The Arranger: A Futuristic Thriller [Paperback]

L.J. Sellers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2011

The year is 2023 and ex-detective Lara Evans is working as a freelance paramedic in a bleak new world. She responds to an emergency call and is nearly killed when a shooter flees the home. Inside she finds the federal employment commissioner wounded, but she’s able to save his life. The next day Lara leaves for the Gauntlet—a national competition of intense physical and mental challenges with high stakes for her home state. She spots the assailant lurking at the arena and soon after, she lands in deep trouble. Who is the mysterious killer and what is motivating him? Can Lara stop him, stay alive, and win the Gauntlet?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

L.J. Sellers is an award-winning journalist and the author of the bestselling Detective Jackson mystery/suspense series: Secrets to Die For, Thrilled to Death, Passions of the Dead, Dying for Justice, and Liars, Cheaters & Thieves. Her novels have been highly praised by Mystery Scene, Crimespree, and Spinetingler magazines, and the series has been on Amazon Kindle's bestselling police procedural list. L.J. also has four standalone thrillers: The Sex Club, The Baby Thief, The Arranger, and The Suicide Effect. When not plotting murders, she enjoys performing standup comedy, cycling, social networking, and attending mystery conferences. She's also been known to jump out of airplanes.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Spellbinder Press (August 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0983213852
• ISBN-13: 978-0983213857
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,252,752 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

L.J. Sellers is an award-winning journalist and the author of the bestselling Detective Jackson mystery/thriller series: THE SEX CLUB, SECRETS TO DIE FOR, THRILLED TO DEATH, PASSIONS OF THE DEAD, DYING FOR JUSTICE, LIARS, CHEATERS & THIEVES and RULES OF CRIME. Her novels have been highly praised by Mystery Scene, Crimespree, and Spinetingler magazines, and the Detective Jackson series is the highest-rated crime fiction on Amazon. L.J. also has three standalone thrillers: THE BABY THIEF, THE GAUNTLET ASSASSIN, and THE LETHAL EFFECT. When not plotting murders, she enjoys performing standup comedy, cycling, social networking, and attending mystery conferences. She's also been known to jump out of airplanes.

For more about L.J., visit her website: http://ljsellers.com

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#4 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Police Procedurals

#22 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery

#35 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers

#48 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers

#4 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Police Procedurals

#22 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery

#35 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers

#48 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Almost Awesome August 20, 2011

By Gregory Lynn

Format:Paperback

I received a review copy of The Arranger by L. J. Sellers and the bottom line here is that I think the book is almost awesome. I am not a regular reader of thrillers and maybe my expectations weren't in line with genre norms so consider the source.

The story is set in a near future US where the federal government has been radically downsized, unemployment is high, health insurance is rare and a lot of government services, including basic EMT and police services have been cut to the bone. There are elements of dystopian near future sci-fi and while these set a tone and provide some character motivation I think this clearly belongs in the suspense/thriller category.

The heroine is a 42-year old woman named Lara Evans who used to be a police detective but now works as a freelance EMT. She's called to the scene of a shooting where the victim is a high profile government employee who is anxious to avoid a scandal. As it happens, he's in charge of a major national competition that our heroine is going to be involved in and pressures her with his potential to influence the outcome.

Well next thing you know, her roommate at the competition is dead on the floor and our heroine is the only suspect because she's the obvious suspect and the cops don't have the time or resources to do much digging. There's a nice setup there. It works. It feels realistic enough that if we couldn't really imagine it happening in this world it wouldn't take too much of a twist to make it actually possible and from there it's a fairly fast paced action adventure.

I think there are two pretty important weaknesses with the story. The first is characterization and the second is the finish.

The characterization suffered from a lot of telling rather than showing.... For example, in the first few pages we have this paragraph:

Lara loved these moments--rushing to a scene, not knowing what chaos she would encounter. In some ways, it was better than being a police officer because she kept on the move and did a lot less paperwork. She missed the authority of the badge though. She'd liked having people pay attention and feel nervous when she approached. It beat the hell out of her current personal life: a forty-two-year-old woman with no partner, no children, no power.

We learn a lot about her in that paragraph but we don't feel any of it. I don't feel like I know her any better because I'm told she doesn't like paperwork. Nobody likes paperwork. If I saw her joking with a former colleague about how he was going to go back and write up a report on someone who got shot while she went out and saved the life of someone who got shot we'd get the same information and I would feel more like I knew the character as a person.

The other issue I had was with the end. It was a bit much. In particular, I thought the end of the competition was a bit contrived.

I feel like I am concentrating a bit too much on the negative here which I don't mean to do. It was entertaining. I read it in one day which I wouldn't have done if it didn't pull me in and carry me along. It was a pretty good story with a couple problems that kept it from being completely freakin' awesome. Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Arranger, by LJ Sellers December 16, 2011

By Jodie Renner

Format:Paperback

This futuristic thriller by LJ Sellers is a whole new direction for the author of the bestselling Detective Jackson suspense-mystery series. I don't read many futuristic novels and the premise seemed kind of bleak, so I was prepared not to like this story, but I loved it! I couldn't put it down! It "stars" Lara Evans, from the Detective Jackson series, a bit older and a lot fitter and more determined! Lara is pitted against tougher, stronger, bigger competitors, while being hindered and distracted by someone out to eliminate her--permanently. Kick butt, Lara! You can do it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Future World September 16, 2011

By Lisa

Format:Paperback

The future is not so bright for Lara Evans. The ex-homicide detective lives in a world where natural disasters abound and jobs are extremely scarce. Her current job as a paramedic allows her to rescue someone very important right before she goes to compete in the Gauntlet, a competition that will allow her to bring home money and jobs to her home state. However, she soon discovers someone is after her, and they don't just want to congratulate her on a job well done. Lara will be forced to face her past and make some hard decisions to deal with her present.

