Anne Perry (born Juliet Marion Hulme; 28 October 1938 – 10 April 2023) was a British writer best known as the author of the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt and William Monk series of historical detective fiction. In 1994, it became public knowledge that Perry had been convicted for murder as a teenager while living in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

, New Zealand. In 1954, at the age of fifteen, she and her 16-year-old friend Pauline Parker murdered Parker's mother, Honorah Rieper. After serving a five-year sentence for the murder, she changed her name and returned to the United Kingdom. She was identified by journalists following the release of the movie ''

Heavenly Creatures ''Heavenly Creatures'' is a 1994 New Zealand biographical psychological drama film directed by Peter Jackson, from a screenplay he co-wrote with his partner, Fran Walsh, and starring Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey in their feature film debu ...

'', directed by Peter Jackson, in which Kate Winslet portrays Hulme (Perry).

Early life

Born in London, the daughter of physicist

Henry Rainsford Hulme Henry Rainsford Hulme (9 August 1908 – 8 January 1991) was a British scientist who is considered one of the four major minds behind the successful British hydrogen bomb programme, British hydrogen bomb project. He is also the father of author a ...

, Perry was diagnosed with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

as a child and sent to the Caribbean, South Africa, and New Zealand in hopes that a warmer climate would improve her health. She rejoined her family after her father took a position as

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

Canterbury University College The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was f ...

in New Zealand. She attended Christchurch Girls' High School, located in what became the Cranmer Centre. A 1948 '' Auckland Star'' photograph of Juliet arriving in New Zealand was discovered by Auckland Libraries staff in 2012 and written about in the ''Heritage et AL'' blog.

Murder and trial

In June 1954, at the age of 15, Hulme and her best friend

Pauline Parker Pauline may refer to: Religion *An adjective referring to St Paul the Apostle or a follower of his doctrines *An adjective referring to St Paul of Thebes, also called St Paul the First Hermit *An adjective referring to the Paulines, various relig ...

murdered Parker's mother, Honorah Rieper. Hulme's parents were in the process of separating and she was supposed to go to South Africa to stay with a relative. The two teenage friends, who had created a complicated fantasy life together populated with celebrities such as

Mario Lanza Mario Lanza (, ; born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza ; January 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959) was an American tenor and actor. He was a Hollywood film star popular in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Lanza began studying to be a professional singer at ...

and James Mason, did not want to be separated. On 22 June 1954, the girls and Rieper went for a walk in

Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...

in the Port Hills of

. On an isolated path, Hulme dropped an ornamental stone so that Rieper would lean over to retrieve it. Parker had planned to hit her mother with half a brick wrapped in a stocking. The girls presumed that one blow would kill her but it took more than 20. Parker and Hulme stood trial in Christchurch in 1954 and were found guilty on 28 August. As they were too young to be considered for the death penalty under New Zealand law at the time, they were convicted and sentenced to be "detained

at Her Majesty's pleasure At His Majesty's pleasure (sometimes abbreviated to King's pleasure or, when the reigning monarch is female, at Her Majesty's pleasure or Queen's pleasure) is a legal term of art referring to the indeterminate or undetermined length of service of c ...

". They were released separately five years later. At the time of Hulme's death in 2023, Parker and Hulme were not believed to have had any contact since the trial. The events formed the basis for the 1994 film ''

'', in which

Melanie Lynskey Melanie Jayne Lynskey ( ; born 16 May 1977) is a New Zealand actress widely known for her portrayals of complex women in several independent films and television shows and also known for her command of American dialects. Lynskey is the recipi ...

portrayed a teenage Pauline Parker and Kate Winslet the teenaged Juliet Hulme. At the time of the film's release, it was not generally known that

mystery author This is a list of mystery writers: A–C D–G H–L M–Q R–Z See also *Mystery fiction *List of female detective/mystery writers * List of European mystery writers *List of Asian crime fiction writers *List of crime writers *List of ...

Anne Perry was Juliet Hulme; her identity was made public after journalists tracked her down some months after the film's release. Although some presumed Hulme and Parker's relationship to be sexual, Perry stated in 2006 that, while the relationship was obsessive, the two "were never lesbians".

