The Hollow Tree

Shona Sandison Mystery #2

by Philip Miller

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.

Intrepid investigative journalist Shona Sandison, gone freelance following the tragic events of The Goldenacre , is attending the wedding of her closest friend and former colleague, Vivienne. But the night before the wedding, Vivienne’s reclusive old school friend, Dan, throws himself off a roof. 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.

Shona sets off on a conflicted quest to find out why Dan killed himself, the meaning of the strange messages, and what happened to Vivienne’s missing brother 20 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 a small 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.

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Thriller, Audiobook

384 pages, Hardcover

Published April 2, 2024

About the author

Philip Miller is a writer and poet who lives in Edinburgh. He was an award-winning arts journalist for 20 years, and his published novels include The Goldenacre (2022), All The Galaxies (2017) and The Blue Horse (2015). His poetry has been published in print and online, and he received a RL Stevenson Fellowship in 2019.

Reviews

[Alexandra Sokoloff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ripped through my ARC of Philip Miller’s The Hollow Tree. I enjoy a touch of the occult in my crime thrillers. This one's lushly detailed, politically savvy, deliciously eerie and just all-around smart. I haven’t gotten so sunk in a crime novel for quite a while.

Didn’t know I was supposed to read The Goldenacre first (Hollow Tree is second in the series!) but it didn’t matter and now I have something to look forward to!

[Chasity · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly this just wasn't the book for me. Over usage of the f word and I was just confused through a few parts.

[Shelly Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much Birlinn Books for this proof copy. Loved this crime/mystery.

Journalist Shona is witness to a shocking death at her friends wedding. After discovering elements of the occcult, Shona's curious mind has to uncover the truth. She sets out on a dangerous mission which may just turn out to be closer to home than she'd realised!

I haven't read crime for a while and I enjoyed reading it from the reporters perspective instead of the police side. This gave the genre a unique concept which kept me turning the pages. The book had an intriguing start: lovely descriptive prose with a slightly ominous undertone.

As far as crime goes, this story is up there with some of the best I've read. I loved the multi POV that was woven in and everytime I thought I was getting somewhere with my own ideas, a new character would appear to add a rising dimension and increase the tension.

It was dark, gritty and the occult elements weaved a chilling thread throughout.

I hadn't realised immediately that this is actually the second book in the Shona Sandison series but this can be read as a standalone. I will absolutely have to read the first now too!

Highly recommended read, especially for lovers of crime.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure I knew this was Book Two in a series when I got this. Luckily it mostly doesn't matter.

Our Heroine, Shona, has gone freelance and is living with her father when a man commits suicide just before her BFF's wedding. Of course the wedding is called off and Shona is asked to investigate (there are some cryptic/weird tattoos and a strange scene left). And at the same time, her father has a cardiac episode. So of course both pull at her as she looks into the history of a small class of students that included the victim, her BFF and an MP (who is seriously twisted).

There are a few twists, not many, but the characterizations and setting work well. I'll definitely check out book one and book three!

[Bill Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much moody atmospherics for my taste…and the story has some holes. But I do like the main character…so I guess I’ll finish out the trilogy.

[Mary Picken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though I have read Philip Miller’s The Goldenacre, it is not necessary to have done so in order to fully enjoy The Hollow Tree. Philip Miller’s writing is a joy to read and his characters buzz with life; none more so than Shona Sandison herself. Shona is a freelance journalist. She has served her time as a journalist on various papers, most recently The Edinburgh Post, but as newspapers continue to retract and writing is now a game of clickbait headline writing, she found herself made redundant.

When we meet her she is on her way to Dunoon on the Gourock ferry on a wet and windy day, alongside a number of her former colleagues. Her best friend Viv, is marrying Wayne, described so succinctly as ‘dour, unremarkable, like an undrunk cup of grey tea’.

