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. While taking you from the desolate, windswept plains of west Texas to the salons of Hungary, Starks expertly infuses her insider knowledge of this trillion-dollar industry, and her experiences of being female in a male-dominated field into this science adventure. The first-ever woman to lead the drilling division of TriCoast Energy, protagonist Lynn Dayton is determined to prove herself capable but finds herself facing more than just the usual water cooler backstabbing. Undercutting her at every turn is former TriCoast Executive, Henry Vandervoost, who blames her for his humiliating fall from power. Ruthlessly competing with Lynn for control of Bradshaw Energy, his own playboy son's company that has revolutionary energy technology, Vandervoost enlists the help of attractive young chemist Hannah Bosko to assist him in taking over the company. Lynn must battle Vandervoost and international power players who conspire to eliminate her and her colleagues, foil conspiracies to sabotage natural gas plants, and complete a merger that will ensure that the technology remains in the hands of those who will use it to benefit the world. Winner's Curse is an energy technothriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. And, while this is the fourth book in the Lynn Dayton thriller series, each can be read as a stand-alone novel.

"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 . . . 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/Publishers Weekly

"A pulse-pounding technothriller centered in the oil fields of Texas-but with global implications . . . 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."--Independent Book Review

"In this installment of Starks' thriller series, an energy executive finds herself entangled in international corruption . . . Starks' fourth outing with Lynn Dayton once again boasts an impressive cast . . . obstacles abound in the tension-packed narrative as a person close to Lynn works against her, a killer tries to cover their tracks, and acts of sabotage prove deadly. . . A measured but gripping tale of malfeasance on a global scale."--Kirkus Reviews

"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! Her characters are so true you feel like you know them. You can't help wondering how Lynn Dayton is going to deal with everything that is thrown at her, and the suspense keeps you guessing to the very end!" --William J. Carl, Author of Assassin's Manuscript

Taut, suspenseful, and full of Texas flare, Stark's latest mystery will have you rooting for Lynn Dayton as she risks her life to uncover deadly secrets before it's too late. Winner's Curse is a winner! --Karen Harrington, Winner of the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Reader's Choice Award

"Compelling characters, non-stop action, a shockingly current plot, and Starks' experience as an insider make Winner's Curse the next thriller you must read."

--Jim Kipp, investment expert

Texan L. A. Starks is the author of the award-winning Lynn Dayton thriller series: 1) 13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy, 2) Strike Price, 3) The Second Law, and now the fourth: Winner's Curse. The Second Law was a quarterfinalist in the 2023 ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition, an Action/Adventure finalist in the 2020 National Indie Excellence Awards, and a mystery/thriller quarterfinalist in the 2019 BookLife Prize competition. The Second Law and Strike Price also won first-place category awards from the Texas Association of Authors. Each book has received five-star reviews from readers.Amazon invited her to beta-test its Virtual Voice software: via Audible, she has published an audiobook edition of 13 Days with Virtual Voice and looks forward to doing so with her remaining three Lynn Dayton thrillers.L. A. Starks is a member (active status) of International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, and Goodreads. A dedicated reader, she served six years on the board of the Friends of the Dallas Public Library.Starks earned a B.S. (engineering, magna cum laude) at Tulane University in New Orleans and an MBA in finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where she played intramural basketball for the Efficient Mockettes. She worked for over a decade for well-known energy companies, with one project earning her co-authorship of a US Patent. Besides writing high-stakes thrillers, Starks is a paid contributor on two Seeking Alpha platforms for her energy investment articles. She has run twenty-one half-marathons. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, she grew up and graduated from high school in Oklahoma. She was in the first group of 25 (out of 33,000+ graduates in over a century) inducted into the Ponca City (Oklahoma) High School Hall of Fame. Her favorite recent international destinations are the Swiss and French Alps, Spain, and Japan.

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