Terms of Restitution by Denzil Meyrick

Today I’m sharing my thoughts on Terms Of Restitution, the brand new stand alone gangland thriller from Denzil Meyrick. It’s out on Thursday but I was fortunate enough to be gifted an early proof by publisher Polygon. I’ve been having a bit of a DCI Daley audiobook marathon recently, so was really looking forward to reading this one. Here’s what it’s all about:

About the Book

Gangland boss Zander Finn is so sickened by the brutal murder of his son in a Paisley pub, he decides to change his life. Following the advice of his priest and mentor, he moves clandestinely to London and becomes an ambulance driver. But when his old second-in-command Malky Maloney tracks him down on a London street, Finn knows he must return. Both his real family and his crime family face an existential threat from Albanian mobsters determined to take control of the Scottish underworld.

Under the watchful eye of his charismatic mother, he must try to look after his lovelorn younger daughter and her older sister who is pregnant to his old enemy Joe Mannion’s son. His estranged wife, who has more than just a business relationship with Mannion, and his remaining son, crippled while serving in Afghanistan also require his attention. But most of all, he must take back what is his.

Facing the forces of law and order under Detective Chief Superintendent Amelia Langley, a ruthless gang of Albanians and a beautiful but deadly Italian woman, Zander Finn struggles for survival in a rollercoaster ride of brutality, tenderness, misplaced loyalties and the utterly unexpected. The path to redemption is a perilous one, and it begins to look like Finn should have stayed in London.

My Thoughts

I’m just going to say it. I loved this book. A mixture of thrills, twisted revenge, turf wars and good old humour, it is packed with the kind of brilliant storytelling you would expect from the author and a bunch of characters that I was more than happy to spend time with, even if they did operate in dubious circles and most definitely on the wrong side of the law. Right from the start I felt a strange kind of affinity for Zander Finn, a man who contains far more emotional depth than his role as the head of a leading crime syndicate would suggest.

The book opens in quite shocking style, but that is nothing compared to the radical change that the scenes inspire in Finn, at least in the very short term. Abandoning everything he has known in favour of a simpler life, his good intentions cannot last forever, but it’s certainly a very changed man who returns to Scotland and that only adds to the uncertainty of what is yet to come.

This is tale of a classic turf war. Rival Scottish factions would be bad enough, but add in the growing threat of upcoming Albanian gangs and the scene is set for some violence of the most dramatic kind. It’s not unnecessarily graphic, but it is certainly memorable and the messages that are sent from one outfit to the other will leave a lasting impression. This is not pistols at dawn – they are far more inventive than that – and even the most senior of Finn’s crew are not safe. There is that constant tension, that undercurrent of threat, that the author is so adept at creating on the page, that kept me turning the page long into the night. There is an authenticity to the violence, as well as a kind of theatrical element to it which only emphasises the brutality and also the danger that all of the them are in. It makes for a very compelling read.

But it’s not just the moments of action and revenge which drew me into this book. Denzil Meyrick has a real knack for creating characters that you care about and infusing them with a traits which make them far more human than their lot in life would suggest. Zander Finn is a family man, it is the loss of a child which drives him away from Paisley and the ongoing violence, and the threat to his extended family that draws him back. You can sense the reluctance in him, feel the lethargy and the weariness when it comes to tackling some of the tougher decisions that need to be made, but can never underestimate the steel within. He is a really conflicted character, but one I really liked and hoped to see come good or, at the very least, survive the book. And then there is his extended family who help to reveal Finn’s more human and compassionate side. His mother, Maggie, was a brilliant character, infusing a lot of the humour in the book with her strange obsession with egg, chips and beans. She’s a formidable character, quite wily, and very likeable. She certainly made me chuckle.

The author really brings the criminal underworld to life, with memorable and diverse characters who will get under your skin, not always in a good way. In a life where money talks but violence shouts louder, you should expect the unexpected. Don’t trust a soul – it appears there really is no honour among thieves – and prepare to be thrilled, shocked, engrossed and amused in equal measure. The ending gave me a feeling of satisfaction, even if certain elements were a little … unexpected. Gritty, tense, and full of both edge of the seat and witty moments, it’s another absolutely cracking read from an author whose work I really have come to love.

About the Author

Denzil Meyrick was educated in Argyll, then after studying politics, joined Strathclyde Police, serving in Glasgow. After being injured and developing back problems, he entered the business world, and has operated in many diverse roles, including director of a large engineering company and distillery manager, as well as owning a number of his own companies, such as a public bar and sales and marketing company. Denzil has also worked as a freelance journalist in both print and on radio.

Denzil Meyrick was educated in Argyll, then after studying politics, joined Strathclyde Police, serving in Glasgow. After being injured and developing back problems, he entered the business world, and has operated in many diverse roles, including director of a large engineering company and distillery manager, as well as owning a number of his own companies, such as a public bar and sales and marketing company. Denzil has also worked as a freelance journalist in both print and on radio.