Anne Perry (born Juliet Marion Hulme; 28 October 1938) was convicted of murder in New Zealand when a teenager, later moved to England and became an author. In 1954, at the age of fifteen, she and her 16-year-old friend Pauline Parker were tried and found guilty of the murder of Parker's mother, Honorah Rieper. She changed her name after serving a five-year sentence for Rieper's murder. Perry is perhaps now best known as the author of the

Thomas Pitt Thomas Pitt (5 July 1653 – 28 April 1726) of Blandford St Mary in Dorset, later of Stratford in Wiltshire and of Boconnoc in Cornwall, known during life commonly as ''Governor Pitt'', as ''Captain Pitt'', or posthumously, as ''"Diamond" ...

and William Monk series of historical detective fiction.

Early life

Born in

Blackheath, London Blackheath is an area in Southeast London, straddling the border of the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Lewisham. It is located northeast of Lewisham, south of Greenwich and southeast of Charing Cross, the traditional ...

, the daughter of

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

Henry Rainsford Hulme, 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, ...

as a child and sent to the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean ...

and South Africa in hopes that a warmer climate would improve her health. A 1948 ''Auckland Star'' photograph of Juliet arriving in New Zealand was discovered by Auckland Libraries staff and written about in the Heritage et AL blog. She rejoined her family when she was 13 after her father took a position as Rector of

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 Christchurch Girls' High School in Christchurch, New Zealand, was established in 1877 and is the second oldest girls-only secondary school in the country, after Otago Girls' High School. History Christchurch Girls' High School was established ...

, located in what became the

Cranmer Centre The Cranmer Centre (originally: Christchurch Girls' High School) was a historic building in Christchurch, New Zealand. Its original use, until 1986, was as the Christchurch Girls' High School, the second high school for girls in the country. Regi ...

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 famous actors such as

James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was the top box-office attraction in the UK in 1944 and 1945; his British films inc ...

and

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

, did not want to be separated. On 22 June 1954, the girls and Honorah Rieper went for a walk in Victoria Park in their hometown of

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 ...

. 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 29 August. As they were too young to be considered for the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...

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 ...

". In practice they were detained at the discretion of the Minister of Justice. They were released separately five years later. Parker and Hulme are not believed to have had any contact since the trial. The events formed the basis for the 1994 film ''

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 debut ...

'', 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 Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films, particularly period dramas, and for her portrayals of headstrong and complicated women, she has received numerous accolades, inc ...

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 ...

"Anne Perry" was Juliet Hulme, whose identity was made public 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 A flight attendant, also known as steward/stewardess or air host/air hostess, is a member of the aircrew aboard commercial flights, many business jets and some government aircraft. Collectively called cabin crew, flight attendants are prima ...

. 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 Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

in 1968. She later settled in the Scottish village of Portmahomack where she lived with her mother. Her father had a distinguished scientific career, heading the British

hydrogen bomb A thermonuclear weapon, fusion weapon or hydrogen bomb (H bomb) is a second-generation nuclear weapon design. Its greater sophistication affords it vastly greater destructive power than first-generation nuclear bombs, a more compact size, a lowe ...

programme. 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 nu ...

, including historical murder mysteries and

detective fiction Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as sp ...

. Many feature recurring characters, most importantly

, who appeared in her first novel, and amnesiac private investigator William Monk, who first appeared in her 1990 novel ''The Face of a Stranger''. By 2003 she had published 47 novels, and several collections of short stories. 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 2001

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

for Best Short Story. In 2005, Perry appeared on the '' Trisha'' show to discuss the crime 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 2017, Perry left Scotland and moved to Hollywood in order to more effectively promote films based on her novels.

Bibliography

Each series is listed in internal chronological order, according to the author's website. The two main series each feature a male and a female protagonist. Thomas Pitt is matched with Charlotte; her female society relatives help in the mysteries out of boredom. William Monk is matched with Hester Latterly, a Crimean War nurse. The Monk mysteries are set earlier in the Victorian era (1850s–1860s) than the Pitt books (1880s–1890s). Hester plays a very strong role in these stories; in some cases she is a better investigator than Monk. The Christmas stories involve minor characters such as sisters, bosses, or grandmothers in a personal crisis at a later Christmas time with a strongly enforced redemption message at the end.

Featuring Thomas 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)

Featuring 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)

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)

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'' (1999) # ''Come Armageddon'' (2001)

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) * ''Death by Horoscope'' (2001, short stories by various authors) * ''Much Ado About Murder'' (2002, short stories by various authors) * ''Death By Dickens'' (2004, short stories by various authors) * ''I'd Kill For That'' (2004, one novel written by multiple authors) * ''Letters From The Highlands'' (2004) * ''Thou Shalt Not Kill: Biblical Mystery Stories'' (2005, short stories by various authors) * ''Heroes (Most Wanted)'' (2007) * ''The Sheen on the Silk: A Novel'' (2010) * ''The Scroll (Short Story)'' (2013)

Critical studies, reviews and biography

*''The Search for Anne Perry'', by Prof. Joanna Drayton. *Peter Graham's biography ''So Brilliantly Clever: Parker, Hulme and the Murder that Shocked the World'' (Wellington, NZ: Awa, 2011) has been re-issued in 2013 by Skyhorse as ''Anne Perry and the Murder of the Century.'' *

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 Living people 20th-century English criminals 20th-century English writers 21st-century English writers English fantasy writers English mystery writers Edgar Award winners Converts to Mormonism Agatha Award winners Minors convicted of murder English Latter Day Saints New Zealand Latter Day Saints British female murderers New Zealand female murderers English people convicted of murder English people imprisoned abroad People convicted of murder by New Zealand People from Blackheath, London People from Christchurch Women mystery writers Writers of historical mysteries British women short story writers New Zealand women short story writers People educated at Christchurch Girls' High School Women science fiction and fantasy writers English women novelists Women historical novelists 20th-century New Zealand writers 21st-century New Zealand writers New Zealand fantasy writers New Zealand mystery writers New Zealand crime fiction writers English crime fiction writers Literature controversies 20th-century pseudonymous writers 21st-century pseudonymous writers Pseudonymous women writers