Renowned Scottish crime novelist Sir Ian Rankin has revealed that he was once approached to write an official James Bond novel but ultimately declined the offer due to financial reasons. The invitation came a few years ago from the estate of Bond creator Ian Fleming, which entrusted Rankin with the opportunity to contribute to the iconic spy series. Despite having a strong concept for the story, Rankin said he was offered only half of the royalties for the finished work, a condition that led him to reject the proposal.
Rankin explained that his reasoning aligned closely with that of fellow thriller writer Lee Child, known for the Jack Reacher series. Child has publicly refused similar offers to write Bond novels, citing the disadvantage of sharing royalties when he controls the entirety of his own work. In 2008, Child declined several invitations to produce officially licensed Bond books for this reason.
The Edinburgh-based author, best known for his Detective Inspector John Rebus series, also discussed the future of his long-running character. Now approaching 80 in the novels, Rankin said he envisages potentially passing Rebus on to another writer. He particularly mentioned Richard Osman, whose popular The Thursday Murder Club series features a group of elderly amateur detectives, calling Rebus “the maverick” fit to join that literary world. Rankin noted that, unlike Child, he does not have a family member interested in continuing his work—his son has shown no interest in writing—and therefore the baton might eventually be taken up by an external author.
Rankin’s latest book, The Heights, marks his first standalone thriller in two decades, shifting setting from the gritty tenements of Edinburgh to the luxurious high-rises inhabited by London’s ultra-wealthy. While he has not personally mingled with billionaires, he drew on accounts from investigative journalists who explore the lives of the financial elite.
Recounting one of his earliest encounters with law enforcement, Rankin recalled that during research for his debut Rebus novel, Knots and Crosses, he inadvertently became a suspect in a real murder investigation. As a postgraduate student in Edinburgh, he had sought police assistance to ensure his story was authentic. However, when visiting a police station to gather information, the officers advised a role-playing exercise in which Rankin’s personal information was entered into their system as part of an ongoing inquiry into the disappearance of a girl. The event left a lasting impression on the author, who said that experience deterred him from further police interactions for several years.