{"id":6,"date":"2015-01-12T21:51:01","date_gmt":"2015-01-12T21:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.philipmillerbooks.com\/?page_id=6"},"modified":"2025-08-30T20:04:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T20:04:16","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.philipmillerbooks.com\/","title":{"rendered":"THE DIARY OF LIES"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE DIARY OF LIES<\/strong> is published by Birlinn and Soho Crime.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcellent . . . Admirers of Mick Herron\u2019s Slow Horses<\/i> series will appreciate the similarly jaundiced tone.\u201d
\u2014The New York Times<\/i><\/b>

\u201cFar from being one of those cozy British crime stories, this novel offers a lament for a Great Britain that\u2019s lost its bearings . . . [Shona\u2019s] sheer doggedness is why, despite all its premonitions of tyranny, The Diary of Lies<\/i> isn\u2019t a bummer. She still has faith that the truth will make a difference.\u201d
\u2014NPR\u2019s Fresh Air<\/i><\/b>

\u201cMiller is chilling and doom-laden in his furiously poetic depiction of a once great civilization going off the rails. Addressing this through the framework of crime fiction\u2014laced with surreal doses of Old English and Celtic folklore\u2014produces a fascinating hybrid that is Miller\u2019s alone . . . Evil is not banal in The Diary of Lies<\/i>\u2014it\u2019s a dragon coiled in a Scottish castle, ready to slither out and unleash its foulness.\u201d
\u2014Air Mail<\/b>

\u201cMiller writes with confidence and flair . . . This is a novel that holds the attention, offers much rich entertainment and has splendidly atmospheric and even comic scenes.\u201d
\u2014The Scotsman<\/i><\/b>

\u201cFull of spies, conspiracies, government secrets, the newspaper industry and, inevitably, murder . . . Miller has proven himself a very able crime writer.\u201d
\u2014Greenock Telegraph<\/i><\/b>

\u201cA gripping page-turner . . . [The Diary of Lies<\/i>] feels like reading the corkboard of a conspiracy theorist, with many strands of red string connecting people, places and plans.\u201d
\u2014LoveReading UK<\/b>

\u201cPhilip Miller does it again. Beautifully written, complex, and gripping from start to finish, The Diary of Lies<\/i> is a dark and brutal tale that holds a mirror up to our troubled times.\u201d
\u2014E. S. Thomson, award-winning author of Beloved Poison

<\/i><\/b>\u201cSoundly constructed and resonant.\u201d
\u2014Kingdom Books<\/b>

\u201c[A] sophisticated narrative . . . with striking prose and lovable characters. Fans of Mick Herron will adore this.\u201d
\u2014Publishers Weekly<\/i>, Starred Review<\/b>

\u201cThe Diary of Lies<\/i> is deeply scary and all too believable.\u201d
\u2014BookPage<\/i>, Starred Review<\/b>

\u201c[A] riveting cloak-and-dagger thriller.\u201d
\u2014Gumshoe Review<\/b>

\u201cMiller\u2019s greatest gift is to get you to care about his characters long before you\u2019ve figured out what they\u2019re looking for.\u201d
\u2014Kirkus Reviews<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

THE HOLLOW TREE<\/strong>\u00a0was published by Birlinn and Soho Crime in 2024.<\/p>\n

A <\/span>Wall Street Journal<\/span> Best Mystery Book of 2024<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

