The Rise: A Short Story
£1.90
In this short thriller from bestselling author Ian Rankin, murder comes to London’s most exclusive high-rise—and every resident is a suspect.
The Rise is a gleaming residential tower, newly constructed from steel and blackened glass, that stands on some of London’s most prestigious real estate. Looming imposingly over Hyde Park, only multi-millionaires need apply for one of its sumptuous apartments. But when the young night concierge is found murdered in the building’s lobby, the elite residents quickly find their gilded lifestyles under unwelcome police scrutiny.
Investigating officer DS Gish has her work cut out. The only suspects, those who live in the building, aren’t accustomed to police interrogation. But it seems horribly certain that one of them must be the killer. Could it be the Russian oligarch? Or the lonely actress? Maybe it’s the family of the career criminal? Or perhaps it’s the building’s reclusive developer who lives alone in the penthouse?
Obstructed continually by locked doors, governments both foreign and domestic, and an apparent absence of motive, can DS Gish solve this impenetrable mystery and apprehend the murderer—before they slip away forever?
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Additional information
| Publisher | Amazon Original Stories (1 Nov. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 2426 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 86 pages |
by Portybelle – Joanne
I really enjoyed this short story featuring DS Gish, set around a very exclusive and incredibly expensive apartment block in London. When the concierge is found murdered, suspicions fall on the residents. As well as all being mega-rich, it seems they all could have some reason why they might have wanted the concierge dead.
As the detectives start investigating and we learn more about each resident, I found myself really gripped by the story and keen to find out more. It might be a short story but there’s plenty happening and it’s certainly fast-paced! As always, I had no idea ‘whodunnit’ and would never have guessed in a month of Sundays!
I don’t know if the author has any plans to write any more stories featuring DS Gish or if this is a one off, but I would happily read more featuring this sharp-witted and tenacious detective. Small but perfectly formed, The Rise is a great short story perfect to while away a chilly afternoon.
by Brian R
Good ending to the story – didn’t see it coming at all. Up to Ian Rankin’s high standard, though I didn’t know he wrote short stories.
by Spicewalker
Sometimes, all you need is a quick read that will distract you and keep you entertained for a short while, and The Rise, by Ian Rankin, really hit the spot. I really enjoyed this short, sharp, thriller, two mysteries for the price of one as it turns out, and a prime example of how skilled the author is at his craft. In just a few short pages, relatively speaking, he drew me into the story, had me invested in its outcome, and surprised by the ending. Just what you want in a book, right?
It’s not easy creating the perfect short story or novella. Half of the power of a good thriller is that readers become interested in the characters. You don’t have to like them, but you have to care about what is going on in their world. That’s hard to achieve in a shorter novel as you have to establish plot and character in double time, and keep the balance between character overload and pacing just right. For me, it all worked well in this book and, whilst I might not have been completely enamoured of all of the characters we met, I did grow to like DS Gish really quickly, despite having little knowledge of her on a personal level. As one of the lead Detectives in this case, it was great to have that quick link to keep me tied into the story and wondering just how she was going to solve it.
This is a murder mystery – part of the mystery being just what the perpetrator was doing and what they wanted from the high rise residential complex of the book’s title. Talk about lifestyles of the rich and shameless – really the true target of this whole case could have been anyone. Gangsters, Arab Princesses, Actresses, Russian moguls, and Art Dealers. These are not your ordinary, everyday targets. Of course, it was not one of them who died, but their night concierge. I can’t say I felt much kinship with any of the targets, the author making it difficult to actually like them, but I was caught up in the puzzle. Add in a secondary investigation, one that certainly introduces a wealth of complications to an already mixed up case, and it ticked all the boxes for me.
The ending, simple but effective and a touch unexpected. Looking back, the clues were all there, and ‘hiding in plain sight’ couldn’t be a more appropriate description of the killer, or killers. A true ‘Detective’ novel with a keen sense of place, perfect timing, and a ‘robbery gone wrong’ style mystery, if you like short stories and novellas, I would definitely recommend this book.
by C Knight
Who killed Dwayne?? Why did they kill Dwayne??? The two questions DS Gish has to finish the answers to!!
As Gish (unusual for a female detective to be known by her surname, but that’s by the by) digs and asks the awkward questions, she delves into the complex lives of the residents of The Rise – what a can of worms she opens!!! Rankin wove a very intricate tale about these residents which set this armchair detective in many different directions very quickly.
I really liked Gish, she’s tenacious in her investigative style. I want to see more from this police detective! She’s so determined in her attitude!
I rather enjoyed this Rebus departure from Rankin. The story had pace, it had to being a novella; but I felt I went through a full novel in Gish’s investigation. I really hope this is a new series from Rankin ????????
by Zac’s Mum
A man lies dead in the lobby of an exclusive, high-rise apartment block in London, and each of the residents is a suspect. Who would want the night concierge dead? What was the point? With some many rich, influential people in living in the building, wouldn’t they be a more natural target?
Then, as DS Gish is getting to grips with the dilemma she faces, another body is discovered.
A police procedural, this novella contains all the twists, the turns and the characterisations that we have come to expect from Ian Rankin. It takes a skilled author to write this type of story in less than 100 pages, but Rankin manages it. I didn’t guess the ending, and while it tied up all the loose ends, I was left wanting to know what happened next.
by Colin Murtagh
A fun short story that is certainly a step away from Rankins usual beat. Following on from an attempted break in, leading to a murder in a high class apartment block, DI Jack Milton and DS Gillian Gish take on the case, to try and work out what has happened and why. It’s Rankin, so it’s very well written, with believable characters. Even in less than 90 pages, he still manages to knit together a neat little police procedural, even if it’s not based in Edinburgh.
by PeterMar
Starts very interesting and engaging and somehow fading at the end as if it was wrapped up by another writer.
by Kez
The Rise is a prestigious residential tower block over looking London’s Hyde Park. But when a security guard is found murdered in the buildings lobby the elite residents quickly find themselves under suspicion. The suspects range from a Russian oligarch, an actress, a career criminal to a buildings developer.
The Rise is a short story, a couple of hours reading, the length of the story fits in with the 48 hour time span the detectives take to solve the crime. Rankin maintains a good pace as he attempts to send you off into different directions regarding the culprit. However I have to admit I did work out fairly early on who did it. But despite this it is worth a read. It is entertaining and not a bad whodunnit.