Description

‘Moving and masterful . . . transports you to 18th-century Scotland and says as much about modern life as it does about those harrowing times’ – Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Appeal

Inspired by an infamous real-life case, The Mourning Necklace is the unforgettable original 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 . . . I wear the rope-mark like a mourning necklace.

1724. In a tavern just outside Edinburgh, the family of Maggie Dickson – hanged for the murder of her newborn child – drown their sorrows, mourning her death yet relieved she is gone. Shame haunts them; 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 one: will they hang her twice?

Praise for Kate Foster:

‘Riveting . . . The tension persists until the last page’ – The Times

‘Tense, thrilling . . . with a decidedly feminist slant’ – Daily Mail

‘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

‘Captivating . . . Scratch beneath the surface of a Kate Foster novel and all of life is there in the most elegant prose’ – Marion Todd, author of the bestselling DI Clare Mackay series

‘Brilliant . . . the new Hilary Mantel’ – Tina Baker, author of What We Did In The Storm

Publisher 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 Captivating . . . Scratch beneath the surface of a Kate Foster novel and all of life is there in the most elegant prose — Marion Todd, author of the bestselling DI Clare Mackay series 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 Brilliant . . . [Kate Foster is] the new Hilary Mantel — Tina Baker, author of What We Did In The Storm An exceptional novel in all sorts of ways and not one that you’ll forget * Meath Chronicle *