The Arranger

Set in 2023, this middling stand-alone futuristic thriller from Sellers (Dying for Justice) paints an America in which economic woes are wedded to reality television via the Gauntlet: a contest in which representatives from all 50 states compete for prize money by undertaking a series of physical and mental tasks. Before representing Oregon in the Gauntlet, cop-turned-paramedic Lara Evans treats a gunshot victim who turns out to be federal employment commissioner Thaddeus Morton. The mystery of his assailant%E2%80%99s identity is back-burnered for much of the book, as Sellers alternates between Evans%E2%80%99s quest for victory and the machinations of sleazy software engineer Paul Madsen, who hopes to parlay his access to personnel databases into bribes. Despite the book%E2%80%99s fascinating premise, Sellers fails to deliver much originality. The contests in the Gauntlet aren%E2%80%99t particularly imaginative; none of the plot twists are compelling; and readers will find maintaining interest an ongoing, and ultimately unsuccessful, struggle.