What do you think?
Rate this book
The Gauntlet Assassin
Each year, a down-and-out America looks to the Gauntlet games for sheer spectacle and — for one lucky state — a better chance at survival. In 2023, former-police-detective-turned-paramedic Lara Evans is poised to enter the punishing endurance competition, determined to bring glory and a major economic boost back home to Oregon.
But treacherous tests of physical and mental prowess — and a pack of cutthroat rivals — are far from the greatest obstacles Lara faces. Saving a hit man’s victim has made her a target, and the murder of a fellow contestant has branded her a suspect. Yet the games must go on. And with a nation’s eyes — and a killer’s crosshairs — focused on her every move, Lara will have to think faster, hit harder, and risk far more than any player ever has in order to outrun the jaws of defeat and outgun the specter of death.
But treacherous tests of physical and mental prowess — and a pack of cutthroat rivals — are far from the greatest obstacles Lara faces. Saving a hit man’s victim has made her a target, and the murder of a fellow contestant has branded her a suspect. Yet the games must go on. And with a nation’s eyes — and a killer’s crosshairs — focused on her every move, Lara will have to think faster, hit harder, and risk far more than any player ever has in order to outrun the jaws of defeat and outgun the specter of death.
268 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2011
39 people are currently reading
574 people want to read
About the author
L.J. Sellers
57 books477 followersI write the bestselling Detective Jackson mystery/thriller series—a four-time Readers Favorite award winner—as well as the Agent Dallas series, the Extractor thrillers, and provocative standalone thrillers. My 30 novels have been highly praised and have sold more than a million copies.
I reside in Eugene, Oregon where my many of my novels are set, and I'm also an award-winning journalist who earned the Grand Neal. When not plotting murders, I enjoy standup comedy, cycling, social networking, and attending mystery conferences. I've also been known to jump out of airplanes.
I reside in Eugene, Oregon where my many of my novels are set, and I'm also an award-winning journalist who earned the Grand Neal. When not plotting murders, I enjoy standup comedy, cycling, social networking, and attending mystery conferences. I've also been known to jump out of airplanes.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
October 18, 2011
1.) Reasons you chose this book
I liked the cover. It looked like a mysterious book which I love!
2.) Reasons you liked or disliked this book
* I liked this book because it kind of reminded me of survivor and The Hunger Games (parts of the story). I don’t really watch survivor that much, but I loved The Hunger Games.
* I liked this book because it was interesting to see how Paul was going to do the tasks that he set out to do. He was in another aspect of the story (not the one above).
* I liked how Paul was a memorable character. He did something that ended up going his way, but then he got a little greedy. I would have like to see a picture of the transformation that was described in this book.
* Based on my last like, I would say that this book would be a great movie. For some reason, I would say that the parts would be played by Steve Carell. I don’t know why, but he is who I pictured for Paul. Maybe its the fact that he is a “frumpy programmer”. Also between his character on The 40 Year Old Virgin and The Office, I just had him sticking in my mind. Although Paul in this book is devious and I don’t really see that in Steve Carell, but you never know! I guess the reason I see him is because Paul seems nerdy and like a lost puppy. I feel bad for Paul because he just wants to be accepted. I am not sure who would play Lara. I’m seeing a redhead, maybe. I am going to Google redheaded actresses and see what I see. I found her: Julianne Moore. She is the one.
* Okay, this is supposed to be a book review, but now I am thinking movie. Obviously I liked the book enough think that people would pay to see this story on the big screen. There was enough action to it and I wanted to see if Lara would win the game and what was going to happen with Paul.
* I liked this book because there were no errors in it.
* I’m trying to think of why I disliked this book and I’m really not coming up with anything. It took me a while to read, but it’s because of lack of time and not lack of interest in the book. Actually, I was supposed to post my review a few weeks ago and I missed it. I feel so bad, but I’m finally getting it up on here.
3.) Reasons you are recommending this book
* I recommend this book because it has two different stories within one and they tie in at the end.
I liked the cover. It looked like a mysterious book which I love!
2.) Reasons you liked or disliked this book
* I liked this book because it kind of reminded me of survivor and The Hunger Games (parts of the story). I don’t really watch survivor that much, but I loved The Hunger Games.
* I liked this book because it was interesting to see how Paul was going to do the tasks that he set out to do. He was in another aspect of the story (not the one above).
* I liked how Paul was a memorable character. He did something that ended up going his way, but then he got a little greedy. I would have like to see a picture of the transformation that was described in this book.
* Based on my last like, I would say that this book would be a great movie. For some reason, I would say that the parts would be played by Steve Carell. I don’t know why, but he is who I pictured for Paul. Maybe its the fact that he is a “frumpy programmer”. Also between his character on The 40 Year Old Virgin and The Office, I just had him sticking in my mind. Although Paul in this book is devious and I don’t really see that in Steve Carell, but you never know! I guess the reason I see him is because Paul seems nerdy and like a lost puppy. I feel bad for Paul because he just wants to be accepted. I am not sure who would play Lara. I’m seeing a redhead, maybe. I am going to Google redheaded actresses and see what I see. I found her: Julianne Moore. She is the one.
* Okay, this is supposed to be a book review, but now I am thinking movie. Obviously I liked the book enough think that people would pay to see this story on the big screen. There was enough action to it and I wanted to see if Lara would win the game and what was going to happen with Paul.
* I liked this book because there were no errors in it.
* I’m trying to think of why I disliked this book and I’m really not coming up with anything. It took me a while to read, but it’s because of lack of time and not lack of interest in the book. Actually, I was supposed to post my review a few weeks ago and I missed it. I feel so bad, but I’m finally getting it up on here.
3.) Reasons you are recommending this book
* I recommend this book because it has two different stories within one and they tie in at the end.
April 10, 2014
I found this book to be a reasonably fun and quick read, although I liked some parts better than others. The book switches between two main point-of-view characters. One character is Lara, the heroine of the story. She’s a paramedic who used to be a police officer and she’s a contestant in a televised competition called the Gauntlet. This was the part of the story I enjoyed the most. Sometimes it seemed like Lara was too good at everything to be believable, but I liked her pretty well. Her part of the story always held my interest and I enjoyed reading it.
The other character was Paul, a government employee. At first his story doesn’t seem to have any relation to Lara’s. But anybody who’s read more than a handful of books in their lifetime knows that two seemingly-unrelated stories will almost always converge by the end. So it was pretty obvious from the outset how Paul was going to fit into the story, simply because there weren’t that many other possible connections to make. The predictability wasn’t the main problem for me, though. My problem was that I didn’t like Paul and I didn’t particularly enjoy reading about him. His priorities were horrible, his motives were shallow, and his decisions were dumb. There were mitigating circumstances, and perhaps we were expected to sympathize with him or at least understand him, but I just couldn’t do it.
The other character was Paul, a government employee. At first his story doesn’t seem to have any relation to Lara’s. But anybody who’s read more than a handful of books in their lifetime knows that two seemingly-unrelated stories will almost always converge by the end. So it was pretty obvious from the outset how Paul was going to fit into the story, simply because there weren’t that many other possible connections to make. The predictability wasn’t the main problem for me, though. My problem was that I didn’t like Paul and I didn’t particularly enjoy reading about him. His priorities were horrible, his motives were shallow, and his decisions were dumb. There were mitigating circumstances, and perhaps we were expected to sympathize with him or at least understand him, but I just couldn’t do it.
