I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for a review copy of The Estate, a stand-alone featuring DI Cara Salt set mostly in Perthshire, Scotland.

I enjoyed The Estate, which is a rollicking thriller with plenty of twists and turns and a dash of Glaswegian humour to keep it real, because the author makes no attempt at realism in the plot. It is a fun read and I imagine that the author enjoyed himself when devising it.

The big twists come towards the end of the novel and the author does a good job in misdirecting the reader so that they come as a surprise. I don’t think I guessed any of the big elements and there are some crackers. There is just enough information and plot developments throughout the novel to keep the reader engrossed and turning the pages. It’s inventive and fun, although not particularly tense as there is always a sense that the good guys will survive, if not prosper.

I like Cara Salt, who seems like a real person, not perfect and with some dodgy decisions in her past, but smart and dedicated.

The Estate is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

I dnf’ed this - don’t think it was for me! 3 stars as I don’t want to rate negatively as I’m sure other people will enjoy it.

It left me breathless and kept me on the edge till the end. A twisty and surprising page turner
A more extensive review will follow
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Pallander family are rich. A castle in the Scottish Highlands, a villa in Tuscany, an island in the Caribbean, a billion-dollar fortune, and everything they could possibly want. Their dream life is shattered when the head of the family Sebastian Pallander dies during an interview live on TV. The multimillionaire businessman was a hard man to please, but still the family are left in complete shock when during the reading of the will he removes his favourite child Tabitha from her role in the company, despite her being primed as the person to take over from him. He also removes his loved son Silus from his role in the company and leaves all his children a measly one million pounds each out of his immense fortune. The family are left reeling at Sebastian’s decisions, and questioning the veracity of the will. They are left further shocked when they learn that the eldest son has been found dead in very dramatic circumstances.

Given the situation, the police are sent to investigate. DI Cara Salt had not too long ago been sidelined to the Succession, Inheritance and Executory Department (SIE) after a misdemeanour on a case. With a new DS on her team - Abernethy Blackstock, a previously retired detective, just come back out of retirement, with an obsession for birdwatching - DI Salt is summoned to the Pallander family seat in Scotland to begin an investigation.

DI Salt is not quite sure why the SIE has been put on the case but is happy to be out of the office and back on a case. She quickly finds that all is not as it seems. Not just with the case, but with her DS, and many of the people around her. DI Salt has to get to the bottom of the two deaths quickly and determine if she has two murders on her hands before there are more.

This story had it all, money, drama, intrigue, action, suspense, romance, humour, and mystery. I loved DI Salt, she is very likeable, with a can-do, kick-ass attitude, that doesn’t take crap from anyone. Unbothered by the wealth around her on this case, and unafraid to ruffle feathers to get the case solved. Yet she still connects with people, understands them, and how to get a rapport which can help progress her investigation. She has the right level of cynicism for her position in life, with the trauma that has placed her where she is, and she is working through it well. I really enjoyed this book, even if some of the elements were a little far-fetched. I do read these crime novels to be transported into a make-believe world, so some of the more eyebrow-raising plot twists were just delightful when remembering, this is just entertainment. Entertained I was. I look forward to more from DI Salt!

*I received this book from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

The Estate is an edge of your seat Police Thriller set in Scotland .DI Salt and DS Blackstead are tasked with protecting a very wealthy Family from being picked off one by one .What a cracker of a read !! fast paced exciting great characters ,not everyone is who they seem nad the ending was a massive surprise . I hope DI Salt comes back in the future Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC .

Sebastian Pallander a successful multi millionaire businessman suddenly drops dead whilst being interviewed on tv , which leaves his family in turmoil but not necessarily in grief.
It seems that Sebastian wasn’t a nice man and when the will is read it becomes very apparent that he loathed his children and wife .
The family are in danger Silas the eldest son is kidnapped and Tabitha the eldest daughter and Sebastian’s second in command is also in danger escaping a fire and chased across the countryside by armed men .
DI Cara Salt is drafted in to investigate she doesn’t really know why and finds it strange she’s also got a new DS who she’s very indifferent to.
This book is a great read , at times it’s edge of the seat stuff .
There are plenty of twists and turns and I loved the ending.
A cleverly written story !
Highly recommended!
Looking forward to read more from Denzil Meyrick
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK.

