Helen Simons is Professor Emeritus of Education and Evaluation, University of Southampton
Anne Perry was born Juliet Hume on October 28, 1938 in Blackheath, London. Sent to Christchurch, New Zealand to recover from a childhood case of severe pneumonia, she became very close friends with another girl, Pauline Parker. When Perry's family abandoned her, she had only Parker to turn to, and when the Parkers planned to move from New Zealand, Parker asked that Perry be allowed to join them. When Parker's mother disagreed, Perry and Parker bludgeoned her to death. Perry eventually served five and a half years in an adult prison for the crime. Once she was freed, she changed her name and moved to America, where she eventually became a writer. Her first Victorian novel, The Cater Street… Hangman, was published in 1979. Although the truth of her past came out when the case of Mrs. Parker's murder was made into a movie (Heavenly Creatures), Perry is still a popular author and continues to write. She has written over 50 books and short story collections including the Thomas Pitt series and the William Monk series. Her story, Heroes, won the 2001 Edgar Award for Best Short Story. In 2013 her title Blind Justice made The New York Times Best Seller List.