Temperature Rising is a political suspense thriller about power, deception, and the cost of telling the truth when the truth will destroy everything you love.
Set in Washington, D.C., in 1988, the novel follows Anna Freeman, a twenty-two-year-old law student and committed environmentalist whose life is upended when she accidentally walks into a closed-door strategy session run by the Institute for Energy Independence, the nation’s most powerful energy lobby. What she overhears is a sweeping scheme to manipulate Congress and suppress damaging research—one that could shape national policy for decades.
Drawn in by an ambitious New York Times reporter who is more interested in winning a Pulitzer than Anna’s well-being, Anna is persuaded to go undercover. Mistaken for a young lobbyist, she infiltrates IEI, attending high-level meetings and quietly gathering information that could expose the organization from within. As the danger escalates, Anna finds herself under suspicion from IEI’s ruthless security chief, who senses she doesn’t belong.
Complicating everything, Anna becomes romantically involved with Coy Young, a charismatic Texas lobbyist whose future is inseparable from IEI. As her feelings for Coy deepen, Anna faces an agonizing dilemma: revealing the truth could destroy the man she loves, derail her legal career, and put her own safety at risk. Remaining silent would mean becoming complicit in a far-reaching deception.
Balancing ambition, love, and conscience, Anna must decide how far she is willing to go—and what she is willing to sacrifice—to do what she believes is right.
