The Diary of Lies
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Aug 12, 2025
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- $14.99
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- Pre-Order
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
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 Britain, investigative reporter Shona Sandison is seeking meaning and the next big story; her reclusive contact inside the government has promised her something huge, but she has no idea what kind of danger she’s in. Meanwhile, her old journalist friend Hector Stricken has taken on a position in communications for a new state agency, where he stumbles across a sinister, top-secret project code-named Grendel. Finally, an aging former MI6 director now living in seclusion grieves for his murdered son and ponders revenge.
Little do they know they are caught in the web of a dark conspiracy at the heart of the United Kingdom, facing 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 ongoing fight against state oppression.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Miller's outstanding third case for reporter Shona Sandison (after The Hollow Tree) effortlessly braids together three interconnected story lines. At the outset, Shona receives a U.K. Media Award nomination for her exposé of the government's plans to pass the Great British Freedom Act, which would undermine Scottish autonomy. Soon afterward, Shona's anonymous source for that story sends her a cryptic message: "Find Grendel." Meanwhile, Shona's friend Hector Stricken—a media officer for the government's Capacity and Resilience department—is accidentally included in a virtual discussion about a shadowy operation called Grendel, leaving him afraid that he's learned something he shouldn't have. As both Shona and Hector work to uncover what Grendel is and what threats it might pose, Miller weaves in diary entries from an unnamed intelligence agent, which may hold important clues about the operation, though the agent admits much of what they write may be untrue. 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 (a stream runs "hard and clear, whitening with grinning teeth over boulders") and lovable characters. Fans of Mick Herron will adore this.
