One body, two sleuths, and a slew of long-buried family secrets:
Under the Tree Ferns: a novel
by Kathryn L Robinson
ABOUT THE BOOK:
In World War II Puerto Rico, the death of a middle-aged American woman in the heart of El Yunque rainforest arouses little attention from anyone—except for the sixteen-year-old boy who finds her. Bright and introverted, Eduardo Colón initially shrinks from the publicity stirred up by his find. But when he learns the dead woman, Laura Morrison, was once his mother’s schoolmate, curiosity overcomes qualms and he searches island-wide for answers. What he discovers draws him into dangerous wartime intrigues and a tangle of disturbing personal connections.
Many decades later, Pamela Palmer sits on a balcony overlooking Lake Coeur d’Alene in northern Idaho, reminiscing about her years of teaching in Puerto Rico and the discovery of a grand-aunt who died there under mysterious circumstances. Playing amateur detective, she eventually stumbles onto what really happened to Laura Morrison.
Reaching across different times, places, and cultures, Eduardo and Pamela find answers about the enigmatic woman—answers that change their lives.
Coming June 16, 2026:
A murder mystery, and more:
“With multiple timelines and exotic locations, Robinson beautifully combines coming-of-age with mystery against the backdrop of World War II.”
–Elena Taylor, author of The Haunting of Emily Grace
“Under the Tree Ferns neatly merges the disparate worlds of northern Idaho and Puerto Rico, and the impact a woman’s murder holds as the years pass.”
–MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
“Robinson weaves a haunting tale where finding the truth about a body in the rainforest is only the beginning.”
–SHELLEY BLANTON-STROUD, author of An Unlikely Prospect and the Jane Benjamin series
“Richly written, Kathryn Robinson’s debut novel is full of twists and turns the reader won’t see coming. A murder mystery tucked inside a family saga.”
–Carrie Stuart Parks, author of Publishers Weekly bestseller Escaping the Wilderness
”Under the Tree Ferns is excellently written from beginning to end. With all the revelations that emerged, I could not put it down; I was too afraid I would miss something.”
–READERS’ FAVORITE, 5-star review
“This novel brims with life, full of lived-in detail and color, transporting the reader into the past to travel along with its characters through the intricacies of their complex worlds.”
–LEAH FRANQUI, author of After the Hurricane
Cover design by Lindsey Cleworth