All's Fair

Fire-Frost International #1

by Tim Campbell

All's Fair is the story of Ben Coulter, a thirty-something drama professor dealing with the death of his wife. Although ruled accidental, Ben is convinced that her death was suicide provoked by the theft of her business by Taylor Duckworth, a ruthless businessman who operates at the edge of the law. With the help of Allison Merryweather, whose family's business was stolen by the same thief, the professor puts his theatrical skills to work with a con of his own to get even with the crook. Allison uses Duckworth's penchant for seducing young women, to set up the con. She becomes the old lecher's social companion, playing his kinky games. During a yacht trip to Bermuda with Duckworth, a major unexpected element converts the con game into a desperate race against time. Drug smuggling pirates board Duckworth's yacht. He offers them enormous sums of money to spare his life. They agree, but take Allison as collateral, thinking that she is his young wife. Duckworth has a week to get the cash together. Now it's up to Ben Coulter and his best friend, Curt Donovan, to find Allison and save her life.

376 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

The absolute last thing in the world I would ever choose to write is my own biography. But as is often the case, life requires us on occasion to do things we don’t particularly relish. In the spring of 2003, I was asked to write a brief personal “portrait” in the third person, for the back cover of my first novel. I cannot imagine anything more pompous or arrogant than talking about myself in the third person. But, given the task, I supplied the effort and something was generated. I won’t comment on the quality of the work. Then lo and behold, I’m now given a second opportunity, in far too brief a time span, to do it again. But this one might be more fun. At least, I can make it more conversational. And the one thing I have always been able to do is converse! That said, here goes.
Recently, I participated in a seminar intended to foster co-worker relations. In the name of political correctness, we were asked to “celebrate the differences” in our cultures. I was most impressed with one of the presenters who suggested our time would be best spent by looking for the similarities. Toward that end, he asked us to describe ourselves using a simple list of nouns. It was more difficult than I would have thought, but interestingly, it does help me in this situation. In no particular order, I am a man, an American, a father, brother, son, grandson, son-in-law, friend, teacher, co-worker, writer, pilot, veteran, cook, husband, chief financial officer, senior citizen and the list goes on. What was nice about the process was that it gave me reason to really consider all the things I can claim to be. And even now, much later, my list continues to grow. You should try it; you’ll be surprised.
I've heard it said that “true writers” constantly create stories about the strangers around them. Well, if that’s all it takes, I’ve made the cut. I certainly love people watching and I manufacture backgrounds and stories about them as well.
Armed with a BA from Lynchburg College in Virginia and an MS from James Madison University and most of a PhD done at Virginia Commonwealth University, I've done all kinds of work, like sales, private practice as a financial consultant, broadcasting, publishing, teaching, and for most of twenty years, as the financial officer of an organization in the health care industry before retiring from that foolishness to pursue the only career I ever really wanted, as a novelist. And my greatest professional pleasure comes from writing. I’ve been published occasionally in magazines and other periodicals over the past two decades, but my passion is writing novels. In addition to All's Fair, I have completed a sequel, What Goes Around, which was released early in 2011. More recently were the releases of Mourning Melody in 2016 and a collection of short fictions in 2017 titled Natural Order of Things. There are no less than twenty-nine manuscripts in various stages of "construction" to follow those.
The greatest pride I have though is in the small assistance I’ve had the pleasure to offer in helping my son and daughter begin writing their stories. My daughter is a graduate of UNC-Wilmington, completed her MA at Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Communications in film and a Juris Doctorate at Southwestern Law in LA. My son has completed a Ph.D. and is a college professor. Both are fine young members of society and a huge credit to what young folks can accomplish.
When I consider life overall, I must quote that old Eagle, Joe Walsh, whose most famous line is probably “life’s been good to me.” It’s certainly true in my case. Not that I wouldn’t change several dozen, make that several hundred things, if I were somehow given the opportunity! I guess all I can really do is make amends over the next fifty years to make up for the last fifty. It’s okay though, I love a challenge!

Reviews

[wally · Rating 3 out of 5]

1st from campbell for me...kindle, not the paperback.

i'm at the 37%-mark...started earlier today, the 5th of jan...ummm, what was i going to say?...oh yeah, i picked this up...saw it on facebook...one of those things, free...looked like it might could hold some promise...so...i downloaded it.

so...all's fair, 2003
no dedication that i saw...story opens:

the cavernous hallway was like an echo chamber. its terrazzo floor and dark paneled walls did little to absorb any of the cacophony of sounds generated by women's heels, doors opening and closing and the hushed conversations of passers-by. but all of this was lost to the man slouched on the balloon-backed wooden bench just outside the brunswick county coroner's offer. his entire attention was absorbed with reading the final coroner's report concerning the death of amy coulter.

time/place...scene/setting
*one date used, 23 feb 91...from that time onward
*place...the carolinas, mostly,

characters
*ben coulter, iraq-vet, ass't professor/theatre or close, wife died in a car accident while he was in iraq
*ann coulter, his wife, dead, for over three months

update, finished, 6 jan 13, sunday evening, 6:55 p.m. e.s.t.
an okay story...at times a bit plodding, all this detail about business and so forth, all to ensnare another man, modern justice...when the media isn't available to lynch another on cnn, cbs, nbc, abc, media matters and so forth.

initially, i had thoughts that this too is another that i could liken to cheese-cloth...an analogy i've made for many of dean koontz's early stories, so all-in-all, not a terrible thing...but when a story is cheesecloth, it fails to keep one warm at night...there's fabric there, but it is thin.

story set in the carolinas...and...having recently read Look Homeward, Angel that is also located there, albeit, in a time period one hundred years earlier...the fabric difference is noticeable. in this story...yes, we have scenes...we have settings...the characters are located therein...

...but i didn't get a sense of...others...i got a sense of a bare set, low-budget, and as i read i was trying to put the ole finger on it...what is it about this story? i wondered?...

then...about mid-way, there's a change-up pitch...pirates...

i dunno...i think the whole thing, this "frontier justice" thing didn't sit well with me...there's so much of that happening here. the "good" guys also display their warts, say at the airport, sending that one guy on a wild goose chase simply to...what? don quixote would be appalled.

and it's not quite like, well, these are the proverbial "anti-heroes"...oh no, these are the good guys, white, ten-gallon hats...connections public and private, the whole shebang.

what else? yeah, sure, one puts one eye to the scope, but the way it is worded here, a black-eye would result. i suspect one could find a number of pics on-line--u-tube perhaps...facebook...perhaps something has gone viral, may it do ya fine...but that is part of the frontier-justice element that didn't sit well...meh...

some nice writing, sure...also some big chunks where the will-suspension needed to sit in the back seat and be quiet...stop asking what time we're going to get there...we'll get there when we get there....

like? well, orville reddenbacher running off to his "home" at the end...not sure i bought that hook line sinker...that sharpshooter event at the beginning...the scope, the tire...ummm, others? well, yeah, like what happened with...simon was it? where'd he go?

[L8blmr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was impressed by this author's attention to detail and his ability to tell a riveting story. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen next, the tale took another turn until the pieces all fit together for a most satisfying conclusion.

The Epilogue, however, is another matter. Not only a true stunner, but the set-up for a sequel, if I'm not mistaken!

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

It kept me interested to see what was going to happen next and I was very happy when the tables were turned against the badguys. The ending did make me wonder if it was setting us up for a follow up, which did turn out to be true. Can't leave us hanging for too long!

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, keeps you moving through the story. I enjoyed the relationships between the characters.