British author Jilly Cooper, known for novels ‘Rivals’ and ‘Riders’, dies at 88   

British author Jilly Cooper, known for her many bestselling novels including “Rivals” and “Riders,” has died at age 88, her agent said on Monday.

A statement from her family said that the author’s “unexpected death has come as a complete shock.”

“The privilege of my career has been working with a woman who has defined culture, writing and conversation since she was first published over fifty years ago,” her agent, Felicity Blunt, said in a statement. “Jilly will undoubtedly be best remembered for her chart-topping series The Rutshire Chronicles and its havoc-making and handsome show-jumping hero Rupert Campbell-Black.”

Cooper’s many fans included former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who said her books offered “escapism.”