Denzil Meyrick delivers as ever with another start to a new series. He’s never failed yet and Is one of the most consistent writers out there today.

This new series focus on protagonist DI Salt, an officer who investigates when crimes are committed against the wishes of a person's will after death.

Fast paced and packed with twists, there is lots of wit and humour along with a great crime read which tells the story of a billionaire family who feel they’ve had the dirty done on them when their father passes away leavimg them nothing.

This allows for a great story, full of unpleasant characters and deviousness. It’s clever , it’s fun and Meyrick,s delightful writing style just makes reading an easy pleasure.

A sure fire hit from one of the best writers in the UK today.

This is an action packed thriller with a great plot and an empathetic DI, Cara Salt. The plot moves along at a cracking pace and the twist at the end took me by surprise. I don’t usually read books of this genre, but this held my attention to the end.

Sebastian Pallander dies live on TV and when his will is read, his family are unhappy with what they are given.
Then his youngest son is blown up seemingly whilst trying to destroy a wind turbine.
DI Cara Salt, who is currently keeping her head down and working in an obscure department, is told by the ACC that she needs to investigate alongside her new DS Abernethy Blackstock.
When things start to get complicated and the bodies start piling up, she isn't sure who to trust.
I liked this, it was a slow start, but gathered momentum and kept me engrossed.

Absolutely brilliant - what a compelling read! It has everything: strong, defined characters, suspense, pace and drama.
Nothing in this novel is what it seems,,, and DI Cara Salt is a complex character with interesting history who has to pick this mystery apart. The setting of Scotland is magical and eery, providing the perfect location for the final act to unfold. With twists and turns aplenty, this read evokes ‘Succession’ and delivers brilliantly.
With many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

After wealthy Sebastian Pallander passes he leaves behind his billion pound estate. His family are surprised and angered to have received nothing like they expected. When one of the children is killed it becomes apparent that someone may be killing for the inheritance. DI Salt and DS Blackstock must work together to investigate.

This is my first book by this author so I didn’t know what to expect. I was pleased to read a clever, complex story with well written (although unlikeable) characters. I enjoyed DI Salt’s character and although a standalone at the moment, can see this working as a series.

The storyline is fairly fast paced, however did slow a bit in sections, with a lot of action scenes to keep you gripped to the pages. By the end of the novel you are hit with plenty of twists and turns. Overall an entertaining read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

I really enjoy Denzils books and this one is no exception.

It kept me gripped from beginning to end and I loved it

Thank you for the opportunity to review

This is a very exciting, fast paced story. I found the characters all very unpleasant- which I think I was mostly supposed to! ? Though I did like DI Salt.

The story is excellent, it’s very fast paced, and a lot happens - very quickly.

There are a good number of twists and turns, overall, this is an exciting, page turner!

My thanks to Netgalley and Transworld, Penguin Random House for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sebastian Pallander dies suddenly. Some time later, the family (widow Elizabeth, brother in law Charles Stuart-Henderson and his five children - Silas, Tabitha, Alicia, twins Jean-Luc and Audrey) meet in (Tom Bristow) the lawyer's office for the reading of the will. However, they are shocked at their inheritances. DI Cara Salt, who works in a little known police department called Succession, Inheritance and Executory Department (SIE) in Glasgow. Their role is to look into wills and possession of property. Then one day, ACC Dixon calls Cara and her partner, DS Abenethy Blackstock to his office to ask them to investigate the mysterious death of Jean-Luc and to look into the Pallander's background. The story is well written and very descriptive. As I was reading the book, I felt a sense of urgency and a few nail biting moments where I wanted to scream "No"! It was unputdownable and I read the book in one day. All the sub plots were brought together to a climatic ending! I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to netGalley, the author and publisher for an arc. I'm always excited to read a new book from Denzil Meyrick. 'The Estate' is an extremely enjoyable fast paced, mystery/police procedural set mainly in Scotland. DI Cara Salt is brought in to investigate the estate of the late billionaire Sebastian Pallander. As per usual the author has given us a somewhat complex plot full of twists and turns, well rounded believeable characters, and all peppered with his trademark Scottish humour/banter. Hopefully there's more to come from DI Salt in the not too distant future. Happy to recommend and give it 5 stars!

