Benbecula : Darkland Tales

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In 1857, on the island of Benbecula, Angus MacPhee killed his parents and his aunt in an act that would scar the community beyond repair. Declared criminally insane, he was removed from the island and locked away, but the violence did not end with his confinement. It lingered, embedded in memory and silence.

Years later, his brother Malcolm lives alone with the aftermath. Shunned by neighbours and cut adrift from ordinary life, he attempts to set down his version of events, tracing the days and beliefs that led to the murders. As he writes, the boundaries between testimony and obsession begin to blur. Faith, folklore, and fear seep into his account, raising questions about inheritance, guilt, and what madness leaves behind.

Benbecula: Darkland Tales is a stark and unsettling novel rooted in Hebridean history. It explores how violence reverberates through families and communities, and how the act of remembering can become its own form of peril.