LoveReading E-Book of the Month<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Miller is a superb writer. One of the pleasures of his latest novel is its evocation of authentic colloquial speech across both sides of the Anglo-Scottish border. As her editor says of the sinister story that the intrepid Shona slowly pieces together, the book is \u2018a cracker, an absolute belter.\u2019\u201d
\u2014Tom Nolan,\u00a0The Wall Street Journal<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cPhilip Miller is an excellent writer . . . His depiction of the \u2018rural [and] repressed\u2019 landscape around Tyrdale\u00a0enhances an absorbing mystery, full of conflict and dissolution.\u201d
\u2014The Times\u00a0<\/em>(UK)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMiller is a melancholy master of atmosphere as well as a poet who knows how to cast a spell.\u201d
\u2014Air Mail<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Hollow Tree<\/em>\u00a0deftly weaves\u00a0into a tortuous string of mysteries, dark supernatural threads . . . A\u00a0wholly unnerving tale.\u201d
\u2015Sally McDonald,\u00a0Sunday Post<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIn his second novel about Shona, Miller has created a gripping, cerebral tartan noir thriller.\u201d
\u2014Oline Cogdill, Shelf Awareness<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cPhilip Miller is an excellent writer . . . His depiction of the \u2018rural [and] repressed\u2019 landscape around Tyrdale\u00a0enhances an absorbing mystery, full of conflict and dissolution.\u201d
\u2014The Times\u00a0<\/em>(UK)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Hollow Tree<\/em>\u00a0is not short of lurid incident, but the novel\u2019s noise is embedded within a powerful sense of place and time and a real understanding of human psychology. It may be Miller\u2019s best novel yet.\u201d
\u2014The Herald<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThis second novel is to be highly rated for mood, atmosphere, ingenuity and narrative.\u201d
\u2014The Scotsman<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Hollow Tree<\/em>\u00a0is an ingenious piece of literary work.\u201d
\u2014Gumshoe Review<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThis time around it\u2019s darker and more dangerous with a large slice of devilry . . . It\u2019s a great crossover of genres in that it\u2019s both crime and horror . . . A thrilling read.\u201d
\u2015Alistair Braidwood,\u00a0Scots Whay Hae! podcast<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cDarkly absorbing,\u00a0The Hollow Tree\u00a0<\/em>is a thoroughly satisfying and convincing read.\u201d
\u2014LoveReading<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Hollow Tree<\/em>\u00a0is both political noir and occult thriller, gripping yet haunting, and surely one of the best crime novels of the year.\u201d
\u2014David Peace, author of the Red Riding Quartet<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Hollow Tree<\/em>\u00a0confirms Philip Miller as a powerful and unique voice in the crime fiction landscape, carving out a niche for himself at the boundaries of crime and horror. In his stories there is always much more going on than can be seen with the naked eye, and it takes a special investigative mind like Shona Sandison\u2019s to uncover the truth. It\u2019s clear that Miller has just scratched the surface of his compelling journalist which augurs well for the future: more of Shona Sandison\u2019s adventures, please. Much, much more.\u201d
\u2014Iain Maloney, author of\u00a0The Only Gaijin in the Village<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cPhilip Miller\u2019s latest Shona Sandison book,The Hollow Tree<\/em>, starts with the embers of a mystery that slowly but persistently catch into a barn-burner.\u201d
\u2014Raven Book Store<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cReading\u00a0The Hollow Tree<\/em>\u00a0parallels eating a globe artichoke, leaf by leaf. Your teeth scrape the sweet richness at the bottom edge of each, but you can\u2019t reach the aromatic heart of the \u2018choke until you complete the disrobing.\u201d
\u2014Strong Words That Matter blog<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMiller has written a terrific thriller full of complex characters and dramatic twists and turns.\u201d
\u2014San Diego Book Review<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA dark and beautifully written story with sharply honed characters, threaded through with regret, death and long buried secrets.\u201d
\u2014Live and Deadly\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAn absorbing mystery, backed up by settings in Argyll and Edinburgh, incisive social commentary, and Shona\u2019s quirky detective work.\u201d
\u2014Booklist\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cDarkly atmospheric.\u201d
\u2014Kirkus Reviews<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Previous novels:<\/h4>\n

THE GOLDENACRE<\/u><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Was published by Polygon in 2022 and <\/a>by Soho Crime in the US in June 2022<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Won<\/span> the Shamus Award for Best First Private Investigator Novel of 2022<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/u>A CrimeReads\u00a0Most\u00a0Anticipated\u00a0Crime\u00a0Book of Summer<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

