理查德·拉索（Richard Russo，1949-）是一位享譽甚高的大奬作傢，他的小說《帝國瀑布》羸得瞭2002年的普利策奬。他的作品包括：《帝國瀑布》、《莫霍剋》、《危險池塘》、《沒有人是傻瓜》和《直率的人》等。理查德·拉索現在跟他的妻子和兩個女兒居住在緬因州沿海。

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.