Anne Perry and the Murder of the Century

Peter Graham

Mar 2013 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

On June 22, 1954, teenage friends Juliet Hulme—better known as bestselling mystery writer Anne Perry—and Pauline Parker went for a walk in a New Zealand park with Pauline’s mother, Honora. Half an hour later, the girls returned alone, claiming that Pauline’s mother had had an accident. But when Honora Parker was found in a pool of blood with the brick used to bludgeon her to death close at hand, Juliet and Pauline were quickly arrested, and later confessed to the killing. Their motive? A plan to escape to the United States to become writers, and Honora’s determination to keep them apart. Their incredible story made shocking headlines around the world and would provide the subject for Peter Jackson’s Academy Award–nominated film, Heavenly Creatures. 

A sensational trial followed, with speculations about the nature of the girls’ relationship and possible insanity playing a key role. Among other things, Parker and Hulme were suspected of lesbianism, which was widely considered to be a mental illness at the time. This mesmerizing book offers a brilliant account of the crime and ensuing trial and shares dramatic revelations about the fates of the young women after their release from prison. With penetrating insight, this thorough analysis applies modern psychology to analyze the shocking murder that remains one of the most interesting cases of all time.

Ratings and reviews

A jaw-dropping, improbable true-life story about mental illness "coinciding" with sapphic lust. A few years ago I wrote a review of the book on Amazon and I think that I got something like 70 likes, so my very awkward words reached out to someone. This book is about two young cupcakes, extremely narcissistic and confused, who for a period of time live in a twisted world of their own making. Over and over I recognized my sister and "her wife"--both criminals--in these two girls who collaborated in crazy, pointless, nauseating matricidal butchery and thought it was funny. This is not a tragedy where you can feel sorry for two misguided young women. It's a portrait of two psychopaths who commit a murder as pointless as the one in Albert Camus's The Stranger. Yes, bleeding hearts will say that it was vengeance for their thwarted lesbic love. But as a therapist told me one time, "I believe your sister and her girlfriend are borderline personalities. Not a coincidence. They find each other."

About the author

Peter Graham served as a barrister for many years before turning to crime writing. In addition to Anne Perry, he is the author of Vile Crimes: The Timaru Poisonings. He lives in New Zealand.