I really enjoyed this book til I'd finished it. There was some interesting characters. There were several twists some of which I guessed early on. Unless I missed some subtleties, the plot didn't hold together once all was explained. Without giving any spoilers, I just felt that certain actions were unnecessary or would never achieve the ultimate aim.
I awarded 3 stars - 4 for the enjoyable book but minus one for the holes in the plot.

Great characters and terrific storylines is what Denzil Meyrick is best known for. And in D.I. Cara Salt, he has found an absolute corker of a character.

D.I. Salt was on the up in Glasgow’s Serious Crime Squad until she, somewhat unfortunately, shot a fellow officer. That had regrettable repercussions on both her career and her personal life. Now she sits in a small office in a tenement above a shop where she is Head of the Succession, Inheritance, and Executory department of said Serious Crime Squad. It’s pretty much a stolid, paper based job that keeps her out of trouble.

Sebastian Pallander is founder and CEO of Pallander Glossop, a well established hedge fund with some very elite clients. He has a castle in the Highlands where his wife Elizabeth lives, having raised 5 children in her family’s seat. Sebastien is in Davos for the World Economic Summit, being interviewed for the TV programme, Money Matters, but takes ill and dies mid-interview.

In a reminder of Succession, Sebastian’s grown children are seriously at odds with each other. The eldest, Silas, is a weak and mewling pup, while his sister, Tabitha has the brains and the balls in the family. Tabitha is expecting great things from the will; her father was grooming her to take over as CEO.

But his will comes as a huge and unwelcome shock to his family. They expected millions but received only a fraction of that while Tabitha’s expectations are shattered when she finds that her father has handed the company’s reins over to his Executive in charge of the Swiss arm of Pallander Glossop. It’s like a slap in the face for Tabitha.

Then one of the Pallander twins is killed at the site of a wind farm. Jean-Luc was an eco-activist and not always a big fan of his father’s investment portfolio. Coming hot on the heels of Pallander Sr.’s death, Cara and her new DS, Abernethy Blackstock (whom, much to his consternation she decides to call ‘Abs’) are asked to take a look at the Pallander family and the set-up of the will.

Given that the family haven’t actually inherited all that much, it’s hard to see what motive they might have for being involved in Jean-Luc’s death, which appears to have been self-inflicted ; the supposition being that the bomb he was planting went off prematurely.

But there remains the question of exactly where the Pallander fortune has gone and who has benefitted? With the Pallander family in disarray, who wants the company’s fortune and what will they do to get it?

Here Meyrick has constructed a beautifully tangled plot with a whole host of people you don’t know whether to trust. There are plots within plots, suspense, high octane action, and even a spectacular chase. The relationship between Cara Salt and ‘Abs’ starts off well though she is surprised when he is outed as part of the aristocracy by Elizabeth Pallander. Abs has hidden layers that constantly surprise Cara as she spends more time with him.

Then there’s Sorley. Sorley is an ex-cop and he and Cara have a very spiky relationship; the kind where they jibe at each other whenever they meet, and when they do there’s a tension in the air that never goes away.

Although The Estate is a rip-roaring page turner, it also harbours the traditional Meyrick humour. I swear if you could see him writing, his tongue would be firmly in his cheek. It is those moments of levity and wicked humour that make the book sparkle as well as lifting the tension for a bit.

Verdict: Meyrick has produced a fast paced, spellbinding novel with topical overtones as he digs into the world of corporate greed, Russian money laundering, corruption at every level and uses it to create a fantastic family drama. Intricately plotted, great fun and full of twists, turns and entanglements, this is a rip-roaring thriller with a special sparkle. More of Cara please – she’s definitely worth her salt!

An author I follow avidly and this standalone story demonstrates exactly why. Main character DI Cara Salt languishing in some backwater department is suddenly thrust into a major investigation following the death of a Hedge Fund CEO who is both seriously rich and was also under investigation. His family are then targeted forcing the pace of the investigation and DI Salt has a new DS to contend with. If only she hadn’t shot the man she loved, a now former policeman!
There’s the ingredients and I assure you the ending is the icing on the cake!