Later life

After being released from prison in November 1959, Hulme returned to England and became a flight attendant. For a period she lived in the United States, where she joined

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

in 1968. She later settled in the Scottish village of

Portmahomack Portmahomack ( gd, Port Mo Chalmaig; 'Haven of My .e. 'Saint'Colmóc') is a small fishing village in Easter Ross, Scotland. It is situated in the Tarbat Peninsula in the parish of Tarbat. Tarbat Ness Lighthouse is about from the village at ...

, where she lived with her mother. Her father had a distinguished scientific career, heading the

British hydrogen bomb programme The British hydrogen bomb programme was the ultimately successful British effort to develop hydrogen bombs between 1952 and 1958. During the early part of the Second World War, Britain had a nuclear weapons project, codenamed Tube Alloys. At the ...

. Hulme took the name Anne Perry, using her stepfather's surname. Her first novel, ''

The Cater Street Hangman ''The Cater Street Hangman'' is a crime novel by Anne Perry. It is the first in a series which features the husband-and-wife team of Thomas and Charlotte Pitt. Plot introduction ''The Cater Street Hangman'' introduces Inspector Thomas Pitt an ...

'', was published under this name in 1979. Her works generally fall into one of several categories of

genre fiction Genre fiction, also known as popular fiction, is a term used in the book-trade for fictional works written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre, in order to appeal to readers and fans already familiar with that genre. A num ...

, including historical murder mysteries and detective fiction. Many feature recurring characters, most importantly Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, who appeared in her first novel, and amnesiac private investigator William Monk, who first appeared in her 1990 novel ''The Face of a Stranger''. After Perry's identity as Hulme was revealed in 1994, she said: She continued writing and said that she was surprised that her friends stuck by her despite the revelation of her identity and the ensuing media attention. In 1998 she was featured by ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' in its list of 100 "masters of crime". Her story "Heroes", which first appeared in the 1999 anthology ''Murder and Obsession'', edited by

Otto Penzler Otto Penzler (born July 8, 1942) is a German-born American editor of mystery fiction, and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City. Biography Born in Germany to a German-American mother and a German father, Penzler moved to The ...

, won the 2000 Edgar Award for Best Short Story. In 2005, Perry appeared on the ''

Trisha Trisha is a unisex given name, usually derived from the female Latin given name Patricia. Notable people and characters with the name include: People *Trisha (actress), Indian film actress Trisha Krishnan (born 1983) * Trisha Baptie (born 197 ...

'' show to discuss her murder conviction on a special themed show. A 2009 documentary film, ''Anne Perry Interiors'', gave a snapshot of her life and the people close to her. In 2009 she received a lifetime achievement award at the

Agatha Awards The Agatha Awards, named for Agatha Christie, are literary awards for mystery and crime writers who write in the traditional mystery subgenre: "books typified by the works of Agatha Christie . . . loosely defined as mysteries that contain no expl ...

. In 2013 and 2020 she was a guest of honour at the Bouchercon mystery fiction convention. , Perry had published 29 novels in the Pitt series, 20 novels in the Monk series, ten other novels for adults, three young adult novels and 11 mystery novellas with Christmas themes. ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' noted that her sales at that time exceeded 10 million copies and that her works regularly appeared on ''The New York Times'' bestseller list. In 2017, Perry left Scotland and moved to Los Angeles in order to more effectively promote films based on her novels. She had a heart attack in December 2022, and died at a hospital in Los Angeles on 10 April 2023, aged 84. Her novel ''The Fourth Enemy'' was published the day after her death.

Bibliography

Each series is listed in internal chronological order, according to the author's website. Perry's two main series each feature a male and a female protagonist. Thomas Pitt is matched with his wife Charlotte, while William Monk is matched with Hester Latterly, a

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

nurse. The Monk mysteries are set earlier in the Victorian era (1850s–1860s) than the Pitt books (1880s–1890s).

Featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt

# ''

'' (1979) # ''Callander Square'' (1980) # ''Paragon Walk'' (1981) # ''Resurrection Row'' (1981) # ''Rutland Place'' (1983) # ''Bluegate Fields'' (1984) # ''Death in the Devil's Acre'' (1985) # ''Cardington Crescent'' (1987) # ''Silence in Hanover Close'' (1988) # ''Bethlehem Road'' (1990) # ''Highgate Rise'' (1991) # ''Belgrave Square'' (1992) # ''Farrier's Lane'' (1993) # ''The Hyde Park Headsman'' (1994) # ''Traitors Gate'' (1995) # ''Pentecost Alley'' (1996) # ''Ashworth Hall'' (1997) # ''Brunswick Gardens'' (1998) # ''Bedford Square'' (1999) # ''Half Moon Street'' (2000) # ''The Whitechapel Conspiracy'' (2001) # ''Southampton Row'' (2002) # ''Seven Dials'' (2003) # ''Long Spoon Lane'' (2005) # ''Buckingham Palace Gardens'' (2008) # ''Betrayal at Lisson Grove'' (US title: ''Treason at Lisson Grove'') (2011) # ''Dorchester Terrace'' (2012) # ''Midnight at Marble Arch'' (2013) # ''Death on Blackheath'' (2014) # ''The Angel Court Affair'' (2015) # ''Treachery at Lancaster Gate'' (2016) # ''Murder on the Serpentine'' (2016)

Featuring Daniel Pitt

# ''Twenty-One Days'' (2018) # ''Triple Jeopardy'' (2019) # ''One Fatal Flaw'' (2020) # ''Death with a Double Edge'' (2021) # ''Three Debts Paid'' (2022) # ''The Fourth Enemy'' (2023)

Featuring Hester Latterly and William Monk

# ''The Face of a Stranger'' (1990) # ''A Dangerous Mourning'' (1991) # ''Defend and Betray'' (1992) # ''A Sudden, Fearful Death'' (1993) # ''The Sins of the Wolf'' (1994) # ''Cain His Brother'' (1995) # ''Weighed in the Balance'' (1996) # ''The Silent Cry'' (1997) # ''A Breach of Promise'' (alt. title: ''Whited Sepulchres'') (1997) # ''The Twisted Root'' (1999) # ''Slaves of Obsession'' (alt. title: ''Slaves and Obsession'') (2000) # ''A Funeral in Blue'' (2001) # ''Death of a Stranger'' (2002) # ''The Shifting Tide'' (2004) # ''Dark Assassin'' (2006) # ''Execution Dock'' (2009) # ''Acceptable Loss'' (2011) # ''A Sunless Sea'' (2012) # ''Blind Justice'' (2013) # ''Blood on the Water'' (2014) # ''Corridors of the Night'' (2015) # ''Revenge in a Cold River'' (2016) # ''An Echo of Murder'' (2017) # ''Dark Tide Rising'' (2018)

Featuring Elena Standish

# ''Death in Focus'' (2019) # ''A Question of Betrayal'' (2020) # ''A Darker Reality'' (2021) # ''A Truth To Lie For'' (2022) # ''The Traitor Among Us'' (2023)

The World War I series

# ''No Graves As Yet'' (2003) # ''Shoulder the Sky'' (2004) # ''Angels in the Gloom'' (2005) # ''At Some Disputed Barricade'' (2006) # ''We Shall Not Sleep'' (2007)

The Christmas stories

# ''A Christmas Journey'' (2003) # ''A Christmas Visitor'' (2004) # ''A Christmas Guest'' (2005) # ''A Christmas Secret'' (2006) # ''A Christmas Beginning'' (2007) # ''A Christmas Grace'' (2008) # ''A Christmas Promise'' (2009) # ''A Christmas Odyssey'' (2010) # ''A Christmas Homecoming'' (2011) # ''A Christmas Garland'' (2012) # ''A Christmas Hope'' (2013) # ''A New York Christmas'' (2014) # ''A Christmas Escape'' (2015) # ''A Christmas Message'' (2016) # ''A Christmas Return'' (2017) # ''A Christmas Revelation'' (2018) # ''A Christmas Gathering'' (2019) # ''A Christmas Resolution'' (2020) # ''A Christmas Legacy'' (2021) # ''A Christmas Deliverance'' (2022) # ''A Christmas Vanishing'' (2023)

