Fleshmarket Alley [Hardcover]

Ian Rankin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Inspector Rebus Mysteries | Publication Date: February 2, 2005

An illegal immigrant is found murdered in an Edinburgh housing scheme. Rebus is drawn into the case, but has other problems: his old police station has closed for business, and his masters would rather he retire than stick around. But as Rebus investigates, he must deal with the sleazy Edinburgh underworld, and maybe even fall in love.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Edinburgh of Insp. John Rebus has more than its share of violent crimes involving drugs and gangs, but there's always another layer of institutional vice and corruption. As Rebus says, "[W]e spend most of our time chasing something called 'the underworld,' but it's the overworld we should really be keeping an eye on." In Edgar-winner Rankin's 15th novel to feature the moody, dogged detective (after 2004's A Question of Blood), a Kurdish refugee's death in a dreary housing estate leads Rebus into a labyrinthine plot involving a modern-day version of the slave trade. As has been the trend in recent Rebus novels, colleague Siobhan Clarke assumes a more central role, this time investigating the disappearance of the sister of a rape victim who later committed suicide. These mysteries begin to intertwine when Rebus and Clarke are called to a pub on Fleshmarket Close where two skeletons have been exhumed. As always, Rankin is deft with characterization and wit, but here he juggles too many narrative balls. The story lines are slow to gestate, and their complexity undermines the book's momentum. Still, Rebus remains one of the more compelling characters in crime fiction—and Rebus's Edinburgh one of the more compelling settings.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine

In Fleshmarket Alley (after 2004’s A Question of Blood, ***1/2 May/June 2004, and the Edgar Award-winning Resurrection Men), Rankin deals with horrific subjects: illegal immigration, racism, political asylum, bureaucracy, detention housing, and a networked criminal underworld. Described as "the Dickens of Edinburgh," Rankin explores the city’s fleshmarket—the trade in humans and plight of asylum seekers. His expertly plotted crimes come together as usual, and their confluence provides some of the book’s memorable moments. A great ear for dialogue and a deep look into the psychology of everyone from cops to murderers illuminate Edinburgh society. Even some formulaic elements barely dampened critical response to Rebus’s latest adventure.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; First Edition edition (February 2, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316095656
• ISBN-13: 978-0316095655
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.4 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #508,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A THINKING MAN'S THRILLER - VERY WELL READ, February 11, 2005

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fleshmarket Alley (Inspector Rebus Series) (Audio Cassette)

Inspector John Rebus, created by Edgar-Award winning author Ian Rankin, has won a legion of followers who cannot wait for the next Scotland based mystery involving the hardened, perspicacious detective. He's known for a bit of sardonic wit and a sleeve full of surprises.

Michael Page reads this, the 15th Rebus novel, with thorough understanding of the pivotal character, and segues nicely into the voice of his colleague Siobhan Clarke.

One would think that after years of covering city streets infested with crime and scoundrels there would be little to cause the flicker of an eyelash from Rebus. Not so. The murder of a refugee in a seedy building precedes a scenario more frightening than the battle scarred detective could ever have imagined. That building is only one in an area that holds more than dens of prostitution but has become a hub for the slave trade, which the government often chooses to ignore. Those seeking sanctuary are sold to the highest bidder for cheap labor.

While Rebus is confronted with a tangled web of killings, listeners are confronted with a reminder of man's inhumanity to man.

As often is the case, Rankin and Rebus present a thinking man's thriller ably read by Michael Page.

