Anne Perry

The Murder of the Century

By: Peter Graham

Narrated by: Eric Brooks

The spellbinding true story of Anne Perry, her friend Pauline Parker, and the brutal crime they committed in the name of friendship.

On June 22, 1954, teenage friends Juliet Hulme - better known as best-selling 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.

©2013 Peter Graham (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

An extraordinary story in every way

Of the 100 or so true crime stories I've listened to, this is definitely in the top 10. The characters are unforgettable and intriguing observations mark every page. Narrator was fine once I speeded him up by 30%. Though I had seen the film Heavenly Creatures, this book held my interest throughout.

Worst reader ever for very good book

The reader is so shockingly robotic and slow I wondered whether it was a computer generated voice! Play it at least at 1.3x speed for it to sound remotely normal.

Ruined by the narrator

Would you try another book from Peter Graham and/or Eric Brooks?

No.

Would you recommend Anne Perry to your friends? Why or why not?

I would recommend that they read the print book and skip this audio version.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

His reading is flat, labored and sometimes halting, without any emotion. And he hisses the final "s" on plurals and possessives. Very unpleasant to listen to.

Do you think Anne Perry needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I would like to learn more about her life after her release from prison and before she began publishing, but those years are private and should be kept that way if Ms. Perry doesn't want to talk about her life.

Any additional comments?

This book contains only the information that came out at the time of the trial and during the imprisonment of the two girls. Neither of them contributed in any way to the book. As far as I could tell, no one involved was interviewed.

hard to listen to

The narrator reads as though he has never read aloud. It is very hard to listen to

Deserved a better reader

This seems to be a well researched and fair book about the murder of Honora Parker and the people surrounding the case, including the murderers, their families, lawyers, press, etc. Unfortunately, it is narrated by someone who speaks in a halting and uninflected style. Sometimes I wondered if he understood what he was reading. I listened to the end because I was interested in the topic. (It also helps to increase the speed to 1.2 or 1.3.)