Joe McCoubrey's Page

Someone Has To Pay is a fictional action thriller based around the last days of the Northern Ireland ‘Troubles’ in 1994. The British Government and the IRA are hurtling towards peace under international pressure, but both sides want one last attempt to win an outright victory.

The British decide to set up a multi-service undercover unit, tasked with bringing the terror organisation to its knees. Hidden away behind the cover of an RAF base at Bishopscourt in County Down, the unit sets out on a ruthless campaign to wreak havoc in the IRA ranks. Kidnap, torture and shoot-to-kill orders are all on the table. This time there are no rules.

Meanwhile the IRA has a mission of its own. They know that British public opinion is turning against continued rule over Northern Ireland, and they know that one last major offensive will tip the balance in their favour. Top of their agenda is the assassination of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Both sides employ their best resources. Heading up the British unit is Mike Devon, their top undercover agent. He’s up against Fergal McSweeney, the IRA’s most notorious assassin. Both men clashed in an operation in Chicago ten years previously and both have the scars to show for it. A final showdown is inevitable.

Standing in the middle is the RUC, trying to make sense of the upsurge of violence on their doorstep. Detective Chief Inspector Martin Vennison is out to stop both sides turning the streets of Ulster into a war zone, but he carries a more personal reason for getting involved. The IRA murdered his boss and he wants the men who did it.

The action swings relentlessly from Chicago to London, and from Glasgow to Belfast, as the three sides collide in a final bloody finale in the suburbs of Dublin.