Crime writer and author of the Campbell and Carter mysteries Ann Granger has died at the age of 86.

Granger was published by Headline, with her first crime novel Say it With Poison published in 1991. She was represented by the Blake Friedmann Literary Agency.

Granger was born in Portsmouth and studied modern languages at the University of London before working for the Foreign Office and receiving postings to British embassies as far apart as Munich and Lusaka. She settled in Oxfordshire with her family and started writing romance under a pseudonym in the 1970s, before moving into crime novels in the 1990s. Her other series include the Mitchell and Markby series, the Fran Varady mysteries, and the Victorian crime series featuring Scotland Yard’s Inspector Ben Ross and his wife Lizzie.

Headline said it has sold more than one million copies of Granger’s novels and her work has been published in 10 languages, including German. She achieved more than 30 top five appearances on the German bestseller lists.

Her editor at Headline, Clare Foss, said: "It was an absolute joy and a privilege to publish Ann’s novels. She was inspirational, wise and incredibly witty and we will all cherish our memories of her. Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time."

Her agent, Isobel Dixon of Blake Friedmann, said: "It has been a great joy to work with our beloved Ann Granger over my 30 years at Blake Friedmann, an honour to continue Carole Blake’s work, and a pleasure shared with all my colleagues and the Headline team. We loved Ann for her wit and warmth and wisdom, her kindness and curiosity, all those sterling characteristics woven through her brilliant writing too. She was one of a kind and she leaves a great gap in our lives. One consolation is that we can still share her books with readers, but I will miss our conversations more than I can say. Our thoughts are with her friends and family and the fans who loved the characters and stories she gave to the world."