September 10, 2011
Thriller, suspense, futuristic and cunningly crafted, I present before you all my views
The Arranger by L.J. Sellers
.
Here is the summary of the book:
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?
Set in 2023 USA our story by far revolves around two arks. One shows of ex-cop and current paramedic Lara Evans who as her duty states much respond to every distress calls and responds to an emergency but is nearly killed when a shooter flees from the scene of crimes and who would she find as the victim but the federal employment commissioner. Co-incidence, think not - on the eve of her leaving for the Gauntlet - a national competition of intense mental and physical prowess and high stakes for her home town, the winner not only gets a huge prize money and a line-up of advertisements to showcase her but also wins jobs for her hometown - which is a rather good way of earning in the future when due to deflation numerous people face unemployment and the working few try to hold onto their post with a long list of replacements in tow. So Lara wants the jobs to return to her state and is determined to win the competition.
She sees that assailant at the gauntlet games and lands herself in trouble with the Gauntlet managing committee. Can she stop this person before something worse happens and also win the games....well read on...read on.
Lara Evans is our typical heroine, 42 years old, ex-cop a homicide detective and now a freelance EMT is rather a reckless person rushing into scenes without thinking and is a rather determined and point to be noted wants to win at the Gauntlet games and breaking the notion that woman don't win there. But as usual trouble follows and after her roommate is found dead she must do all she can to stay alive and simultaneously try to catch this mysterious attacker.
One arch done the next one follows simultaneously of a nerdy-geeky who is the one arranging the mishaps. Rather lonely and an attention seeker would do anything to gain the affections of a girl he likes.
So the future is rather bleak don't you think? Well the government is still the same. Corruption is abound in all fields of society. The federal government in the USA 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 afloat as well. 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. Salary raises and advances are a part of the pages of history books.
A nice setup to the Gauntlet games as well. A part that is rather very well written and very exciting. And vaguely resembles The hunger games(Suzanne Collins) but to a 9 out of 100% mark. Since the money is scare it is a good setup and there is the grant money as well. The winners bring home money for their home state, which can be used to generate jobs. This devotion of hers to bring back the jobs to her state is a cause to cheer for.
There are some elements of surprise as well and it is how the two arks co-relate is the point that makes the story work. Miss Sellers has done a very great job with it.
Here is the summary of the book:
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?
Set in 2023 USA our story by far revolves around two arks. One shows of ex-cop and current paramedic Lara Evans who as her duty states much respond to every distress calls and responds to an emergency but is nearly killed when a shooter flees from the scene of crimes and who would she find as the victim but the federal employment commissioner. Co-incidence, think not - on the eve of her leaving for the Gauntlet - a national competition of intense mental and physical prowess and high stakes for her home town, the winner not only gets a huge prize money and a line-up of advertisements to showcase her but also wins jobs for her hometown - which is a rather good way of earning in the future when due to deflation numerous people face unemployment and the working few try to hold onto their post with a long list of replacements in tow. So Lara wants the jobs to return to her state and is determined to win the competition.
She sees that assailant at the gauntlet games and lands herself in trouble with the Gauntlet managing committee. Can she stop this person before something worse happens and also win the games....well read on...read on.
Lara Evans is our typical heroine, 42 years old, ex-cop a homicide detective and now a freelance EMT is rather a reckless person rushing into scenes without thinking and is a rather determined and point to be noted wants to win at the Gauntlet games and breaking the notion that woman don't win there. But as usual trouble follows and after her roommate is found dead she must do all she can to stay alive and simultaneously try to catch this mysterious attacker.
One arch done the next one follows simultaneously of a nerdy-geeky who is the one arranging the mishaps. Rather lonely and an attention seeker would do anything to gain the affections of a girl he likes.
So the future is rather bleak don't you think? Well the government is still the same. Corruption is abound in all fields of society. The federal government in the USA 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 afloat as well. 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. Salary raises and advances are a part of the pages of history books.
A nice setup to the Gauntlet games as well. A part that is rather very well written and very exciting. And vaguely resembles The hunger games(Suzanne Collins) but to a 9 out of 100% mark. Since the money is scare it is a good setup and there is the grant money as well. The winners bring home money for their home state, which can be used to generate jobs. This devotion of hers to bring back the jobs to her state is a cause to cheer for.
There are some elements of surprise as well and it is how the two arks co-relate is the point that makes the story work. Miss Sellers has done a very great job with it.
September 18, 2011
I received this e-book for review from NURTURE Book Tourz as part of the author's virtual book tour. I did not receive any compensation for my review, and the views expressed herein are my own.
Wow, this book is amazing!
This book takes place in the future, in the year 2023. The protagonist, Lara Evans, is a freelance paramedic in Oregon who used to be a police detective. In this futuristic world, the rate of unemployment is high and the government has made cut-backs in their services. Sellers creates a very convincing realistic future world, and it is a little chilling to think of what our world might become.
Lara is a fantastic character with so much depth! I just love her!! Sellers did a fantastic job developing her character. Lara is tough as nails, but she is her own worst enemy because of the guilt that she carries relating to an incident that took place while she was on the force.
When Lara responds to an emergency call requesting assistance, she encounters a man exiting the home who shoots at her. Inside, Federal Employment Commissioner Thaddeus Morton is wounded. Lara tends to the Employment Commissioner’s injuries but he does not want to report the incident to the police.
The following day, Lara leaves for Washington, D.C. to enter a national competition called the Gauntlet for which she has been training for the past two years. It is a grueling competition in which contestants are put through both physical and mental challenges. The winner of the Gauntlet will receive government financial support and guaranteed jobs for their state. When Lara spots the Employment Commissioner’s shooter at the competition, she fears for her own safety as well as the Commissioner’s.
From here, Sellers cleverly splits the book into two timelines: The current one where Lara is competing in the Gauntlet; and one that starts eight months in the past and leads up to the present. They merge together in the end, and it is very interesting to see the story from two different points of view.
I do not want to divulge any further details of the book, so I will just talk about Sellers: She is a fantastic storyteller, and she literally had me hooked from the get-go! I loved that she made Lara such a strong heroine, but also showed her vulnerability and flaws. It was so easy to connect with her, and I was even able to connect with the antagonist even though he is morally corrupt! Very well done, Sellers!
Although this book is marketed as a “stand-alone” thriller, I’d love to see more of Lara! I am extremely eager to read more of Sellers!
MY RATING: 5 stars!! I loved it, and I could not put it down! Highly recommended!
Wow, this book is amazing!
This book takes place in the future, in the year 2023. The protagonist, Lara Evans, is a freelance paramedic in Oregon who used to be a police detective. In this futuristic world, the rate of unemployment is high and the government has made cut-backs in their services. Sellers creates a very convincing realistic future world, and it is a little chilling to think of what our world might become.
Lara is a fantastic character with so much depth! I just love her!! Sellers did a fantastic job developing her character. Lara is tough as nails, but she is her own worst enemy because of the guilt that she carries relating to an incident that took place while she was on the force.
When Lara responds to an emergency call requesting assistance, she encounters a man exiting the home who shoots at her. Inside, Federal Employment Commissioner Thaddeus Morton is wounded. Lara tends to the Employment Commissioner’s injuries but he does not want to report the incident to the police.
