In Allison Epstein's enthralling Let the Dead Bury the Dead, tsarist Russian society is in turmoil after the war with the defeated Napoleonic forces, now in retreat. Army captain Sasha returns to his lover, the charming and mercurial Grand Duke Felix, whose father, the tsar, has exiled him for his wanton ways. Sasha discovers a mysterious woman seemingly in distress in the snow and carries her to the safety of Felix's palace. Once installed in Felix's estate, the enigmatic Sofia captivates the Grand Duke, alienating him from Sasha and sending him out to confront his father with demands for better treatment of the common people. Sasha deeply mistrusts Sofia, suspecting her of being a destructive, manipulative figure he knows from legends: a vila. Sofia also infiltrates a group of dissidents called the Koalitsiya, similarly dividing its constituents as she pushes all factions toward greater conflict and bloodshed. When Felix's attempts at mitigating his father's callousness toward his people go as poorly as Sasha predicts, Felix flees imprisonment, ending up in league with the dissidents and rioting with them.
Epstein (A Tip for the Hangman) imbues this alternate history with elements of fantasy and folklore to create a heady, transportive read. Each character is driven to confront or succumb to the pressures of history and their own desires, and to choose between the people they love and their own ambitions. Let the Dead Bury the Dead is a remarkable rendering of character and history that manages to feel both timeless as well as absolutely of its historical setting. --Elizabeth DeNoma, executive editor, DeNoma Literary Services, Seattle, Wash.