Run Into Trouble

Look For Run Into Trouble at Amazon

But how may this be true, you ask? If you do the ethical thing, which a hot topic, you ought to be clear of any trouble, right? Not necessarily.

First of all, we have to look at what is meant by “ethics”. This is a word we all use and believe we understand. But, are we all on the same page? Not having a clear conception may get you into trouble. Take just a few moments to think of your definition of “ethics”. Some of you are thinking that it’s doing the right thing; others are saying that it’s doing the moral thing, treating others as you would like to be treated. Still others are thinking regarding staying within the boundaries set up beneath the law. Who’s right? Actually, with these few definitions, no one is.

Morals, ethics and the law are three discerned conceptions that once in a while overlap. Sometimes the moral thing to do is also ethical and legal. Sometimes we find what is legal not to be moral or ethical. You may also feel what is considered ethical to be immoral. In order to wade through these concepts, let’s take a look at them individually.

The law states the minimum society demands from it is citizens. What is legal may be considered to be unethical or immoral by some. And laws may change based on public pressure.

Morals are a scheme of principles upon which conclusions may be based. There are two sides of a moral issue, Right and Wrong. These values are instilled in us starting from childhood and are based on feelings. This explains why personal moral codes vary from person to person. When it comes to moral issues, galore of us have a difficult time explaining why we feel a sure way with regards to a topic. Unless we write in a diary on a regular basis or go to a therapist once a week, most people find it closely out of the question to explain what they are feeling.

Ethics is based on morals but follow written standards. When it comes to making an ethical decision, a good deal of are Right vs. Wrong and that’s where they will often overlap with moral decisions. The other type of ethical decision is Right vs. Right (As produced by Dr. Rushworth Kidder.) This is when you utilise an intellectual procedure to determine the best outcome to a situation. Often times, there will be multiple outcomes from which to choose, none of which are wrong. This routine is not based on feelings, but based on weighing the choices and coming up with a defendable reason why you chose path A over paths B and C.

Employees each have their own personal moral codes, but are required to follow the same set of ethical standards as outlined in the company’s Code of Ethics. For this reason, it is essential to read and grasp your company’s code of ethics. When, not if, you are faced with making an ethical decision with multiple right outcomes, how do you know which path to choose? You need to recognise what your company expects of you. You may make a right decision, but not have followed the path your company wants you to. This may be cause for your termination. Again, read your company’s code of ethics.

Awards:

–Silver Quill Award from the American Authors Association
–Named Best Pacific West book by Reader Views

Drake and Melody are teamed up to run a race along the California Coast for a prize of a million dollars-in 1969 when a million is worth something. Neither knows the other is in the race before it starts. They once did undercover work together in England, but this selective information is supposed to be top secret. The race sponsor, Giganticorp, is a big and very profitable government military contractor, whose ambitious CEO, Casey Messinger, is connected to the powerful in Washington, which will have to give him access to classified information.

The nine other pairs of runners entered in the race are world-class marathoners, including a winner of the Boston Marathon. If this contest isn’t enough, somebody tries to knock Drake out of the race before it begins. But Drake and Melody also receive threats calculated to keep them from dropping out. The stakes increase when startling events develop fatalities and affect the race, leading them to ask whether the Cold War with the USSR is with regards to to heat up. If so, is it safer to line up with the hawks or the doves-because a wrong choice may mean giving up valuable freedom for questionable security.

With their former training and their own contacts in Washington, Drake and Melody are in the best position to figure out whether respective events are connected and who is behind them. Their other challenge is to keep themselves in good physical condition to be competent to compete for the prize cash while running through the spectacular scenery of the California coast from the Mexican border to San Francisco.

ReviewRunning and fiction don’t oftentimes mix well, quintessentially because few authors…have been competent to capture the authentic subtle differences in meaning or opinion or attitude of training and racing. But author Alan Cook has pulled it off with Run into Trouble…
–Peter Rosato, Running Times Magazine

The plot is most unusual–a adventure story set in a race from the San Diego coast…to San Francisco. Woven in amidst the action and intrigue are wondrous described settings of the California coast.
–Marilyn Meredith, American Author’s Association

Alan Cook is a fantasti writer and presents his characters in a way that readers may connect with them from page one.
–Carol Hoyer, Reader Views

I actually like books by this author. This is another outstanding one. The characters are interesting, and the plot is well laid out.
–Dawn Dowdle (see finish review below)

From the AuthorMy mysteries don’t commonly star crime fighting professionals. The protagonist is everyman–or woman–thrown into a circumstance new to him or her, involving suspense, and many times murder. They will have to rely on their wits and newfound courage to put their shattered worlds back together. The partial exception to the novice theme is Run into Trouble, in which Drake and Melody are former undercover operatives.

I use both male and female protagonists, and in a heap of cases, a combination. Following is a one-liner with regards to the sex of the protagonist(s) and theme in each of my mysteries:

Forget to Remember–female–amnesia mystery. Facing the world as a non-person.
Run into Trouble–couple–the Cold War turns hot on the California coast.
Honeymoon for Three–couple–honeymooners with a stalker.
The Hayloft–male–murder in high school in the fifties.
Hotline to Murder–couple–murder on a crisis hotline.
Aces and Knaves–male–murder in San Francisco.
Catch a Falling Knife–female–sexual harassment and murder in college.
Thirteen Diamonds–female–murder in a retirement community.

Series? Gary Blanchard is featured as the protagonist in The Hayloft, and ten years later, in Honeymoon for Three. Lillian Morgan, a retired math professor, is the protagonist in Thirteen Diamonds and Catch a Falling Knife.

About the AuthorAlan Cook’s mystery novels have received a number of awards. Honeymoon for Three and Run into Trouble have won Silver Quill awards from the American Author’s Association. Honeymoon for Three was named best Mountain West book by Reader Views while Run into Trouble was named best Pacific West book by Reader Views. Alan’s nonfiction Walking the World: Memories and Adventures was named One of the Top Ten Walking Memoirs and Tales of Long Walks by walking.about.com.

Most helpful customer reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful.
A fine mystery that genre fans will enjoy
By Midwest Book Review
How can so much balance on a race through the California coastline? “Run Into Trouble” follows the pair of Drake and Melody as they deal with an undercover mission for a questionable company during the cold war. It is 1969, and a race through California is about to be run with the prize of a million dollars. In what seems to be a harmless sporting event, Drake and Melody uncover something far more sinister. A fine mystery that genre fans will enjoy, “Run Into Trouble” is highly recommended.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
California, racing, and murder
By Dawn Dowdle
Oliver Drake and Melody Jefferson are paired up as a team in the race Running California. It begins near the Mexican border and continues up the California coast. Strange they would be paired together since they were spies together in Europe. No one should know. Do they?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
Run For Your Life
By Ted Feit
The year is 1969, the Vietnam War is in full blast and a large, privately held California defense contractor offers a million-dollar prize to a group of runners to traverse the state from the Mexican border to San Francisco. Among the runners are Drake and Melody, paired as a team. They, many years before, had worked as some kind of government agents in England.

See all 5 customer reviews…