Allison Epstein

Historical Fiction Author


Available Now:
Fagin the Thief

Winner, National Jewish Book Award for Fiction

Nominee, Edgar Award for Best Novel

Winner, American Library Association Sophie Brody Medal

Association of Jewish Libraries Honor Book

Book cover for 'Fagin the Thief' by Allison Epstein, featuring a large pocket watch and a city street scene at night.

Praise for Fagin the Thief

“Fagin the Thief takes one of literature’s greatest rogues and gives him a soul, a backstory, and a spotlight. Layered and clever, Epstein’s story is as ambitious as it is deeply satisfying.”
— Rebecca Makkai, New York Times bestselling author of I Have Some Questions for You
“Magnificent . . . Epstein’s Fagin, rarely admirable but surprisingly sympathetic, is an unforgettable creation, and her vibrant secondary characters and depictions of Victorian London add to the novel’s power. Dickens’s fans and critics alike will love this.”
— Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“An empathetic saga of troubled souls struggling to survive in an uncaring and unpromising world. Fagin the Thief is an impressive achievement.”
— The Wall Street Journal

Books

Cover art of Let the Dead Bury the Dead

Let the Dead Bury the Dead

Saint Petersburg, 1812. A mysterious woman with not-quite-human capabilities is whispering in the grand duke’s ear, steering him on a collision course with revolution.

Cover art of Fagin the Thief

Fagin the Thief

A thrilling reimagining of the world of Dickens, as seen through the eyes of the infamous Jacob Fagin, London’s most gifted pickpocket, liar, and rogue.

Cover art of A Tip for the Hangman

A Tip for the Hangman

England, 1585. In Kit Marlowe’s last year at Cambridge, he is pulled into the duplicitous world of international espionage on behalf of queen and country.

Events