I couldn’t even pinpoint exactly what it is about this series that’s so addictive but it is absolutely incredible. I’ve been in a bit of a slump this month but I read this in two sittings + literally couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. A cracking detective MC, brilliantly curated characters and dark+ grisly crimes alongside the authentic Irish slang made this such a fun, pacy + immersive read that I loved every second of. I can’t recommend this series enough! 🙌🏽

𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑍𝑒𝑢𝑠 & 𝑁𝑒𝑡𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑑𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑖𝑛 𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑜𝑤𝑛. 𝑅𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝐼𝐺 (@𝑟𝑒𝑑ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙), 𝐺𝑅 & 𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑝ℎ.

Within the first chapter a bomb has gone off demolishing a house and killing the residents inside, another has gone off in a shop killing even more

Even though Katie Maguire is not yet back at work having been suspended in previous book she is in the vicinity of the first explosion and having witnessed the carnage is itching for her suspension to be revoked as she has an inkling as to the link between the main victims

What follows is another intense investigation and the twist at the end just rounds it off

From the beginning, one witnesses a brutal bombing and the drizzly atmosphere of Ireland, which makes me want to know: What is going on here?
At the forefront of the book is the complicated life of our main character Katie Maguire. She finds herself between a rock and a hard place. She is suspended from her role as Detective Superintendent and replaced by DS Michéal ó Broin - whom she does not like nor is she liked by. The whole police force tries to catch whoever is mass murdering people, and even though she is not supposed to, Katie works on the case. She has a lead and follows it relentlessly while getting help from the people she has built solid relationships over the years. There are a lot of things happening, one does not have time to get bored.
Her personal life is not necessarily sweet either. She is in this great relationship with High Court Justice Kieran while trying to mend things with a fellow officer Kyna - who's been in love with her for quite a while and is suffering now because of it. I really appreciated the bisexual representation in this story, even though I didn't root for any of the relationships to work out.
The first half of the book is fast-paced. You flip back and forth between these terrifying bombings and the police/gardaí trying to get to the bottom of things. There are also a few scenes that simply broke my heart - you will know which ones when you get to them. And the dogs! I love them with my whole heart!
Even though it is not the first novel in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for giving me access to a copy of this book.
3/5 stars

This is the first Graham Masterton book I've read after being recommended by a friend. I think the storyline itself was fine, but it wasn't gripping for me and there weren't any twists that I didn't already see coming.

This book is an absolute rollercoaster of a story, packed with unexpected twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It kicks off with what seems like a simple gas explosion in Cork, but as the plot unfolds, it's revealed to be a terror-related event. The suspicion of a police force leak The author crafted a gripping police novel that you won't be able to put down. It was somewhat repetitive and it took me a while to read because of the Irish expressions that I needed to look up before continuing with the book. But general was a very solid read

A deadly campaign.. a history of terror.. a police conspiracy..

This is a detective crime thriller set in Ireland with gruesome crimes. There are a few different storylines going on, but fairly easy to follow each.

Overall I found it be an intriguing read. It is over 400 pages and has a slower start, but it definitely picked up pace once Katie was back at work and the twists started.

This was the twelfth installment in a police procedural series. When I initially planned to read this- I was not aware it was part of a series. However, I was able to still read it as a stand-alone and get into the plot, but it would’ve been helpful to read some of the previous ones just to know a bit more about Katie’s backstory.

Although I have read Graham Masterton's horror books have only read one in the Katie McGuire series. A great read and will definitely make an attempt to read the previous books in the series.