The wedding itself is in a posh Dunoon hotel and with more than a few journalists in attendance, the drink is flowing freely. But still, there’s an undercurrent here and Shona learns things about Viv’s family she never knew before. Then one of the guests, dies and as Shona witnesses his death, she knows for sure that there a lot of questions to be answered. With her nose for a story, and the wedding bow postponed, she leaves her ailing father and heads off to Ullathorne in County Durham where the dead man lived and where the answer to all her questions seems to lie in a group of friends who have known each other for well over twenty years.

There are some fascinating characters in The Hollow Tree. Shona herself, her police contact Reculver, who describes Shona as the ‘impossible pencil – both sharp and blunt at the same time’

Shona is certainly both those things and her bluntness can offend as well as attract. Her spikiness with the newly met photographer Terry could lead them both to an early end to their professional relationship, but actually brings about a friendship as the pair enjoy a good verbal slanging match.

Underlying Shona’s bluntness though is a woman who is dogged in her determination to get to the truth.

Miller’s descriptive writing makes Ullathorne both a beautiful, windswept place and also one of darkness and decay. The eponymous Hollow Tree is majestic, but because of what people have done to it, it is slowly dying. Miller gives Ullathorne an almost eerie quality and that sits well with some aspects of this story which has occult practices spread through it. That coupled with sulphurous political machinations and a really unpleasant local MP who makes Suella Braverman look like Mother Theresa, gives the whole story creepy undertones that really make the back of your neck prickle with unease.

As Shona dives into the history of a small group of local young people who share a terrible secret, secrets start to be revealed and it is not long before those with the most to lose seek to silence those secrets for ever.

Verdict: A dark and beautifully written story with sharply honed characters, threaded through with regret, death and long buried secrets. I loved this novel and particularly enjoyed how it ended: after some very dark moments it was so good to see the joy in a spirited community working together for a greater good. This is a must read both for the story and the quality of the immersive, beautifully crafted atmospheric writing.

[Sarah Chavez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to start by saying this book was great! With that being said I do tend to focus a lot of my review on the negative parts of the book because I feel those are most important in a review. I also want to preface this by saying that I got the “advanced uncopyedited edition”. In total honesty, I have no idea what that means, but it might impact my review compared to others, so I thought I should mention it.

The story doesn’t necessarily follow one specific person, but it does follow Shona the most. From what I can tell it’s a third person omnipotent, however I didn’t really pay attention to the omnipotent part until the end of the book(whoops). Shona is an freelance investigative journalists, who’s hopped around from job to job, trying to find out where she fits in. She’s sassy, quick-witted, but also quick-tempered. The other characters you read about are Gary, Alison, bev and Karl, detective reculver, and probably some others im forgetting.

First things first, the story is slow, as in the climax was in chapter 30 out of 38 chapters slow. The writing was also written in a way where the paragraphs, as standalone paragraphs, are fantastic; the right amount of description to reference ratio and such, however the paragraphs, back to back, equivalate to watching paint dry. I had to take multiple breaks during my reading, sometimes within the same paragraph.

Next, the author and the story both have connections to Scotland and as such, use slang that’s hard to understand if you’ve never heard or read it before. This is one of the things about this book that’s not so important, I was able to get the gist of what was said most of the time.

The final thing about this book that made me slightly disappointed was that there was so much potential at the beginning. The story had a lot of loose ends in my opinion, that could have elevated the storyline, and without that development, it made the ending, almost, mundane? The book itself wasn’t the most exciting story; there wasn’t a lot of action, the deaths were somewhat expected, it overall wasn’t anything profound, but that’s not to say it wasn’t a good book. Another piece of wasted potential was that I felt like there was a big opportunity for a subplot of some kind, that wasn’t ever explored. At the beginning there was some talk of the love life, or lack there of, of Shona and I thought maybe a romance subplot but nothing. The book also kept bringing up Shona’s worry for her fathers health condition and I thought that it would go into dealing with the loss of a parent, but overcoming the grief and finally living for what makes you happy, or something along those lines but nothing came of it.

One last thing that’s not bad, I actually thought it was sweet but something I’d like to bring up is the ending where everyone’s gardening and it’s like a big community thing. This felt like kind of a half-assed way to close the story. The garden was brought up countless times during the story and that being the ending felt so useless. It was cute but this is also also part of the story that I felt could be developed.

