The Hollow Tree

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.

Philip Miller lives in Edinburgh. He was a newspaper journalist for twenty years, and was twice named Arts Writer of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards. His previous novels include The Blue Horse, All the Galaxies and The Goldenacre; and his poetry has been published online and in print; his first poetry collection, Blame Yourself, will be published in 2024.