The Christmas Collections

# ''An Anne Perry Christmas: Two Holiday Novels'' (2006) – contains ''A Christmas Journey'' (2003) and ''A Christmas Visitor'' (2004) # ''Anne Perry's Christmas Mysteries: Two Holiday Novels'' (2008) – contains ''A Christmas Guest'' (2005) and ''A Christmas Secret'' (2006) # ''Anne Perry's Silent Nights: Two Victorian Christmas Mysteries'' (2009) – contains ''A Christmas Beginning'' (2007) and ''A Christmas Grace'' (2008) # ''Anne Perry's Christmas Vigil: Two Victorian Holiday Mysteries'' (2011) – contains ''A Christmas Promise'' (2009) and ''A Christmas Odyssey'' (2010) # ''Anne Perry's Christmas Crimes: Two Victorian Holiday Mysteries'' (2014) – contains ''A Christmas Homecoming'' (2011) and ''A Christmas Garland'' (2012) # ''Anne Perry's Merry Mysteries: Two Victorian Holiday Novels'' (2015) – contains ''A Christmas Hope'' (2013) and ''A New York Christmas'' (2014)

Fantasy

# ''Tathea'' (2000) # ''Come Armageddon'' (2002)

Timepiece series (young adult novels)

# ''Tudor Rose'' (2011) # ''Rose of No Man's Land'' (2011) # ''Blood Red Rose'' (2012) # ''Rose Between Two Thorns'' (2012)

Other books

* ''The One Thing More'' (2000) * ''A Dish Taken Cold'' (2001) * ''I'd Kill For That'' (2004, one novel co-written by multiple authors) * ''Letters From The Highlands'' (2004) * ''Heroes'' (2011) * ''The Sheen on the Silk: A Novel'' (2010) * ''The Scroll'' (2014)

Short stories in anthologies

*''Death by Horoscope'' (2001, anthology of short stories by various authors, including Perry, and edited by Perry) * ''Much Ado About Murder'' (2002, anthology of short stories by various authors, including Perry, and edited by Perry) * ''Death By Dickens'' (2004, anthology of short stories by various authors, including Perry, and edited by Perry) * ''Thou Shalt Not Kill: Biblical Mystery Stories'' (2005, anthology of short stories by various authors, including Perry, and edited by Perry)

Critical studies, reviews and biography

*Drayton J. (2012) ''The Search for Anne Perry,'' HarperCollins''.'' *Graham P. (2011).''So Brilliantly Clever: Parker, Hulme and the murder that shocked the world.'' Awa Press''.;'' re-issued in 2013 as Graham P. (2013) ''Anne perry and the murder of the century''. Skyhorse Pub. *

References

External links

*
Original Newspaper articles of the trial

Fantastic Fiction's Anne Perry page
* *

Interview with Anne Perry
''A DISCUSSION WITH National Authors on Tour'' TV Series, Episode #76 (1994)
Interview with Anne Perry
''Speaking of Mysteries TV Series'' (2001) {{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Anne 1938 births 2023 deaths 20th-century English criminals 20th-century English writers 20th-century New Zealand writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers 21st-century English writers 21st-century New Zealand writers 21st-century pseudonymous writers Agatha Award winners British female murderers British women short story writers Converts to Mormonism Edgar Award winners English Latter Day Saints English crime fiction writers English expatriates in the United States English fantasy writers English mystery writers English people convicted of murder English people imprisoned abroad English women novelists Literature controversies Minors convicted of murder Murder committed by minors New Zealand Latter Day Saints New Zealand crime fiction writers New Zealand fantasy writers New Zealand female murderers New Zealand mystery writers New Zealand women short story writers People convicted of murder by New Zealand People educated at Christchurch Girls' High School Writers from Christchurch Pseudonymous women writers British women historical novelists British women mystery writers British women science fiction and fantasy writers Writers of historical mysteries