjoyed most about this campaign so far and what are you looking forward to?

The best thing about the campaign perhaps is that it has got us talking about reading!  Literacy is not something that can be taken for granted, and people need to be reminded that it is fun as well as being good for your well-being. I’ve accompanied Her Majesty Queen Camilla to a couple of library events in Edinburgh and it was a joy to see her connect with so many children who were so obviously enjoying the library environment and its many treasures. What am I looking forward to?  More of the same – but also maybe some focus on adult literacy. I support a charity that connects homeless people with books and helps them acquire reading skills, and I’ve also visited a local prison to talk about the importance of literacy. Reading can be therapeutic and stimulating at any stage of life and no matter what the circumstances.

How do you choose your next read?

How do I choose my next read? Sometimes word of mouth, or an intriguing review in a newspaper or magazine. Sometimes it’s the latest from a favourite writer (Ian McEwan; Maggie O’Farrell). Occasionally a book I’ve not read in years whispers to me from the shelf and I heed its call. A couple of years back I was on a cruise ship and had finished all the books I’d taken with me. I saw The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth in the ship’s library and decided to give it a go – it was the best novel I’d read in a long time!

What are your reading habits? Do they change when you’re writing?

I read most when I’m travelling. It’s either that or last thing at night. I don’t read much when I’m writing a book of my own – I’m always worried I’ll subconsciously ‘borrow’ a plot-line or character!

The Heights is your first standalone thriller in two decades, can readers expect to see more?  What’s next – do you have any other projects coming up?

What is coming after The Heights? I’ve no idea. Hopefully another novel. Maybe Inspector Rebus.     

I’m definitely slowing down as I get older, and writing doesn’t get any easier. But then what else am I going to do…? 

The Heights The Heights: a gleaming, high-end high-rise looming over Hyde Park. Newly built from steel and smoked glass, a billionaire's playground offering sumptuous suites for the global elite. But when a night concierge is found murdered in the lobby, the building's rarefied atmosphere is shattered, and the gilded lives within come under intense police scrutiny. In a world designed to keep prying eyes out, where the residents are not used to being held to account, born-and-bred Londoner Detective Gillian Gish must find a way past their power, wealth and unimaginable influence. The rules may be different at the top - but is anyone truly above the law? Or could it be that the higher you rise, the further you fall...? DISCOVER

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