I know all of this sound bad but I 100% thought it was a good book!

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now, this being book two in the series, naturally I haven't read the first book 🤷‍♀️. I think that if I had, I'd have understood the main character of Shona Sandison a little better, but, as stories and mysteries go, I found that I was perfectly able to pick this book up and run with it. It's a standalone mystery, self contained and packed with secrets and something just a little to the left of your normal crime thriller. Just the way I like it.

Shona Sandison is a freelance journalist, based out of Edinburgh but, on this occasion, on her way to the wedding of her closest friend, Vivienne. They make it all the way to the hotel, even through the majority of the pre-wedding knees up, when things take a very unexpected turn. One of the guests, a friend of Vivienne's from her hometown, brings a stop to the nuptials before they even begin. Being a journalist, and witness to events, Shona can't resist getting to the bottom of what happened, leading her to a past tragedy that Vivienne didn't want raking up. It also leads her to a group of friends who share more than the tragic loss of a friend. Secrecy, mystery and even murder are set to make Shona's trip to County Durham one she won't forget.

I really enjoyed the sense of foreboding that the author has infused in this book from the very beginning. For a group of people on their way to a wedding, the odd tipple aside, there is a kind of melancholy that follows them from Gourock to Dunoon, and atmospheric (typically Scottish) weather aside, you can sense that this is going to be far from a happy occasion. Whilst Shona is not the most forthcoming of characters - she actually appears quite world weary, weighed down by concerns for her father, and distracted by his possible relationship with a fellow allotment owner - I found I liked her really quickly. Perhaps it was exactly because she wasn't a puppy like character with boundless energy who was going to go splashing from one headline to the next, but that more down to earth, almost distant personality worked well, particularly in this story. She as still the kind of person who could get others to take her into their confidence, but not in an obtrusive way. I particularly liked the banter between her and photographer, Terry, who worked well together, despite an initial tension between them.

This is a complex story, one that takes Shona back into a dark point in Ullathorne's history, and to a fateful night that it appears someone would do anything to forget. There are a lot of shady characters in this book, some with greater reason to ensure that secrets are nit shared than others, and it's not really a surprise who is behind some of the dark deeds in the book. The motivation though, beyond protecting their current status, is a little more surprising, and it's something that giver the book a more otherworldly, almost spectral quality. I really quite liked that angle, could see how it fit the history of the story, even if the strength of the belief of some of the characters seemed a little unexpected. Some characters were easier to like than others, local politician Gary Watson leaving more than a little to be desired, and not just because of his political affiliation.

There were a couple of unexpected scenes in the book, one which fed into the story but didn't seem to go anywhere in particular other than closing down a potential investigative avenue, and another this was literally brought to a very abrupt conclusion. I kind of thought there had to be a reason for the author focusing on one particular descriptive passage, but I hadn't been expecting that. I did like how he played in to the treacherous beauty if the setting, using the wild nature of the County Durham countryside to create not only atmosphere, but tension, and to fee into that feeling of possibility of things beyond the mortal plain. The sense of everything being remote, of that expectation that the younger generation might seek their own adventure beyond the confines of their small town home, really did ring true. That they might cover up a tragedy, also felt authentic, as did the ramifications of that secret being uncovered. As for the eponymous Hollow Tree, it's majest appeared rivalled only by its refusal to give up its secrets, albeit to the cost of others.

I really enjoyed this book, like the character of Shona and the sense of melancholy that underpinned the story. I also liked the ending, the way in which the author turned tragedy into hope and showed how community spirit could be used for good as well as ill. The author is definitely on my radar now and I'll be looking out for more titles in the future.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Intrepid investigative journalist Shona Sandison, gone freelance following the tragic events of The Goldenacre , is attending the wedding of her closest friend and former colleague, Vivienne. But the night before the wedding, Vivienne’s reclusive old school friend, Dan, throws himself off a roof. 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.
Shona sets off on a conflicted quest to find out why Dan killed himself, the meaning of the strange messages, and what happened to Vivienne’s missing brother 20 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 a small group of classmates who have held a dark secret for decades."