The following day, Lara leaves for Washington, D.C. to enter a national competition called the Gauntlet for which she has been training for the past two years. It is a grueling competition in which contestants are put through both physical and mental challenges. The winner of the Gauntlet will receive government financial support and guaranteed jobs for their state. When Lara spots the Employment Commissioner’s shooter at the competition, she fears for her own safety as well as the Commissioner’s.
From here, Sellers cleverly splits the book into two timelines: The current one where Lara is competing in the Gauntlet; and one that starts eight months in the past and leads up to the present. They merge together in the end, and it is very interesting to see the story from two different points of view.
I do not want to divulge any further details of the book, so I will just talk about Sellers: She is a fantastic storyteller, and she literally had me hooked from the get-go! I loved that she made Lara such a strong heroine, but also showed her vulnerability and flaws. It was so easy to connect with her, and I was even able to connect with the antagonist even though he is morally corrupt! Very well done, Sellers!
Although this book is marketed as a “stand-alone” thriller, I’d love to see more of Lara! I am extremely eager to read more of Sellers!
MY RATING: 5 stars!! I loved it, and I could not put it down! Highly recommended!
September 12, 2011
The Arranger by L.J. Sellers is a suspenseful tale of strength, determination and the ultimate fight for survival. Lara Evans has a dark cloud of guilt that looms over her: a constant reminder of her past actions. She has a lot to prove, mostly to herself, and so she sets out with a mission to win The Gauntlet. The Gauntlet is a grueling competition that tests the best of the best from each state. The winner will not only receive some prize money but their home state will receive funds that are desperately needed in the down economy.
As if the mental and physical challenges weren't enough, Lara is thrown in the spotlight when her roommate is found dead. Trying to keep her mind on winning The Gauntlet, Lara now must try to find who killed her roommate and get rid of the murder charges hanging over her head.
L.J. Sellers does a fantastic job at keeping the reader in suspense. I couldn't stop reading The Arranger once I started because not only was I curious as to how Lara would do in The Gauntlet, but I wanted to learn more about the other characters as well. With a dash of potential romance thrown in, The Arranger is most certainly a must read!
As if the mental and physical challenges weren't enough, Lara is thrown in the spotlight when her roommate is found dead. Trying to keep her mind on winning The Gauntlet, Lara now must try to find who killed her roommate and get rid of the murder charges hanging over her head.
L.J. Sellers does a fantastic job at keeping the reader in suspense. I couldn't stop reading The Arranger once I started because not only was I curious as to how Lara would do in The Gauntlet, but I wanted to learn more about the other characters as well. With a dash of potential romance thrown in, The Arranger is most certainly a must read!
July 5, 2020
Just over a decade into our future, America is a stricken country where jobs are scarce, health care is a luxury for the wealthy, and hope rides on the annual Gauntlet games—a punishing physical and mental competition where the victor brings not only pride but an economic windfall back to his or her home state.
In the 2023 games, former police detective turned paramedic Lara Evans represents Oregon. But the contest’s notorious obstacles and cutthroat rivalry may be the least of her challenges. After saving a government bureaucrat’s life—and literally dodging a bullet—she finds herself in the crosshairs of a relentless hit man. And when another Gauntlet contestant is murdered, a stroke of bad luck puts Lara on the wrong end of damning evidence.
Still, the games must go on. And with the country, the law, and a killer watching her every move, Lara must use all her strength and savvy to beat the odds, claim the prize, and win back her life in the most dangerous game of all.
April 14, 2013
one of my favorite books ever. Love the author and as a runner and someone who does OCRs this is the best
December 20, 2018
I'll keep it quick.
Did I like it? It was alright.
Would I read it again? No.
Would I recommend it? Not really.
Will I forget about it in a few weeks time? Yes.
I spent half the time sighing every time I got to one of Paul's chapters.
Was rather predictable.
Did I like it? It was alright.
Would I read it again? No.
Would I recommend it? Not really.
Will I forget about it in a few weeks time? Yes.
I spent half the time sighing every time I got to one of Paul's chapters.
Was rather predictable.
April 6, 2020
This was sort of an adult version of Hunger Games, without all the killing of candidates and the winner actually won jobs for their state! It was a good read, with the Gauntlet and a side mystery.
The story was set in the year 2023, after a virus had caused havoc on the planet.....
The story was set in the year 2023, after a virus had caused havoc on the planet.....
May 7, 2020
Original title was The Arranger.
Two honking titles then for the same honking book.
Two honking titles then for the same honking book.
February 28, 2021
Excellent read!!
z-did-not-finish
October 28, 2024Meh
April 9, 2020
Hunger games flavored crime thriller.
A ton of action in this as we go back and forth between the Gauntlet games where we follow our hero contestant and flashbacks of the killers crimes and how they progress. The author does a great job creating a future world including things like politics, weather, and infrastructure of that world.
A ton of action in this as we go back and forth between the Gauntlet games where we follow our hero contestant and flashbacks of the killers crimes and how they progress. The author does a great job creating a future world including things like politics, weather, and infrastructure of that world.
August 20, 2011
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. The last 2600 words of the story start with our heroine in the last leg of the competition. She then leaves the competition, barges into the house of the director of the competition to find him dead. In doing so she finds the real reason he didn't want an investigation, gets in a confrontation with the villain, gets rescued (sort of) by the cops and ordered back to the competition which she finishes well behind the other competitors, wins anyway, enjoys a night of celebratory sex with her new fling, forgives herself a little for something that wasn't really her fault, gets the run down on why the bad guy was a bad guy and makes plans to meet the new fling when he comes out to her neck of the woods.
It was a bit much. In particular, I thought the end of the competition was a bit contrived. The character pretty clearly felt that doing the right thing meant giving up on the competition to chase the bad guy. I think it would have been better for the character and the story for it to end like that. She doesn't get the redemption she was looking for from winning because she was off being the hero. It works for the character and it doesn't stretch the plot and since you go into the thing (at least, I did) assuming she eventually wins the competition you get to throw the readers a bit of a curve.
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.
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. The last 2600 words of the story start with our heroine in the last leg of the competition. She then leaves the competition, barges into the house of the director of the competition to find him dead. In doing so she finds the real reason he didn't want an investigation, gets in a confrontation with the villain, gets rescued (sort of) by the cops and ordered back to the competition which she finishes well behind the other competitors, wins anyway, enjoys a night of celebratory sex with her new fling, forgives herself a little for something that wasn't really her fault, gets the run down on why the bad guy was a bad guy and makes plans to meet the new fling when he comes out to her neck of the woods.
It was a bit much. In particular, I thought the end of the competition was a bit contrived. The character pretty clearly felt that doing the right thing meant giving up on the competition to chase the bad guy. I think it would have been better for the character and the story for it to end like that. She doesn't get the redemption she was looking for from winning because she was off being the hero. It works for the character and it doesn't stretch the plot and since you go into the thing (at least, I did) assuming she eventually wins the competition you get to throw the readers a bit of a curve.
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.
August 28, 2011
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.
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.
September 21, 2011
This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.
Expected Release Date: August 12, 2011 (Available Now!)
