Anne Perry, the critically acclaimed crime writer who has more than 20 million copies of her books in print, today continues UCA’s Artist in Residence program.
Perry, who was selected by The Times of London as one of the 20th century’s “100 Masters of Crime,” will give a reading of her works as well as hold a book signing tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Doyne Health Science Center Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.
“She was chosen because she is an extremely popular (and prolific) mystery writer and because we haven’t had many writers who focus on that particular genre of writing,” said Dr. Margaret Morgan, faculty sponsor for the residency.Perry’s publishing career began with The Cater Street Hangman (1979), the first book in the series that features the Victorian policeman Thomas Pitt and his well-born wife Charlotte. According to Perry’s agent, Diane Hines, there are now 24 titles in this series, making it arguably the longest sustained crime series by a living writer.
None of her books has ever been out of print. In France, all but one of her books has been on the top 10 bestseller list. Her books have been published in nine foreign languages, and have also appeared on bestseller lists in Germany and Canada.
In 1990, Perry started a second series of detective novels with The Face of a Stranger. These are set about 50 years earlier and feature the private detective William Monk and volatile nurse Hester Latterly. The most recent of these, the 15th in the series, is Dark Assassin (2006), which appeared on the New York Times Bestseller list.
The Artists in Residence program is funded through UCA