This strained credulity. Occult tattoos? sexual shenanigans among Members of Parliament?
Also: my own pet peeve: why so many characters with similar names:
Ashley. Alison. Alyce.

[Jeffrey Herrmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miller is a wonderful writer and cranks out such interesting and evocative turns of phrase. He’s also got a great, lived in sense of Northern England and inhabitants, their social environment, and their psychology. This made the book just a delight to read; it also helps that our protagonist, Shona, is a wonderful though tortured character. Unfortunately, the mystery didn’t turn out to be all that interesting; and that the big baddie was, of course, a profoundly twisted and psychotic conservative politician was a little, you know, trite. But the verbiage and the shading and mood really carry the day, and Miller’s got such a great ear for dialogue and eye for character. I look forward to reading more Shona Sandison mysteries.

[Jeff Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book, especially the ending. But, as with many I’ve read recently, the storyline really was two or three storylines told consecutively, and that all came together at the end. Very clever story telling, but I found myself getting lost as to who was who, and when and where, especially since I would read a chapter or two at a time and resume the next day. Note-taking would have helped. Also, the author really captures Scotland and its people, but some of the references were lost on me (I suppose that’s true for Scottish readers reading American stories). I did find myself having to look up several slang words and colloquialisms which actually was kind of fun. Overall, a very enjoyable read.

[Georgina Prince · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m loving crime thrillers at the moment but my favourites have to Be British crime thrillers. I find them so intriguing yet relatable with the setting.

It starts in Scotland and rapidly heads South to Northern England, as the main character a journalist from Edinburgh; Shona can’t resist the mystery she is presented with.

The author does an amazing job of lacing a dark undertone throughout the book, with the main characters personal life intertwining with the story that unfolds and nods to the occult, this really was an atmospheric thriller. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time I read. Beautifully written and with an ending I didn’t expect, this is well worth a read.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently, The Hollow Tree is the second book in a series of Shona Sandison Investigations. Having never read the first, I didn't have any issues following along and enjoying this second in the series. The Hollow Tree is a skillfully written, slow-burning murder mystery. The characters are engaging with interesting backstories. The setting is a small English town with secrets (what's not to love). With elements of dark academia and the occult, this novel was a great quick read.
Thank you to Soho Press and Netgalley for the free copy.

[Cendrena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok I'm going to be honest, I was ready to put this book down. But I kept reading and finally began to really enjoy it. One of the main reasons I kept reading was because of all the slang words and phrases I'd never heard. Some of them I had to look up to see what the meaning meant, but that was its charm. The story leads you down a rather dark path that I didn't see coming. If you enjoy a bit of twist and turns, along with a paranormal edge, then this book is for you.


Thank you Philip Miller and Soho Press for my won copy of The Hollow Tree.

[Laurel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not at all sure what was going on most of the time. Many characters and couldn’t tell why the tree was at all in the plot line. Who really did kill Viv’s brother? What did the Ouija board have to do with any of it? Did it instruct this cultish group of friends to kill? And what did Dan’s father have to do with any of it? What did Dan and his suicide have to do with any of it? And were Shona and Terry going to have a relationship? What was the entire side story of Shona’s dad and his allotment garden? Just bizarre!

[David C Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

A shocking suicide, which Sandison witnesses, takes her back to the victim’s childhood and a group of friends who find meaning in the occult. Sandison unravels the story back to a boy who disappeared and forward to a political coverup. A very good novel about the past and how our lives are shaped by people and the geography we grow up in. Miller is a very good nature writer. He also has a razor sharp portrait of an absolutely odious politician.
But: as before, if you’ve done something criminal, don’t start killing people! It’s bad strategy and you might run into a bearded folk singer…

[Richard Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

the author slow-walked this intricate occult mystery. generally, this would have bothered me, but in this instance, i kinda liked it. the storytelling was fine. lots of characters though and some didn't get much of a storyline even though i thought they were entitled to a bigger slice. i liked the writing...smart and very descriptive.

this is book two of a three book series. my library didn't have book one available, so i started with this volume. book three is up next. will circle back for book one when available.

