Empire Falls, Maine: once a thriving hub of industry, this small town nestles in a bend of the vast and winding Knox River, and has always been the empire of the wealthy Whiting family. Now the last Mrs Whiting presides like a black widow spider over its declining fortunes. She harbours a grudge against her employee Miles Groby, who runs the Whiting-owned Empire Grill, but hopes one day to own it himself. Miles, gentle and hopeless, has other problems: his wife has run off with his worst customer, he frets about his adored teenage daughter, and his drunken father sponges off everyone. As the novel builds to a shocking climax, Russo constantly surprises with characters who will disarm you, a plot with as many twists and falls as the Knox River itself, and an ending that will make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.

理查德·拉索（Richard Russo，1949-）是一位享誉甚高的大奖作家，他的小说《帝国瀑布》羸得了2002年的普利策奖。他的作品包括：《帝国瀑布》、《莫霍克》、《危险池塘》、《没有人是傻瓜》和《直率的人》等。理查德·拉索现在跟他的妻子和两个女儿居住在缅因州沿海。