Buy Links
A Tip for the Hangman: Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Amazon | PRH
Let the Dead Bury the Dead: Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Amazon | PRH
Fagin the Thief: Bookshop | Barnes & NobleBarnes & Noble | Amazon | PRH
Author Photo
Download web-ready file
High-Res Cover Art Files
A Tip for the Hangman: Paperback (design: Mark Abrams) | Hardcover (design: Mike Windsor)
Let the Dead Bury the Dead: Hardcover and Paperback (design: Emily Mahon, artist: Roberts Rurans)
Fagin the Thief: Hardcover (design: Emily Mahon)
Bios
Very, Very Short
Allison Epstein is a historical fiction author and professional editor based in Chicago. She is the author of A Tip for the Hangman, Let the Dead Bury the Dead, and Fagin the Thief.
Standard Bio
Allison Epstein holds an MFA in fiction from Northwestern University and is the author of three historical novels. Her most recent novel, Fagin the Thief, was a finalist for the 2026 Edgar Award for Best Novel and was shortlisted for the National Jewish Book Award. A Michigan native, she now lives in Chicago, where she enjoys good theater, bad puns, and fancy jackets.
Longer Intro With Some Color
Allison Epstein is a historical fiction author who is passionate about making stories from the past accessible, inclusive, and exciting. Her most recent novel, Fagin the Thief, was a finalist for the 2026 Edgar Award for Best Novel, a 2026 Illinois Reads pick, an Honor Book for the 2026 AJL Jewish Fiction Awards, and shortlisted for the National Jewish Book Award. Her previous books include the Elizabethan spy thriller A Tip for the Hangman and the Russian folklore-inspired Let the Dead Bury the Dead.
Allison also writes a biweekly Substack newsletter titled Dirtbags Through the Ages, which profiles the weirdest and wackiest figures from world history while making the worst puns you’ve ever read.
She earned her BA in creative writing and English literature from the University of Michigan and her MFA in fiction from Northwestern University. A Michigan native, she currently lives in Chicago, where she works as a content editor for a consulting firm and shares an apartment with what she’s fairly sure is the grouchiest cat in the city.
Social Media Links
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rapscallison/
Substack: https://rapscallison.substack.com
Allison Epstein 