Under the Tree Ferns by Kathryn L. Robinson
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Under the Tree Ferns
Under the Tree Ferns takes place in Puerto Rico and northern Idaho amid World War II intrigues, coming-of-age tribulations, cultural complications, and secrets that need dual sleuths and a century to resolve.
One body, two sleuths, and a slew of long buried family secrets.
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.
Praise for Under the Tree Ferns:
“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, 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
Pub date: June 2026
Print ISBN: 979-8-89636-332-3 /$17.99
E-ISBN: 979-8-89636-333-0 / $12.99
Published by She Writes Press / Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Get to purchase your copy of Under the Tree Ferns, click this link | Book by Kathryn L. Robinson | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster
Author Pet Corner!
RIP: Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico of unknown parentage, Tinkerbell (white) and Scooter (gray) lived some ten years as outdoor (female) cats amid the island’s lush tropical foliage.
In 2013, they took an amazing journey – twelve hours and three flights – to Spokane, WA, where they lived as indoor cats for another ten years. They never acclimated to the cold and snow but nonetheless lived very comfortable lives.
The two fought a lot, but Scooter missed Tinkerbell when she died and joined her a year later. Ironically, they both died a week or so before our very young grandchildren visited, thus sparing the grandchildren the sadness of watching an animal die.
They are missed.
Under the Tree Ferns Author Kathryn L. Robinson
Kathryn L Robinson, originally from New Jersey, lived for forty years in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she taught university-level English and freelanced as a travel writer and editor.
Her writing has appeared in newspapers, magazines, documentaries, and radio. Nonfiction books include Where Dwarfs Reign: A Tropical Rain Forest in Puerto Rico, which explores the setting for much of the action in this novel. In 2013 she relocated with her husband, trading the warm Caribbean waters for the chillier Inland Northwest lakes, and focusing on fiction writing.
She currently lives in Spokane, Washington.
To learn more about Kathryn, click any of the following links: Website/blog, Facebook, Instagram & Kathryn L Robinson | LinkedIn
Elena Hartwell/Elena Taylor
Header image from Pixabay