An Airmail Thriller Book of the Year<\/em><\/p>\n

A Snackmag Book of the Year<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Goldenacre<\/span> features a dense cast of vivid characters, not least Tallis, a tortured pilgrim worthy of a Graham Greene tale. The book\u2014which explores through prose the interplay between light and darkness in the physical and moral worlds\u2014is an ambitious and wonderfully realized work.\u201d
\u2014Tom Nolan, <\/span>The Wall Street Journal<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis terrific art mystery is as twisty and dark (even a wee bit gruesome in places) as the \u2018crooked medieval lanes\u2019 and the \u2018brooding bulk\u2019 of St. Giles\u2019 Cathedral in Edinburgh, where this exceptional novel is set.\u201d
\u2014Carole E. Barrowman, <\/span>Star Tribune<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of a kind and loaded with original plotting.\u201d
\u2014Toronto\u00a0Star<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA literary masterpiece. So many layers to peel back in this mystery.\u201d
\u2014Mystery & Suspense<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA literary thriller in the tradition of The Goldfinch<\/span> or All the Light We Cannot See<\/span>, but better! In The Goldenacre<\/span>, the suspense is real, the stakes are high, and the mystery actually gets resolved . . . [An] enjoyable thriller that is part cerebral and part noir.\u201d
\u2014<\/span>Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the magic way oddly juxtaposed words manage to convey the essence of a scene, the feelings of a character, or the ugliness of an act, more vividly than any dictionary-precise language, that makes The Goldenacre<\/span> a thoroughly worthwhile read.\u201d
\u2014Portland Book Review<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUnputdownable.\u201d
\u2014Milwaukee Journal Sentinel<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs a novelist, he [Philip Miller] constructs an intricate and intelligent plot and peoples it with richly imagined and deeply realized characters. As a poet, he composes strikingly crafted descriptions . . . And as an experienced journalist, he captures the continuing diminution of print newspapers as they pursue \u2018digital transformation.\u2019 An authoritative work\u00a0on\u00a0art and an accomplished work\u00a0of\u00a0art,\u00a0The Goldenacre\u00a0also represents a shrewd study of family dynamics and a splendid sample of literary crime fiction.\u201d
\u2014The Free Lance-Star<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c[The Goldenacre<\/span>] is mesmerizing in its use of atmosphere, poetic language, and ingenious plot construction . . . Overall, this fine example of Scottish noir was atmospheric and gloomy yet at times sardonic and droll.\u201d
\u2014<\/span>The Santa Fe New Mexican<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Goldenacre<\/span> is infused with the grey atmosphere and stylish lingo of its Edinburgh setting . . . [A] complex art thriller.\u201d
\u2014<\/span>CrimeReads<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTartan noir hobnobs with the art world in The Goldenacre<\/span>, Philip Miller’s clever, complex and improbably touching thriller set in Edinburgh, a city whose reputation for quiet elegance and relative calm gets quite a workout.\u201d
\u2014Shelf Awareness<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c[The Goldenacre<\/span> is] undeniably a powerful and enjoyable read, and places Miller among the must-read authors who bind the tragedy of their crimes to Scotland’s cities and feudal history.\u201d
\u2014Kingdom Books<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA first-class thriller.\u201d
\u2014<\/span>The Times<\/span> (UK)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIts vivid sense of location is one of this engaging mystery\u2019s great strengths.\u201d
\u2014<\/span>The Herald<\/span> (Scotland)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLike its namesake, The Goldenacre<\/span> occupies its own unclassifiable space, as much a meditation on beauty and loss as it is crime fiction.\u201d
\u2014Air Mail<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFans of Scottish-Grit crime writer Ian Rankin will love this twisty mystery . . . [The] plot is ingenious, and the atmosphere\u2014both sinister Edinburgh and the embattled newsroom\u2014is brilliantly evoked.\u201d
\u2014<\/span>Booklist<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOutstanding . . . In a style recalling the brutal dreariness of le Carr\u00e9, Miller describes a pivotal character as \u2018sharp and severe as a snapped bone.\u2019 It\u2019s also an apt description of this biting tale of society in decline. Noir fans won\u2019t want to miss it.\u201d
