The family finished the statement by sharing Riley’s own words: “Through the pain and the joy of the journey, I have learnt the most important lesson life can offer, and I am glad of it. Above all, Lucinda loved life, and lived every moment to the full.” She radiated love and kindness in everything she did, and will continue to inspire us all forever. Lucinda touched the lives of all those she met, and those who turned the pages of her stories. 'During those four years, Lucinda penned five novels, and this week, The Missing Sister is number one in book charts across the world. We realise that this will be a terrible shock for most people, who won’t have been aware that Lucinda had been battling cancer for four years. Riley’s family said in a statement: “To Lucinda’s friends and readers around the world, we are so sorry to have to tell you that Lucinda died peacefully this morning, surrounded by her family, who were so important to her. I am going to miss her terribly and I know many of my colleagues here and around the world will do so too.” He added: 'I, and the whole team at Pan Mac, are so thankful to have been given the opportunity to go on this journey with her.

Lucinda had an enormous capacity for fun, friendship and love and I was honoured to call her a friend.' Popular fiction is often looked down on but when authors like Lucinda break through and strike an emotional chord with their readers that really is the joy of publishing. of Pan Macmillan’s adult publishing division, said: “It’s been an immense and very rare privilege to work with Lucinda. Her current book The Missing Sister (Macmillan) hit number one in the Original Fiction chart last week. She originally went into acting before becoming ill from a virus and then writing her first book aged 23, later taken on by a literary agent. Riley was born on 16th February 1966 in the village of Drumbeg, Ireland. Riley has been a published author for almost 30 years and continued even after being diagnosed with cancer. The global publishing community who worked with her over the last decade of her career have paid tribute to her life and work. Bestselling Irish author Lucinda Riley, best known for the Seven Sisters series, has died aged 55 after battling cancer for four years.

The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley