Anne Perry
Anne Perry was born in Blackheath, London, England, on October 28, 1938. She is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormon Church, and has been a member for over forty years, having been baptized in 1968. Perry is a highly successful author with over 20 million books in print. Many of her books are historical murder mysteries and detective fiction. By 2003 she had published 47 novels.
One has only to glance at the date and location of Anne's birth to realize that her early years were unsettled. Germany invaded Poland in 1939, and Great Britain entered World War II by declaring war on Germany in September of that year. For months during 1940 the Germans bombed England, and especially London, intensely.
Perry faced other challenges. By age six she was seriously ill and near death. She lingered on in ill health and was sent to the Bahamas with a foster family to recover in a more favorable climate. Perry attributes the relocation for saving her life. The family moved to an island near New Zealand, and there Perry enjoyed a few years of what she calls "a Swiss-Family-Robinson" childhood. Due to her illness and frequent moves, Perry missed several years of schooling and had to catch up. She had learned to read at four and loved books. This was a help to her, especially since she became ill again at age thirteen.
Perry was always drawn to writing and was encouraged by her father. She was in her twenties and living back in England when she tried to fashion a first novel. She was in her late thirties when her first book was accepted for publication. To support herself she took various jobs, including clerical work and work as a flight attendant. Perry began writing mysteries set in Victorian London, a place and time full of opposites, especially in the justaposition of glamour and squalor. London had great energy at the time, as the largest port in the world, with goods and people of all sorts passing through. Her first novel accepted for publication was The Cater Street Hangman, released in 1979.
Perry lived in California for five years and then returned to England when her stepfather became ill. She now lives in Scotland.
Perry has written two fantasy books, Tathea, and Come Armageddon, which reflect her philosophies and beliefs. One can see her belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ in these works.
Perry has received a good deal of recognition for her work, including the following awards:
*Agatha Award Best Novel nominee (1990) : The Face of a Stranger *Agatha Award Best Novel nominee (1992) : Defend and Betray *Edgar Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) : Pentecost Alley *Macavity Awards Best Novel nominee (2001) : Half Moon Street *Agatha Award Best Novel nominee (2008) : Buckingham Palace Gardens
