Anne Perry

Novelist Anne Perry was born in England on the 28th of October, 1938 as Juliet Hulme. She is a famous historical novelist, as well as a notorious convicted murderer. As of 2003, Perry had published 47 novels and short stories.

At a very young age Juliet was diagnosed with tuberculosis and her father sent her to South Africa in hopes that a better climate would improve her health. The family was reunited when her dad took a job in New Zealand. While in New Zealand, Juliet became very close with a girl named Pauline Parker. As teenagers, Parker devised a plan to kill her mother and told Hume about it. Hulme participated in the murder, helping Parker to hit her mother over the head with a brick over 45 times. The pair was later convicted of murder, but because of their young age, they only served 5 years before being released. The events surrounding the infamous murder later formed the basis of the 1994 film, "Heavenly Creatures," which starred Kate Winslet portraying a teenaged Hulme.

Writing under the pseudonym Anne Perry, Hulme started penning mysteries set in Victorian London. Perry was intrigued by what people do under the pressure of an investigation, perhaps hearkening back to her own experiences. Her first novel, "The Cater Street Hangman," languished for twenty years before finally being published in 1979. Perry's work has been categorized as historical mystery or detective fiction, and often feature a cast of recurring characters. Among her most famous characters are amnesiac private investigator William Monk.