Publisher: Spellbinder Press
Imprint: N/A
Author’s Website: http://ljsellers.com/
My Source for This Book: Won on LibraryThing
Part of a Series: Spinoff of Detective Jackson series
Series Best Read In Order: Worked well as a standalone
Steam Level: Warm
In the not-so-distant future, budget cuts have caused massive lay-offs around the country, sky-high inflation, and made medical insurance almost impossible to get. Ex-detective Lara Evans is a freelance paramedic, trying to scrape by a living after a takedown-gone-wrong cost the life of a fellow officer, and training for her participation in the upcoming Gauntlet.
Part blood sport, part test of wit, the Gauntlet is a nation competition sponsored partly by the failing government and by a private corporation that grants the winner not only a substantial award, but also gives their home state much-needed grant money and job opportunities. Simply making it to the actual competition is an honor, and Lara is scheduled to participate the very next day when she responds to a shooting only to discover that the victim is a high-profile Employment Commissioner in the Gauntlet. Knowing that reporting the incident as law requires could make a very powerful enemy out of the Employment Commissioner -- one who could cost her her position in the Gauntlet -- she decides that the people of her state receiving that grant money is more important than her own individual morals. And besides, having a powerful friend could come in handy.
Soon Lara may regret that decision, as she's not only pursued by the man who shot the Commissioner, but framed for murder, as she battles to not only stay ahead in the Gauntlet competition, but to fight lazy and corrupt police as well as avoid a psychotic killer.
This one was definitely interesting. While the idea of a national competition requiring both brawn and brains is certainly not new, this is the first one I've read where the main character is a traumatized ex-cop. I liked Lara's vulnerabilities stemming from the incident at the end of her career, and the twist on her eating habits really kept my attention, mainly because I wanted to see how on earth she could compete at the Gauntlet level while still maintaining her very specific diet.
When the flashbacks first started, they were very disorienting, and I admit, I was tempted to skim through them on occasion. As the the story progressed and it became more apparent how the flashbacks fit in with the rest of the story, however, they did become much more interesting, as you watched the downward spiral of what was probably one of the most sympathetic villains I've read in a long time.
I loved the Gauntlet challenges, but especially enjoyed the shoddy police work that was more than possible in an under-funded department. To me, the idea of police who truly don't care about the truth and were more than willing to let an innocent person take the fall for a murder they didn't commit simply because they had neither the time, money, or inclination to search for the real killer.
Overall, while I loved many things about this novel, the flashbacks did pull down my final rating. While I'm fairly certain there was really no other way to have written the story without them, I still found them distracting and, in the beginning, rather boring.
The overall mystery, however, as well as the complicated societal issues and Lara's own personal demons, definitely made this one a worthwhile read.
3.5/5 Stars
Expected Release Date: August 12, 2011 (Available Now!)
Publisher: Spellbinder Press
Imprint: N/A
Author’s Website: http://ljsellers.com/
My Source for This Book: Won on LibraryThing
Part of a Series: Spinoff of Detective Jackson series
Series Best Read In Order: Worked well as a standalone
Steam Level: Warm
In the not-so-distant future, budget cuts have caused massive lay-offs around the country, sky-high inflation, and made medical insurance almost impossible to get. Ex-detective Lara Evans is a freelance paramedic, trying to scrape by a living after a takedown-gone-wrong cost the life of a fellow officer, and training for her participation in the upcoming Gauntlet.
Part blood sport, part test of wit, the Gauntlet is a nation competition sponsored partly by the failing government and by a private corporation that grants the winner not only a substantial award, but also gives their home state much-needed grant money and job opportunities. Simply making it to the actual competition is an honor, and Lara is scheduled to participate the very next day when she responds to a shooting only to discover that the victim is a high-profile Employment Commissioner in the Gauntlet. Knowing that reporting the incident as law requires could make a very powerful enemy out of the Employment Commissioner -- one who could cost her her position in the Gauntlet -- she decides that the people of her state receiving that grant money is more important than her own individual morals. And besides, having a powerful friend could come in handy.
Soon Lara may regret that decision, as she's not only pursued by the man who shot the Commissioner, but framed for murder, as she battles to not only stay ahead in the Gauntlet competition, but to fight lazy and corrupt police as well as avoid a psychotic killer.
This one was definitely interesting. While the idea of a national competition requiring both brawn and brains is certainly not new, this is the first one I've read where the main character is a traumatized ex-cop. I liked Lara's vulnerabilities stemming from the incident at the end of her career, and the twist on her eating habits really kept my attention, mainly because I wanted to see how on earth she could compete at the Gauntlet level while still maintaining her very specific diet.
When the flashbacks first started, they were very disorienting, and I admit, I was tempted to skim through them on occasion. As the the story progressed and it became more apparent how the flashbacks fit in with the rest of the story, however, they did become much more interesting, as you watched the downward spiral of what was probably one of the most sympathetic villains I've read in a long time.
I loved the Gauntlet challenges, but especially enjoyed the shoddy police work that was more than possible in an under-funded department. To me, the idea of police who truly don't care about the truth and were more than willing to let an innocent person take the fall for a murder they didn't commit simply because they had neither the time, money, or inclination to search for the real killer.
Overall, while I loved many things about this novel, the flashbacks did pull down my final rating. While I'm fairly certain there was really no other way to have written the story without them, I still found them distracting and, in the beginning, rather boring.
The overall mystery, however, as well as the complicated societal issues and Lara's own personal demons, definitely made this one a worthwhile read.
3.5/5 Stars
September 19, 2011
This story is set in the future, year 2023.
Lara Evans is a cop at heart. She was a homicide detective for sixteen years. After leaving the police force she was unemployed for years. Unemployment is high, jobs are a valuable commodity and the jobs that offer med-cards are much sought after. Gun laws have got loose and health insurance got scarce. There is also a growing shortage of doctors. So paramedics are now in demand. So Lara has become a freelance paramedic. Lara liked her job. She loved the moment of rushing to a scene not knowing what chaos she would encounter. She always takes her stun gun everywhere that she goes.
When she is out responding to an emergency call, she arrives at the scene and she has to avoid been shot by a man who comes out of the house and starts shooting at her. Inside she finds a man has been shot but he is still alive. The man is Thaddeus Morton who is the employment commissioner. Some one had tried to kill the employment commissioner but who would do that and why? Morton asks that Lara does not report the incident blaming it on a lover and tells her it would look bad for him and he would be removed from overseeing The Gauntlet.
Lara has trained intensely for the last four years to be a contender in this years Gauntlet, she is one of the contestants. The Gauntlet is the one thing in the country that still gives people something to cheer for, it is like the Olympics, millions of viewers watch the show.
The contest had become the reason she gets up on a morning. If she keeps Morton’s secrets and he stays on as a judge Lara thinks this would be for the best because it couldn’t hurt to have someone in her corner while she competed, especially with the Gauntlet said to be more difficult this year and more physically punishing at forty-two Lara was to be the oldest contestant. The analysts have put her chances of winning at fifty to one.
Can Lara conquer all the challengers the contest throws at her? Or will life itself throw its own challenges she must overcome?
Meanwhile Paul Madsen would do anything to impress Camille the girl he works with in his government job. He thinks that by losing weight and paying for plastic surgery on his face he will improve is chances of getting with Camille and helping her out with her career. So he comes up with the plan for staff to be hired and fired for cash knowing that in the current job climate people will be prepared to pay lots of money for the job positions which have high-end med-cards and that the savings of not paying health insurance would make it an offer that those seeking these positions could not refuse. Can Paul pull it off and win the affections of Camille?
