The successful British crime writer Anne Perry, who had been involved in a murder in her youth, has died in Los Angeles at the age of 84. The death of the author of "The Strangler of Cater Street" and other titles was confirmed by her Parisian publisher 10/18 late Wednesday evening.

The writer was known for her crime novels, which are set in Victorian England. Perry was a successful author long before the dark chapter of her past became known, wrote the "New York Times": "Give her a good murder and a shameful social evil, and Anne Perry can write a Victorian crime novel that would make Dickens' eyes shine," wrote the literary critic Marilyn Stasio in the "New York Times" in a review of Perry's "Highgate Rise" (1991). It was about the death of a social reformer, who was also the wife of a doctor, by arson.

With "great sadness" one communicates her death, wrote her Parisian publisher. The writer had been one of the most symbolic authors of his catalogue since 1997. Perry has sold more than 25 million books worldwide. She was known for her memorable characters, her historical accuracy, the quality of her crime stories and also for her exploration of social issues.

Anne Perry was born Juliet Hulme in London in 1938 and grew up in New Zealand. When she was 15 years old, she and her friend killed her mother. The two had to go to prison for five years, Perry changed her name. The murder case caused a sensation and, according to the "New York Times", became known to the public in the summer of 1994. At that time, director Peter Jackson filmed the story in "Heavenly Creatures" with Kate Winslet as Hulme. Perry regretted the deed even then. She didn't want to talk about it anymore. "It's in the past," she said in an interview.

But traces of her past can be found in her work, which deals with sin and forgiveness. Much of her novels is not as it seems. Perry, who joined the Mormon Church in the 60s, made her breakthrough in 1979 with the crime thriller "The Strangler of Cater Street". In it, Inspector Pitt had his first appearance. In 1990, she started a second crime series with former police officer and private investigator William Monk in "The Stranger's Face".