[Yasmina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shona Sandison, a journalist, is attending a wedding in Dunoon Scotland when one of the guests jumps off a balcony. Shona decides to investigate and soon discovers many secrets. Phillip Miller does a good job developing the setting and mood of the Scottish countryside. This gives the reader plenty of descriptions about Scotland which is a plus. Shona is a strong and persuasive character, but the story lacked suspense. The “bad guy” was pretty easy to identify. This is a book for someone who is interested in reading about Scotland rather than solving a mystery.

[VickiLee · Rating 4 out of 5]

While a journalist is attending the wedding of a close friend, she witnesses the suicide of a young man, nude, with Ouija board symbols tattooed on his body. Quite a beginning. Shona Sandison is determined to solve the mystery of his death, especially when she discovers that her friend had a brother who disappeared years ago, never to return home again. Coincidentally he was in the same class as the young suicide.

[Julia MacBeath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this writer after an article in the Scotsman about Barbara Brocolli being interested in an adaptation of his work. Found this to be absolutely beautifully written. Deftly plotted but unafraid to leave parts of the story shrouded in mystery. A great damaged central character, very funny and infuriating. Beautiful depiction of the natural landscape and its spiritual power. Some incredibly moving passages. A hint of the supernatural. Just loved it. Well done Mr Miller.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to SOHO PRESS for sending me this good reads give away. I have read THE GOLDEN ACRE but this second one can easily be read as a stand alone. There is more background in this story and the characters seem more developed. Shona moves right along with investigating a death. The ending is very satisfying. Looking forward to more of her adventures.

[Ray Pezzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. (Read past this point only if you're (a) not going to read this book or, like me, (b) likely to forget this review before you get around to reading it.)
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This was an enjoyable, intelligently written novel featuring a strong plot, a captivating character in our protagonist, Shona Sandison, and very vivid descriptions of the geography of the setting. If the River Tyr, the Great Fosse, and Ullathorne weren't completely fictional (sadly), I think I'd be eager to go see them.

I *DO* think it tailed off a bit in the second half and I must say that I was quite disappointed that the underlying mystery (the disappearance of Andrew Banks way back in 1992) was never solved. Yes, we can assume he's dead, given that his old polyester football jersey (with a ragged hole in the chest) has been found. And yes, he was almost certainly murdered and yes, it was probably one of his fellow Ouija board-obsessed group of friends, but which one? Probably Gary, but Alison was extraordinarily hostile when Shona's questions got close to that subject. Bev's a bit dodgy, too. Sadly, we'll never know; Shona's blockbuster expose simply says:"Banks's body has never been found. The reasons for his disappearance and likely death remain unknown."

Aaarrgghhh....

[Donna M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book about a reporter who witnesses a suicide at a wedding. That leads her to the town he and the almost-bride grew up in. Investigation into a mix of politics, occult and small town life.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really slow for me for the 100, almost 200 pages then it picked up. I considered not finishing it. I did not read the first book of the series, so I’m not sure if that would have helped.

[William Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable and creepy mix of noir and horror (noiror?), a weird murder mystery. The lead character is not especially likable but believably intelligent, wounded and arrogant. The prose is well crafted and occasionally lyrical.

[Jan Delville · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick little mystery with numerous underlying themes. Loved the Gaelic nuances and the potty-mouth phrases. Great stuff if you want to get lost in a quick, little mystery. Plan to read more of Phillip Miller. Stay tuned….

[Casey]

such an unlikeable heroine. boorish really. and she rather falls into information rather than actually ferreting it out herself. The plot twists/turns are interesting.

[Riodelmartians · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well paced with many likeable character, especially Shona and Tracy. Very puzzling beginning that comes together in the satisfying ending.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Adithi · Rating 3 out of 5]

let's normalize solving the mystery in the mystery novel