
The Diary of Lies
A Shona Sandison Mystery
Philip Miller(Author)
Polygon An Imprint of Birlinn Limited (Publisher)
Published on 7. August 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
272 pages
978-1-84697-684-1 (ISBN)
Description
Shona Sandison might be about to get her biggest scoop yet - if she can make it to the end of the investigation alive.
In a darkening, post-COVID world, fearless investigative reporter Shona Sandison is seeking meaning - and her next big story. A secret contact inside the government has promised her something huge, but she has no idea of the danger she is in. Meanwhile, her old friend Hector Stricken has taken on a position in communications for a new state agency, where he stumbles across a sinister, top-secret project codenamed 'Grendel'. And on the Scottish coast, an ageing spy chief, living in seclusion, grieves his murdered son - and contemplates revenge.
Connecting them all is an insidious conspiracy within the UK'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.
In a darkening, post-COVID world, fearless investigative reporter Shona Sandison is seeking meaning - and her next big story. A secret contact inside the government has promised her something huge, but she has no idea of the danger she is in. Meanwhile, her old friend Hector Stricken has taken on a position in communications for a new state agency, where he stumbles across a sinister, top-secret project codenamed 'Grendel'. And on the Scottish coast, an ageing spy chief, living in seclusion, grieves his murdered son - and contemplates revenge.
Connecting them all is an insidious conspiracy within the UK'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.
Reviews / Votes
'Strikingly written... what makes The Diary of Lies so engrossing is the author's accomplished prose, which evokes a dark and dangerous world' -- Tom Nolan * Wall Street Journal * 'Miller's outstanding third case for reporter Shona Sandison effortlessly braids together three interconnected story lines... Miller doesn't rush things, allowing the disparate strands of his sophisticated narrative to come together slowly, and he enriches the proceedings with striking prose and lovable characters' * Publishers Weekly * 'This is the third installment in Miller's excellent series featuring Shona Sandison, an investigative journalist whose specialty is uncovering perfidy in high places. Admirers of Mick Herron's "Slow Horses" series will appreciate the similarly jaundiced tone' * New York Times * 'Philip Miller does it again. Beautifully written, complex and gripping from start to finish, The Diary of Lies is a dark and brutal tale that holds a mirror up to our troubled times' -- E. S. Thomson, author of the Jem Flockhart Mysteries 'captures the sense of fatigue and powerlessness that pervades the country and underlines how much we need the decency and tenacity of the Shona Sandisons, who can still triumph against all the odds' -- Alastair Mabbott * The Herald * 'Miller's greatest gift is to get you to care about his characters long before you've figured out what they're looking for' * Kirkus Reviews * 'Deeply scary and all too believable' * BookPage (US) * 'A top secret, sinister government project, an elderly spy chief out to avenge his murdered son and a treacherous plot within the UK's most powerful institutions come together in this explosive read' -- Sally McDonald * Sunday Post * 'a riveting cloak-and-dagger thriller' * Gumshoe Review * 'Miller writes with such confidence and flair... this is a novel that holds the attention, offers much rich entertainment and has splendidly atmospheric and even comic scenes' -- Allan Massie * The Scotsman * 'A gripping page-turner where the reader never stops rooting for Sandison to expose the evil she finds at the heart of government and industry, and survive' -- Maureen Stapleton * LoveReading * 'A suspenseful, page-turning thriller' * Scottish Field * 'a gripping book' -- John Powers * NPR *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Birlinn General
Dimensions
Height: 194 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
260 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84697-684-1 (9781846976841)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Philip Miller lives in Edinburgh. An award-winning journalist for twenty years, he is now a civil servant. His previous novels include The Blue Horse and All the Galaxies, and his poetry has been published online and in print.