I am a HUGE fan of this author's DCI Daley series of books, most of which I have listened to and I also read, and loved, the first in his new series featuring Frank Grasby - Murder at Holly House. So... it was pretty much a no brainer that I went into this book knowing that I would also love it just as much. And I Did... very much so...
We begin with a news broadcast in which head of his on financial empire, Sebastian Pallander starts to behave a wee bit off. And then, live on air, he keels over and dies. His family are torn apart, not just from their loss, but also the way he treated them in his will. His oldest daughter, Tabitha, being ousted from her job within the company, having previously been favourite to replace him as head. Oldest son also losing the job he had worked hard at all these years. They and the three other siblings only given meagre payouts, considering his great wealth...
And then, youngest son, Jean-Luc is killed in weird circumstances. He appears to have possibly, inadvertently, blown himself up whilst placing a bomb during an activist outing. It's a bit of a blood bath, with body parts scattered asunder.
Meanwhile, we meet DI Cara Salt of the Succession, Inheritance, and Executory branch of Glasgow's serious crime squad (who knew, right). She has found herself there due to her shooting someone she shouldn't have. A situation that has more personal repercussions too. As we first meet her, she is also meeting her new Sergeant, the greatly named DS Abernathy Blackstock. But just as the two of them are doing the meet and greet thing, she is called in to investigate Jean-Luc's suspected murder...
And so begins an interconnected and convoluted tale which had me running round chasing my tail as I tried to work out what in the heck was going on... With everything that was happening my head was literally spinning as I tried to work out who was what and whether I was rooting for the wrong person. I gave up in the end and just went with the flow and had a cracking time ooing and aahing as the author delivered shock after surprise all the way through to an ending that I didn't see coming at all... One which left me both wholly satisfied as well as reeling!
There are quite a lot of characters in this book but this is one of the things that this author really excels as so it is easy to get to know them and remember who they are. Whose side they are on is really another matter as you'll soon find out! Pacing is consistent and matches the narrative all the way through, mostly fast paced but with the odd slower part which well serves for reader respite.
Now, the only question left, after I finished this book is whether this is the last we will see of DI Cara Salt. I for one was quite sad to see her go and, with something that happened towards the end, I would love to reconnect with her in some way shape or form in the future. Could this even be the start of another series? I'm definitely up for that.
All in all, another winner to add to an already extremely impressive back catalogue. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Standalone thriller by Meyrick, with an exciting mix of police with a complicated back story, high finance (a McGuffin really), a completely dysfunctional and ridiculously rich family and international plots. There’s a slow build as relationships are set out, and DI Caro Salt gets to know her new DS and realises her backwater department is about to get much more front and centre.

Hugely enjoyable, very pacy and increasingly twisty (some telegraphed a mile off, some more unexpected) - this is an exciting alternative to Meyrick’s usual DCI Daley series. As we’ve not long had another standalone in Murder at Holly House it’s lucky he is so prolific a writer as he has the grounds for three ongoing series here.

The wonderful Denzil Meyrick begins what might possibly be the start of a new series, featuring DI Cara Salt, who happens to be whiling away time quietly serving as the head of the Succession, Inheritance, Executory branch of Glasgow's Serious Crime Squad, after a problematic shooting incident. In Davos, billionaire Sebastian Pallander, CEO of hedge fund Pallandar Glossop, dies dramatically whilst being interviewed on TV. However, his will comes as a unwelcome shock to his privileged family, widow Elizabeth, and his 5 children, who had expected to inherit his vast fortune, instead they only get a paltry million pounds, whilst Tabitha feels pain on finding herself demoted in the business. What could possibly have driven his decision?

Salt's team has a new addition, DS Abernathy 'Abs' Blackstock, who it turns out has an aristocratic background. ACC Frank Dixon has them working below the radar on an ongoing investigation into Pallander's criminal activities, after the suspicious death of his eco-activist son, Jean-Luc. Could some sinister forces be targeting the children to get their hands on Pallander Glossop's funds? It certainly appears to be so, with an abduction and more, as fears for the other children raise the levels of tension and suspense, as efforts are made to ensure they all return to their exclusive, if isolated, extensive family estate. Cara and Abs end up living there too, as they endeavour to protect them. In the process, we are made privy to greater details of Cara's past, the shooting which saw the only person who mattered to her, Sorley, leaving the police force.