I really enjoyed this book..it was gripping, with lots of twists and turns and I didn't know how it was going to end.
I love this author. I love his style of writing and this book was no different. I'm hoping it's made into a series.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m finding this book quite difficult to review as for my taste in what I read this has some poor elements as well as some very good ones. I will mention both but it’s difficult to decide how many stars to give especially as it was very nearly a DNF.

The bad: I found the first quarter to third of this book very pedestrian, there seemed to be nothing much happening that was feeding the adrenaline junkie reader that I am, that did change however but the very predictable final reveal of who was behind the events and seemingly unfinished business, personally, between Cara and Sorley made the ending feel a little rushed and flat.

The good: Once the action started it was engaging, exciting and made the pages turn fast! I had no regrets about not DNF’ing this book as the action sequences were different and fired my imagination. This author has a great way of conveying his descriptions to his audience, all the scenes were easy to picture in my mind as they had been so well described to me, the mental imagery while reading this book flowed easily and this is due to the writers skill in his narrative also.

This is purely my opinion and I do know quite a few friends really enjoy this author which is why I read this book, my first by him, his style just maybe isn’t for me.

When Sebastian Pallander dies during an interview on live TV, the multimillionire businessman's family are left reeling when during the reading of the will, he's stripped his 'favorite child' Tabitha and son Silus of their roles in his company, and left his children a mere 1 million pounds each. The family are left in shock, and can't understand why all these strange specifics were left Sebastian's will.
When one of his sons is killed in suspicious circumstances, DI Cara Salt a police detective who was sent to Succession, Inheritance and Executory Department (SIE) after a misdemenour of her own is sent to investigate. She has with her DS Abernethy Blackstock - a retired detective who has come back from retirement and has been seconded to Cara's team. Along with her bird-watching DS, she starts to dicover not all is what it seems, and after two deaths in the same family ocurring, it could mean that any one of the others could be next. As people start to show their true colours, and secrets bubble to the surface, it's up to DI Salt to find out exaclty what's going on, and save the lives of the rest of the family, but money is a wepon of it's own, and it seems anyone could be willing to risk everything for it.

I really enjoyed this! I was immedietly drawn in to the story, and felt myself wanting to read on to discover what was going to happen next. The main charaters (especailly Abernethy!) were brilianty written, and I enjoyed seeing the layers peeling away from them like an onion as the story unfolded. This book has everything, mystery, suspense, humour, a bit of romance and defietley loads of surpises! The biggest shock and surprise that I didn't see coming was right at the end! Brillaint!

Thank you so much for letting me read it, excellnt storyline, brillaint charaters and superbly written!

The story begins with the dramatic death of billionaire Sebastian Pallender live on TV as he is being interviewed at Davos. However, when the will is read Sebastian's family discover that they will not receive the wealth and power which they expected. The family are left in shock as they can't understand why they have been treated in this way. Shortly afterwards, Sebastian's eldest son dies in mysterious circumstances. The police are drafted in to look in to the mysterious circumstances surrounding the will, cue the introduction on DI Cara Salt who has been holed up in a backwater of Police Scotland investigating inheritance frauds following a previous incident. The hierarchy task her with looking in to what is unfolding at the Pallender family home in the wilds of the Highlands. She is paired up with the straightlaced, bird enthusiast DS Abernathy Blackstock and before long they suspect that the beneficiaries of the will are at risk. There is a great interplay between the two officers who come from very different social backgrounds but must work together to unravel why the Pallender family are at risk.

