Marc S.
Perlman

THE RIDDLE
OF THE TREES

Author

PRE-ORDER NOW!

Coming March 10, 2026

Amazon
B&N

From
Koehler Books

"I promise, you won't want to put down The Riddle of the Trees until the very last page."

- Richard Hess, USAF Lt Col (ret)
Author of Night of the Bear and High Flight, A Pilot’s Journey Through Life

About me

I live with my wife and son in New York City where I work as a lawyer and do the bulk of my writing after my son agrees to go to bed. A graduate of Bowdoin College and Cardozo Law School, I've had a lifelong interest in history and have traveled extensively in Eastern Europe. I conceived of The Riddle of the Trees several years ago while biking through the Belavezskaya Forest from Poland to Belarus. It’s my first novel.

The Riddle of the Trees

At the same time that a physicist is murdered in a Belarusian forest by a KGB agent, American Jack Miller boards a flight to Eastern Europe, where he hopes to learn what caused an enduring rift between his Holocaust-surviving father and grandfather. All the while, he is unaware that his life will soon be entwined with that of the dead man.

In Minsk, Jack quickly falls for Anna, his beautiful Belarusian guide, and learns the gnawing fear of living in a police state. Spurred by revelations about his family, Jack follows Anna on a reckless mission into the Belavezskaya Forest, where they witness events that could change the course of history.

With the KGB nipping at his heels and summoning courage he never knew he had, Jack agrees to smuggle the newfound information across the border. But, on the sand dunes of the Curonian Spit he must make a choice: save the woman he loves or save the world from disaster. . .

Books

B&N
Amazon

From Koehler Books

Available March 10 , 2026

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Praise For
The Riddle of the Trees

"With precision, clarity and occasional lyricism, The Riddle of the Trees blends the elements of international intrigue into a very human story . . . Perlman has scored a major win with this work."

- Greg Fields
Author, The Bright Freight of Memory
Winner, American Writing Award for Literary Fiction
Southern California Book Festival Book of the Year

"With The Riddle of the Trees, Marc Perlman has given us an unconventional spy story that is both engrossing and timely, given the specter of spreading conflict in Eastern Europe. Perlman’s book is a joy to read and difficult to put down."

 - Jason Sokol
Author of All Eyes Are Upon Us: Race and Politics from Boston to Brooklyn, History Professor at the University of New Hampshire

"Above all, The Riddle of the Trees is a genuine pleasure to read. Perlman is an impressively assured writer, all the more impressive for the fact that this is his first novel."

-Daniel Oppenheimer
Author of Exit Right: The People Who Left the Left and Reshaped the American Century and host of the Eminent Americans podcast

"As an ex-Air Force pilot who has travelled all over the world, I’ve become a student of history as Marc shows us he is too. More than that, Marc shows us that we often take for granted the freedoms we enjoy . . . I promise, you won’t want to put down The Riddle of the Trees until the very last page."

- Richard Hess, USAF Lt Col (ret)
Author of Night of the Bear and High Flight, A Pilot’s Journey Through Life

"A page turner with a deep understanding of history, and the deeply human yearning for healing and redemption."

-Phil Graubart
Author of Here There Is No Why and Women and God

"The Riddle of the Trees draws on the serious tradition of literary espionage while ultimately charting its own course—less concerned with spycraft for its own sake than with history, memory, and the quiet moral costs borne by ordinary people. Marc Perlman has a distinctive voice, and its value shows."

 - Lawrence Cunningham
Author of No. 1 International Bestseller, The Essays of Warren Buffett, Professor Emeritus, George Washington University Law School

"An outstanding thriller that puts you at the heart of the action!"

"The plot is expertly crafted, with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat."

"An engaging, cinematic read that mixes history, suspense, and emotion."

- Netgalley.com reviews

"Perlman’s debut novel is a wonderfully entertaining and timely thriller, rich with detail and emotional depth. . . an engrossing, layered novel that balances suspense with genuine heart."

— Marc Meyers, Filmmaker of My Friend Dahmer, Human Capital, All My Life