This book had me gripped all the way through. It keeps you in suspense with every page right through to the end of the book. So much happens throughout the story but it is so well written that you do not loose the thread of what is going on. I really like a book that you can not guess the ending and this is one of those books. It builds you up to a superb ending.
If you like murder and suspense this is the book for you.
Lara Evans is a cop at heart. She was a homicide detective for sixteen years. After leaving the police force she was unemployed for years. Unemployment is high, jobs are a valuable commodity and the jobs that offer med-cards are much sought after. Gun laws have got loose and health insurance got scarce. There is also a growing shortage of doctors. So paramedics are now in demand. So Lara has become a freelance paramedic. Lara liked her job. She loved the moment of rushing to a scene not knowing what chaos she would encounter. She always takes her stun gun everywhere that she goes.
When she is out responding to an emergency call, she arrives at the scene and she has to avoid been shot by a man who comes out of the house and starts shooting at her. Inside she finds a man has been shot but he is still alive. The man is Thaddeus Morton who is the employment commissioner. Some one had tried to kill the employment commissioner but who would do that and why? Morton asks that Lara does not report the incident blaming it on a lover and tells her it would look bad for him and he would be removed from overseeing The Gauntlet.
Lara has trained intensely for the last four years to be a contender in this years Gauntlet, she is one of the contestants. The Gauntlet is the one thing in the country that still gives people something to cheer for, it is like the Olympics, millions of viewers watch the show.
The contest had become the reason she gets up on a morning. If she keeps Morton’s secrets and he stays on as a judge Lara thinks this would be for the best because it couldn’t hurt to have someone in her corner while she competed, especially with the Gauntlet said to be more difficult this year and more physically punishing at forty-two Lara was to be the oldest contestant. The analysts have put her chances of winning at fifty to one.
Can Lara conquer all the challengers the contest throws at her? Or will life itself throw its own challenges she must overcome?
Meanwhile Paul Madsen would do anything to impress Camille the girl he works with in his government job. He thinks that by losing weight and paying for plastic surgery on his face he will improve is chances of getting with Camille and helping her out with her career. So he comes up with the plan for staff to be hired and fired for cash knowing that in the current job climate people will be prepared to pay lots of money for the job positions which have high-end med-cards and that the savings of not paying health insurance would make it an offer that those seeking these positions could not refuse. Can Paul pull it off and win the affections of Camille?
This book had me gripped all the way through. It keeps you in suspense with every page right through to the end of the book. So much happens throughout the story but it is so well written that you do not loose the thread of what is going on. I really like a book that you can not guess the ending and this is one of those books. It builds you up to a superb ending.
If you like murder and suspense this is the book for you.
November 14, 2011
In this dystopian departure from her other novels, we find Lara, ex-cop and now paramedic, representing Oregon, off to compete in The Gauntlet, the winner of which will receive federal grants for her state. Just before her departure she had been called to an emergency shooting where she had seen a man running from the scene.
The federal government after decades of budget cuts, is a mere shell of its former self and gasoline having become so expensive people could no longer afford to fly thus closing many smaller regional airports. Homeless people abound. It’s a dreary place where Lara, ex-cop and now a paramedic operating independently ,skirts rules in order to help whenever she can. Called to the site of a shooting, she recognizes the victim as someone with power to make a difference in the outcome of The Gauntlet.
After a minor altercation with Kirsten, her roommate, whom she had just beaten in the first challenge of the competition, Lara finds herself being accused of Kirsten’s murder when Kirsten’s body is found in their apartment and Lara was the last person to see her alive. She is reluctant to reveal the presence of the blond-haired man who had been seen running from the attempted murder of an official in Oregon.
I like Sellers, but this was not one of her best. The subplot seems to be irrelevant and distracting until the connection is made. The constant invoking of the disastrous effects of government budget cuts on society’s ability to function came across as awkward and more of a political statement than an integral part of the story, and even though I am sympathetic to what she is saying, it jarred. The best part is after she has hooked up with the detective in charge of the case (talk about a conflict of interest) and they begin to begin investigating.
I’m never quite sure where the bar resides demarking the line between thriller and detective story. It seems to me that a thriller should have at least a soupcon or tingle of a thrill. This one doesn’t have it. Other reviewers have remarked on how suspenseful the book was. Really? Does anyone really believe that Lara won't win the Gauntlet, won't get the guy, and won't solve the crime? In how many books does the hero fail? So the test of a mystery/romance/thriller/police procedural has less to do with the outcome than how we get there. That's what I really liked about Sellers' The Sex Club
Regardless, it was a fun read, more than suitable for whittling away some time.
The federal government after decades of budget cuts, is a mere shell of its former self and gasoline having become so expensive people could no longer afford to fly thus closing many smaller regional airports. Homeless people abound. It’s a dreary place where Lara, ex-cop and now a paramedic operating independently ,skirts rules in order to help whenever she can. Called to the site of a shooting, she recognizes the victim as someone with power to make a difference in the outcome of The Gauntlet.
After a minor altercation with Kirsten, her roommate, whom she had just beaten in the first challenge of the competition, Lara finds herself being accused of Kirsten’s murder when Kirsten’s body is found in their apartment and Lara was the last person to see her alive. She is reluctant to reveal the presence of the blond-haired man who had been seen running from the attempted murder of an official in Oregon.
I like Sellers, but this was not one of her best. The subplot seems to be irrelevant and distracting until the connection is made. The constant invoking of the disastrous effects of government budget cuts on society’s ability to function came across as awkward and more of a political statement than an integral part of the story, and even though I am sympathetic to what she is saying, it jarred. The best part is after she has hooked up with the detective in charge of the case (talk about a conflict of interest) and they begin to begin investigating.
I’m never quite sure where the bar resides demarking the line between thriller and detective story. It seems to me that a thriller should have at least a soupcon or tingle of a thrill. This one doesn’t have it. Other reviewers have remarked on how suspenseful the book was. Really? Does anyone really believe that Lara won't win the Gauntlet, won't get the guy, and won't solve the crime? In how many books does the hero fail? So the test of a mystery/romance/thriller/police procedural has less to do with the outcome than how we get there. That's what I really liked about Sellers' The Sex Club
Regardless, it was a fun read, more than suitable for whittling away some time.
October 4, 2011
The Arranger
By L.J. Sellers
Copyright August 2011
Publisher Spellbinder Press
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?
Lara Evans has had a really bad couple of years. She’s getting it together as a freelance paramedic and is a contestant in the Gauntlet. In this reality the country is in deeper shit then even we see in the daily papers or on the news. By hopefully winning this contest, she will bring big money to her state and hometown, along with new jobs that will mean police and firemen can be put back to work.
This story is shown through the eyes of two main characters who are introduced to us right from the start. Paul Madden is an IT specialist working for the government and is given a new project to work on that will take up all his work time. His normal routines will be covered by a co-worker. At this point I wondered what these two people, in differing parts of the country, with two different jobs had in common, and therein sits the basis for this mystery based in a near and almost very real seeming America.
I’m not going to hand out any spoilers. The book blurb tells you a lot more then you need to know, and should entice you into buying, borrowing, or stealing this book for your reading enjoyment.
L. J. Sellers is the author of the Detective Jackson series, and two other freestanding stories. I look forward to reading her next books, and will also be looking for the ones that are already on the shelves.
