13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy

Lynn Dayton #1

by L.A. Starks

What could spike gasoline prices even higher?

Energy executive Lynn Dayton thinks her challenge is fixing the troubled refinery her company has just acquired on the Houston Ship Channel. But soon she must save it, and other oil refineries, from the industrial havoc and deaths directed by a French saboteur, simultaneously fighting off threats to her own life.

As Lynn deals with chemical leaks, disloyal employees, a new season of hurricanes, and mounting casualties, Robert Guillard, a corrupted idealist, plans to manipulate Lynn through her vulnerable sister.

But Robert underestimates his prey.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Action, Espionage

371 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Social media hub https://linktr.ee/lastarks

WINNER'S CURSE: A LYNN DAYTON THRILLER
Pub date: August 20, 2024
Publisher's Weekly Review: "Takeaway: Gripping sprint through the make-or-break oil and gas industry."
"Starks’s latest thriller, the fourth in her Lynn Dayton series, after (The Second Law), takes readers on a raucous ride of misadventure with Lynn Dayton. . . . Fast-paced and dramatic, Starks’s novel offers a slew of fascinating characters, including spies, estranged fathers, and both upstanding and morally corrupt politicians, all while establishing Dayton as a strong female lead, succeeding in a male-dominated, treacherous industry. Starks not only showcases the profession’s heavy sexism but also its complex web of power, effectively weaving in her own experience in the global energy sector to build a sharp plot that’s bolstered by obvious insider knowledge . . .Despite the many subplots that eventually unfold, from corporate rivalries to international politics, the novel ultimately comes together well, offering plenty of twists and turns along the way. 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."
https://www.amazon.com/Winners-Curse-...

WINNER'S CURSE: A LYNN DAYTON THRILLER is a pulse-pounding new thriller hurling you through the eye-opening, dramatic world of oil and gas. While taking you from the west Texas plains to Hungarian salons, Starks expertly infuses insider knowledge of this trillion-dollar industry into this suspenseful technothriller to keep you on the edge of your seat.

THE SECOND LAW (Lynn Dayton Thriller #3): *winner of first place award from Texas Authors for best international thriller,
*quarter-finalist (one of 62 out of 800+) for the 2019 BookLife Prize with a critic's rating of 9.5/10.0.
*finalist in action/adventure category of the National Indie Excellence Awards 2020.
*quarterfinalist in ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition 2023.
https://www.amazon.com/Winners-Curse-...

THE SECOND LAW is about deadly cybersabotage. Protagonist Lynn Dayton must uncover and stop a multi-pronged plot.

"unremitting suspense throughout...Spirited characters, both good and bad, populate this engaging, often surprising thriller."--Kirkus

Readers who enjoy stories of mystery, murder, mayhem and espionage will relish the intricate, complex yet highly accessible series of events The Second Law unfolds."
--D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

STRIKE PRICE, (Lynn Dayton thriller #2), winner of a first place award from Texas Authors for best mystery/thriller, is a story about a business deal turned deadly, concluding with a plot to destroy a hidden-but-crucial energy base and force the US into confrontation with another global power. To stop it, up-by-the-bootstraps Lynn Dayton must trust a Cherokee elder who carries a corrosive secret.
https://www.amazon.com/Strike-Price-L...

“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 bestseller, The Malice of Fortune

13 DAYS:THE PYTHAGORAS CONSPIRACY (Lynn Dayton thriller #1) is about a plan to sabotage oil refineries and Lynn Dayton, the woman who must discover and stop it.
https://www.amazon.com/13-Days-Pythag...

Rating: Excellent “Author L A. Starks delivers an unstoppable thriller that put this reviewer in mind of bestselling novels of this genre over the last several decades, with the welcome addition of depth . . . This is truly a book which will linger in the reader's mind long after the final ending, as we wond

Reviews

[PamG · Rating 4 out of 5]

13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy by L.A. Starks is a well-written thriller that focuses on the refinery business. This novel goes beyond the usual thriller in that the reader actually learns a lot about this industry. The novel takes place in Houston, Dallas and Paris. Starks’ knowledge of the industry helped to shape this novel into a thriller unlike most.

Lynn Dayton is an energy executive working to turn around a refinery her company just acquired based on her recommendation. Soon there is a chemical leak and four workers are dead and one is seriously injured. Then accidents start happening at other refineries near Houston, Texas. More events soon occur at her refinery. Is this coincidence or is this the work of one or more saboteurs? As Lynn deals with resentful executives at the newly acquired company and works on the root causes of the profitability problems there, we find a strong female protagonist in a male dominated industry. She is both technically sound and has the ability to manage through tough situations.

