The Mourning Necklace

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 *
Beautifully and sympathetically told * TripFiction *

Kate Foster worked as a national newspaper journalist for more than twenty years before becoming an author. 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 and was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, and The King’s Witches. The Mourning Necklace is her third novel.

She lives in Edinburgh with her two children.

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