Marc S.
Perlman

THE RIDDLE
OF THE TREES

Author

Available March 2026

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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

From Koehler Books

Available March 2026

Praise For
The Riddle of the Trees

"Marc Perlman’s taut, intricate and engaging work demands our engagement. With precision, clarity and occasional lyricism, The Riddle of the Trees blends the elements of international intrigue into a very human story, carried by characters who are three-dimensional, complex and, in their struggles to identify what’s real and what’s right, become universal. This is not a predictable novel, nor is it one to be taken lightly. It merits a careful read, perhaps more than one, and careful thought, with the reward being a memorable exploration of a distinctive time and a distinctive place. 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