The Borrowed Hills: A Novel

Set in the rugged northwest of England during the 2001 foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, The Borrowed Hills follows two neighboring shepherds, Steve Elliman and William Herne, who lose their flocks and decide to steal prizewinning sheep from a wealthy southern farm to rebuild their lives. Their desperate heist draws them into moral conflict, violence, and obsession—especially as Steve becomes increasingly drawn to William’s strong-willed wife, Helen. When a ruthless outsider, Colin Tinley, disrupts their fragile world, Steve must fight to protect both himself and Helen. Written in a raw, poetic voice, Scott Preston’s debut paints a harsh yet haunting portrait of loyalty, love, and survival amid the dying traditions of rural England—an English Western where blood, land, and loss run deep.