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, … 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.
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True life crime, well written, sad and tragic.
Very well written. True story that shocks the reader
Light on content. Not much of a story—simply a tragic event retold in a straightforward way.
The first half was very interesting. But the second half got very repetitious and tedious.
Extremely well-researched but bogged down with so many historical references about every aspect of the time in which this took place, that it reads like a history book. Pages and pages about Julia’s father’s career path. Impressive. In a nutshell, he was a highly respected physicist but a terrible professor. So we understand that he was …
I have been an Anne Perry fan for years having read every one of her books. I was shocked a few years ago to learn she committed an horrific murder. This book sheds much light on the subject. All Anne Perry fans should read it.
This is the true story of the writer known as Ann Perry. When she was 15 or 16 years old, she helped her best friend kill her mother. This book was quite confusing at times. The author goes into great detail about their lives and the fantasy life that they consructed. The girls go by different names so many times that it is hard to figure out …
A little dry at times but being a biography that is to be expected. I had heard about this tragic murder before but it still haunted me to read how these two young girls could do such a thing. Amazingly one of the girls went on to become an author of murder mysteries. So many lives were changed forever by the actions of two teen-aged girls who …
A thoughtful account of this interesting crime and the strange relationship that produced it. The story continues to the present day, tracing the killers, now elderly, to their current homes. One became a famous writer, the other a near recluse in the remote Orkneys. It’s a well written piece of reporting.
Very detailed!
I bought this book and also got the Audible copy so I could listen as I knit. This is obviously non-fiction and I found the writing compelling and the author’s research exemplary. If true crime interests you then I believe you will find this book a good read.
Difficult subject but interesting read
Clunky and hard to read. Waaaaaay too wordy. Narrative jumps time line constantly.
Too much background of other characters.
A thorough account of an horrorrific act. I brilliant look at the emotional extremes of adolescence of which most adults are unaware or can understand. This book helps to explain teenage angst and it’s often violent acts as well as offering the possibility of rehabilitation with maturity.
A real eye opener look into an author’s formative years.