# Fleshmarket Close > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Fleshmarket_Close > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Fleshmarket_Close.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleshmarket_Close > Source revision: 1332161452 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 2004 crime novel by Ian Rankin This article is about the Ian Rankin crime novel. For the page about the street linking Waverley Station and Cockburn Street in Edinburgh, Scotland, see [Fleshmarket Close, Edinburgh](/source/Fleshmarket_Close%2C_Edinburgh). Fleshmarket Close First edition Author Ian Rankin Language English Series Inspector Rebus Genre Detective fiction Publisher Orion Books Publication date 2004 Publication place Scotland Media type Print (hardback & paperback) Pages 399 pp ISBN 0-7528-5112-8 OCLC 57380705 Preceded by A Question of Blood Followed by The Naming of the Dead ***Fleshmarket Close*** is a 2004 [crime novel](/source/Crime_novel) by [Ian Rankin](/source/Ian_Rankin). It is the fifteenth of the [Inspector Rebus](/source/Inspector_Rebus) novels. It was released in the US under the title *Fleshmarket Alley*.[1] The novel was the basis for the second episode in the second *[Rebus](/source/Rebus_(2000_TV_series))* television series starring [Ken Stott](/source/Ken_Stott), which was aired in 2006.[2] ## Background *Fleshmarket Close* is named after a real [close](/source/Alley#Other_terms) in Edinburgh between the [High Street](/source/The_Royal_Mile) and Market Street, crossing [Cockburn Street](/source/Cockburn_Street).[3] "Fleshmarket" is the [Scots](/source/Scots_language) term for [a butcher's market](/source/Butcher).[4] The author has stated that the reason for the change of title for the US release was the publisher's belief that a US public might not be familiar with the term "close".[1] ## Plot summary [Detective Inspector John Rebus](/source/Detective_Inspector_John_Rebus) has no desk to work from, as a hint from his superiors that he should consider retirement, but he and his protégée [Siobhan Clarke](/source/Detective_Sergeant_Siobhan_Clarke) are still investigating some seemingly unconnected cases. The sister of a dead rape victim is missing; skeletons turn up embedded in a concrete floor; a [Kurdish](/source/Kurd) journalist is brutally murdered; and the son of a [Glasgow](/source/Glasgow) gangster has moved into the Edinburgh vice scene.[5] The book uses two new settings: a [sink estate](/source/Sink_estate) divided between the indigenous population and refugees (based on [Wester Hailes](/source/Wester_Hailes)),[6] and a small town whose economy is dominated by an internment camp for [asylum seekers](/source/Asylum_seekers) (based on [Dungavel](/source/Dungavel)). ## Themes The novel deals with themes of immigration, asylum seekers and the outsider as well as those of "community and shared history and people who don’t fit in."[7] Critics have also spoken of the "relationship between crime and location," and the author's portrayal of the darker side of Edinburgh.[3] *[Publishers Weekly](/source/Publishers_Weekly)* says: "Rebus remains one of the more compelling characters in crime fiction—and Rebus's Edinburgh one of the more compelling settings."[8] ## Reception The book was enthusiastically received, with *[Kirkus Reviews](/source/Kirkus_Reviews)* commenting on the "rich and complex" plotting, and calling the Rebus series "the best thing to come out of Scotland since single malt."[9] ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) ["SCOTS - Interview 09: Ian Rankin on Rebus"](https://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/document/?documentid=1383). *www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk*. Retrieved 21 April 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Joseph, Joe (7 March 2006). "Magnetic Stott has pulling power". *The Times*. No. 68641. p. 115. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0140-0460](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0140-0460). 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_3-1) Mullan, John (26 August 2006). ["Watching the detectives"](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/aug/26/ianrankin). *The Guardian*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0261-3077](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077). Retrieved 21 April 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Dictionaries of the Scots Language:: SND :: plowt n3"](https://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/plowt_n3). Retrieved 21 April 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Berlins, Marcel (16 October 2004). "...Or was she pushed? (Crime fiction)". *The Times*. No. 68208. p. 105. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0140-0460](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0140-0460). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Barker, Paul (28 September 2005). "Ever get that sinking feeling?". *The Times*. No. 68504. p. 106. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0140-0460](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0140-0460). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Ian Rankin on Fleshmarket Close | Crime Time"](https://www.crimetime.co.uk/Ian-Rankin-on-Fleshmarket-Close/). Retrieved 21 April 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["FLESHMARKET ALLEY: An Inspector Rebus Novel by Ian Rankin"](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780316095655). *www.publishersweekly.com*. 21 April 2025. Retrieved 21 April 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** [*FLESHMARKET ALLEY | Kirkus Reviews*](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ian-rankin/fleshmarket-alley/). v t e Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus series Novels Knots and Crosses Hide and Seek Tooth and Nail Strip Jack The Black Book Mortal Causes Let it Bleed Black & Blue The Hanging Garden Dead Souls Set in Darkness The Falls Resurrection Men A Question of Blood Fleshmarket Close The Naming of the Dead Exit Music Standing in Another Man's Grave Saints of the Shadow Bible Even Dogs in the Wild Rather Be the Devil In a House of Lies A Song for the Dark Times A Heart Full of Headstones Midnight and Blue Short story collections A Good Hanging and Other Stories The Beat Goes On Characters John Rebus Television Rebus (2000–07) "Strip Jack" "Resurrection Men" "The First Stone" "The Naming of the Dead" Rebus (2024–present) Stage Long Shadows v t e Works by Ian Rankin Novels The Flood (1986) Knots and Crosses (1987) Watchman (1988) Westwind (1990) Hide and Seek (1991) Tooth and Nail (1992) Strip Jack (1992) The Black Book (1993) Witch Hunt (1993) Mortal Causes (1994) Bleeding Hearts (1994) Let It Bleed (1995) Blood Hunt (1995) Black & Blue (1997) The Hanging Garden (1998) Dead Souls (1999) Set in Darkness (2000) The Falls (2001) Resurrection Men (2002) A Question of Blood (2003) Fleshmarket Close (2004) The Naming of the Dead (2006) Exit Music (2007) Doors Open (2008) A Cool Head (2009, Quick Reads) The Complaints (2009) The Impossible Dead (2011) Standing in Another Man's Grave (2012) Saints of the Shadow Bible (2013) Even Dogs in the Wild (2015) Rather Be the Devil (2016) In a House of Lies (2018) A Song for the Dark Times (2020) The Dark Remains (2021; with William McIlvanney) A Heart Full of Headstones (2022) Midnight and Blue (2024) Short story collections A Good Hanging and Other Stories (1992) Beggars Banquet (2002) The Beat Goes On (2014) Plays Dark Road (2013) Long Shadows (2018) Short stories Death is Not the End (1998) Related articles Inspector Rebus Authority control databases MusicBrainz work Open Library 2 This article about a crime novel of the 2000s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. See guidelines for writing about novels. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:2000s-crime-novel-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3A2000s-crime-novel-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:2000s-crime-novel-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Fleshmarket Close](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleshmarket_Close) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleshmarket_Close?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.