5 Stars. “Lynn Dayton is a wonderful character. She appears in her third thriller The Second Law that I found gripping and fascinating all the way through. I hope that I am not mansplaining when I say that Ms. Starks’ Dayton would be a fabulous role model as a business executive, as a practical scientist/engineer and just as a positive human being – and of course as a woman leader.
“While I have scientific training it is biological and so I found the scientific side of the novel very informative and interesting, but not in a “for nerds only” sort of way. The susceptibility of the petrochemical industry to hacking shocked me and by extension to so many other industries, I was forced to rethink the vulnerability of the world to evil players.
“I tend to think of terror and sabotage as limited and driven by relatively contained ideological players, but when the ideology is money and power and control of markets, the players can be very powerful “teams” indeed – read “nations without a conscience”, but could that be all of them?
“So readers, for high adventure in petrochemical production and sales, for market manipulation using the worst tricks possible, for hacking far in advance of pimply basement dwellers, for decision-making at the high end of business, get hold of The Second Law by L. A. Starks. I am seeking out the first two on Amazon if that is any recommendation as to how much I enjoyed this book.”

“5 Stars. I just finished reading THE SECOND LAW by L.A. Starks, the third book in the Lynn Dayton thriller series. The story can be read as a standalone, but I think that THE SECOND LAW is best read in series order. The story centers around Lynn Dayton, an Energy executive investigating software malfunctions at a refinery in the San Francisco Bay area that ultimately results in the death of several employees. Was this an inside job or did someone hack into their systems or was this a simple coding mistake gone horribly wrong? And the fast-paced story is off. The Second Law is a conspiracy thriller buff’s conspiracy thriller. Great action. Strong character development. International settings. What more could a reader want. Kudo’s L.A. Starks. JAB, author of the conspiracy thriller NOT ON MY WATCH.”

4 Stars “THE SECOND LAW by L.A. Starks is the third book in the Lynn Dayton thriller series. While this novel can be read as a standalone, the series is best read in series order which will provide the reader with some additional background on the characters, the environment and the relationships. The settings for this novel are numerous and include several countries.

“Lynn Dayton, a TriCoast Energy executive is visiting the company’s San Francisco refinery when software malfunctions lead to the death of several employees. What caused the software malfunctions? Is this an inside job or did someone hack into their systems or was this a simple coding mistake gone horribly wrong? This is just the beginning of several bad weeks for Lynn and her team as they race to discover answers and hold those responsible accountable.

“Lynn is a strong female protagonist in a male dominated industry. She is both technically sound and has the ability to manage through tough situations. In addition to this, she deals with situations many of us face in achieving a work/life balance. Despite set-backs, she meets adversity head-on and doesn’t hide behind others to get the job done.

“This is definitely not a fluff thriller. It felt all too believable that at least some of this could happen. While it’s more technical than most, that aspect was nicely interwoven into the plot. It worked for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and learned a lot about the energy business.

“Overall, this is a suspenseful, fast paced, and educational thriller. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

“The bottom line: If you enjoy action-packed thrillers with relatable characters, then I recommend you check out this series.”

4 Stars “This was a chaotic, high-tech energy mystery with a wide range of settings. Plenty of times I got bogged down in all the details of how the energy refineries worked, and all the technology with the cyber attacks. It was hard to keep up with and a bit much to follow. The plot itself was interesting, with the main executive, Lynn, being targeted and trade secrets stolen. Some of the best parts were when the book focused on particular people, and we got to know them. When the city of New Orleans was the place of action, it was very compelling. I was born there, so I find it fascinating, a city of much character…though I didn’t live there long.

“The story itself was complicated and full of murders and betrayal, and set all over the world, with China and Russia and The Philippines involved, along with the U.S. It’s a global mystery, full of current events and such, so if you enjoy all of that, this is the book for you.”

5 Stars. “Definitely a thriller and a wonderful one at that. Keeps you on the edge of your seat and glued to the pages. I enjoyed this book immensely and I think my “prepper” son would love it as well.”

5 Stars. Amazingly Suspenseful Read “I had such fun reading this book. It was captivating and had me hooked from the first chapter. The author did a marvelous job with character development and storyline. The author did such a great job with the characters that I felt connected to them and was invested in their story. I absolutely loved the mystery and suspense that the author was able to lace throughout the whole story. Amazing twists and turns left me reading nonstop.”

4 Stars. “THE SECOND LAW by L.A. Starks is the third book in the Lynn Dayton thriller series. While this novel can be read as a standalone, the series is best read in series order which will provide the reader with some additional background on the characters, the environment and the relationships. The settings for this novel are numerous and include several countries.

