The Mourning Necklace: A Scandalous Feminist Historical Novel from the Women's Prize-Longlisted Author

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Kate Foster is an exceptional writer and masterful storyteller' - Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Appeal Inspired by the infamous real-life case of Maggie Dickson, The Mourning Necklace is an unforgettable historical novel from Women's Prize-longlisted author, Kate Foster. They said I would swing for the crime and I did . . . Surely, they can't hang me twice 1724. In a village tavern on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Maggie Dickson's family drown their sorrows, mourning her death yet relieved she is gone. Shame haunts them. Passersby avert their eyes from the cheap-looking coffin on the rickety cart. Despite protesting her innocence, Maggie was hanged that morning for the murder of her new-born child. But as her family pray her soul rests in peace, a figure appears at the door. It is Maggie. She has survived her execution. Whether Maggie bribed the hangman or has been touched by God matters little now. What matters is proving her innocence - before she is hanged again . . . Praise for Kate Foster: 'Exceptional - a tense, thrilling investigation, with a decidedly feminist slant' - Daily Mail on The Maiden 'Riveting . . . the tension persists until the last page' - The Times on The Maiden 'Enthralling, compelling and at times chilling . . . An utterly timely tale' - D. V. Bishop, prize-winning author of Ritual of Fire, on The King's Witches

Reviews

Kate Foster can pluck a dark story from the depths of history and bring it to vivid life before your eyes. The Mourning Necklace is her best yet. Inspired by the real-life tale of a woman who survived her own execution, it is moving and masterful, a visceral treat that transports you to 18th-century Scotland and says as much about modern life as it does about those harrowing times. Foster is a class act and an author who, if you havent read her yet, what are you waiting for A strong contender for my book of the year -- Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Appeal
What a fabulous read. Maggie is an amazing character so ordinary, yet profoundly extraordinary at the same time - her story compelled me from the very first page. Kate excels at bringing the forgotten women of history back to life and giving them the attention they deserve -- Claire Evans, author of The Fourteenth Letter
Riveting . . . The tension persists until the last page -- The Times on The Maiden
Kate Foster expands the slender facts of the case into something exceptional - a tense, thrilling investigation, with a decidedly feminist slant - Daily Mail on The Maiden
Threat hangs over every page like the awaiting guillotine, but the women in this book gleam sharper. Witty, gritty and full of heart, their voices rise through the brutality and hardship of seventeenth-century Edinburgh, battling to be heard -- Cari Thomas, bestselling author of Threadneedle, on The Maiden
A beautifully written tale of love and duty, fear and courage -- Jenny Ashcroft, bestselling author of The Echoes of Love, on The King's Witches
Enthralling, compelling and at times chilling . . . An utterly timely tale -- D. V. Bishop, award-winning author of Ritual of Fire, on The King's Witches
A gripping, poignant novel that gives voice to those so often unheard in historical accounts -- Elizabeth Lee, bestselling author of Cunning Women, on The King's Witches

Author Bio

Kate Foster has been a national newspaper journalist for over twenty years. Growing up in Edinburgh, she became fascinated by its history and often uses it as inspiration for her stories. Her previous novels include The Maiden, which won the Bloody Scotland Crime Debut of the Year in 2023 and was longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2024, and The King's Witches. The Mourning Necklace is her third novel. She lives in Edinburgh with her two children.