Investigative journalist tackles enigmatic secret society in 'The Diary of Deceit'
In the gripping third installment of Philip Miller's crime series, "The Diary of Lies," we find our Edinburgh-based heroine, Shona Sandison, navigating a dark and treacherous landscape. Fresh from winning the Scoop of the Year award for her expose on the undercover deal-making behind Brexit, Shona is approached by Reece Proctor from the Dovetail think tank, who promises her a sensational story if she visits a local sex shop.
However, the clues she finds there are cryptic and do not reveal much. Undeterred, Shona's persistent nature and refusal to let things go propel her forward. Meanwhile, her former colleague Hector Stricken, now working for a new agency called Capacity and Resilience (Scotland), stumbles upon a top-secret project codenamed Grendel. Unfortunately, Hector inadvertently loses his notes after a drinking session, leaving the project's secrets hanging in the balance.
The story also involves Benjamin Wolf, a retired civil servant, who keeps a diary filled with cryptic references to his tumultuous past. These references are linked to Shona's previous investigations and the murder of an art expert named Thomas Tallis. As Shona delves deeper into the mystery, she is catapulted into a murder plot and the conspiracy called Grendel becomes aware of her.
Set against the backdrop of post-COVID Britain, where state oppression and corruption are central themes, "The Diary of Lies" offers a chilling portrayal of a country experiencing widespread betrayal of traditional values. The moneyed class manipulates finance, government, media, think tanks, and private security to their advantage, creating a web of deceit that Shona must untangle.
Shona's sheer doggedness is what makes "The Diary of Lies" an uplifting read, despite its premonitions of tyranny. She risks everything to get the story out and still has faith that the truth will make a difference. The story is a complex and gripping tale, with beautiful prose and iconic characters grappling with issues much larger than themselves.
For those who appreciate well-crafted crime fiction with a political edge, "The Diary of Lies" is a must-read. The third installment of Shona Sandison's series is now out from Soho Crime.
- In the tangle of state oppression and corruption in post-COVID Britain, Shona discovers that the government and think tanks like Dovetail are being manipulated by the moneyed class to control finance, media, and private security for their advantage.
- After winning an award for her expose on Brexit, Shona finds herself reading news about a top-secret government project named Grendel in the diary of a retired civil servant, Benjamin Wolf, whose books on his past are filled with cryptic references to her previous investigations.
