The Mourning Necklace by Kate Foster

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 . .