The Mourning Necklace

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What to expect

'Kate Foster can pluck a dark story from the depths of history and bring it to vivid life before your eyes . . . A strong contender for my book of the year' – Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Appeal

Inspired by an infamous real-life case, The Mourning Necklace is the unforgettable feminist historical novel from the Women's Prize-longlisted author of The Maiden, Kate Foster.

They said I would swing for the crime, and I did . . .

1724. In a tavern just outside Edinburgh, Maggie Dickson’s family drown their sorrows, mourning her death yet relieved she is gone. Shame haunts them. Hanged for the murder of her newborn child, passers-by avert their eyes from her cheap coffin on its rickety cart.

But as her family pray her soul rests in peace, a figure appears at the door.

It is Maggie. She is alive.

Bruised and dazed, Maggie has little time for her family’s questions. All that matters to her is answering this one: will they hang her twice?

* * *

What readers are saying about The Mourning Necklace:

'Absolutely superb . . . Kate Foster cannot put a foot wrong in this genre'

'I was so moved'

'Kate Foster is fast becoming one of my favourite authors'

Critics Review

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 haven’t 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
Scratch beneath the surface of a Kate Foster novel and all of life is there in the most elegant prose. The Mourning Necklace is an exquisitely crafted imagining of Maggie Dickson’s life, death and life again – a captivating tale you must not miss
Marion Todd, author of the bestselling DI Clare Mackay series
The new Hilary Mantel. A tale of a working class lass punished for the crime of wanting more. Thank you for making me cry again Kate Foster! Another brilliant read with shocks and humour along the way
Tina Baker, author of What We Did In The Storm
The King's Witches is enthralling, compelling and at times chilling. Foster transports the reader back in time, bringing alive the forgotten and hidden voices of women in the past. An utterly timely tale that surpasses The Maiden, her rightly celebrated debut
D. V. Bishop, author of Ritual of Fire, on The King's Witches

User Reviews

Book 5.0
Narration 5.0
5.0
5.0
Tdk 10/09/2025

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