The Sh for Anne Perry: The Hidden Life of a Bestselling Crime Writer

Can you really reinvent yourself? This enthralling biography of crime writer Anne Perry reveals more than her identity as teenage killer Juliet Hulme - it also peels back the layers of Anne's carefully constructed life to show us the woman beneath. In 1994, director Peter Jackson released the film HEAVENLY CREAtURES, based on a famous 1950s matricide committed in New Zealand by two teenage girls embroiled in an obsessive relationship. this film launched Jackson's international career. It also forever changed the life of Anne Perry, an award-winning, bestselling crime writer, who at the time of the film's release was publicly outed as Juliet Hulme, one of the murderers. A new light was now cast, not only on Anne's life, but also her novels, which feature gruesome and violent deaths, and confronting, dark issues including infanticide and incest. Acclaimed literary biographer Joanne Drayton intersperses the story of Anne's life with an examination of her writing, drawing parallels between Anne's own experiences and her characters and storylines. Anne's books deal with miscarriages of justice, family secrets exposed, punishment, redemption and forgiveness, themes made all the more poignant in light of her past. Anne has sold 25 million books worldwide and published in 15 different languages, yet she will now forever be known as a murderer who became a writer of murder stories. Drayton was been given unparalleled access to Anne, her friends, relatives, colleagues and archives to complete the book. the result is a compelling read which provides an understanding of the girl Anne was, the adult she became, her compulsion to write and her view of the world. "In 1994, director Peter Jackson released the film Heavenly Creatures, based on a famous 1950s matricide committed in New Zealand by two teenage girls embroiled in an obsessive relationship. This film launched Jackson's international career. It also forever changed the life of Anne Perry, an award-winning, bestselling crime writer, who at the time of the film's release was publicly outed as Juliet Hulme, one of the murderers. A new light was now cast, not only on Anne's life, but also her novels, which feature gruesome and violent deaths, and confronting, dark issues including infanticide and incest. Acclaimed literary biographer Joanne Drayton intersperses the story of Anne's life with an examination of her writing, drawing parallels between Anne's own experiences and her characters and storylines. Anne's books deal with miscarriages of justice, family secrets exposed, punishment, redemption and forgiveness, themes made all the more poignant in light of her past. Anne has sold 25 million books worldwide and published in 15 different languages, yet she will now forever be known as a murderer who became a writer of murder stories. Drayton was been given unparalleled access to Anne, her friends, relatives, colleagues and archives to complete the book. The result is a compelling read which provides an understanding of the girl Anne was, the adult she became, her compulsion to write and her view of the world."--Publisher's website Until 1994, the world knew Anne Perry as the writer of bestselling crime fiction at the peak of her writing career. But following the release of Peter Jackson's film, Heavenly Creatures, about the sensational 1954 Parker-Hulme murders, came the shocking revelation that Anne Perry started life as Juliet Hulme, the teenager jointly convicted of murdering her friend's mother. Life would never be the same for Anne. That a convicted murderer had gone on to become a celebrated crime writer with worldwide sales of over 25 million books was tantalizing enough. Acclaimed biographer Joanne Drayton takes on the challenge of exploring Anne Perry's writing to uncover her world view and her compulsion to write. The famously private Perry agreed to be comprehensively interviewed for the book and has allowed Joanne unparalleled access to her friends, colleagues and archives The world knew Anne Perry as the writer of bestselling crime fiction. After the release of Heavenly Creatures, about the 1954 Parker-Hulme murders, a shocking revelation came to light. Anne Perry is actually Juliet Hume - the teenager convicted of jointly murdering her friend's mother. This book tells her story Biographer Joanne Drayton explores the life and work of crime writer Anne Perry, who started life as Juliet Hulme, the New Zealand teenager jointly convicted of murdering her friend's mother