Browse: Home / 2010 / April / 19 / Taxed to Death (Book Review), Debra Purdy Kong

Taxed to Death (Book Review), Debra Purdy Kong

By on April 19, 2010

Taxed to Death
Debra Purdy Kong
Mystery/Suspense
[rating: 3/5]
Available in:
• Mobi/Kindle
• ePub/iPad
• PDF
• HTML
… from…
• Amazon
• MobiPocket
• AllRomanceEbooks
• OmniLit
Also in paperback

When Revenue Canada auditor Alex Bellamy discovers that $150,000 is missing from Ice Craft Jewelers inventory, someone from Special Investigations suddenly takes him off the case. But Alex decides to keep investigating anyhow, and before he knows it, his best friend is dead—suicide, if you can believe it. Moreover, someone is chasing Alex himself, and he must turn to Jillian Scott, a woman he’s never met and who is as afraid of him as he is of being caught. Soon, her fears and his search embroil them in a bizarre and disturbing nightmare.

I read Taxed to Death as part of a review-exchange on GoodReads: I read someone’s book, and someone else reviews one of mine. To that end, and short of cash, I purchased a copy of Debra Purdy Kong’s Taxed to Death on the used market. This is the first in the Alex Bellamy series, the second being her more recent release, Fatal Encryption. But I couldn’t find a used copy of the more recent title, and I thought it would probably be best to start with the first in the series, anyhow.

The book started by throwing names and facts at me, as many mysteries do. Unfortunately—maybe because I’m dense—I didn’t get what was happening until later in the story. The story is billed as a mystery, but in some ways, it reads more like a suspense novel… except that I didn’t understand the characters, at all. In fact, the major viewpoint character, Les Silby, who gets the most screen-time, he’s one of the suspects. Him I got, at least as much as I could without knowing his full role until the end. Alex and Jillian, the hero and heroine of the story, I had no idea why they did most of the things they did.

As a side-effect, because the story can’t give away the ending, it frequently gave me a partial view, blanking out obvious things that the viewpoint character could see and was thinking about. Now, I’m not an expert in the mystery genre. As I recall, the mysteries I’ve read have achieved this effect simply by staying in the mind of the detective. Suspense novels, not so much, but in a suspense, it’s more important to maintain the tension between hero and villain, rather than to keep secret who the villain is. I’m not sure I liked the effect in Taxed to Death.

The story did get better near the end, as the situation became clear and the forces of evil began to close around our heroes. Even so, I never understood why Alex and Jillian did most of what they did, or felt what they felt, or thought what they were thinking. This is extremely important to me, because rich, three-dimensional characters are key to a good story. And these characters just fell flat.

This story is also missing a theme, as far as I can tell. I had originally expected something like: financial fraud is about more than money. (And that could be the theme of the story… maybe, kinda.) Or: we all pay when someone embezzles funds. (And I didn’t get that at all from this story.) Much less did I see an uplifting, character-based theme. It simply wasn’t that kind of book.

After all of that, I do hope to read the next book in the series Fatal Encryption. Why? Well, Taxed to Death is Debra Purdy Kong’s first book, published 15 years ago. That means that Debra probably put more into it than any other story she’s written, but also that it reflects her inexperience as an novelist. I’m hoping that Fatal Encryption, which came out just a couple years ago, gave her a chance to address some of the storytelling issues I noticed in Taxed to Death. Most importantly, I’m hoping she has gotten better at characterizing her characters, and I really want to get to know Alex Bellamy.

-TimK

Taxed to Death
Debra Purdy Kong
Mystery/Suspense
[rating: 3/5]

Available in:
• Mobi/Kindle
• ePub/iPad
• PDF
• HTML
… from…
• Amazon
• MobiPocket
• AllRomanceEbooks
• OmniLit
Also in paperback

Posted in , , | Tagged , , , , | 500,141 Responses

500,141 responses to “Taxed to Death (Book Review), Debra Purdy Kong”

  1. Petermor
    Petermor June 20, 2026 at 4:29 am |

    перейдите на этот сайт сайт трипскан

  2. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:30 am |

    смотреть здесь tripscan вход

  3. Petermor
    Petermor June 20, 2026 at 4:30 am |

    на этом сайте сайт трип скан

  4. Edwardgaicy
    Edwardgaicy June 20, 2026 at 4:31 am |

    Если есть какие -то вопросы по компенсациям вложенным, тоже пишите мне в Skype: chemical-mix.com и ICQ: 974-859, все решим купить мефедрон

  5. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:31 am |

    узнать больше трипскан сайт вход

  6. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:33 am |

    Источник трипскан официальный сайт

  7. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:34 am |

    читать сайт трипскан

  8. mejdynarodnie plateji_fxMr
    mejdynarodnie plateji_fxMr June 20, 2026 at 4:34 am |

    Кстати, недавно наткнулся на обсуждение актуальной темы. Сам уже не первый месяц ищу нормальный способ провести транзакцию, без лишних проблем и комиссий. В общем, если вас тоже затрагивают эти вопросы — ознакомьтесь тут. Детальный разбор ситуации по переводу за границу онлайн: перевод платежей за границу перевод платежей за границу И да, обратите внимание, что без адекватных тарифов любые международные платежи превращаются в лотерею. Ещё такой момент — стоит сравнивать несколько вариантов, прежде чем отправлять.

  9. Petermor
    Petermor June 20, 2026 at 4:35 am |

    продолжить tripscan сайт

  10. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:35 am |

    узнать трипскан официальный сайт

  11. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:36 am |

    Главная трипскан сайт вход

  12. Petermor
    Petermor June 20, 2026 at 4:36 am |

    на этом сайте трип скан вход

  13. LarryEmaLf
    LarryEmaLf June 20, 2026 at 4:36 am |

    В Балашихе выездной формат удобен для семьи, если близкого нельзя быстро доставить в клинику или состояние пациента ухудшается на фоне длительного запоя. Дом становится местом первичной стабилизации, когда врач видит, что капельница, вывод из запоя, консультация, снятие интоксикации и дальнейшие рекомендации могут быть проведены безопасно. Если состояние тяжелое, нарколог объясняет, почему нужна госпитализация, стационар, дополнительные обследования и круглосуточный медицинский контроль.
    Выяснить больше – narkolog-kapelnica-na-dom

  14. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:37 am |

    зайти на сайт сайт трипскан

  15. Petermor
    Petermor June 20, 2026 at 4:37 am |

    страница tripscan зеркало

  16. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:37 am |

    узнать больше трипскан

  17. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:37 am |

    кликните сюда сайт трип скан

  18. Calebpitty
    Calebpitty June 20, 2026 at 4:38 am |

    Felt the writer respected the topic without being precious about it, and a look at djhocopo continued that respectful but unfussy treatment, finding the right register for serious topics is hard and this site has clearly figured out how to take the topic seriously while still being readable for casual visitors regularly.

  19. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:38 am |

    страница tripskan

  20. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:40 am |

    узнать tripskan

  21. Brentadurf
    Brentadurf June 20, 2026 at 4:40 am |

    подробнее tripscan сайт

  22. Davidnax
    Davidnax June 20, 2026 at 4:42 am |

    В статье рассматриваются различные стратегии борьбы с зависимостями, включая проверенные методы и реальные истории успеха. Читатель узнает, какие подходы наиболее эффективны и как начать путь к выздоровлению.
    Где можно узнать подробнее? – срочно врач нарколог на дом

  23. Petermor
    Petermor June 20, 2026 at 4:43 am |

    посмотреть на этом сайте tripscan сайт

  24. Larrymaf
    Larrymaf June 20, 2026 at 4:43 am |

    https://pharmrate.monster/# prescriptions from mexico

  25. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:43 am |

    подробнее tripscan сайт

  26. Shermanmub
    Shermanmub June 20, 2026 at 4:43 am |

    Bookmarked the page and the homepage too because clearly there is more to explore here, and a quick stop at zh-movies only made that more obvious, this is the kind of place I want to dig through over a weekend rather than rushing through during a coffee break tomorrow morning before getting back to work.