\u2014<\/span>Publishers Weekly<\/span>, Starred Review
<\/span>
\u201cSuperb . . . A prime example of Scottish noir.\u201d
\u2014Gumshoe Review<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUnusual and elegant, Philip Miller\u2019s third novel [The Goldenacre<\/span>] takes the Tartan Noir genre in some new and unexpected directions.\u201d
\u2014<\/span>The Scotsman<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis excellent well-plotted noir thriller pits unique characters against the hard-edges of modern life.\u201d
<\/span>\u2014Stop, You’re Killing Me!<\/span>
<\/span>
\u201cA riveting, brutal journey into the high-stakes world of legacy art and inherited wealth.\u201d
\u2014Denise Mina, author of <\/span>Conviction <\/span>and the <\/span>Garnethill <\/span>trilogy<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA pacy tale of crime and deception set in the world of fine art. beautifully written, with a brilliantly vivid sense of place and a killer twist, The Goldenacre <\/span>is one to savor.\u201d
\u2014Liam McIlvanney, author of <\/span>The Quaker<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cArt, music, politics and murder, set against a backdrop of one of the most beautiful cities in the world\u2014what\u2019s not to love? A complex and compelling plot, with intriguing characters.\u201d
\u2014Lesley Kelly, author of the <\/span>Health of Strangers<\/span>novels<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA gritty, propulsive and moving thriller that makes important points about art, wealth and class.”
\u2014Kirstin Innes, author of <\/span>Scabby Queen<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPhil Miller\u2019s Edinburgh is a city of secrets, an introverted place filled with characters so real in their humanity and yet somehow askew, imbued with the touch of supernatural shadows but also unshakeable goodness. Elegiac, moving, but always richly humane, The Goldenacre <\/span>is a welcome addition to Scottish noir.\u201d
\u2014Jackie Copleton, author of <\/span>A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding,<\/span> longlisted for the 2016 Women’s Prize for Fiction<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPhilip Miller\u2019s latest novel is a triumph of plot and character, a whirligig of twists, connections, and secrets written in an engaging and confident style. In the crowded world of Scottish crime writing Miller has carved a unique, thrilling niche for himself by blending hard-boiled journalism and the smiling treachery of the art world. Miller puts the art in Tartan Noir.\u201d
\u2014Iain Maloney, author of <\/span>The Only Gaijin in the Village<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAn intriguing plot . . . Miller is an excellent wordsmith.\u201d
\u2014<\/span>Library Journal<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA promising, tear-stained debut.\u201d
\u2014<\/span>Kirkus Reviews<\/span><\/p>\n

Philip Miller is also the author of\u00a0ALL THE GALAXIES<\/a> (2017, Allen and Unwin<\/em>) and a debut, THE BLUE HORSE (2015, Freight<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Philip was a journalist for twenty years, as Arts Correspondent for The Scotsman, The Sunday Times in Scotland, and The Herald, twice being named Arts Writer of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards.<\/p>\n

He is represented by\u00a0Underline Literary Agency<\/a><\/p>\n

Philip Miller on the Scottish Book Trust website.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE DIARY OF LIES is published by Birlinn and Soho Crime. \u201cExcellent . . . Admirers of Mick Herron\u2019s Slow Horses series will appreciate the similarly jaundiced tone.\u201d\u2014The New York Times \u201cFar from being one of those cozy British crime stories, this novel offers a lament for a Great Britain that\u2019s lost its bearings . […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":157,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"full-width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philipmillerbooks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philipmillerbooks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philipmillerbooks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philipmillerbooks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philipmillerbooks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/www.philipmillerbooks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":207,"href":"http:\/\/www.philipmillerbooks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6\/revisions\/207"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philipmillerbooks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philipmillerbooks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}