This is book 12 of this series, the 11th of which was four years ago and, I thought, was the last. Well, surprise...! It wasn't... She's back!
Obviously I am assuming that you have read at least one of the previous books, preferably all... and, if you have, then you'll know what you are letting yourself in for...
As with Katie's previous outings, this book pulls no punches. It's nasty and graphic - well, the author is primarily a horror author don't forget! There are a LOT of bombs going off, near people, so you can imagine the devastation on the buildings and, indeed, the bodies. Both are well described!
But I get ahead... When the book opens, Katie is still on suspension pending the outcome of an investigation into her previous shenanigans. But she is, well, bored and also doesn't think that her "replacement" is up to the job. Which becomes more and more evident when he appears to be not listening to her expertise and knowledge about connections to a couple of bombings which she believes to be targeting descendants of certain group members, the wonderfully named Dripsey Dozen! I'll leave the details to you to discover... She also has a tangled personal life to try and get to grips with. A current and an ex who both need her presence...
I love this series, I was sad when it ended. And this book is testament to the fact that, in my opinion, it still has life in it... maybe the break was all that was needed. I love the fact that it's not your typical police procedural and that it is a bit graphic and hard hitting. I also love Katie as a character and have loved watching her development over the span of the series. She's come a long way since White Bones...
All in all, a cracking addition which has definitely resurrected this series. Hopefully it won't be 4 years til the next book... My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

It might be four and a half years since the last Katie McGuire book but you're immediately straight back into the series, with a bang, quite literally!
Katie is currently on suspension but that doesn't stop her from inserting herself into the investigation into a series of bombings and the inquiry into the suicide of a colleague. A spellbinding plot that grabs you and won’t let you go.
Katie’s professional and personal life is in the usual chaos, her enemies are close but so are her supporters.
Another excellent read in this brilliant though not for the faint-hearted series.
A plea to the author, please don't leave it so long before the next instalment.

This has made me realise that A) I fricking love Katie Maguire and B) how behind I am in the series, which I will be rectifying asap. If you haven’t started this series, it can be read as a standalone..

DS Katie Maguire is such a fantastic character and I especially enjoyed reading about her being in the thick of it despite her suspension. This also showed the dynamics she has with her team, with them keeping her involved/up to date.

The impact of the bombings is very detailed and he does not hold back on the violence/devastation the bombs cause on a person, which I personally loved.
As well as the bombings, there are other storylines (how bad did I feel for finding Kyna annoying with her whitling on about ruining Katie’s life 😬) this other storylines are equally as gory!!

I cannot shout about or recommend this book enough!

A welcome return of Kate McGuire. Loved all the previous books and this is no exception. A bombing campaign starts in Cork and although suspended finds it hard not get involved. The bombings are linked to a past event. Can Kate find the culprits before more people die. Great characters and plenty of twists Graham just never lets you down. Thanks to Head of Zeus and Netgalley for this review ARC

"Pay Back the Devil' by Graham Masterton is the twelfth instalment of his DS Katie Maguire series but can be read as a stand alone.

DS Maguire is currently suspended pending outcome of an investigation, but that does not stop her taking an action involvement in the case of the apparent bombings of descendants to the Dripsey Dozen. Someone appears out for revenge but the lead in the investigation does not want to listen to DS Maguire.

This book immediately pulls you into the investigation into these gruesome crimes and the characters are visual and you want to keep reading to find out what happens to the characters.

DS Katie Maguire is a great character and you can see why the series has been going on for so long.

The detail is exact and the details f the bombings are quite gruesome so it is not for the light hearted.

There are other plots running as well as the main plot but this adds to the tension in the book and supplement the main story well.

A definite page turner and highly recommended.

Thanks to the author and publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

Wow Graham Masterton is back at his best with pay back the devil, I'm so glad he's brought Katie Maguire back she has everything you want in a character she's smart, tough, clever, resourceful but unfortunately not so lucky in love, (Kieron is not the man for her) Katie finds every thing is stacked up against her, she's been suspended a d people are being blown up left right and centre (quite gruesome) and she's powerless to help, what follows is a rollercoaster of a ride and I loved every minute of it. I hope that there will be another novel soon.

I have read some of the authors Horror novels when I came across this book Pay back the devil. I didn’t realise this was part of a thriller series and unfortunately, I have not read any of the other books in this series. So, I was a bit of a loss of Detective Katie Maguire’s back story.
Detective Katie Maguire is currently suspended and is under investigation. When several bomb explosions around Cork city which causes a lot of fatalities. The detective that has taken over Katies Jobs doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere in the investigation and winding other members of the team in the progress. Katie thinks she knows what is going on but when she tells some of her colleagues. She is told to leave well alone. When more explosions happen, and more people die Katie know that the links to the death are that the people that died has some connection to a gang that killed a lot of people in the troubles and links to the IRA.
This is my first outing of books involving Katie Maguire. Although it had a slow start, and I don’t know what went on in the other books I find it quite an interesting read. I would say you can still read this as a standalone book. There is a lot of twists and turns in this storyline, and it had great characters. Especially the determination of Katie. I am interested to hear more of Katie, and I will be checking out the other books in this series. 4 stars from me.

Another blood soaked tale from the ongoing story of Katie McGuire of the Cork Garda. A series of graphically described bombings all connected to a terrorist act some fifty years ago are at the core of this episode. But Katie is suspended from duty at the start so her investigation is not welcomed by her replacement at HQ. The story races along with her complicated private life woven into things as in previous episodes. Her dogs get starring parts as well and she acquires another as part of the tale. A super read, maybe there’s more yet but who knows as the previous one was supposed to be the last!

Set in Cork, there’s plenty of intrigue and the local dialect leaps off the pages. Suspended DS Katie Maguire is itching to get back to work but keeps herself involved in the meantime. A bombing, initially thought to be the result of a gas leak, turns out to be something rather more sinister. A group descended from IRA bombers is being targeted. It soon becomes clear that crucial information is leaking out, but from whom?

The narrative ties you in deeper with each turn of the page making this a novel that you can’t easily read between train stops. Maguire herself is a complex being. Seeking solace and empathy but often rough around the edges and hard to connect to. No problems in making a connection to this book though; a fierce read with a plot that feels topical and plausible.

An explosion in a house in inner-city Cork sends shock waves through the community. Two people are killed in the blast and, at first, their deaths are believed to be the tragic result of a gas leak - but the victims' pasts suggest otherwise.

This is another well written book by Graham Masterton. It’s just one of those hard-to-put-down stories. It flows quickly and has lots of unexpected twists in it. I've read quite a few of his earlier books in this series and they never fail to entertain. This one is no exception.

I usually enjoy books by this author and featuring Katie Maguire, set in Ireland but this one, not so much. I do like the character of Katie, although her personal life is a bit chaotic! The plotting was interesting and there was a lot going on with multiple bombings and murders but overall, just too slow for me. I would read another in the series though and would recommend to others. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Devastatingly brilliant, as ever. The writer doesn’t even let you sit back in your chair as a comfortable scene is set on the very first page and just as quickly obliterated in a gore fest. He has the unique skill of endearing you to a domestic family in just a couple of paragraphs and then just as quickly ripping them away in a horrific explosive end…. The Irish backdrop is atmospheric and a culturally rich journey. I love navigating my way through the Gaelic names and place names and the turns of phrase of the main characters. The story is very clever and draws upon all too real history and conflicts, plus other hard to touch subjects such as prostitution, police corruption and extortion to name but a few. The action is fast and punchy and you’re really drawn into the criminal underworlds and also the personal lives of the main characters, for which quite a few tears were shed along the way. Brilliant, exhilarating writing and left me wanting to know what happens next, just as it should. Absolutely recommend.

I didn’t realise upon requesting this book, that it was in fact, part of a series.
I don’t know whether or not that affected my enjoyment of the book, or whether I just didn’t enjoy the book on its own.
I didn’t really like the character, I found the writing style overall hard to connect with. I did finish it, but I had to push myself to do so.
If you enjoy this author, I’m sure you’ll love this one and have a totally different opinion. I wouldn’t tell anyone not to read a book, indeed, I’d encourage you read it and make your own mind up, but unfortunately this one wasn’t for me, I’m sorry.