Anne Perry and the Murder of the Century

by Peter Graham

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626363052
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	03/20/2013
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	12,747
File size:	8 MB

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.

Table of Contents

Author's Note 1

1 A Walk in the Park 5

2 State of Shock 11

3 The Investigation 19

4 Taking the Blame 29

5 A Suitable Man 39

6 Strains of War 47

7 Cathedral City 55

8 A New Residence 63

9 "Sapienta et Veritas" 71

10 Family Secrets 77

11 Indissoluble Bond 89

12 Two Beautiful Daughters 95

13 Charles and Lance 105

14 Angelic Behaviour 117

15 The Temple in the Garden 123

16 Serious Trouble 133

17 A Lovely Remark 139

18 Hectic Nights 147

19 To Be Together Forever 151

20 No Ordinary Crime 159

21 The Only Possible Defence 167

22 A Crime in a Million 171

23 Dirty-Minded Girls 177

24 A Rare Form of Insanity 185

25 The Thing Called Bliss 191

26 Sleeping with Saints 203

27 "I See Nothing Insane..." 213

28 The Jury Retires 221

29 Her Majesty's Pleasure 227

30 The Presence of Evil 233

31 Life in Prison 243

32 A Difficult Year 251

33 A Fresh Start 257

34 Blighted Lives 267

35 A Secret Past 271

36 A Lesbian View 277

37 Stripped Naked 283

38 A Piece of Fiction 295

39 The Other Girl 301

40 What the Heck Was It? 309

41 Separate Lives 317

Epilogue 319

Select Bibliography 326

Acknowledgements 329

Index 331

Editorial Reviews

"A comprehensive, well-researched examination not only of the crime and its aftermath but also of the killers’ lives, from childhood to the present day. Like a punctilious courtroom lawyer, [Graham] presents the facts and his analysis, leaving the final verdict to the reader." –The Washington Post

“Graham psychoanalyzes Parker and Hulme from afar but does so tastefully and insightfully. Matricide is a rare crime. As a result, it has not been written about much in the popular literature, a gap Graham fills admirably. A worthy retrospective that feels chilling in the manner of novelist Perry.” –Kirkus Reviews

“. . . A readable and eye—opening story of 1950s Christchurch and the complicated family dynamics that produced one of New Zealand’s most famous murder cases.” –Library Journal

“I read this book in three long sittings and was riveted. I found the story of their lives in the years since the trial especially interesting.”
—Graham Beattie, New Zealand Herald

“Objective and engaging. This is a great read, although it may disturb your sleep.”
—Andrew Rumbles, The Read

"A comprehensive, well-researched examination not only of the crime and its aftermath but also of the killers’ lives, from childhood to the present day. Like a punctilious courtroom lawyer, [Graham] presents the facts and his analysis, leaving the final verdict to the reader." –The Washington Post

“Graham psychoanalyzes Parker and Hulme from afar but does so tastefully and insightfully. Matricide is a rare crime. As a result, it has not been written about much in the popular literature, a gap Graham fills admirably. A worthy retrospective that feels chilling in the manner of novelist Perry.” –Kirkus Reviews

“. . . A readable and eye—opening story of 1950s Christchurch and the complicated family dynamics that produced one of New Zealand’s most famous murder cases.” –Library Journal

“I read this book in three long sittings and was riveted. I found the story of their lives in the years since the trial especially interesting.”
—Graham Beattie, New Zealand Herald

“Objective and engaging. This is a great read, although it may disturb your sleep.”
—Andrew Rumbles, The Read

From the Publisher

In June 1954, one New Zealand teenage girl decides to help the other murder her mother, exposing a complicated story of love, delusion, and family secrets. New Zealand lawyer Graham’s (Vile Crimes: The Timaru Poisonings) well-researched book on the case that inspired filmmaker Peter Jackson’s 1994 movie Heavenly Creatures is a readable and eye-opening story of 1950s Christchurch and the complicated family dynamics that produced one of New Zealand’s most famous murder cases. The book explores not only the murder itself but the backgrounds of the two girls, Pauline Parker/Rieper and Juliet Hulme (now well-known mystery writer Anne Perry); their forbidden and rumored lesbian relationship; and their troubled family lives, as well as what happened after the young women were released from prison after serving “at Her Majesty’s pleasure.” There are few other books on this case, and this one looks at all sides of the debate around the girls’ motivation for the murder of Pauline’s mother, Honora. Graham uses primary source material like the girls’ diary entries, writing, and poetry, along with standard sources such as court reports, interviews with lawyers and psychiatrists, and police and news records to try to address still unanswered questions about the case.

Verdict Recommended for general readers, true-crime buffs, those interested in LGBT history, and fans of Heavenly Creatures.—Amelia Osterud, Carroll Univ. Lib., Waukesha, WI
(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Library Journal

A New Zealand lawyer revisits the highly publicized, mysterious case of matricide in his country in 1954. Graham (Vile Crimes: The Timaru Poisonings, 2007) makes the old seem fresh as he tries to explain why teenagers Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme murdered Parker's mother during a walk in a nature area. The murder, sensational on its own, gained extra resonance later--once because of the Peter Jackson film about the case, Heavenly Creatures, and once after Hulme, released from prison, reinvented herself as best-selling novelist Anne Perry. Graham explores conundrums, such as the mental states of the teenagers at the time of the murder and afterward; whether the teenagers were starry-eyed lesbian lovers; and why each defendant served so little time given that they never expressed contrition. Turning his re-examination into a contemporary detective story, the author builds up drama about whether he will be able to locate Parker (who assumed a new identity) and Hulme. And if he can locate them, will they talk to him and reveal undisclosed details about the crime? Though Graham does not learn anything new from the perpetrators, he does gain insights from numerous other individuals who became enmeshed in the case. An epilogue informs readers about the fates of the major and minor players. Graham psychoanalyzes Parker and Hulme from afar but does so tastefully and insightfully. Matricide is a rare crime. As a result, it has not been written about much in the popular literature, a gap Graham fills admirably. A worthy retrospective that feels chilling in the manner of novelist Perry.

Kirkus Reviews