  27. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:44 am |

    Источник трипскан ссылка

  28. Calvinfub
    Calvinfub June 20, 2026 at 4:44 am |

    Villa for Sale in Sharjah open real estate company in dubaismall business in uaedubai apartment for rent marina

  29. Robinjek
    Robinjek June 20, 2026 at 4:45 am |

    Decided to write a short note to the author if there is contact info anywhere, and a stop at myzb79 extended that intention, the urge to thank the writer directly is a strong signal of content quality and this site has triggered that urge in me today which is a fairly rare event for my reading.

  30. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:45 am |

    Главная сайт трипскан

  31. Petermor
    Petermor June 20, 2026 at 4:46 am |

    проверить сайт tripskan

  32. fixvaf
    fixvaf June 20, 2026 at 4:46 am |

    Особенно понравился раздел про Обзор актуальных событий Архангельской области: новости, культура и туризм.

    Вот, можете почитать:

    https://29media.ru

  33. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:46 am |

    Продолжение tripscan сайт

  34. mostbet_wgoa
    mostbet_wgoa June 20, 2026 at 4:46 am |

    mostbet azərbaycanca dəstək mostbet azərbaycanca dəstək

  35. mejdynarodnie plateji_eeMr
    mejdynarodnie plateji_eeMr June 20, 2026 at 4:47 am |

    Кстати, недавно наткнулся на обсуждение реальных кейсов. Сам уже давно ищу нормальный способ отправить деньги, без лишних проблем и комиссий. В общем, если вас тоже интересуют детали — узнайте подробности тут. Там расписаны основные нюансы по платежам за рубежом: платежи за границу https://mezhdunarodnye-platezhi-lor.ru Короче, учтите, что без нормального обменного курса любые трансграничные переводы превращаются в головную боль. Ещё такой момент — стоит сравнивать несколько площадок, прежде чем платить.

  36. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:48 am |

    перейдите на этот сайт трип скан

  37. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:48 am |

    найти это трипскан

  38. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:49 am |

    подробнее tripscan

  39. Calvinfub
    Calvinfub June 20, 2026 at 4:49 am |

    3 Bedroom Apartments For Sale In Dubai studio for rent in al nahda dubai monthlyreal estate dubai dld permitsFuture living report 2025

  40. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:50 am |

    смотреть здесь трип скан официальный

  41. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:50 am |

    опубликовано здесь трип скан официальный

  42. Petermor
    Petermor June 20, 2026 at 4:50 am |

    содержание tripscan официальный

  43. TimothySeige
    TimothySeige June 20, 2026 at 4:51 am |

    “geri donusum ornekleri basit” konusu icin burada harika bilgiler var. Suradan okuyabilirsiniz: https://evhobisi.com/articles/geri-donusum-projeleri-ornekleri/

  44. Edwardgaicy
    Edwardgaicy June 20, 2026 at 4:53 am |

    Хороший магазин купить мефедрон

  45. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:54 am |

    Следующая страница трипскан ссылка

  46. TimothySeige
    TimothySeige June 20, 2026 at 4:55 am |

    karanl?k banyoda yetisen bitkiler hakk?ndaki bolumu cok sevdim. Iste link: https://kendihobim.com/articles/karanlik-banyoda-yetisen-bitkiler/

  47. DanielMesia
    DanielMesia June 20, 2026 at 4:55 am |

    MobCash is the official platform for 1xBet agent operations, including withdrawals and balance management mobcash 1xbet agent apk

  48. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:56 am |

    Читать далее сайт трип скан

  49. Petermor
    Petermor June 20, 2026 at 4:56 am |

    здесь tripscan

  50. RussellFex
    RussellFex June 20, 2026 at 4:56 am |

    перейдите на этот сайт трипскан ссылка

1 … 9,999 10,000 10,001 10,002 10,003

Leave a Reply