Book 3

The Diary of Lies

by Philip Miller

Published 12 August 2025
Fearless freelance reporter Shona Sandison might be about to get her biggest scoop yet—if she can make it to the end of the investigation alive.

The third installment of the Shona Sandison Investigations is perfect for fans of Ian Rankin, John le Carré, and Denise Mina.


In a post-COVID world, investigative reporter Shona Sandison is seeking meaning and the next big story; her reclusive contact inside the government is promising her something huge, but she’s having trouble getting anything solid and has no idea what kind of danger she’s up against. Meanwhile, her old friend Hector Stricken has taken on a new position in communications for the Scottish government, where everybody is abuzz about a sinister, top-secret project codenamed Grendel and nobody seems to want to answer Stricken’s questions. Finally, an aging former MI6 director now living deep in the woods processes his grief for his murdered son.

Connecting these stories is a conspiracy rooted deep in Scotland’s most powerful institutions, a rot so deep that the only way to cure it may be to cut it out—or burn the whole thing down. Written in beautiful, immersive language and peopled with iconic characters grappling with issues far larger than themselves, Philip Miller’s new mystery depicts the reality of the modern fight against institutional fascism.

The Hollow Tree

by Philip Miller

Published 2 April 2024
This spellbinding thriller conjures a tale of forgotten crimes, the sinister rise of modern fascism in England, and the compromises and imperatives of journalism.

The second installment of the Shona Sandison Investigations is perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and Denise Mina.


Investigative journalist Shona Sandison is attending the wedding of her closest friend and former colleague, Vivienne. But the night before the wedding, Viv’s reclusive school friend, Dan, jumps from a roof to his death. Shona is the only witness to the suicide—and so the only person who saw the occult tattoos covering Dan’s body, and heard the unsettling, mystical phrases he was uttering.

Compelled to look further into the tragic incident, Shona sets off on a quest to find out why Dan killed himself and what happened to Viv’s missing brother twenty years prior. Despite knowing that investigating Viv’s family will mean she could lose her friend forever, Shona travels to a small, forgotten town in the north of England to investigate an insular group of classmates who have held a dark secret for decades.

Haunting and hypnotic, The Hollow Tree is a return to Philip Miller’s dark world of subterfuge, betrayal, and fragile justice.