Besides these events, Lynn is dealing with a very ill father, a sister that suddenly left the Peace Corps and accepted a job in Paris that seemed to come out of nowhere, and a boyfriend that wants more from her.

This is definitely not a fluff thriller. It is more technical than most, but, for me, that was nicely interwoven into the plot. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and learned a lot. It is a fast paced, educational thriller. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read and whilst reading, I found out info about the oil industry. I guess many other consumers, like myself, take petrol, diesel etc., for granted and have no idea of all the processes involved in refining crude oil. Some readers may not enjoy all the technical info, but I did. At the beginning of each chapter, there was at least one technical term explained. Starks had obviously done thorough research for other content in the book e.g. the description of the buildings etc., in Rotterdam was excellent.

Lynn Dayton has a problem on her hands. TriStar have recently acquired the Centennial refinery, but an accident killing four employees and seriously injuring a fifth, makes Lynn think that it was not an accident at all. Armando Garza, the fifth employee was recovering, albeit slowly, in hospital, but then dies suddenly when someone switches his oxygen tank to a nitrogen tank.

Lynn starts to investigate, but has no idea who she can actually trust. A security video of the accident mysteriously disappears, so Lynn begins to wonder if perhaps either Dwayne, Riley, Reese, Jay, Jean-Marie or Preston, are some of the staff that may be involved.

Robert Guillard lives in Paris and has offered a job to Ceil Dayton, Lynn's sister. Guillard is not as squeeky clean as Ceil thinks he is. Sansei is employing Guillard to sabotage the U.S.A. refineries and manipulate figures so that U.S. production will reduce and a demand for Sansei's inferior oil products will ensue. Guillard's man in the U.S.A is called 'Rabbit'. Rabbit and his assistant, are systematically sabotaging the refineries.

Lynn's investigations are fraught with trouble. She is receiving threatening phone calls, has been subjected to potential life threatening accidents and to top it all, one of her suspects has been shot and killed. Can Lynn manage to uncover who the saboteur is, stay alive and make sure that her sister is safe in Paris?

This is book #1 in the Lynn Dayton series and I will definitely be looking at reading book #2.

[Donald Grant · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fiction can be educational or at least expose readers to information about a real subject they may not know and when done well, can make that education exciting. Two examples that come to mind are Tom Clancy"s "The Hunt for Red October" that opened the world to the workings of a nuclear submarine, or Michael Crichton's "Micro" which explores the science of microtechnology. It is an art to craft a novel combining facts with a fictional suspense story.

L. A. Stark attempts this blend in her debut novel "13 Days - The Pythagoras Conspiracy". Unfortunately she doesn't pull it off.

Anyone who has driven by or seen pictures of an oil refinery knows how complicated they look and it boggles the mind to imagine all the engineering that goes into building one. While Starks' knowledge of the oil business and its production is amazing she spends too much time informing the reader of that knowledge. Even as an engineer, I found it hard to stay interested in her technical dissertation.

About three quarters of the way the book does take off as the story of who may be sabotaging the refinery unfolds and the writing is more about the characters. Stark does a good job of character development and weaves an intriguing story once she leaves the technical aspects of the refinery.

This book shows that Starks is a talented author with a depth of knowledge of her subject. The book only suffers from a lack of good editing which seems to be an issue in a great many novels these days.

[R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the book not only entertaining but educational. L.A. Starks made sure the reader understood all the oil refinery terminology. I liked how the author touched on various topics such as: a woman trying to work in a male dominated industry, money that is made and lost due to the many factors in the oil refinery business and, trying to have a high power job while juggling family and dating. 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.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lynn Dayton is a businesswoman instrumental in her company acquiring an oil well. There's an accident, and people die, but was it an accident?

Lynn tries to get to the bottom of things. Not a cozy, but still a good mystery.

[Amy Bruestle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start by saying that I was lucky enough to receive this copy from a giveaway in return for an honest review. If I hadn’t gotten this book from the giveaway, I most likely would have never heard of L.A. Sparks, or have the opportunity to read any of her books for that matter. So needless to say, I am super thankful! I absolutely LOVE finding new authors that fit my interests that are also incredible writers! I entered this giveaway specifically because I have a family member that has worked at an oil refinery for 35+ years. So I thought this would be really interesting....and I thought right!