L.J. can be found at https://www.facebook.com/ljsellers and also at http://ljsellers.com/
FTC Full Disclosure: I was sent this book by the author who only hoped for a fair review of the story.
By L.J. Sellers
Copyright August 2011
Publisher Spellbinder Press
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?
Lara Evans has had a really bad couple of years. She’s getting it together as a freelance paramedic and is a contestant in the Gauntlet. In this reality the country is in deeper shit then even we see in the daily papers or on the news. By hopefully winning this contest, she will bring big money to her state and hometown, along with new jobs that will mean police and firemen can be put back to work.
This story is shown through the eyes of two main characters who are introduced to us right from the start. Paul Madden is an IT specialist working for the government and is given a new project to work on that will take up all his work time. His normal routines will be covered by a co-worker. At this point I wondered what these two people, in differing parts of the country, with two different jobs had in common, and therein sits the basis for this mystery based in a near and almost very real seeming America.
I’m not going to hand out any spoilers. The book blurb tells you a lot more then you need to know, and should entice you into buying, borrowing, or stealing this book for your reading enjoyment.
L. J. Sellers is the author of the Detective Jackson series, and two other freestanding stories. I look forward to reading her next books, and will also be looking for the ones that are already on the shelves.
L.J. can be found at https://www.facebook.com/ljsellers and also at http://ljsellers.com/
FTC Full Disclosure: I was sent this book by the author who only hoped for a fair review of the story.
August 14, 2011
Year: 2023. Former detective Lara Evans is working as a freelance EMT. She gets a call for a gunshot victim. As she grabs up her bag and heads for the door, a man dashes out waving a gun, takes a shot at her, then hurries away. Lara finds a wounded man inside, but not badly hurt. He asks her to withhold reporting the shooting, claiming it was his hot-headed ex-boyfriend and doesn't want to give him more grief.
Reluctantly, Lara agrees to keep quiet when she realizes the wounded man is the commissioner in charge of the Gauntlet, the annual ironman-type competition. Lara has been training for the Gauntlet and hopes that having the commissioner on her side at some point in the games might give her a slight advantage. She's not looking to cheat, but only in case she needs a favorable ruling.
As the oldest and smallest competitor, nobody is giving Lara very good odds to win, but she's determined to outplay them all. The prize is millions of dollars for her home state, Oregon.
Immediately following the first round, Lara's roommate, who lost to Lara, picks a fight with the smaller woman. Rather than get into it, Lara leaves the hotel for a run. When she returns, she finds the woman dead, and she's the top suspect.
Ms. Sellers has given the reader a highly likely (although we all hope it won't come to this) combination of future speculation on the state of the US economy and the big business of reality shows. This is "Hunger Games" for grownups with a dash of Survivor thrown in.
If you like mysteries, Ms. Sellers has provided a good one here. Who killed the roommate and how can Lara prove she isn't the perpetrator? If you like speculative fiction, Sellers has also extrapolated an all-too-possible future.
Either way, this is a very satisfying read from an experienced writer with a bundle of excellent novels already available for your reading pleasure.
Reluctantly, Lara agrees to keep quiet when she realizes the wounded man is the commissioner in charge of the Gauntlet, the annual ironman-type competition. Lara has been training for the Gauntlet and hopes that having the commissioner on her side at some point in the games might give her a slight advantage. She's not looking to cheat, but only in case she needs a favorable ruling.
As the oldest and smallest competitor, nobody is giving Lara very good odds to win, but she's determined to outplay them all. The prize is millions of dollars for her home state, Oregon.
Immediately following the first round, Lara's roommate, who lost to Lara, picks a fight with the smaller woman. Rather than get into it, Lara leaves the hotel for a run. When she returns, she finds the woman dead, and she's the top suspect.
Ms. Sellers has given the reader a highly likely (although we all hope it won't come to this) combination of future speculation on the state of the US economy and the big business of reality shows. This is "Hunger Games" for grownups with a dash of Survivor thrown in.
If you like mysteries, Ms. Sellers has provided a good one here. Who killed the roommate and how can Lara prove she isn't the perpetrator? If you like speculative fiction, Sellers has also extrapolated an all-too-possible future.
Either way, this is a very satisfying read from an experienced writer with a bundle of excellent novels already available for your reading pleasure.
November 15, 2011
The Arranger by L.J. Sellers is a futuristic suspense. In this book’s version of the future, the biggest show on earth is a game where the best of the best contestants from around the world compete. Winner takes all. The game, called the Gauntlet, is sort of a cross between Big Brother, Survivor and Gladiators. It’s dangerous and grueling, yet Lara Evans, and others from around the world, compete because they need the money to survive in a world where global warming, unemployment and crime have increased, and society has fallen into a dark hole. Lara, the protagonist and one of the contestants, has to compete against the fiercest contestants from around the world, not all of them honest.
She’s not doing it for glory, though. She’s doing it to be able to survive in the “regular” world after the game.
I liked Lara. She has an internal moral compass, but is no pushover. She’s strong and determined, and desperate enough that you’re never sure if she might go to the dark side to win. She has so much riding on the contest.
There’s a hint of romance, but the real focus of The Arranger is the competition and how much Lara will give up to win – her life, her morals? You don’t get to know much about Lara before the competition starts, but you begin to know her through her actions and interactions with other characters and competitors. By the end of the book, she will have to make a decision that could alter her life and cost her the game.
Sellers paints a grim, yet believable, near future. She also gives us a flawed heroine. Given all the “games” on television today, the Gauntlet is very believable as a global competition. If the television stations haven’t thought of it already, they may steal the idea.
Considering the character and the world she lives in are both compelling, I give The Arranger a rating of Hel-of-a-Writer.
She’s not doing it for glory, though. She’s doing it to be able to survive in the “regular” world after the game.
I liked Lara. She has an internal moral compass, but is no pushover. She’s strong and determined, and desperate enough that you’re never sure if she might go to the dark side to win. She has so much riding on the contest.
There’s a hint of romance, but the real focus of The Arranger is the competition and how much Lara will give up to win – her life, her morals? You don’t get to know much about Lara before the competition starts, but you begin to know her through her actions and interactions with other characters and competitors. By the end of the book, she will have to make a decision that could alter her life and cost her the game.
Sellers paints a grim, yet believable, near future. She also gives us a flawed heroine. Given all the “games” on television today, the Gauntlet is very believable as a global competition. If the television stations haven’t thought of it already, they may steal the idea.
Considering the character and the world she lives in are both compelling, I give The Arranger a rating of Hel-of-a-Writer.
January 23, 2016
3.5 of 5 stars
“The Gauntlet Assassin” is the story of 42-year-old Lara Evans, a former cop turned paramedic, in this futuristic thriller. Lara has won her state’s competition for the chance to compete in The Gauntlet, a futuristic Olympics. The prize for winning is a windfall of money and jobs for the competitor’s home state and in the year 2023, this is the best chance for any state to curb the 20% unemployment rate. Federal financial help is non-existent and states are left to fend for themselves.
