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A body found below a cliff is not what it seems, and a deadly heist is underway in this enjoyable Irish murder mystery

Whilst junior detectives rush to the scene of a potential murder near Roundstone, Connemara, an informant lets on to DCI Mick Hays that a big robbery is about to take place.

With a large part of Galway’s police force mobilised to catch the felons in the act, resources are stretched. Will the robbers walk into the trap? Is the information reliable? Are they sufficiently prepared?

Unresolved, the murder and the heist stand to leave egg on the face of the west coast of Ireland’s finest. And a group of dangerous criminals are set to make off scot-free with the Christmas pay.

It will take serious detective work to convince the chief superintendent that Hays and his team are up to the task in hand. If things go pear-shaped DCI Hays’ upcoming promotion will be jeopardised. That and the reputation of the Garda itself.

This book is a standalone, but it can also be enjoyed as part of the series featuring detectives Maureen Lyons and Mick Hays.

204 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 11, 2018

835 people are currently reading
103 people want to read

About the author

David Pearson

33 books119 followers
One of Ireland's most prolific crime writers, David has a total of 24 books published to date across four separate series.

The Galway Homicides - set in and around Clifden on the Wild Atlantic Way

The Dublin Homicides - a grittier set of 6 stories set in the capital of Ireland

The Wexford Homicides - introducing DI Vikki Kirkby

The Mayo Murders - a new series set in and around Westport in County Mayo featuring DI Martin O'Shea and DS Deirdre Maguire.




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5 stars
517 (42%)
4 stars
446 (36%)
3 stars
212 (17%)
2 stars
36 (2%)
1 star
14 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
Profile Image for Jenny.
2,337 reviews73 followers
April 27, 2019
Murder on Pay Day is book five in the Maureen Lyons series by David Pearson. An informant of DCI Mick Hays told him about a robbery that is going to take place soon. DCI Mich Hays with the help of Inspector Maureen Lyons work out a plan to catch the felons. However, things did not go as plan, and DCI Mick Hays got shot. The readers of Murder on Pay Day will continue to follow Inspector Maureen Lyons investigation and see what happens to DCI Mick Hays.

I love this series and Murder on Pay Day did not disappoint, and at times I could not help but smile. I love David Pearson portrayal of his characters and the way they intertwine with each other throughout the book. I do appreciate that at the end of the book David Pearson provides a characters list, so you feel that you know each character personally. Murder on Pay Day is well written and researched by David Pearson, and he does a brilliant job in describing his settings. David Pearson has done it again; he has engaged me with the plot of Murder on Pay Day from the beginning of this book.

The readers of Murder on Pay Day will learn about Republic of Ireland law enforcement procedures. Also, the readers of Murder on Pay Day will understand the life of a Republic of Ireland village Garda.

I recommend this book.
Profile Image for Vicki.
2,721 reviews112 followers
February 29, 2020
I haven't read too many Irish themed books, so having this one set during Christmas time and being an Irish murder mystery made it unique for me. This was a quick, easy, surprisingly good little mystery. There is a robbery and a murder that needed to be investigated. I don't know the accuracy of the Irish police the way it was portrayed, but it is definitely different from the police force as I know of it in the United States, so that was interesting.
Profile Image for Eirlys.
1,763 reviews16 followers
September 4, 2021
Another good read

Hays and Lyons have been busy, but, just before Christmas, Hays gets a tip off about a possible robbery at a post office. There were twists and these caused dangerous robbers to create mayhem and murder.There were complex characters who upped the suspense, enriched the story and added a reality to it.
305 reviews
July 13, 2023
This series of Irish police procedurals has become one of my favorites for it's authenticity and insight into life in Ireland.
60 reviews
December 4, 2018
Another good read

If you like fast reading with we!I written lines, this is for you. We get to revisit favorite characters who move through complex questions at a nice pace. More good food recommendations in Galway and you will also be glad to be out of the winter rain while reading.
Profile Image for Kerry Swinnerton.
130 reviews1 follower
October 11, 2019
Barely three stars

The bones of the story are quite good, but unfortunately the story has been over fed and so has far too much padding to give weight to the required number of words.........what does it matter what happened to the Lyons family farm, or if they got compensation for a road being put through.....or what Lyons’ sister and husband did to the original farmhouse to make it more liveable. This adds absolutely nothing to the story.
I’m sure that the story could have been written a little better without extraneous information just to give the book length. The reader doesn’t really need to know what happened to the culprits in the gaol, the widow of the deceased post man doesn’t need to feature in an epilogue and we don’t need the travelogue of Hays and Lyons going on holiday to the Canary Islands.
Just stick to the script David, and stop padding out the stories.
Profile Image for Jim.
1,108 reviews19 followers
January 15, 2022
Fifth time out for the team of DCI Mick Hays and his partner-protege'-lover and newly minted D.I. Maureen Lyons. A quick and riveting 180 + pages Kindle. This time out Lyons must carry the large load since Mick was injured on the job. Just as good if not better than the four previous books in this series, this fifth one is easily another five star book. Lively supporting characters and some sassy dialog really make this series special. I like at the conclusion the author updates what happens to all of the particulars in their immediate futures. A must read in a must read series. Check it out.
665 reviews6 followers
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September 4, 2019
Easy reading