Meyrick writes with his trademark complex plotting, the creation of a wide ranging cast of characters, and humour, with twists and turns galore, and his compulsive storytelling that had me turning the pages as fast as possible as I raced to the end. There are surprises that come out of the blue, betrayals, and unprecedented levels of corruption and greed at play and concludes with perhaps what might be seen as a form of justice taking place, after Cara faces the gravest of danger, left on her own to face the forces of darkness descending on the estate. Whilst the DCI Jim Daley and DS Brian Scott series is my personal favourite, I look forward with great anticipation with whatever the author comes up with next! Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

The Estate by Denzil Meyrick is the story of inheritance and how it can become murder. Sebastian Pallander’s death leaves behind a multi billion dollar financial estate and a castle in the Cairngorms.His family are torn apart not by grief but by anger by the terms of his will,where his family are all left with very little to what the fortunes they did expect.
Then the murder and kidnapping starts and members of the family are targeted. When the police become involved, DI Salt and DS Blackstick begin to suspect that the members of the family will become victims, rather than wealthy millionaires that they had expected to become.
A complicated story and much wheeling and dealing, twists and turns before the reader finds out who is responsible for all of the deaths, kidnappings and business machinations.
A fascinating story. Highly recommended.

I don’t know how this author has passed me by but I’m definitely going to rectify that. This was such a good read, I didn’t want to put it down. Billionaire Sebastian Pallander is head of Pallander Glossop, one of the largest hedge funds in Europe and also, amongst other things, owner of a substantial estate in Scotland. He is being interviewed on TV when he suddenly collapses and dies. Shocked but undaunted his family meet at their castle estate for the reading of his will. There is one almighty bombshell coming their way! A plethora of unlikeable, in the main, but believable characters all written so well.

Briefly, DI Cara Salt, working for the Succession, Inheritance and Executory (SIE) police unit in Glasgow, is responsible for dealing with those who refused to adhere to the lawful terms and wishes of wills. After meeting her new DS, Abernethy Blackstock, she is called in by her boss and told to investigate the Estate of Pallander as he was the subject of investigation by the Major Crimes unit.

Welcome to a world of financial skullduggery and murder where money is literally the root of all evil. Salt finds herself pitched into the maelstrom of the family’s finances and relationships as she ends up trying to prevent murder! A fast paced thriller with twists abounding and where it proves impossible who to know to trust. A fairly fast paced and exciting read and I’m hoping to see DI Cara Salt again.

I thank the author, Publishers and NetGalley for an advance review copy of this book in return for a fair review.
Denzil Myrick, as always, provides a entertaining thriller, with a good central character, a twisting and turning plot, and sound writing. I fiured out the key plot line fairly early on but that did not stop me enjoying it. For fans of police procedural thrillers.

This is such a good book, full of mystery and suspense and the most unlikeable characters that you could come across.
The death of hedge fund manager Sebastian Pallander is only the start of this fast paced novel, and when his first born son gets himself blown up in mysterious circumstances things go from bad to worse. Cara Salt is the Detective Inspector sent to investigate as she heads up the Succession, Inheritance and Executory Department. She is a great character and Medrick injects a lot of humour into her interactions with her new Detective Sergeant, Abernethy Blackstock.
If you enjoy action and adventure in a crime novel then this is definitely one for you to read. Highly recommended.

Denzil Meyrick is the author of the much loved DCI Daley series. While The Estate is a very different book it is still in some ways a police procedural utilizing the skills of odd couple DI Cara Salt and DS Abernathy Blackstock. It is also a high powered, fast paced thriller. Investigating the dirty dealings and corruption in hedge fund business Pallander Gallop and surrounding the Pallander family after the sudden death of it's patriarch on TV. I thoroughly enjoyed The Estate and the roller coaster ride through the twists and turns of the narrative. The ending was totally unexpected and just blew me away! I really hope we see more of Cara perhaps with Sorley next time? Recommended to all fans of Meyrick's books. Give it a try you won't be disappointed!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.