The author gives us snippets of Lara’s previous life as a cop, but there is a fair amount of “telling” instead of “showing” and this stopped me from really identifying with Lara’s experiences and how those changed her into the woman we see in the story. I would have loved to know more about her background, but as she moved onto the competition, her determination, grit and never-give-up drive shines through. Along with Lara’s story is a parallel story about Paul Madsen, a seemingly bland computer data whiz who is given a top-clearance federal project. Throw into the mix is a scandal, a murder and a hunky detective and “The Assassin Gauntlet” is a riveting thriller. Both Lara’s harrowing competition events and Paul’s escalating manipulations of a federal employee database intersect throughout the book and come together in an explosive conclusion.
I enjoyed this book, but I found the ending a bit rushed especially between Lara and the homicide detective. The final shocking detail involving a high-ranking officer of The Gauntlet was a little over the top and seemed to be added to justify some moral sense of justice and not particularly necessary to the storyline. All in all, this story is a good thriller about an underdog who refuses to give up and will do whatever it takes to bring home the prize.
“The Gauntlet Assassin” is the story of 42-year-old Lara Evans, a former cop turned paramedic, in this futuristic thriller. Lara has won her state’s competition for the chance to compete in The Gauntlet, a futuristic Olympics. The prize for winning is a windfall of money and jobs for the competitor’s home state and in the year 2023, this is the best chance for any state to curb the 20% unemployment rate. Federal financial help is non-existent and states are left to fend for themselves.
The author gives us snippets of Lara’s previous life as a cop, but there is a fair amount of “telling” instead of “showing” and this stopped me from really identifying with Lara’s experiences and how those changed her into the woman we see in the story. I would have loved to know more about her background, but as she moved onto the competition, her determination, grit and never-give-up drive shines through. Along with Lara’s story is a parallel story about Paul Madsen, a seemingly bland computer data whiz who is given a top-clearance federal project. Throw into the mix is a scandal, a murder and a hunky detective and “The Assassin Gauntlet” is a riveting thriller. Both Lara’s harrowing competition events and Paul’s escalating manipulations of a federal employee database intersect throughout the book and come together in an explosive conclusion.
I enjoyed this book, but I found the ending a bit rushed especially between Lara and the homicide detective. The final shocking detail involving a high-ranking officer of The Gauntlet was a little over the top and seemed to be added to justify some moral sense of justice and not particularly necessary to the storyline. All in all, this story is a good thriller about an underdog who refuses to give up and will do whatever it takes to bring home the prize.
September 16, 2011
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.
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.
September 11, 2011
I decided to start reading this e book last night, and as soon as I started I knew I was hooked. I knew I was in for a long night and I was right.
The hero of the hour is Lara, she was a police officer for 16 years and is now a freelance paramedic, the year is 2023 and she is to take part in the annual contest “The Gauntlet”. As Lara is female and the oldest competitor, she is not ranking too highly, but she knows she has put the work in and has the experience behind her. The day before she is due to travel to the contest, and when on a call out, she is shot at as she arrives on the scene, on entering the property she find the Federal Employment Commissioner alive but with a large bullet hole in his shoulder!
When Lara arrives at the competition site, she is taken aback to spot the shooter, and wanders if he has followed her to the competition to finish the job……… And then the action really starts with Lara taking part in the gruelling competition - which needs all of her wits, intelligence as well as strength and stamina - dealing with the other competitors, murder and mayhem with a little romance thrown in for good measure.
At the same time, we are reading about events taking place months ago from a seemingly unrelated story, we actually bob back and forth between the here and now to the past as it all comes together in an explosive ending.
Nothing has been said if there will be more novels with Lara, can I request, pretty please, that there be more, I finished reading the book and wanted more, that says it all for me.
The hero of the hour is Lara, she was a police officer for 16 years and is now a freelance paramedic, the year is 2023 and she is to take part in the annual contest “The Gauntlet”. As Lara is female and the oldest competitor, she is not ranking too highly, but she knows she has put the work in and has the experience behind her. The day before she is due to travel to the contest, and when on a call out, she is shot at as she arrives on the scene, on entering the property she find the Federal Employment Commissioner alive but with a large bullet hole in his shoulder!
When Lara arrives at the competition site, she is taken aback to spot the shooter, and wanders if he has followed her to the competition to finish the job……… And then the action really starts with Lara taking part in the gruelling competition - which needs all of her wits, intelligence as well as strength and stamina - dealing with the other competitors, murder and mayhem with a little romance thrown in for good measure.
At the same time, we are reading about events taking place months ago from a seemingly unrelated story, we actually bob back and forth between the here and now to the past as it all comes together in an explosive ending.
Nothing has been said if there will be more novels with Lara, can I request, pretty please, that there be more, I finished reading the book and wanted more, that says it all for me.
August 8, 2012
I would give this three and a half stars if that were possible.
Entertaining but with hiccoughs. The twin thread plot is good even though the connection seems obvious a little earlier than is desirable (Edit: I have subsequently read other reviews of this work and it seems some readers actually don't make the connection so it clearly works for them).
Also a bit annoying, if you have not read previous books, are the references back intended to justify her weird diet and her need to go about continually armed. Carrying the handgun during the marathon is more than a little over the top since she is accompanied by Nick and his TV team, and the crowds would be a better guarantee than a heavy Glock. But of course she requires the weapon for the plot. This is not the only incident where things seem rather too contrived. (Lara spots Paul driving past while she's running the marathon, etc.) Great writers in this genre (incidentally this isn't really a thriller) manage to make heavy coincidence seem like happen-stance and planted plot devices seem natural. This creaks more than a little.
The characterisation was okay without having the depth that gets you under their skins – you're an onlooker not a participator. Gorgeous Camille is largely a stereotype for instance and would certainly bypass nerd Paul to achieve her ambitions more easily.
Having said that, the bumpy ride doesn't make the whole trip uncomfortable. The writing style makes for easy reading and there's enough going on to hold the interest.
Entertaining but with hiccoughs. The twin thread plot is good even though the connection seems obvious a little earlier than is desirable (Edit: I have subsequently read other reviews of this work and it seems some readers actually don't make the connection so it clearly works for them).
Also a bit annoying, if you have not read previous books, are the references back intended to justify her weird diet and her need to go about continually armed. Carrying the handgun during the marathon is more than a little over the top since she is accompanied by Nick and his TV team, and the crowds would be a better guarantee than a heavy Glock. But of course she requires the weapon for the plot. This is not the only incident where things seem rather too contrived. (Lara spots Paul driving past while she's running the marathon, etc.) Great writers in this genre (incidentally this isn't really a thriller) manage to make heavy coincidence seem like happen-stance and planted plot devices seem natural. This creaks more than a little.
The characterisation was okay without having the depth that gets you under their skins – you're an onlooker not a participator. Gorgeous Camille is largely a stereotype for instance and would certainly bypass nerd Paul to achieve her ambitions more easily.
Having said that, the bumpy ride doesn't make the whole trip uncomfortable. The writing style makes for easy reading and there's enough going on to hold the interest.
December 1, 2011
Could not put this book down. Stayed up reading till 3:00 AM and could not read the last 50 pages. Mind was willing eyes not.
I definately want to read more of L.J. Sellers works.
This is a book in the near future. Major homeless problem. Lot harder to find a job, especially a job with medical insurance.
Lara used to be a detective and now is paramedic. Less goverment,less police,teachers and gas over 8$.
Lara gets called to a house and treats the man with gunshot wound does want to go to hospital. Says it was his lover because he cheated on him. He is overseeing the gauntlet in two days. Lara is in it. So she agrees to not report it but does not want his help to win.
