I was fortunate to meet Anne Perry on several occasions — even shared a dinner with her once at a Bouchercon. She was a graceful and classy lady and I always enjoyed our discussions. The last time I saw her I took my copies of her first 10 novels (hardback 1sts) to get them signed. She wistfully told me that she hardly made any money from them at the time they were first published, but that now (with the advent of e-books) she was finally getting paid what she missed getting back at the beginning of her career.

She was a Guest of Honor at the Sacramento Bouchercon which had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. I was looking forward to seeing her there, but, alas, it was not meant to be.

Anne was one of those writers who lived to write — and it showed in the number of books she managed to get published over a 44-year career. 103 books is a lot! Here’s how they break down into series:

32 — Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Series
24 — William Monk Series
5 — World War I Reavley Series
21 — Christmas mysteries
6 — Daniel Pitt Series
5 — Elena Standish Series
4 — Standalones
10 — Non-mystery novels

Much has been written about the unseemly circumstances of her youth and I don’t wish to re-hash that here. It’s not how we begin life, but how we end it. Anne Perry did a lot of good in the world, was a good person and a terrific writer. That is how I’ll always remember her.