“Lynn Dayton, a TriCoast Energy executive is visiting the company’s San Francisco refinery when software malfunctions lead to the death of several employees. What caused the software malfunctions? Is this an inside job or did someone hack into their systems or was this a simple coding mistake gone horribly wrong? This is just the beginning of several bad weeks for Lynn and her team as they race to discover “

“Lynn is a strong female protagonist in a male dominated industry. She is both technically sound and has the ability to manage through tough situations. In addition to this, she deals with situations many of us face in achieving a work/life balance. Despite set-backs, she meets adversity head-on and doesn’t hide behind others to get the job done.

“This is definitely not a fluff thriller. It felt all too believable that at least some of this could happen. While it’s more technical than most, that aspect was nicely interwoven into the plot. It worked for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and learned a lot about the energy business.

“Overall, this is a suspenseful, fast paced, and educational thriller. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

“The bottom line: If you enjoy action-packed thrillers with relatable characters, then I recommend you check out this series.”

4 Stars. “Hold on for the ride of your life as you learn about the energy industry and what vulnerability we have based on our competitor’s needs and long-term plans. There is a mystery, intrigue, murder, cyber-warfare, international competitive interruptions, and many more twists and turns.

“At times the information about the industry felt as if I were being fed through a fire-hose. For others who know the industry, it may not have felt that way. This is the only reason I brought my star rating from a 5 down to a 4.

“Lynn Dayton, the heroine of the series is unflappable both on the work and terror assault fronts. At times her fearless approach is understandable; sometimes it appears to be self-serving. Either way, you end up rooting for her to succeed. And she does, as after speaking to the author, I believe there may be a 4th in the series.”

4 Stars. “TriCoast is under attack. But who is the enemy? China? Russia? Or Tricoast’s competitors? And what do they stand to gain?

“An explosion at a refinery. Arch Weber murdered for sensitive company information. And a good friend, Reese, shot dead in front of her eyes. All these events leave Lynn reeling. As the attacks escalate, it becomes clear that their systems are being hacked.

“Cybersecurity expert, Kanak Singh determines that the hackers had inside help. And identify two suspects. Will Lyn and her bodyguard, Beau Decatur, be able to figure out who it is? And from the information obtained during the confrontation, will she and Beau be able to stop the final and ultimate threat to TriCoast?

“An intricate plot and well-developed characters. I have read this book as a standalone and had no problems not having read any of the other books in the series. It has a lot of characters to keep track of, but all necessary for the storyline.

“I did feel frustrated with so much information about refineries, the oil and natural gas industry and the politics involved, slowing the action down.

“But overall, still worth reading!”

5 Stars. “THE SECOND LAW by L.A. Starks is the third book in the Lynn Dayton thriller series. While this novel can be read as a standalone, the series is best read in series order which will provide the reader with some additional background on the characters, the environment and the relationships.

“This thriller book is full of espionage, murder, secrets, and danger. I couldn’t get enough of it.

“If you enjoy action-packed thrillers with relatable characters, then I recommend you check out this series.”

“4 Stars. Plot is well formulated, the characters well developed and their interactions come across as natural. I thought the storyline was very intersting and I like the main character. However, it is hard to envision one person having so much bad luck.

Only drawback for me was just as I was getting to an interesting section it switched to a “manual” about how an oil refinery functions. Not quite as technical as the first two….and I have to admit I did learn a lot about oil refining.

Still, it was an enjoyable read for me. Definitely recommend, just a little different from other thrillers.”

5 Stars “L. A. Starks’ latest novel, the third in Lynn Dayton Thriller series is vividly up-to-date, involving global cybersecurity concerns and oil and energy politics. TriCoast Energy executive, the ever vigilant Lynn Dayton races to uncover a global conspiracy that threatens to disrupt the company’s oil refineries across various locations in the country while a shadowy Chinese group recruits dangerous people and works tirelessly to take over the American oil refineries’ operations for their own twisted reasons with the help of inside information from a TriCoast Energy employee.

“The chapters shift between different settings from New Orleans to California, Europe, and South America, and despite the author’s multiple focus in terms of settings and characters, the narrative is easy to follow. Starks is good at the details (the reader learns a lot about working of oil refineries), her narrative flows easily, and she writes crisp action scenes without much blood and violence. The pace of the book is fast, which keeps the reader hooked to the book. The characterization come out a little flat, but it’s expected with all the technical mumbo jumbo in case of techno thrillers.

“Among shifting locations and a large cast of characters, Starks proficiently builds suspense toward a tense, satisfying finale. Stark’s authoritative portrayal of the way things are done in the oil business brings the story to life and makes The Second Law a convincing, engrossing read. The science thriller fans will look forward to the next installment in the series.”

“4 Stars This book is 3rd in a series by L. A. Starks, but this is the first one that I have read. Now that I am hooked, I will have to read the others! This was a modern high-tech mystery. There was lots of information on how energy refineries work, which I loved since I live in Louisiana and know many people who work in refineries. The plot was interesting, with the main character Lynn being targeted amongst others and trade secrets stolen. The characters were interesting, and the plot was full of current events and things that could really happen, which made it all the more real.”

