The Mourning Necklace

Kate Foster author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Pan Macmillan

Published:5th Feb '26

Should be back in stock very soon

The Mourning Necklace cover

Sentenced to hang for a terrible crime, Maggie Dickson somehow survives her own execution. Now she must race to prove her innocence before the hangman catches up with her. Inspired by a real-life case, this is the third novel from Women's Prize-longlisted author Kate Foster. Now in B format

Sentenced to hang for a terrible crime, Maggie Dickson somehow survives her own execution. Now she must race to prove her innocence before the hangman catches up with her . . .

‘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

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 *
The Mourning Necklace is Foster's best novel yet . . . a timely and terrific tale * Lancashire Evening Post *
The Mourning Necklace is compelling historical writing based on a real life case that leaves the reader enthralled, entertained, and often outraged at the injustice of the world * The People's Friend *

ISBN: 9781035052073

Dimensions: 199mm x 134mm x 19mm

Weight: 216g

304 pages