Heat and Light: A Novel

A small Pennsylvania town established by the famous Baker brothers became prominent through the discovery of coal. Long after the coal was mined and the town was nearly deserted, natural gas became the new buzz in Bakerton, sitting atop the Marcellus Shale. Heat and Light provides a glimpse into the conflicts involved with those desperate for a financial break while rivaling those who are adamant to keep their soil clean. Told from many different vantage points, Heat and Light weaves a tale of the greed that comes with mining natural resources, from the land man to the CEO and all the roles in between. Nearly everyone wants a piece of the natural gas money pie, but at what cost?

From the author who brought the best-selling books Mrs. Kimble and Baker Towers, Jennifer Haigh creates a fictional narrative with incredible depth. Haigh’s fifth novel is a page-turner closely related to a previous novel, Baker Towers. Brilliantly told through Haigh’s relevant language, this outstanding narrative of the coal and natural gas industry reaches from the past and makes it relevant in the present.