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Anne Perry (born October 28 1938), born Juliet Hulme in England, is a British historical novelist and convicted murderer (see also Parker-Hulme Murder).
Early life
The daughter of Dr. Henry Hulme, a physicist, Perry was diagnosed with tuberculosis and was sent by her family to the Caribbean and South Africa in search of healthier climates. She rejoined her family when her father took a position as rector of the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.
Together with her school friend Pauline Parker, Hulme murdered Parker's mother in June 1954. Hulme's parents were in the process of separating, and Hulme was supposed to go to South Africa to stay with a relative due to her ill health. The two teenage girls had concocted a rich fantasy life populated with famous actors, including James Mason and Orson Welles, and they believed that Parker and Hulme might instead go to England with Hulme's father. Parker's mother, Honora Rieper (who had never legally married Pauline's father), had objected to the closeness of the girls' friendship and Pauline's isolation from other friends. Pauline believed that her mother would block her from leaving New Zealand with Juliet. Pauline began to write in her diary that she wished her mother to die, and eventually hatched a murder plot that she shared with Juliet.
Murder and trial
On June 22, 1954, the girls took Honora Rieper for a walk in a Christchurch bush reserve. On an isolated path Juliet dropped an ornamental stone so that Ms. Rieper would lean over to retrieve it. At that point, Pauline was to hit her mother with half of a brick wrapped in a stocking, and the girls presumed that would kill the woman. Instead, it took 45 frenzied blows from both girls to finally kill Honora Rieper. The brutality of the crime has contributed to its notoriety.
Parker and Hulme stood trial in Christchurch in 1954, and were found guilty on August 29 of that year. 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 during Her Majesty's pleasure". In practice, this sentence meant they were to be detained at the discretion of the Minister of Justice. They were released separately some five years later.
These events formed the basis for the 1994 film Heavenly Creatures, in which Kate Winslet portrayed the teenaged Juliet Hulme.
New life
After being released from prison, 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. She later settled in the Scottish village of Portmahomack where she lived with her mother. Her father went on to a distinguished scientific career, heading the British hydrogen bomb programme.
Hulme's first novel, The Cater Street Hangman, was published in 1979. Her works generally fall into one of several categories of genre fiction, including historical mystery novels and fantasy. Many of them feature a number of recurring characters, most importantly Thomas Pitt, who appeared in her first novel, and William Monk, who first appeared in her 1990 novel The Face of a Stranger. As of 2003 she has published 47 novels, and several collections of short stories.
In March 2006, Perry said that while her relationship with Pauline Parker was obsessive, they were not lesbians, as (arguably) portrayed in the film Heavenly Creatures. While both now live in Britain, they are not believed to have had any contact since their trial, as required by the conditions of their release. (NZ Herald)
External links
- Original Newspaper articles of the trial
- Crimelibrary.com story on the Parker-Hulme Murder
- Official Anne Perry website
1938 births | Living people | Fantasy writers | British fantasy writers | British murderers | Mystery writers | Latter Day Saints
"Anne Perry"