4.5 stars ⭐️ is my actual rating. It would be a 5-star rating if the beginning wasn’t as slow. I can’t tell you how important it is to grip the reader’s right away! I say that because I almost stopped reading...

For me personally, it was for a couple reasons. First, like I said, it started out pretty slow. And second, there were so many “terms” and characters being introduced all at once, and if you aren’t someone who has a background in oil refineries or engineering, it is a little bit hard to keep it all straight. So I started to worry that I wasn’t going to be able to understand the book enough, therefore it would be pointless to read...but I told myself to give it a few more chapters and see if it improves.

And boy am I GLAD I did! Once I got through those tough beginning chapters, I was literally GLUED to this book! Not only did it keep me wanting to turn the pages, but it also offered such a fresh take on a mystery/suspense novel! I can honestly say that this is probably one of the best mystery books that I have ever read. I think there was only one spelling/grammar error in the entire book, and the writing was informative but still reader-friendly. I really enjoyed the way the author spun the plot so that you felt like you were there, right next to the characters as the story unfolded, which is a wonderful quality in a book! It literally kept you guessing until the very end and it had the perfect amount if suspense and hinted at things perfectly as well, without giving too much away. A simply fantastic read...

L.A. Sparks has extreme talent and I look forward to reading other work she has written! I highly recommend you check her out!

Thank you again for supplying me with this outstanding book!

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This thriller is fascinating. It includes loads of technical details about the refining industry, engineering, chemistry, and so forth, as well as a host of characters. The protagonist is interesting and human and female (Yea!). The plot spans two or three continents. It's all good.

It's a fantastic first novel from L. A. Starks, for sure. I read it in a day (we were having an inclement weather day here) and quite enjoyed it. I look forward to reading the next related novel.

Probably the only negatives are that some people won't like so much technical detail (think of it as a techno thriller but the technology here is mostly industry specific - I loved it, but some might not), and I do still want to know how the bad guy managed to get so many people to do his dirty work (some were obvious, others not so much) which is a minor thing.

[Maria Riegger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting background

A fast paced read. What makes this novel really interesting is it is set mostly in Houston, the main setting being an oil refinery. The author has worked in the oil business and obviously knows her stuff. She explains how the refinery operates, including chemical components, the business side, etc. Those descriptions were fascinating.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A riveting thriller with an oil refinery setting. I learned a great deal about oil delivery and refining. The conspiracy is as thick and opaque as crude oil and L.A. Starks slips the reader through it on skillfully oiled clues and dialogue.

[Tamra LeValley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book even though it was just too technical to understand at times.

'13 Days" is a story about Lynn Dalton and her need to find out why the refinery she is running and the surrounding ones keep having malfunctions that are killing people. As she starts piecing the puzzle together she finds out who she can and can't trust.

The suspense novel has so many good qualities to it. The author did a fabulous job of laying out the detailed plot. It flowed perfectly from one set of circumstances to another. The characters where written so well that you could actually visualize them.

It really needed a "Refinery Methods for Dummies" in the front of the book. It was too detailed and technical for me to fully comprehend. I seemed to get lost easily during those portions. The writing was also so small and the book so heavy that I had to use a pillow to prop it up.

Over all the book was a really good read and I learned quite a few things in the process. Prior to reading this novel the only thing I knew about refining oil could fit inside my full tank of gas.....nothing!!

[Jonathan Pettit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Technical oil and gas thriller about a petroleum engineer, now executive Lynn Dalton investigating problems at a recently purchased refinery. Yes, murder and root cause analysis together. The novel takes place primarily in the greater Houston area and in Dallas. Having grown up in Houston and now working in Dallas, there are many places and references I'm familiar with. This adds quite a bit to the story for me. The story has great characters (very Texan, with one from Louisiana) and the story elements have very detailed and vivid descriptions (very educational if you are interested in the refining industry). The novel is #1 in a series of energy thrillers. I will definitely keep Starks on my to read list. Kindle edition.

[Judy Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as a Goodreads winner. It is a good book. Sometimes too technical but is a good mystery.

