The Mourning Necklace by Kate Foster - Review

I saw this book a couple of times when I was on holiday and was intrigued by it, but it was still in hardback so it was the best part of £20 and I just didn't want to spend that much on a book. But then I saw it on Kindle for a few quid a bit later so I bought it. I also sent it to my friend Leanne because I thought this would be right up her street. We read it at the same time which was really nice. I also read it quickly and would have read it even quicker if I had had more time over the weekend. 

It's based on the story of a real woman called Maggie Dickson who was sentenced to death by hanging for the murder of her child. However, she survived the hanging and was deemed to have served her sentence. She lived a lot longer! So Kate Foster has reimagined her life. 

Maggie is twenty two years old, ish, and lives in Fisherrow near Edinburgh with her parents and her sister Joan. At the very beginning of the book she awakes after being hanged, and realises she is in her own coffin (well, the parish coffin, because her parents are too poor to pay for one for just her) in the stables of an inn. She gets out of the coffin and goes into the inn, surprising her family, who thought she was dead. She has given her engagement ring to her sister and demands it back. She is captured by the sheriffs who take her back to Edinburgh because they have to discuss whether she has served her sentence or not and whether she is allowed to go free. 

The novel then goes back in time to show the reader what has happened. Maggie lives in a tiny cottage with her parents and sister. The four of them share a bed. Her Da has a bad temper. He is a fisherman and Ma, Joan and Maggie all sell the fish. She meets a stranger called Patrick Spencer and starts a courtship with him. They get married and Maggie is quite content in her little cottage with him. She doesn't want a baby so Spencer gives her some kind of 'women's tonic' to try to prevent that.

She discovers something awful about him and takes off. She wants to go to London, where Spencer always told her they would go, and open a perfumerie, but she only gets as far as Kelso. She stays the night in an inn and ends up staying there. She is betrayed by a woman she meets and gets a job in the inn. She realises she is pregnant but keeps it to herself, because she doesn't want to lose her job. 

I won't give anything else away because I was so intrigued by the book and loved uncovering that for myself. I really liked it, really rated it, and can't wait to read more by Kate Foster. I am giving it five out of five.