An immigrant is murdered at the Edinburgh housing project where he had been living, sending DI John Rebus on a quest to uncover the depths of racism, human trafficking and illegal housing schemes. Meanwhile, DS Siobhan Clarke is asked to locate a missing woman, the sister of a girl who had been raped and subsequently committed suicide; the rapist has just been freed from prison and the woman’s parents are worried for her safety. When another murder occurs, the separate inquiries start to overlap, in ways surprising to all…. The issues of illegal immigration and human trafficking seem never to go on the back burner; they are just as relevant in 2023 as they were when Mr. Rankin published this book in 2004, and unfortunately just as intractable. The relationships between Rebus and others in the police force are somewhat muted in this outing, but the humanity of all the characters (especially the refugees) is, as ever, front and center and well worth noting. Recommended. ( )

En un barrio de viviendas protegidas de Edimburgo, aparece asesinado un sin papeles. ¿Se trata de una agresión racista o de algo muy distinto? Es un caso que, sin duda, interesa a Rebus, que se encuentra en ese momento rodeado de problemas: han cerrado su antigua comisaría y sus jefes querrían que se retirara. Pero Rebus es más terco que nadie. Durante las indagaciones, visita un centro de detención para inmigrantes, trata con el sórdido mundo del hampa de Edimburgo y probablemente acabe enamorándose. Siobhan, por otra parte, tiene sus propios problemas. Una joven de dieciocho años ha desaparecido de casa y ella se siente obligada a ayudar a los padres, lo que implica acercarse más de lo debido a un violador convicto. Está, además, involucrada en otro caso, el de los dos esqueletos de mujer y de niño enterrados bajo el suelo de cemento de un sótano en el callejón Fleshmarket, un asunto que alguien quiere que salte a los medios, pero, ¿quién y por qué? ¿Existe alguna relación entre este caso y el del barrio de pisos baratos de Knoxland?

Forse non è il miglior romanzo che vede protagonista l'ispettore John Rebus, vista una trama abbastanza lenta e scontata.
E 'però da segnalare per il cambio caratteriale del protagonista, più ammorbidito del solito e più disposto a cercare conforti femminili: vedremo se nei libri successivi proseguirà questa tendenza. ( )

I've come late to Ian Rankin and the Rebus novels (in more ways than one), and I was warned that in starting with 'Fleshmarket Close' I would be pitched into a well-established character and backstory. But I'd recently come to understand that the author was friends with two other writers whose work I admire - Ken MacLeod and Iain Banks - and so I felt I needed to complete my education.

I need not have worried. Rankin is so at home with his characters that by this 15th book in the series, he does not feel the need to tell, but can show instead. I quickly picked up on most of Rebus and Siobhan's character traits, and what I didn't know I could reasonably easily fill in. After all, Rebus is a Saab driver (like me), I have visited Edinburgh a few times, and I have worked with Scots on many occasions. This was all quite familiar to me.

The plot concerned two apparently unrelated cases, one of which doesn't seem to be a crime at all. But others get drawn into the picture until we have a tapestry that makes an unpleasant big picture when you stand back from it. Perhaps there's a lot of interconnectedness between the cases that might stretch credulity a bit, but this is a thriller novel after all; what would be the point of a crime novel where there was only one victim, their circumstances lacked complications and the steps leading to the apprehension of their killer were straightforward matters of filling in the boxes to see what answer pops out?

The book is shot through with Scots humour and the detail of Edinburgh police bureaucracy is particularly telling. Do not make the mistake of getting on the wrong side of the Edinburgh Drugs Squad! ( )

Ein illegaler Einwanderer wird ermordet in einer Edinburgher Sozialsiedlung gefunden – ein Mord mit rassistischem Hintergrund oder etwas ganz anderes? Die Spuren führen Inspector Rebus geradewegs in die Edinburgher Unterwelt. Unterdessen kümmert sich Siobhan Clarke um den Fall eines verschwundenen Mädchens, und auch sie taucht bei ihren Ermittlungen in die dunkelsten Winkel der Stadt ein. Hier, in den Kneipen und Bars des Rotlichtbezirks, halten ein paar Männer alle Fäden in der Hand. Und die sehen es gar nicht gerne, wenn Rebus und Siobhan Clarke ihre Kreise stören …