Writing
I am revising the third book in the Lynn Dayton thriller series toward the goal of making it an even more exciting read. The book is a story about the new natural gas trade and deadly cyberattacks prompted by all-too-human ambition and betrayal.
Reading
In the last six months I read 24 books. In fiction I recommend Lamentation by Joe Clifford, an intense New England noir story; Unsub by Meg Gardiner, one of the two best thrillers of the year and House of Spies by Daniel Silva (the other best thriller of the year). Big Little Lies, from which a short television series was made, is a suspenseful character-driven book despite the private kindergarten parents’ setting; and Signals, New and Selected Stories is again a best-of-the-year, or maybe best-of-decade, in the category of short stories.
In non-fiction, I recommend Shoot Like a Girl by Mary Jennings Hegar, (there’s that problem again with ‘girl’ in the book title); The Smear by Sharyl Attkisson; Coming Apart by Charles Murray; China’s Asian Dream by Tom Miller, and a for-the-year nonfiction pick, Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann. Grann has researched and written about the Osage Indian killings of the early twentieth century, delineating the tremendous predation the tribe suffered after one of its chiefs presciently reserved mineral rights. By the end of the book, Grann appears to have discovered even more Osage killings than the twenty-four known.
The Gulf Coast is the site of about a third of the country’s oil refining and so Hurricane Harvey shutdowns resulted in localized shortages. The far bigger issue is the billions of dollars and millions of hours that will be required to rebuild Houston after its flooding. Hurricane Irma is bringing its own similar issues to Florida.
The investor website Seeking Alpha published the article I submitted on Diamondback Energy, a company with one of the more vivid stock symbols available, FANG.
Until next time,
L.A. Starks
http://lastarksbooks.com
Fiction (books) by L. A. Starks–in reverse order
Strike Price (Lynn Dayton Thriller #2)
- Print ISBN 9780991110704, 2nd edition published by Nemaha Ridge Publishing Group LLC, March 2014, $18.95.
- E-book ASIN B01K5Y406A, published by Nemaha Ridge Publishing Group LLC, August 2016, $6.99.
13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy (Lynn Dayton Thriller #1)
- 2nd Print ISBN 978-0991110711, published by Nemaha Ridge Publishing Group, LLC, August 2016, $18.95.
- E-book ASIN B015LI65GI, published by Nemaha Ridge Publishing Group, LLC, September 2015, $4.99.
Please note all L. A. Starks electronic and print editions published by L&L Dreamspell and StoneThread Publishing are no longer available. Both companies have gone out of business. Also, new copies of the first print edition of 13 Days (ISBN 9781933285450) published by Brown Books Publishing Group in May 2006 are no longer available. They are replaced by the August 2016 edition.
Short stories by L. A. Starks on Amazon Kindle, in reverse order
- “Josh Rosen & Bubbe” gives additional background on series character Josh Rosen and insight into his relationship with his grandmother when she falls ill. 2014. ASIN: B00O854YKA, $0.99.
- “A Time for Eating Wild Onions” introduces two key characters in the second Lynn Dayton book, STRIKE PRICE. The tragedy that befalls them profoundly shapes the next generation. 2007. ASIN: B003NE6DGA, $0.99.
- “Robert and Thérèse Guillard: Choices” is a story about 13 DAYS’ Parisian antagonist and how it feels to fly in a wing suit. 2007. ASIN: B003NE6D74, $0.99.
