All of us at Blake Friedmann are deeply saddened by the death of Ann Granger, a much-loved client of the agency for many decades.
Booksellers, reviewers and her many fans spoke of Ann’s deft plotting and finely drawn characters, the recognisable worlds she created, with great insight, humour and humanity. It was that humanity and a deep interest in human nature that made such a strong connection with her readers and with everyone she came into contact with in her lifetime. We were so privileged to work with her for so long.
Her agent, Isobel Dixon, says: ‘It has been a great joy to work with our beloved Ann Granger over my thirty 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. As she is laid to rest, our thoughts are with her friends and family, her sons and other relatives, and also the fans who loved the characters and stories she gave to the world. We will continue to do our very best to honour her legacy.’
Her editor at Headline, Clare Foss, says: ‘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 publisher in Germany, Marco Schneiders of Bastei Lübbe, says: ‘Ann Granger was a unique writer and even more a unique person. For more than a quarter of a century we have had her books on our list and Ann has always been seen in Germany as a stellar writer of crime fiction. When we met her over the last 26 years she instantly became a significant member of the Lübbe family. Ann will be missed deeply at our publishing house.’
In lieu of flowers, Ann’s family asks for donations to be made to The Book Trade Charity (BTBS): https://btbs.enthuse.com/cf/celebrating-the-life-of-ann-granger
Born in Portsmouth, Patricia Ann Granger studied modern languages, French and German at the University of London before working for the Foreign Office and receiving postings to British embassies across the world, including in Munich, Lusaka, Vienna, Zagreb and Belgrade. She met her husband John Hulme at the British Embassy in Prague, and later settled with her family in Bicester, Oxfordshire, where she began writing. In 1979 her first novel, a historical romance titled A POOR RELATION, was published under the name Ann Hulme. In 1991, Headline published her first crime novel as Ann Granger, SAY IT WITH POISON.