The Mourning Necklace

A Gripping Historical Novel from the Women's Prize Longlisted Author

By: Kate Foster

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Paperback | 27 May 2025

At a Glance

Paperback
320 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
2.6 x 15.7 x 23.6

Paperback

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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 . . .

About the Author

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.

Industry Reviews

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

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