- Gail Cooke

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rebus, We're Starting To Know You, January 28, 2005

By 

prisrob "pris," (New England USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fleshmarket Alley (Hardcover)

Ian Rankin starts his new book with this quote: "It is to Scotland that we look for our ideas of civilisation" (Voltaire)

John Rebus finds himself ensconced in a murder mystery- a Kurdish immigrant is found murdered in a housing development called Knoxland. Rebus's original police station has closed, and he is trying to find a place for himself. His reputation precedes him; he is known as a troublemaker or trouble finder and not an easy person to deal with. He is also known as someone who is trustworthy and honest (well, to a degree). He must push himself into this investigation, and as always Rebus finds the truth and a little more. Rebus is a kinder, gentler man in this novel. He attempts to develop a relationship with an artist who is fighting to have an immigrant detention center closed. However, Rebus is the enemy so to speak, so this relationship is not an easy one. Rebus is also watching his drink, not really drinking less but watching it; so he has developed a real social conscience- he doesn't drive while drinking.

In the meantime Siobhan Clarke, Detective Sergeant, a close friend of Rebus's has developed her own mystery. She is asked by parents to look for their daughter, Ishbel Jardine. Siobhan had been involved in an attempt to solve the crime of their older daughter's rape and subsequent suicide. Now this younger daughter has gone missing, and the parents are worried. She is drawn into the search and then to find the murderer of this first daughter's rapist.

Both of these mysteries have close ties, and Rebus and Siobhan work together. Is the murder of the immigrant a racist plot? The twists and turns lead to a mass immigrant con game with big money at the core. The disappearance of the young girl leads to consequences not expected.

The relationship between John Rebus and Siohban Clarke has been innocent but friendly and now something more is hinted. These two understand each other and have a close working relationship, but could something closer work for the two of them? I enjoyed this book as much or more than the others. However that said, the history of Rebus and Siohban gives us insight into how their personalities have developed and changed. A wonderfully written and perceptive book. Recommend highly. prisrob

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A look at the seamier side of Scotland., March 19, 2005

By 

E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fleshmarket Alley (Hardcover)

In "Fleshmarket Alley," by Ian Rankin, Detective Inspector John Rebus and Detective Sergeant Siobhan Clarke join forces to find the killer of a recent immigrant, the whereabouts of a missing young woman, and the origin of two skeletons found under a cement floor. Does Scotland bring to mind kilts, bagpipes, and bonnie lassies? Well, think again. According to Rankin, Glasgow is one of the murder capitals of the world. "Fleshmarket Alley" is filled with gangsters, racists, sexual predators, and more than a few common criminals.

John Rebus is close to being put out to pasture. Since his bosses have no use for him, he finds himself in Knoxland, a run-down, fetid, and crime-ridden housing development in Edinburgh. Knoxland has become a dumping ground for desperate refugees seeking asylum in Scotland; it is now a crime scene where an unidentified man was brutally stabbed to death. Meanwhile, a desperate couple has enlisted Siobhan to find their eighteen-year-old daughter, Ishbel, who packed a bag a week earlier and disappeared without a word.

Rebus is an inspector of the old school. He has a wide range of contacts, both legitimate and shady, whom he calls upon for inside information. It is amazing that Rebus can take a breath or stand up, since he seems to smoke and drink constantly. However, he is as sharp as ever, and what he lacks in youth, he makes up for in instinct, experience, and dogged persistence.

"Fleshmarket Alley" is a frank and disturbing look at the seamier side of Scotland. Rankin's characters range from racists who want all immigrants to go back "where they came from" to greedy opportunists who enrich themselves at the refugees' expense. As Rebus and Clarke work on their cases, they interview potential eyewitnesses as well as wealthy flesh peddlers and street thugs. However, the two detectives both find that their investigations are too complex to yield quick and simple solutions.

Rankin's dialogue in this novel is hard-edged and laced with dark humor; his plotting is intricate and involving. He skillfully and compassionately explores the problems of immigrants who seek refuge in a country where they are unwanted. As always, Rankin writes credibly about the politics, tedium, and often frustrating futility of police work. Rebus makes for a terrific anti-hero, and Siobhan Clarke is an excellent foil for him. "Fleshmarket Alley" is uncompromising and sometimes unpleasant to read, but it paints a realistic picture of the criminal activity that accompanies the troubling social problems plaguing Scotland today.