5 Stars. “The Second Law is the first book I’ve read by L.A. Starks, but it will be far from the last. The suspense was thrilling. At times the copy was a little technical for me, but it didn’t stop me from devouring the story. I highly recommend The Second Law. On to my next L.A. Starks book.”

5 Stars “Once again L.A. Starks does a great job of adding intrigue and suspense to the oil refinery business. I eagerly await the next story of Lynn Dayton. Loved it!”

5 Stars. “This was a suspenseful, interesting, and intriguing story. I can’t wait to read other stories in this series. It was also educational in that there are parallels to real life in the oil industry.”

“4 Stars. I didn’t realize that this the third book of a series. It works as a standalone, but I think I would have understood the characters better if I’d read the first two books. Nevertheless it was refreshing to read a mystery/thriller where the main character is an engineer and involved in the oil refinery business. I intend to track down and read the first 2 books in this series.”

“5 Stars The Second Law by L.A. Starks is the third installment of the Lynn Dayton thriller series. Like the previous books, The Second Law also gives the reader a lesson on the environment of the oil industry. It’s extremely interesting! In fact it might seem at first that the book is more about this industry and is giving the reader more info than they want to know. Stay with the book. It does evolve into a espionage type thriller and there are a lot of surprises. I enjoyed reading it!”

“4 Stars This story could be taken from today’s headlines. It’s about China hacking into the energy grid of an oil refinery in San Francisco. They imbedded software that disabled the emergency systems and caused an explosion that killed 3 people. San Francisco was not the only refinery that they messed with. They also plotted to blow up a tanker ship when it reaches the port of New Orleans. The Chinese seem to know what is being done to counter act these attacks which leads them to believe they have a mole on the inside. This is a blend of murder mystery and International Espionage. Iyt is an exciting read!”

5 Stars. “When you pick up this novel, hang on to your hat. The action never stops–and neither do the mysteries. This is a thriller that will keep your pulse pounding until the end.”

4 Stars. “Well, I just finished this novel and thanks to L.A. Starks for letting me read the book. This is the first novel that I have read that has a woman main character. Which is one of the things I liked about this book. The main character does not have to be a man. The second thing that kept me reading is the ability to stop reading (for a personal reason) and pick it back up and still remember what happened before. The one thing is I did not know who was the Viper until the last chapter, which is one of the points to a book that I really like. I do not like novels that I know the end halfway through the book.

“Matter of fact what I thought was the reason turned out that I was wrong, another cool part of the novel that got me in the end. Your reading along enjoying the book and right at the end opps its not what you thought was going on.

“L.A. Starks has the ability to write a book that does not give the ending before she wants it too. Would I read another one of her books YES.”

5 Stars” I finished this book the other day. This is the first one that I had to wait a day to review. It was that good. I like reading books that make you forget that it is just a story and not real life. When I read this one there were times that I forgot it was a story that is involved in this I was. That is why I am giving this a 5 stars review.”

5 Stars “Slow-going and a bit chaotic in the beginning. Once I started putting the strings of the story together, I couldn’t wait until my next reading session to see what was next.”

4 Stars “I liked the book. Different kind of thriller. I like Stark’s experience with energy sector stories. A good read, good character development. Worth a shot.”

4 Stars “About the book: it was a slow read, not because it was boring, because it held information that intrigued and made me want to learn more.
“The second law refers to the second law of thermodynamics: it means that in an isolated system everything tends towards chaos.
“This is the third book in the Lynn Dayton series.
“Lynn Dayton, energy executive for TriCoast is visiting the company’s San Francisco Refinery when workers are killed in a fiery blast. Upset due to the deaths of employees, co-workers and friends, Lynn begins an investigation, finally tracing the explosion to a software malfunction, she contacts cyber security chief, Kanak Singh issuing orders to find the source of the malfunction.
“The chaos does not end in San Francisco! Employees are now being murdered in New Orleans! Now Lynn must travel the world to locate the person/group behind the sabotage and murder, will she find someone from a foreign country or a mole in her own operation?”

5 Stars. “Great 3rd Book in the Series!! Very believable and educational thriller with well developed characters from the 1st crime novel. This can be a stand alone book or enjoyed even further, if read in sequence within the series!! This is a must read no matter what! Enjoy!!”

5 Stars “This was a very exciting international thriller. Until the end I did not know who the internal saboteur was.”

4 Stars. “This was a very exciting thriller. I couldn’t put it down. It put me on an emotional rollercoaster ride. Just when you think it is coming to an end – more things start happening. I love the Science Fiction themes in here.”

5 Stars. “Exciting, educational and very creative writing.
“Storyline is so very plausible after reading this novel.
“Kept me on the edge until the end with all the plot twists and turns.
“A very good read.”

5 Stars. “What a fantastic book! Who doesn’t love a strong smart woman saving the world?”