4TH AND FIXED

An all-powerful bookie and his monstrous sidekick muscle through the shady underworld of professional football in this adrenaline-packed novel by an ex-NFL player. Hired to turn around the struggling San Antonio Stallions so that pompous owner Jonathan Kinneson can rake in money by securing a spot in the Super Bowl, mob-affiliated fixer Michael Gasca hatches an elaborate plan. First, he forces the firing of the team's head coach, then assigns Roscoe Evans, his walking skyscraper of a partner, to manipulate key players on opposing teams. A little blackmail here, a deceitful threat there, and the Stallions are quietly cruising toward their first playoff game. Yet none of this goes unnoticed by Steven Oquist, an NFL special agent with a burning desire to catch the duo in action. The key to his success is Trevor Deale, the Stallions' quarterback, who begins to question the team's accomplishments. Honest and perceptive, the all-star finds himself in the middle of a scam so big it could permanently tarnish the NFL's reputation. Rivers's patient development of his zany characters gives this book bite, and his fly-on-the-wall narration lets the average football fan sneak a peek at the exotic, often racy, underbelly of the NFL. With Elmore Leonard–style gumshoe bravado and wicked plot twists, Rivers's novel sprints into the end zone. (Aug.)