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Although Perry held down many jobs—working at various times as a retail clerk, stewardess, limousine dispatcher, and insurance underwriter—the only thing she ever seriously wanted to do in life was to write. (In her '20s, she started putting together the first draft of Tathea, a fantasy that would not see print until 1999.) At the suggestion of her stepfather, she began writing mysteries set in Victorian London; and in 1979, one of her manuscripts was accepted for publication. The book was The Cater Street Hangman, an ingenious crime novel that introduced a clever, extremely untidy police inspector named Thomas Pitt. In this way an intriguing mystery series was born…along with a successful writing career.
In addition to the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt novels, Perry crafts darker, more layered Victorian mysteries around the character of London police detective William Monk, whose memory has been impaired by a coach accident. (Monk debuted in 1990's The Face of a Stranger.) She also writes historical novels set during the First World War (No Graves as Yet, Shoulder the Sky, etc.) and holiday-themed mysteries (A Christmas Journey, A Christmas Secret, etc), and her short stories have been included in several anthologies.
The first time I made any money telling a story I was four and a half years old—golden hair, blue eyes, a pink smocked dress, and neat little socks and shoes. I walked home from school (it was safe then) with my lunchtime sixpence unspent. A large boy, perhaps 12 or 13, stopped me. He was carrying a stick and threatened to hit me if I didn't give him my sixpence. I told him a long, sad story about how poor we were—no food at home, not even enough money for shoes! He gave me his half crown—five times sixpence! It's appalling! I didn't think of it as lying, just escaping with my sixpence. How on earth he could have believed me I have no idea. Perhaps that is the knack of a good story—let your imagination go wild, pile on the emotions—believe it yourself, evidence to the contrary be damned. I am not really proud of that particular example!
I used to live next door to people who had a tame dove. They had rescued it when it broke its wing. The wing healed, but it never learned to fly again. I used to walk a mile or so around the village with the dove. Its little legs were only an inch or two long, so it got tired, then it would ride on my head. Naturally I talked to it. It was a very nice bird. I got some funny looks. Strangers even asked me if I knew there was a bird on my head! Who the heck did they think I was talking to? Of course I knew there was a bird on my head. I'm not stupid—just a writer, and entitled to be a little different. I'm also English, so that gives me a second excuse!
On the other hand I'm not totally scatty. I like maths, and I used to love quadratic equations. One of the most exciting things that happened to me was when someone explained non-Euclidean geometry to me, and I suddenly saw the infinite possibilities in lateral thinking! How could I have been so blind before?
Here are some things I like—and one thing I don't:
Anonymous
Posted April 18, 2012
A captivating story which grabs your attention from beginning to end, and always with an ending which is unique and unsuspected.
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Posted January 14, 2010
Another winner for Anne Perry
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Posted February 6, 2002
I bought the book because of the cover strolling along my usual haunt-the mystery section of Barnes & Nobles. Once I started to read the book, I twisted and turned and fretted over why in the world won't this woman talk? The zinger of an ending put me out of my misery. If you could choke a book to talk, this is it!! Not recommended for those of little patience or nervous wrecks!
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Posted May 21, 2001
The book has a steady, pace. It's relaxing, yet suspenseful. The description of Victorian England is second to none. The title is a clever choice, and is very relevant to the content of the mystery. Anne Perry's books are by far the best, but this one is one of my favorites.
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Posted April 2, 2001
This is my first Anne Perry novel:she entrapped me. I found myself hating Mariam because of her silence, frustrated with her character and her absolute stubborness: I admired Mariam's strength and her diligence, her honesty and devotion and, in the end, I understood the utter despair that was described through the eyes of each of The Twisted Roots, integral characters. I admit that I thought I had the mystery solved. I had narrowed down the suspects and presumed to guess as to the reason for Mariam's departure then the end finally came and . . . I dropped the book three times. All that tension finally broke free! And it was worth every aggrivating second. I am determined to read another of Anne Perry's William Monk novels. After I get my senses back.
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Posted August 12, 2000
I listened to this book on tape while driving to and from work. This was my first Anne Perry book and it won't be my last. The story kept you guessing until the very end. I thought it was well written and I like her style very much. So well does she write about these characters from the 1800 's,that I had to keep reminding my self that this book was written in the 1990's. My only regret is the audio was abridged.
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Posted May 3, 2000
I was walking through a Barnes and Noble, and the TWISTED ROOT caught my eye. I hate to admitt it, but I bought it because of the cover. What a wonderful book this turned out to be. I even passed it onto my Dad to read. Very well written, quite interesting and very suspenceful! I usually read horror, but I have already picked up another Perry book and I'm looking forward to getting into it!
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Posted March 25, 2000
I love these mysteries - this book, TWISTED ROOT, was excellent. As with all Perry's books, this one kept me wondering until the last few pages what happened. Miriam is a mystery to understand - read it and be a Perry fan forever. Am so looking forward to her two new books coming out this Spring!
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Posted January 18, 2000
The newest Anne Perry novel involving William Monk and his new wife Nurse Hester Latterly has long been awaited by this reader. A puzzling tale involving a runaway fiancee soon becomes much more when murder and blackmail are discovered. Private investigator Monk sets out on a path that draws in continuous character Barrister Oliver Rathbone and introduces new personalities such as a compassionate police Sergeant Robb and his elderly grandfather. Issues such as care for the elderly and the practice of nursing in Victorian London become an integral part of an emotionally charged story. Perry will draw you into her complex and emotional journey to an ending and a murderer which will stun any reader. I highly recommend this novel or any other featuring Investigator William Monk.
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Posted June 20, 2011
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Posted August 20, 2010
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Posted July 2, 2010
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Posted April 12, 2011
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Overview
A young bridegroom enlists private investigator William Monk to track down his fiancée, Miriam Gardiner, who disappeared suddenly from a party at a luxurious Bayswater mansion. Monk soon finds the coach in which Miriam fled and, nearby, the murdered body of the coachman, but there is no trace of the young passenger. What strange compulsion could...