[Tory Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

13 Days: The Pythagoras Conspiracy by L.A. Sparks features Lynn Dayton an executive with an energy corporation. She discovers sabotage at several of the refineries she administers and must determine who is responsible as well as limit any damage. The premise is interesting, but I found all the science jargon took away from the momentum of the story.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

"13 Days" is a thriller which unfolds within the confines of the cooperate oil industry. Lynn is a woman on the move; its rare to find females in her line of work, but over the years she has managed to prove herself to all her male coworkers. She has just convinced the company she works for to take over an oil refinery, and from day one of the merge, nothing goes right. All around here things are falling apart; literally and figuratively. In "13 Days," we follow Lynn as she struggles with accidents at the refinery which result in multiple deaths, death threats on her own life, disloyal employees, the declining health of her father, her sister's sudden move to Paris, the tension in her romantic relationship, and a conspiracy which seems to be intent on killing her.

Thrillers aren't my favorite type of book. Often, I figure them out early on and then find myself bored. When I read this book, I certainly didn't figure anything out ahead of time...most of the time I found myself struggling to keep up with who was who. The oil industry is not something I know a whole lot about, other than that the price of gasoline is outrageous these days. The author spends a good deal of time trying to define key terms in the oil industry so that average joes like myself will understand what's happening. As a result, a lot of the dialogue between characters feels forced and unnatural. Other than that, the story is a good one..it transported me into a world I knew little to nothing about ahead of time..and it kept me entertained through the majority of it.

[Tom Donaghey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lynn Dalton, our central character, has many problems. She is a woman in the male dominated world of oil and oil refineries, she has struggled up the corporate ladder and gotten into the position of not only recommending her company buy up a failing competitor, but talking them into letting her helm that ship into better financial straights. She has not only her career to conduct but there is the matter of her father and sister to contend with.
Within days of her taking over the Houston based operation but the enterprise is best with problems, “accidents”, and a growing series of troubles not the least of which is several deaths. And there is Robert Guillard a corrupt member of the French Ministry of Economy, Finance, and Industry. A bloc of Asian petro-chemical industrialists who have him on a strict time line backs Guillard and he must drive the American competition in submission within the 13 Days of the title, or be prepared for the consequences.
A series of nifty plot twists and turns confront Ms. Dalton, and we root for her as she struggles to save her company and her family from the oily evil around her.
One thing I like in my adventure/thriller stories is detail and a chance to learn more about a subject without having to crack open yet another text book. 13 days lays out detail after detail concerning the oil business that I found very illuminating, making this a very good Goodreads win.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Problems plague a refinery along the Houston Ship Channel, which has recently been the subject of a hostile merger in the ever consolidating petrochemical industry. The old hands at the refinery know how the place runs, but are only slightly willing to accept the new reign of the female boss placed over them. A horrific accident with the most deadly-deadly component of the refinery process triggers responses from both the new management and the old guard. Neither realize that there is an external force causing deliberate havoc, not from Houston, but from Paris. Not from another oil company, but from the depths of the French Ministry of Enery.
It includes the the new refinery manager's kid sister. This is a book of intrigue and international conspiracy, which attempts to relate the day-to-day operation of a refinery, but misses the reality of how such places are fun by an international country mile.
Good yarn, but keep your copy of Leffler's Petroleum Refining in Non-technical Language. L. . Starks should have read through before commencing to write this tale.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story. I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. Wasn't sure I'd like it, but I was pleasantly surprised. Turned out to be much better than I anticipated. Lynn Dayton of Tri-Coast Energy needs to figure out who or if someone is sabotaging local refineries just as she is trying to make profitable her latest acquisition-Centennial. Not only does she have "accidents'? to contend with but she must find out if there is a traitor among her so-called friends and co-workers. She is also battling a time deadline. And to further complicate her life, her sister Ceil seems to be in some sort of crisis. Lynn tries to help Ceil withouut worrying her sick father. Does Lynn figure out everything before time runs out? Is Ceil OK?Action packed story. Good ending. Took me a while to get to as I had a huge pile of TBR books.. 4 stars.

[Debra Jeakins · Rating 5 out of 5]

13 DAYS:THE PYTHAGORAS CONSPIRACY by L.A. STARKS hits the ground running from page one(day one) when Lynn Dayton executive vp of TriCoast Energy responds to an emergency at a newly purchased refinery. Lynn is a woman in a predominantly mans world of oil refining . For a refinery accident to happen now is not only disastrous and deadly for the workers , but for her career ! Four people have died in this accident and Lynn wants answers and wants them now!

The pace of the book is breakneck. The characters tough. The job deadly and getting even more deadly for Lynn who is sticking her nose into a murder mystery and someplace it doesn't belong!

I received this book free from goodreads in exchange for an honest review.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received a copy from Goodreads Giveaways.