The gauntlet is in its 3rd year. One person from every state competes in the game. Lara won the competions to compete for her state of Oregon. The winner wins 10,000$ but also wins more Jobs for police and teachers for their state.
The shooter was not his lover and saw her at compition was stalking the Comissioner and killed someone else and Lara is prime suspect.
The story is written from two characters points of view. One Lara's and the other is Pauls a federal worker in D.C.
I really enjoyed reading rooting, caring for both Lara and Paul to win. Lara is strong women who has overcome a lot and still has issues and cares for others. Paul I felt sorry for him.
I was given this ebook in exchange for honest reviews from Librarything.
I definately want to read more of L.J. Sellers works.
This is a book in the near future. Major homeless problem. Lot harder to find a job, especially a job with medical insurance.
Lara used to be a detective and now is paramedic. Less goverment,less police,teachers and gas over 8$.
Lara gets called to a house and treats the man with gunshot wound does want to go to hospital. Says it was his lover because he cheated on him. He is overseeing the gauntlet in two days. Lara is in it. So she agrees to not report it but does not want his help to win.
The gauntlet is in its 3rd year. One person from every state competes in the game. Lara won the competions to compete for her state of Oregon. The winner wins 10,000$ but also wins more Jobs for police and teachers for their state.
The shooter was not his lover and saw her at compition was stalking the Comissioner and killed someone else and Lara is prime suspect.
The story is written from two characters points of view. One Lara's and the other is Pauls a federal worker in D.C.
I really enjoyed reading rooting, caring for both Lara and Paul to win. Lara is strong women who has overcome a lot and still has issues and cares for others. Paul I felt sorry for him.
I was given this ebook in exchange for honest reviews from Librarything.
March 11, 2012
I like the way LJ Sellers has positioned The Arranger. Set in 2023, she says it's a stand alone, futuristic thriller. Lara Evans is the protag, someone we know from earlier works. She's now a paramedic, and Jackson's still in the picture, albeit in the background. At some time in the past, Evans quit the Eugene PD after inadvertently shooting a fellow cop and has lots of residual guilt that colors her thinking and her actions.
There's been an economic collapse and jobs are scarcer than hens teeth. Gun control laws have relaxed, and Evans can expect that anyone is armed. Called to treat a gsw, she's drawn into a web of deceit to protect her candidacy in The Gauntlet, a high stakes Gladiator-like competition in Washington, DC. If Evans wins, a multinational will locate thousands of jobs in Oregon.
What a competition! Stunts like dropping from a zip-line into a luge; swimming through an underwater maze of tunnels; balancing on moving beams; climbing shuddering walls; and a Puzzle to test logic. It's great fun, and despite the fact that as a 42 year old woman, Evans is at a clear disadvantage, she competes with skill, strength and intelligence under the eye of millions of TV watchers.
I can see why LJ Sellers has such a strong following, and dedicated fans. Sellers definitely delivers a good read!
--Ashland Mystery
There's been an economic collapse and jobs are scarcer than hens teeth. Gun control laws have relaxed, and Evans can expect that anyone is armed. Called to treat a gsw, she's drawn into a web of deceit to protect her candidacy in The Gauntlet, a high stakes Gladiator-like competition in Washington, DC. If Evans wins, a multinational will locate thousands of jobs in Oregon.
What a competition! Stunts like dropping from a zip-line into a luge; swimming through an underwater maze of tunnels; balancing on moving beams; climbing shuddering walls; and a Puzzle to test logic. It's great fun, and despite the fact that as a 42 year old woman, Evans is at a clear disadvantage, she competes with skill, strength and intelligence under the eye of millions of TV watchers.
I can see why LJ Sellers has such a strong following, and dedicated fans. Sellers definitely delivers a good read!
--Ashland Mystery
December 28, 2012
When I downloaded this book it was called "The Arranger" but whatever the title it is a very exciting read. Set in the near future (in 2023), public funding in the USA has been cut so far that representatives of each state compete to take part in The Gauntlet - a televised competition that will earn the winner's home state extra funding for police, hospitals and other public services. Laura Evans - a freelance paramedic and former police officer, arrives in Washington to compete.
The second story line involves Paul, a computer programmer, who is painfully aware that he is shy, overweight and unlikely to stand a chance with his beautiful co-worker - unless he can come up with a way of making the money he needs to reinvent himself.
As the story lines merge and become intertwined, the excitement builds and the ending left me firstly feeling satisfied at the way the story is resolved and secondly hoping that there will be further stories involving Laura.
While the plotting was very good and the separate story lines were handled very confidently, the main strength for me lay in the characterisation. I thought that Laura Evans was very convincing - focussed, strong both physically and mentally and intelligent. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it as a well written, entertaining read.
The second story line involves Paul, a computer programmer, who is painfully aware that he is shy, overweight and unlikely to stand a chance with his beautiful co-worker - unless he can come up with a way of making the money he needs to reinvent himself.
As the story lines merge and become intertwined, the excitement builds and the ending left me firstly feeling satisfied at the way the story is resolved and secondly hoping that there will be further stories involving Laura.
While the plotting was very good and the separate story lines were handled very confidently, the main strength for me lay in the characterisation. I thought that Laura Evans was very convincing - focussed, strong both physically and mentally and intelligent. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it as a well written, entertaining read.
October 8, 2013
The Arranger My take - You will find yourself intrigued with The Arranger: A Futuristic Thriller (now called "The Gauntlet Assassin). As Lara prepares herself for the Gauntlet, a futuristic sort of Ironman triathlon competition for the athletically inclined and mentally sharp contestant, she finds herself in the middle of a very sophisticated competition/murder plot with a media twist that keeps the pages turning to the very end.Product Description from Amazon: 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?
December 6, 2016
Another excellent book by LJ Sellers. This book sees the reappearance of Lara Evans with Jackson and his colleagues making a small appearance.
This book is set in the future and I normally wouldn't have read it as futuristic/sci fi are not my thing but it written by one of my favorite authors and I have surprised myself by reading and enjoying the Agent Dallas books (plus it is the only one I hadn't read).
Lara was introduced in the Jackson series and is a very unusual character that you have to love. She has passion and total determination to get the bad guys. I was a bit disappointed to read about events that had brought her to her current situation.
The book is centered around the Gauntlet game and a main character who is vulnerable and is manipulated both by a devious female and the effects of weight loss medication until he becomes a totally different person doing things he wouldn't normally do.
This book is very unusual but could very easily be a true story. It is totally gripping with many twists and turns. Well worth the 5 stars.
Keep writing LJ Sellers I am totally addicted to your work.
This book is set in the future and I normally wouldn't have read it as futuristic/sci fi are not my thing but it written by one of my favorite authors and I have surprised myself by reading and enjoying the Agent Dallas books (plus it is the only one I hadn't read).
Lara was introduced in the Jackson series and is a very unusual character that you have to love. She has passion and total determination to get the bad guys. I was a bit disappointed to read about events that had brought her to her current situation.
The book is centered around the Gauntlet game and a main character who is vulnerable and is manipulated both by a devious female and the effects of weight loss medication until he becomes a totally different person doing things he wouldn't normally do.
This book is very unusual but could very easily be a true story. It is totally gripping with many twists and turns. Well worth the 5 stars.
Keep writing LJ Sellers I am totally addicted to your work.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews