The Tree of Knowledge

 "A quirky and engaging debut thriller...teem[ing] with historical, scientific, and literary surprises...Vividly eccentric characters who rely on intellect as much as weapons make this a thriller fans are likely to remember.” —Publisher's Weekly BookLife, Editor's Pick Albert can see the future... He just doesn't know it yet. It is said that the greatest chess masters can envision a match’s outcome ten moves before it occurs. Imagine a person who can visualize ten steps ahead, not simply in the game of chess, but in every human interaction. Imagine a person who could anticipate what you would say before you said it, who could see a punch before it was thrown. Imagine a person who could see the chess game of politics, economics, and power itself unfold long before it happens. Imagine a secret that could make all of this possible. Mathematics professor Albert Puddles is such a person, and as he is thrust into a murder and burglary investigation on the Princeton campus he finds that there