This was a brilliant read with an interesting and fast-paced story with a likeable and plucky heroine in DI Salt. There are lots of twists and turns as the story unfolds and the action moves between different locations and different characters. Like Meyrick's other series, there are also laughs and some dark humour and of course most of the action takes place in Scotland. In particular, the isolation of the family estate in the Highlands added to the drama of the story as malevolent forces pick off the victims who are trapped awaiting their fate. I hope that this will be the first in a new series as Cara Salt has more to offer. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Oh wow, what a ride; I had to keep reading this avidly to discover what happened. I really hope we see more of DI Salt, she’s an absolutely brilliant character. My only complaint is that I would have loved an update on all the characters in the epilogue.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

Well, Denzil Meyrick continues to add to his repertoire and demonstrate the breadth of his writing. The Estate is nothing like his Daley series, the Kinloch series or the last standalone, Murder at Holly House!

The Estate is a rollercoaster of a thriller featuring what I hope will be a new detective that Meyrick returns to - DI Cara Salt. She is somewhat languishing when she’s called in to help deal with the death on TV of a high profile rich and clearly quite loathsome businessman. The Will is bizarre and unexpected and strange things start to happen to his children - murder, kidnap, what is happening, was the fathers death all it seems?

Salt is paired with a DS who is also clearly from a privileged background and known to the family and the Chief Inspector and in general his background opens door and inspires confidence in the wealthy elite the pair have to deal with, much to the annoyance of Salt. But she is also assured by his calm presence. There are private briefings from on high as it’s a delicate situation.

Salt also has to involve her ex, now no longer a policeman and who she somewhat unfortunately shot….this is indeed a ripping yarn. He is, however much he resents Salt, still a policeman at heart though and steps up.

The tale travels from the Scottish countryside to London and abroad with characters that are weak, admirable, trustworthy, deceitful, and frankly, swashbuckling. It’s a real roller coaster of a plot and keeps you guessing while enjoying the thrill of the ride. It matters not that you occasionally have to suspend belief, to be honest in these times of ever more unbelievable events, anything is possible.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope to see more of DI Cara Salt.

4.5⭐

The Estate is my first introduction to Denzil Meyrick and after reading it, it certainly won't be my last!!

As this was such a cracking thriller. That easily pulled me in and kept me reading.

As Sebastian Pollander CEO of hedge fund Pollander Glossop dies dramatically whilst being interviewed on live TV. In Davos, Switzerland. And his wife Elizabeth and five children all expect to inherit heavily. After all, Sebastian was a multi-billionaire.

Only the will throws up some interesting reading and information including the demotion of the daughter and CFO of the company Tabitha. And when one of the children is later murdered. It becomes clear the will and inheritance are at the heart of it.

So it's up to DI Cora Salt. Who after an unfortunate incident finds herself heading up the Succession, Inheritance and Executory department of the Serious Crime Squad to investigate.

But luckily for Cora she's not alone. As she has help in the form of layered DS Abernathy Blackstock. Who Cora nicknames Abs.

And it soon becomes clear Cora is going to need all the help she can get. Especially as she has to deal with an ex-cop who she has a very spiky relationship with.

And with great characters, not all of whom are likable. An intricately plotted storyline. That's full of twists and turns and great humour. As well as an ending I didn't see coming. This was a story that truly shined and I would happily recommend it to all.

A gripping read from an author on my must-not-miss list!

The Pallander family are used to luxury - after all, Sebastian Pallander was ultra-rich and, with his death, they are all looking forward to a huge slice of the pie; so it comes as quite a shock to be left what is, in their eyes, paltry amounts. What was he thinking? Where did it all go? And is their any trust left between them?

This is a cracking thriller and one which kept me absolutely riveted from the moment I began reading. As the story began to unfold I found myself really invested in the characters - liking each at one point then detesting them the next. What was going on? The only way to find out was to keep reading and, believe me, that was no hardship. Completely enthralling and utterly beguiling, I cannot recommend this highly enough. Denzil Meyrick never fails to meet my expectations and with this one he far exceeded them. A superbly crafted novel and completely worth all five glowing stars.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

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