Josh Rosen and Bubbe

by L.A. Starks

Josh Rosen is a recurring character in the Lynn Dayton thriller series. This story about Josh and his grandmother was inspired by a former neighbor who was a Holocaust survivor.

22 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 5, 2014

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 3 out of 5]

Josh Rosen and Bubbe by L. A. Starks is a well-written short story, but don't read it expecting a thriller like her Lynn Dayton series. Josh Rosen faces a work-life balance problem when his Grandmother gets hospitalized while she is traveling on a tour bus. What does he choose?

I'm not sure what the purpose of the short story was unless it was to explore whether or not Josh deserved a series of his own. Based on this, I'm not sure. Potentially, it could be a family drama novel or with Starks' excellent writing skill, maybe she could turn it into a fabulous thriller. As a short story, it left me wanting something more.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Choose your priority, quick!

Such a short story, who could imagine how much punch this packs. It is worth the very short time it takes for each person in the world to read and be forced into thinking about what matters most in life. L. A. Starks' characters are tangible. I want to immediately read all her work!!

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clever short story based around the forever problem of work life balance.
Josh a good Jewish boy is at work when he is tracked down by a tour operator. His Grandma has taken ill, needs to be placed into hospital and has no-one to look out for her welfare but him.
When you are balances investments on the fragile money markets you can’t just up and leave your work. Yet his closest family are away, he really is her next of kin. She has no-one else what can, or should he do?
Written in fast-paced prose, Josh’s dilemma becomes clear, his grandma has a magic hold over him and logic can’t outdo the tug of family and duty.
The minor characters Josh then interacts with to get to the hospital quickly while trying to save his job are assembled along the way to add to his woes. Without the empathy to see or appreciate why he is in a hurry and neglecting his million-dollar position in the hedge fund market we seem him struggle, battle, despair but remain focus driven. These exchanges are funny and would be enjoyable if you were not in Josh’s position. I loved the comic asides and opinions others share when for Josh it isn’t the point. He is desperate, using his finely-honed business skills to make the rescue trip in double quick time but unable to keep his spreadsheet in shape and managed.
While he overcomes his various problems and difficulties along the way this achievement is a hollow victory. Pitted against his Gran and her will he is becalmed, outmanoeuvred and frustrated at every turn.
The moral perhaps being there is more to life than money. Relationships are enduring and fashion true character. Old people can manipulate and play sentiment, but true family values and loyalty exists, and commitment, endurance and love are the best qualities to inherit and live by.

[Janeandjerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Josh Rosen and Bubbe

This was another short read. This was about a grandson that goes out of his way to help his grandmother

[Melissa Charitos · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 stars. Don’t really know how to feel honestly. I’ve never read any of the Dayton thrillers yet, so Rosen’s character is unknown to me. I’m not sure what this short story wants to tell. The granny is pretty annoying in my opinion, but on the other hand, maybe she just wants some attention because all her relatives turned their back on her. Who knows..

Give it a try anyway, because it’s not even a 30 minute read. Maybe it will make you think about stuff and maybe that is the whole idea.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think I got a whole story when I bought this. It just ends abruptly as a young man goes to the hospital to see his grandma. I would have hoped for a tale that had an ending. Maybe I am missing something in the telling.