Enjoyable , believe it or not , for a murder mystery . Paddy the postman was murdered on his way to deliver payments to the people on the west coast . The team works well to gather evidence , injury to SI Hays . Further danger averted by using the ARU men allowing one of the perpetrators to be caught . The second tried to get away but the tenacious crew ... read the book . I like the way there is followup at the end .
Profile Image for Bob Hurley.
496 reviews1 follower
August 5, 2022
Gunmen for Christmas

I have read a few of the Hays & Lyons stories and really enjoy them. Set in rural Ireland the settings help to highlight the difference between normality and the crimes being committed. Hays & Lyons personal relationship and their professional relationship are two
other parts of the story. In this book thieves Rob money from a Post Office Van and the driver is killed. They then begin the hunt for the perpetrators which turns into a story all of its own. I really enjoyed this and the earlier stories I have read. Very well worth a read.
Profile Image for Andi Caissie.
199 reviews2 followers
January 1, 2019
Good series

One of the things I enjoy about this series is learning about Ireland. Often I will read something that I don’t understand so I will google the word and learn something new about Irish culture. I like how Hays and Lyons continue to evolve, both personally and professionally.
190 reviews
July 18, 2019
A good read.

I Found the storyline a flowing read,good characters who seemed very effective in all they did.It was an easy read which can be a bonus,didn't have much tense,quite straight forward run to conclusion.I thought the feel of the countryside was well used in the plot and storyline,it had more pluses than negatives.😎😎
29 reviews
December 2, 2019
Mill Street Garcia Solves Another One!

I've read all of the books in this series and I'm sad that my tag-along with these wonderful characters has come to an end! I used to work as a civilian for the NYPD and went on several ride-alongs with many fine officers. I think I prefer the genteel pace of these Gardia where wearing a gun is out of the ordinary.
122 reviews
July 5, 2021
Gentle as befits the Irish - I loved this book. Entirely believable and beautifully written.

Having spent some time in Ireland I found the characters totally believable and I liked the ways the Garda members with differing ranks and genders interacted as the case developed. I look forward to being able to read more stories from David Pearson with this cast of characters.
Profile Image for Viragored.
168 reviews
June 16, 2023
I've read few novels set in Ireland so enjoyed the new-to-me places. The story goes well with engaging lead characters. So for me it was not outstanding as a book (mostly because the writing style could be rather sharper), but good enough to recommend as an enjoyable police procedural with plenty of action.
83 reviews
December 22, 2018
Great series of books

Easy reading good characters great simple storylines. Great departure from all the in depth plots of a lot of crime novels out there at the moment. Highly recommend these books as a break away from the really intense fictions.
Profile Image for R.L..
Author 5 books48 followers
November 13, 2019
I really liked this Christmas time Irish murder mystery. The story about the murder(no spoilers) and robbery kept my interest front to back, and the characters continue to progress in their relationships to a satisfying degree.
Profile Image for Susan.
7,269 reviews69 followers
June 21, 2021
An informate of DCI Mick Hays believes that a post office is soon to be robbed of its money in Galway. But the plans to capture the criminals in action goes wrong. Can they capture them at the second attempt.
Didn't really keep my interest
338 reviews2 followers
July 19, 2022
craic

Even short book, it held together and was the better of the series. Continued to write in a different style. Fleshing out the characters, more and more. Can’t wait to see what comes next!
Profile Image for Bruce Cashbaugh.
Author 4 books5 followers
October 6, 2022
I loved the unique setting in this book, the Wild Atlantic Way of Ireland. Fascinating take on the lives of small-town law enforcement and the struggle to separate professional relationships with personal ones.
Profile Image for SUE.
173 reviews10 followers
January 30, 2024
Brilliant

What a great story and love the it's all tied up at the end each book I have read so far , this particular episode had my heart racing a few times I just say xxx bring on #6 \15
41 reviews
October 27, 2018
Another great Irish detective book

I really enjoyed this story and look forward to the next in this series. I hope it is not too long to it being published.
1,181 reviews6 followers
October 31, 2018
Another great story

Another great story by David full of the usual well known characters. A good story with plenty of action and twists and turns. More please.
326 reviews4 followers
November 11, 2018
Murder in pay day

This fabulous book is the quality expected from David Pearson after reading his other books. The characters are so real.One of my favourite authors.
18 reviews1 follower
December 8, 2018
Thorough Enjoyable.

Looking forward to next book ... Hopefully there will be one. Just my type of book, not over the top with swearing etc.
21 reviews
December 8, 2018
What a book. I never knew things were so different for police in ireland. I will have to get the rest of these of books when I can
332 reviews1 follower
January 2, 2019
Murder on Payday

I didn't care for this book. The plot didn't keep me interested and I did not get into the characters! I won't be reduced this author again.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews

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