Carol Higgins Clark, who as a mystery novelist followed in the footsteps of her mother, Mary Higgins Clark, has died at 66, the Washington Post reports. The cause of death was cancer of the appendix.

Clark, a New York native, was educated at Mount Holyoke College. She worked as an actor, appearing in Who Killed Amy Lang, a “mini-mystery” that aired on Good Morning America, and in a television movie based on her mother’s 1982 novel, A Cry in the Night.

Clark made her literary debut in 1992 with Decked, a novel that introduced her signature character, Regan Reilly, a Los Angeles private investigator. The character would appear in more than a dozen more mysteries, including Snagged, Iced, and Mobbed. She also co-wrote a series of Christmas-themed novels with her mother, including Deck the Halls and Dashing Through the Snow.

Admirers of Clark paid tribute to her on social media. On Twitter, author Harlan Coben wrote, “Devastated to hear that my dear friend and colleague Carol Higgins Clark died after bravely living with appendix cancer for the past three years. Here’s hoping she and Mom (Mary Higgins Clark) are sharing a bottle of wine together.”

And writer Sarah Weinman tweeted, “The Regan Reilly books were so much fun to read. Another sad loss in the mystery world.”

Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.