ABOUT THE BOOK

In the Shadows of a Gas Plant
By Burt Rairamo

28-year-old Richard Starr’s dream has become a reality. He has been hired as Plant Superintendent of one of Brook’s Gas Company’s cylinder filling facilities. He recognises he has much to learn in this new industry, but he is determined to give it his all and succeed. As Starr struggles to master his job, he is being challenged at every turn by his staff and his superiors for being an outsider. He quickly learns that he has inherited a mess, one he is expected to clean up. When one of his employees is found dead under suspicious circumstances, he realizes that the plant problems run much deeper than he ever imagined. He needs every ounce of his courage and determination to survive.

​In the Shadows of a Gas Plant is a thrilling drama told by an industry insider who has seen it all. With unexpected twists, heart-wrenching conflicts, rich characters, humorous episodes, and compelling relationships and romance, the novel offers a rich and unique take on the industry and the people who work within it.

BOOKSTORE

Get your copy from any of the following retailers...

PRINT EDITION
eBOOK EDITION

REVIEWS

What readers are saying...

“To place this novel in an industrial environment is a highly creative idea. The author has brought it off very well”. 
- Ted Jansen, Retired Engineering Professor
"Burt Rairamo's first book contains more information about the workings of a gas plant than most readers would care to know. However, he manages to blend most of it into the story so that it doesn't look too much like an info-dump. What I liked best is the way Burt describes the huge snow storm, making me feel like I am right there in the midst of it. I feel description of the surroundings is Burt's strongest point, perhaps because he is also a poet."
- ​Kaarina Brooks
"Burt Rairamo’s first novel, In the Shadows of a Gas Plant, is a powerful testament to the adage 'it is never too late to embark upon a new career.' 
​
Rairamo’s novel is ambitious and admirably versatile.  It successfully spans genres and subgenres:  it’s a mystery novel, it’s a drama, it convincingly explores the psychological subtleties of the characters, it creates moments of intensity, but also of beautiful, serene sensitivity. 

Rairamo shares his vast expertise with the gas industry by offering detailed descriptions of the intricacies of the workings of a gas plant.  He does not shy away from descriptions of what various divisions and sections of the industry actually do in the technical sense.  His descriptions are clear and crisp and reflects palpable pride in the quality of the often hazardous work the men do.  On occasion the technical minutiae become challenging for the general reader, but then very quickly the novel switches its attention to personal relationships and power struggles, or to creating suspense.  The well-managed pacing and balanced structuring of the narration is an important strength in the novel.  Another strength is the manner in which it captures nuances in the interpersonal dynamic between coworkers, between bosses and rank and file, between various levels of management, from the owners to supervisors.  
​
Rairamo’s solid experience in the gas industry is coupled with great characterization.  He paints an impressive array of finely developed characters.  The protagonist of the novel, Richard Starr, a 28-year-old engineer, undergoes a fascinating psychological development through the course of the book.  He is ambitious, faces challenges, adversity and hostility, even sabotage.  He learns about people: bosses, coworkers and underlings.  But he prevails.  The exposition of Starr’s inner life and growth, ultimately makes the novel a Bildungsroman, as was Pekkanen’s Tehtaan varjossa.  Rairamo, however, goes further: the novel becomes a significant study in leadership skills.  Richard Starr is a modern leader, driven by goal-oriented ambition but guided by deep humanity and psychological insights.

The novel’s lighter side shows in the budding romance that is sprinkled throughout the novel.  The rather innocent encounters between Saara and Richard are depicted with great sensitivity; it becomes clear, however, that under the innocent surface their emotions were deeply engaged.  As such, those passages serve to successfully counter the often cynical, sometimes hostile, attitudes underlying many personal interactions in the novel. 

Burt Rairamo’s first novel is huge accomplishment.  For a debut novel, albeit with some stylistic issues particularly in the first third of the novel, it is a very successful novel.  Rairamo is to be congratulated for having succeeded in creating a monumental testament to work and characters alike:  He has captured the world of the gas plant competently and intelligently.  Reading In the Shadows of a Gas Plant is educational, entertaining, and emotionally fulfilling. We remain eagerly awaiting Burt Rairamo’s next novel, the writing of which is already under way."
- Börje Vähämäki