This book is action packed, but it never feels rushed or too dense. Lara is very interesting, and she becomes even more interesting as you slowly learn about her past. Mixed into Lara's story is the story of a man named Paul. He has a boring life as a computer programmer, but his new task at works provides him with some interesting new information. As he decides what to do with his new knowledge, Paul begins to make decisions that will change his life for good. Soon Lara and Paul are on a collision course with destiny (and each other of course). I found the world Lara lived in to be scarily believable. The Gauntlet was a very unique concept, and it allowed a chance for Lara to really show her stuff.

I loved reading about such a strong female character. Lara is someone who meant business. She was smart and tough. I found myself drawn into the book, and I did not want to put it down. This book has everything- action, romance, mystery, and intrigue. I definitely recommend this book to people who want a great read, but I will give fair warning that you may not stop reading until you are done!

Book provided for review.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT FUTURUISTIC THRILLER! THE ARRANGER BY L.J.SELLERS... September 7, 2011

By April A. Renn

Format:Paperback

The Arranger by L.J. Sellers was received for the purpose of review from the author and Nurture Virtural Book Tourz.It is a futuruistic thriller set in the year 2023. It is well written with details and depth. The characters are engaging and interesting. This is the story of Lara Evans,an ex-policewoman,a freelance paramedic who has entered the Gauntlet,a physical and mental competition with high stakes for the winner's home state. She also is caught in the intrigue,mystery,suspense,competition,which involves someone she helped as a paramedic,who could help or hurt her chances in the Gauntlet competition. This story is fast paced full of action,intrigue,murder,high tech,suspense,a bit of romance,with twists and turns that pull you into the story and a few obstacles in the mix.A great futuruistic thriller read.Well worth the read. Details can be found at Spellbinder Press and My Book Addiction and More.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Roller Ball meets Frankenstein in this semi-dystopian, near-future thriller August 25, 2011

By Robert Carraher

Format:Paperback

Roller Ball meets Frankenstein in this semi-dystopian, near-future thriller from award-winning journalist and acclaimed novelist of the Detective Jackson series: The Sex Club, Secrets to Die For, Thrilled to Death , L.J. Sellers. The Arranger is scary in it's realism and the feasibility of it's premise.

The story is set in the U.S. in the year 2023, just a short 12 years from now. And in that short futuristic journey America has been transformed into a world that is somewhat bleak with society in a repressive and controlled state.

The unemployment rates are above 20%, jobs have become a valuable commodity and those with medical insurance, or "med cards" are at a premium. Government is down-sized to the point of being nothing but figure heads, federal and state government has been in a financial crisis for more than a decade, and the measure of a presidency has become disaster response.

Corporations and big business are the true powers, as they control all government agencies and control who works where and the position they can occupy. Raises and advancement are history. Agencies such as OSHA are gone, the FDA is powerless and money for public services, i.e. the police and emergency workers, fire departments and EMT's are very restricted. Air travel is a thing for the elite and vacations mean you don't go to work for a few days. The homeless are everywhere and poor people orphan their children because they simply can't afford them.

The police are focused on violent crime, terrorists and the drug trade exclusively. People are expected to look out for themselves. Civil lawsuits and protection under civil law is a thing of the past. Oil and gas prices are prohibitive and only the wealthy regularly drive.... The environment has been so damaged that people can't spend much time outside. Temperatures regularly rise to above 130 degrees, violent and destructive storms are the norm.

An underlying theme in this story is the capacity for corruption at all levels of society. This is found in both the protagonist and the antagonist. The suspense is built on the moral barriers that Paul (the bad guy)will cross to fulfill his obsession, his journey from quiet geek to romantically obsessed, steroid drive criminal. At the same time, Lara (our hero)walks her own fine line of moral ambiguity in exercising her influence over Morton (the victim), the commissioner of The Gauntlet, a kind of cross between the Olympics and The Super Bowl and American Gladiators. Throw in a beautiful, amoral femme fatale to get things off the ground, and you have a compelling story.

There are "Noir like" themes throughout the novel as both Lara and Paul wage a battle for their own redemption. Just how far will they go to achieve their goals?

The novel is very engrossing as we explore and come to believe that society could very soon become the picture painted by the author and explore the minutiae of that society; it's technology, medical advances, entertainment as well as it's degradation into a cold, bleak place for individuals and it's fertile ground for corruption, both personal and societal. It's a very good read for that reason, but the character development is, in my view, weak since most of the story is told through narration, instead of dialog. For that reason it is hard to empathize with or get to know the individual characters. The plot is outstanding and scary and oh, too real and Ms. Sellers does a great job in laying the scenery and conveying that sense of place but I would have preferred to have been "shown" not "told" and this could have been more fully realized through a dialog driven story. Over all, though, a very worth while novel and I look forward to exploring LJ Sellers work more fully. Read more ›