Anne Perry and the Murder of the Century, Peter Graham

The Book 

    Two teenaged girls, best friends, and possibly lovers, murder one of their mothers, and seal their fate as two of the most notorious killers in all of New Zealand history. The case continues to hold a strange fascination over the country. Former barrister and solicitor, Peter Graham states in his preface, he'd had an interest in the Parker-Hulme trial since his days in law school. He interned underneath Brian McClelland, the junior attorney on Juliet Hulme's defense team. The book largely follows a similar outline to Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures, but goes into a bit more detail, and then continues on through the trial,, through the release of the film, through the discovery that Anne Perry was Juliet Hulme (and that Pauline Rieper (Parker) was now the reclusive Hilary Nathan), and through the publication of her biography by JoAnne Drayton. 

    Graham opens the book in the same place Peter Jackson opens his movie, with the girls, bloody and hysterical, running up the hill to the tea kiosk to tell the matron there, Agnes Ritchie, that Pauline's mother had had an accident and was dead. This is as far into the narrative that Jackson takes us. Graham goes onwards. The matron's husband runs down the hill to provide medical assistance, but discovers that it's not an accident, but murder. He calls the cops. Meanwhile, Juliet's father has been called and he collects the girls and takes them back to his house (Ilam). There the girls take a bath (together) and Juliet's mother gives them a sedative and sends them to bed. 

     Graham has done his homework. Juliet's parents neglected her emotional needs throughout her childhood. She was sent away from home for long periods of time. The shell shocked toddler was sent to the countryside, to escape The Blitz in WWII. Then, when her lungs were weak and she contracted tuberculosis for the first time, she was sent to live with friends in Jamaica. When her father took the job in New Zealand, she was sent to a hospital there, to finish her recovery. It would be another nine months before her parents picked up an then 10 year old Juliet. Her formal schooling was haphazard, and she was described by people who knew her as a teenager as cool and aloof. Juliet was popular, partly because she was so mysterious, and partly because she was so sophisticated. A natural born leader, everyone wanted to be her friend.  

    Pauline on the other hand, was a different story. Any abuse she may have suffered inside of her family has disappeared from the historical record. Classmates described her and angry, bold and a sarcastic wit to the teachers. She was admired for her bravery, if not well liked. A definite loner. 

    It seems an unlikely friendship on the surface, but the parents had one thing in common, they withheld the girls from gym class due to their childhood ailments. They sat on the sidelines and chatted, while the rest of the girls were busy learning how to play tennis, volleyball, and run.

    Both girls were imaginative and difficult with moods blowing hot and cold. Once their friendship took hold, nothing could stop them. They dreamed of moving to America, where they would write novels or screenplays and be the toast of Hollywood. This idea was soundly mocked by the adults. 

     Graham skillfully takes us through their manic phase, the murder, the trail and the aftermath. He notes the government didn't know quite what to do with them. They served, in total, just over 5 years. Upon release, each was given a new identity, and they went on their way. The never met again. 

    Hilary Nathan taught special needs children, and Anne Perry became a best selling  author of mystery fiction. 

 My Thoughts

    Graham shows off his skills as an attorney in this book. He builds a thorough case as well as he can. Much of the original evidence is missing, but what he had access to, he used. The result is a book that shows as clearly as can be established, why the Kiwi authorities of the 1950s thought these girls, who had committed a brutal and heinous crime, could be rehabilitated. They took the sensationalism out of it, and once the state got custody of the girls, set to work reforming them.  

    What is clear is the evidence that Juliet had been sorely neglected by her parents' haphazard, selfish parenting style. Her mother was a selfish, attention seeking, self-serving woman. Her father, an aloof, manipulative, arrogant and emotionally disconnected father. Both of her parents believed it was better to tell an expedient lie, rather than deal with truth. 

    Pauline Rieper's cannot have been any better. They lied continually, from the social lie that the two were married, to the lies told by keeping the assets in the mom's name to keep his first family from finding out and having their fair share. Even when Norah was killed, and the jig was up, Pauline's father was still lying to cover his tracks and protect his assets. 

    Unbelievably, only Norah Rieper paid for these sins. Harold Hulme went on to have a stellar career. Bill Perry married Juliet's mother Hilda, who then changed her name to Marion, the middle name she shared with her daughter. They built a life together, and upon his death, Marion had enough money to retire to the same town where Anne was living. And Bert Rieper's first family took pity on him after the trial. His abandoned sons forgave him, and they had a good relationship for the rest of his life. 

    The sexism showed towards the girls was also disgusting. They were mocked for wanting to write novels and screenplays. For their belief that they could make their way in the world through the creative economy. But before anyone knew Anne Perry was Juliet Hulme, Anne Perry had a good career in that world. 

    In short, if the parents hadn't been such selfish jackasses, Norah Rieper would have lived to a ripe old age. 

  How Much My Library Card Saved Me

    This book is a first edition that entered into the Warren-Newport Public Library on Oct 3, 2013. The title was changed when the book was released in the USA. It was originally published in 2011 in New Zealand. The outer, plastic cover of the book shows that it has been reshelved several times, but the book itself is in fantastic condition. It was easy to read and hold. The cover says it cost $24.95. 

This Book                                              $24.95

Books Reviewed This Year                 $891.43

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