Molly Odintz is the managing editor for CrimeReads and the editor of
Austin Noir, forthcoming from Akashic Books. She grew up in Austin and worked as a bookseller at BookPeople, and recently returned to Central Texas after five years in NYC. She likes cats, crime novels, and coffee.
At CrimeReads Odintz tagged ten of the best scifi and fantasy crime fiction titles of 2023. One title on the list:
Allison Epstein, Let the Dead Bury Their Dead
An evil vila, or shapeshifting spirit in Russian folklore, is the catalyst for this noir take on the Russian Empire just after their pyrrhic victory against Napoleon. As untold suffering grips the empire, and revolutionary fervor brews, a 
beautiful woman appears to a discontented prince and promises him the changes he so desires, if he will but follow her lead. She soon makes the same promises to a small group of dedicated fighters trying to reform (or overthrow) their current regime. Full of historical detail, Epstein’s alternate history brings together many aspects of Russian history for a novel that, while it may skip around in its inspirations, feels true to the thoughts and feelings of its time period.
Read about
the other entries on the list.
My Book, The Movie: Let the Dead Bury the Dead.
The Page 69 Test: Let the Dead Bury the Dead.
--Marshal Zeringue
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