L. A. Starks is the author of the Lynn Dayton thrillers!

L.A. Starks - The Second Law

Winner’s Curse

“Winner’s Curse, a smart oil and gas thriller with remarkable breadth, depth, and international intrigue, proves yet again that L. A. Starks is a master storyteller”

William J. Carl, author of Assassin's Manuscript
L.A. Starks - The Second Law

The Second Law

“Unremitting suspense throughout… Spirited characters, both good and bad, populate this engaging, often surprising thriller.”

Kirkus Review
L.A. Starks - Strike Price

Strike Price

“Toss in a charming and nervy protagonist like Lynn Dayton and L. A. Starks’ STRIKE PRICE is right on the money. Well-written, well-plotted and well worth a reader’s time…”

Carlton Stowers, two-time Edgar winner
L.A. Starks - 13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy

13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy

5 Stars. “I found the book not only entertaining but educational. L. A. Starks made sure the reader understood all the oil refinery terminology… I enjoyed the entire story and liked the tenacity of the main character Lynn! I look forward to reading more books in the future by L. A. Starks.”

Renee, Goodreads

Note to readers: While engineer Lynn Dayton is the protagonist in all of these thrillers, you need not read them in order. Each is a stand-alone action/adventure thriller.

Upcoming Events

Barnes & Noble Sugar Land Book Signing

16535 Southwest Frwy Suite 4000, Sugar Land, TX 77479
Saturday, October 26th, 2PM
Barnes & Noble Bookstore in First Colony Mall, TX | Barnes & Noble (barnesandnoble.com)

Discussion and signing, Winner’s Curse

The Twig Book Shop
306 Pearl Parkway, Suite 106
San Antonio, TX 78215-1290
Monday, February 17, 2025 at 5:30 PM
A. Starks, Winner’s Curse | The Twig Book Shop

Mysterious Goings On Podcast

Mysterious Goings On interview with
Alex Greenwood as a host.
Date: TBD
Mysterious Goings On Podcast

Barnes & Noble Richardson – Book Signing

Pavilion East Shopping Center, 1361 West Campbell Road, Richardson, TX 75080
Saturday, November 9th, 3PM
Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Richardson, TX | Barnes & Noble (barnesandnoble.com)

Barnes & Noble Lubbock – Book Signing

6002 Slide Rd.,
Lubbock, TX 79414
Saturday, Jan. 25th, 2PM
Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Lubbock, TX | Barnes & Noble (barnesandnoble.com)

Barnes & Noble Amarillo – Book Signing

2415 Soncy Road
Amarillo, TX 79124
Sunday, Jan. 26th, 2PM
Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Amarillo, TX | Barnes & Noble (barnesandnoble.com)

Reviews

Winner’s Curse: “Takeaway – Gripping sprint through the make-or-break oil and gas industry. Dayton’s undertakings are as risky as they are critical, but Starks offsets the danger with hefty character-driven scenes that will resonate with readers.”

Booklife, Publisher's Weekly

Winner’s Curse: “Fast-paced and dramatic, Starks’s novel offers a slew of fascinating characters . . . effectively weaving in her own experience in the global energy sector to build a sharp plot that’s bolstered by obvious insider knowledge.”

Booklife, Publisher's Weekly

Winner’s Curse: “A pulse-pounding technothriller centered in the oil fields of Texas—but with global implications”

Winner’s Curse: “Starks deftly pulls from her insider expertise of the oil and gas sector to inject real life into this thriller  . . . The industry in-fighting and power plays against each other are tense and dramatic.”

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. “Second Law kept me on pins and needles! Oh, my gosh, was it good. Every time I thought things would calm, things exploded again. This is most definitely a keeper to be read again and again.”

Rebecca, Goodreads and Amazon reviewer

“STRIKE PRICE takes the reader from Oklahoma Indian reservations to the streets of Florence, in an imaginative and well informed fusion of oil refining economics, Native American politics, and the potential for lethal mayhem in the global energy market.”

Michael Ennis, author of New York Times best seller, The Malice of Fortune

Winner’s Curse puts an oil and gas executive in the crosshairs of a dangerous conspiracy

The notion of a “winner’s curse” is explained on the first page of L.A. Starks’ engaging new novel, the fourth Lynn Dayton thriller. It stems from the fact that drilling for oil was (and may still be) a real crap shoot with high overhead and little promise of financial return. It also serve as a metaphor for the many interesting complications in the novel . . .It’s a well wrought thriller with an unusual cast of characters and story line.

Winner’s Curse is singular. In addition to an unusual setting/industry, Starks takes the reader all over the world: Texas, Chicago, London, Barcelona, Murmansk, etc….Starks wastes no time ramping up the excitement, beginning with the first paragraph.

The BookLife Prize 2024, Critic's Report

Winner’s Curse

From author and global energy expert L.A. Starks, comes Winner’s Curse – a pulse-pounding new thriller that will grab and hurl you through the eye-opening and unexpectedly dramatic world of the oil and gas sector. Winner’s Curse is an energy technothriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Read more here.

Get in touch with L. A. Starks

Please contact L. A. Starks at la@lastarksbooks.com.