Except for all the technical details, I found this to be an enjoyable read. Enjoyed the plot and found it quite interesting. Characters were well developed. Overall a very good read. It took me into a world I know absolutely nothing about. Well worth my time.

[Kim Reese · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read. It was jam-packed with action while the plot and background was unique, engaging and detailed - everything I need from a good thriller. I can very easily see this being converted to a screenplay. I am looking forward to next novel!

[Christi M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good thriller! I did long for a bit more character development, but overall it was an entertaining, addictive read.

[Conny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a First Read Winner of this book and I was really looking forward into sinking my teeth into a thriller, but I just could not get into to book and gave up on it about 25% in. I hate when I don't connect with a book since I am pretty picky of the books I choose to begin with, and it was not that the writing was bad or the plot line, the author did a tremendous amount of research on the subject matter but I kept stumbling over all the technical talk which made me loose the rhythm of the read. I am all for learning something new when I read a book, but all within reason, when I found myself rather picking up something else to read I figure it was time to walk away. I will try and give the book another try later, when my mind is maybe less otherwise occupied and I can concentrate better on it, having just gone through a death in the family I was looking for loosing myself in a read, and unfortunately this was not the book. I am sure L.A. Starks will have a bright future ahead.

[Jeff Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone who knows me, knows that Ayn Rand’s character Dabny Taggert in the novel Alas Shrugged are my favorite author, character, and book of all time. No contest there. But I have to admit that L.A. Starks character Lynn Dayton in 13 Days, The Pythagoras Conspiracy ranks up there as a close second. Lynn Dayton is an oil company executive trying to bring a lagging new refinery acquisition up to competitive operating condition. While Dabny had to overcome ignorance and corporate incompetence, Lynn Dayton must also overcome corporate sabotage and …. well, some other trials in her quest. What could go wrong? Lynn Dayton, a modern-day heroin, 13 Days, an exquisitely enjoyable conspiracy. Not my first Starks novel and it won’t be my last. As a screenwriter, I can already imagine the visuals. Well done, L.A.

[Sharon Blair Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is obvious that LA Starks is knowledgeable about the oil refinery industry. She is an intelligent writer. However, I felt this series is bogged down with technical language that was hard, at times, to follow. It wasn’t until about 2/3 through the book that I began to care about the story and was able to follow the storyline of someone sabotaging the oil refineries.
I believe that Crichton and Grisham, and to a certain extent Connelly, and Clancy have had great success writing about crime/industry/ fiction, while educating the reader. Just too much information and too much time spent explaining. But, in my opinion, Starks wasn’t successful.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an OK read, just entirely too technical for my taste. The story line follows terrorist like attacks on petroleum processing plants and their personnel attempting to affect the price of products being produced. I will give the author a plus for including the definition of various key words at the beginning of each chapter to help the reader along in learning more about the processes in general but that didn't encourage me to understand the business enough to take it all in. If the reader has an interest in the production of these products and/or their powerful effect on our current society, I'm sure this would prove to be a read that would keep them on the edge of their seat!!

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads. To me, the action was very slow, especially in the beginning, probably because I have little knowledge or interest in oil refineries. So much time is spend on background that little is left to move the plot. Besides the detailed information, the author relies on dialogue to further the action. This is not the job of dialogue. The characters are interesting and a bit unusual. The action does pick up a bit in the second half.

[Luis Cuesta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. The novel's plot is focused in the oil industry, and author L.A. Starks has a created an appealing character in Lynn Dalton, an oil executive investigating problems at a recently purchased refinery in the greater Houston area. Overall is a well-written thriller evolving around who may be sabotaging the refinery while it also provides plenty of technical information that can be very educational if you are interested in the refining industry.

[Jim A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent tale of industrial espionage and sabotage. Also the author took time to explain a lot of the terminology used in refining oil products and the dangers involved. Learned something new and that is always a good thing when reading a novel.

As this is the beginning of a series, not a lot of suspense involved.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a compelling thriller.

Despite all of the details on oil refining, the author makes it readable and the plot plausible.

My main hesitation is the amount of travel Lynn Dayton must make to get from Houston to Dallas to Paris and back, with little or no sleep, and still find the people behind the conspiracy.

Is she Superwoman? We will find out as I bought a copy in preparation to read book #3 set in San Francisco which I won on Goodreads.

[Carol Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like techy thrillers, but they must also have protagonists I care about. This one missed that mark. I'm disappointed because I'm picky about the books I start and I really looked forward to this one, which was part of a GoodReads content.