CENTRE COUNTY — Author and former environmental lawyer Joel Burcat will return to political thrillers June 16 with the release of his sixth novel, “Temperature Rising,” a suspense-driven story set in 1988 Washington, D.C., exploring climate change, politics and corporate influence through the eyes of a young law student caught in a dangerous conspiracy.
The new novel, published through Milford House Press, follows Rutgers law student Anna Freeman after she accidentally stumbles into a closed-door meeting involving powerful energy interests and uncovers what appears to be an effort to suppress climate science.
Burcat, a 1976 Penn State graduate, described the novel as both a return to familiar territory and a personal challenge.
“I’m very excited about it,” Burcat said. “It’s an interesting story. It’s a great story, really. The premise is, what if the climate change cover-up started in 1988?”
The story marks Burcat’s return to thrillers following the release of “Whiz Kid,” the historical fiction novel he co-wrote with his late father David Burcat.
Despite the gap between publications, Burcat said he never truly stepped away from thrillers.
“I actually started Whiz Kid in 2009,” Burcat said. “By 2010, the first draft was done. Then I didn’t like it, and I put it aside and came back to it every couple of years.”
Meanwhile, he was already writing other projects, including “Temperature Rising,” which he began around 2021.
“The thing about writing is that writing is rewriting and editing,” Burcat said.
The novel also presented Burcat with a new challenge as an author: writing from the perspective of a female protagonist for the first time.
“One was sort of to test myself as a writer,” Burcat said. “I have written only male protagonists in the past.”
Burcat said Anna’s perspective ultimately fit the story because of the vulnerability and pressure placed upon her.
“I felt that the threat would be more difficult on a young woman than it might be on a young man,” he said.
While the novel focuses on a fictional conspiracy, Burcat acknowledged the subject matter may spark strong reactions.
“I thought about it from time to time,” Burcat said when asked whether controversy concerned him. “I felt as though it was important to write this story and just let it come out the way it wanted to come out.”
Burcat emphasized that despite his personal beliefs about climate change, he attempts to give readers differing viewpoints throughout the novel.
“I really do try to present both sides of an issue,” he said.
Burcat said the book serves as both entertainment and a warning.
“It was definitely a little of both fiction and a warning,” Burcat said.
He pointed to increasingly visible climate-related events, including fires, droughts and severe weather, as reasons he believes the topic deserves greater attention.
“As a person who believes that climate change is a real thing and that it’s something we have to be concerned about, I really felt as though it was a warning that we needed to take care about climate issues in this country,” Burcat said.
Burcat hopes readers walk away discussing climate science rather than politics.
“I hope that they’re having a conversation about the reality of climate change,” he said. “I hope they’re looking more into the science of it than they are into the politics of it.”
“Temperature Rising” will be released Tuesday, June 16, in paperback and ebook formats and will be available through bookstores, online retailers and Amazon. Burcat said readers will also eventually find copies at the Schlow Centre Region Library.
For Burcat, who already has multiple additional projects in development, publication day cannot come soon enough. “It’ll be exciting when it comes out,” he said.
