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 |
Available in: |
Liked the post enough to read it twice and the second read found new things, and a stop at heronhilt similarly rewarded the second look, content with hidden depths that only reveal themselves on careful rereading is the rare kind that earns lasting respect rather than fleeting first impressions only briefly held.
mostbet giriş yap – mostbet mobile app, mostbet – casä°no cashback
mostbet giriş türkiye – mostbet app apk download, mostbet türkiye yasal mi
mostbet app download for android – mostbet – casä°no cashback, mostbet casino kayıt
mostbet cashback nasıl kullanılır – mostbet tr giriş, mostbet türkiye yasal mı
Нарколог на дом в Казани — это возможность получить медицинского специалиста без посещения клиники, когда человеку нужна помощь при запое, интоксикации, тяжелом похмелья, абстинентном синдроме, употребления алкоголя или наркотиков. Врач приезжает на дом, проводит осмотр пациента, оценивает симптомы, подбирает препараты и дает рекомендации по дальнейшему лечению.
Подробнее – нарколог на дом срочно в казани
Новый профессиональный старт не должно пугать. Именно здесь наш сайт помогает: вы смотрите карьерные возможности в России, отсортированные по отрасли и уровню опыта, и откликайтесь на столько вакансий, сколько хотите, в любое удобное время.
mostbet türkiye yasal mi – download mostbet app, mostbet türkiye yasal mı
mostbet mobile app – mostbet cashback, code promo mostbet
Hits different when you unlock our casino games at midnight https://evakuator24-7.kz/
mostbet promo code no deposit – mostbet app, mostbet mobile app
jodilo.com
Москвичи отзовитесь Нужно сдвинуть санузел А тут оказывается бумажек этих Я уже намучился Короче, нормальные ребята которые делают всё под ключ — узаконивание перепланировки в Мосжилинспекции И согласуют без проблем В общем, жмите чтобы не потерять — согласование перепланировки согласование перепланировки Не тяните Перешлите тому кто затеял ремонт
mostbet kayıt bonusu – mostbet app download for android, mostbet app download for android
mostbet türkiye yasal mi – mostbet giriş, mostbet promo-code
mostbet online app – mostbet türkiye girişi, mostbet türkiye güncel giriş
A thoughtful read in a week that has been mostly noisy, and a look at havenfoam carried that thoughtful quality across more pages, finding pockets of considered writing in a week of distractions is one of the small wins of careful curation and this site is providing those pockets at a sustainable rate.
mostbet casino promo code – mostbet casino promo code, mostbet app
mostbet türkiye girişi – mostbet giriş, mostbet promo code
mostbet türkiye indir – mostbet resmi web sitesi kayıt, download mostbet app
Are youth tournaments included? Criminally underrated.
mostbet casino kayıt – mostbet casino promo code, mostbet türkiye indir
Mobil bahis için doğru apk dosyasını bulmak epey zordu valla. Play Store’da resmi uygulamayı bulamayınca çok hayal kırıklığı yaşadım. Adımları doğru sırayla uyguladıktan sonra erişim sorunsuz açıldı. En sonunda sağlam bir adrese ulaştım ve size de tüm detayları aktarmak istedim, güncel bilgilere buradan bakabilirsiniz: 1xbet app android 1xbet app android. Yani anlatmak istediğim şu — mobil versiyonu her şeyi thinkmüş resmen.
kurulumu da oldukça basit ve anlaşılırdı yani rahat olun. Birçok apk denedim ama en başarılısı bu çıktı — başka yerde vakit kaybetmeyin yani. Şimdiden iyi şanslar ve bol kazançlar…
mostbet – casä°no cashback – mostbet türkiye giriş, mostbet türkiye yasal mi
Definitely returning here, that is decided, and a look at claritydrive only made the case stronger, this is one of those rare websites that rewards regular visits rather than feeling stale after the first read which is something I cannot say about most of the places I bookmark today across all my topics.
mostbet – casä°no cashback – mostbet kayıt, mostbet app apk download
Le gГ©nГ©rique de Viagra: Viagra sans ordonnance 24h Amazon – Viagra gГ©nГ©rique pas cher livraison rapide
Found this useful, the points line up well with what I have been thinking about lately, and a stop at tarmacstork added some angles I had not considered yet, definitely walking away with more than I came for which is the best outcome from time spent reading online for any kind of topic.
888starz casino login https://888-uz4.com/
Мы рассмотрим современные вызовы здравоохранения и пути их решения с помощью технологий и научных исследований. В статье собраны данные о новых лекарствах, методах диагностики и системном подходе к улучшению здоровья населения.
Погрузиться в научную дискуссию – наркология москва круглосуточно
Шикарный букет из 101 розы — классика, которая никогда не выйдет из моды. У нас вы найдете розы 50см, 60см, 70см и даже метровые варианты. Каждая 101 роза тщательно отбирается флористами перед отправкой. Закажите срочную доставку по Новосибирску и получите фото букета перед вручением
Узнать подробнее: https://101-roza-novosibirsk.ru
101 роза розовая в Новосибирске
букет 101 роза
101 роза бесплатно
Спасибо!
A thoughtful read in a week that has been mostly noisy, and a look at gridivory carried that thoughtful quality across more pages, finding pockets of considered writing in a week of distractions is one of the small wins of careful curation and this site is providing those pockets at a sustainable rate.
Android telefonuma güvenle yükleyebileceğim bir uygulama arıyordum. Güvenilir bir kaynak bulmak gerçekten çileydi. Güncel bilgileri kontrol edip süreci hatasız başlattım. En sonunda sağlam bir adrese ulaştım ve size de tüm detayları aktarmak istedim, güncel bilgilere buradan bakabilirsiniz: 1xbet yukle android 1xbet yukle android. Yani anlatmak istediğim şu — mobil versiyonu her şeyi thinkmüş resmen.
kurulumu da oldukça basit ve anlaşılırdı yani rahat olun. Birçok apk denedim ama en başarılısı bu çıktı — başka yerde vakit kaybetmeyin yani. Umarım siz de memnun kalırsınız…
Эта публикация посвящена актуальным вопросам современной медицины и здравоохранения. Мы обсудим новейшие технологии диагностики и лечения, а также их влияние на продолжительность и качество жизни. Читатель найдет здесь информацию о научных исследованиях и перспективных разработках, доступно изложенную для широкой аудитории.
Практические советы ждут тебя – вывод из запоя на дому цена
mostbet promo code – mostbet casino giriş, mostbet türkiye güncel giriş
Liked the way the post got out of its own way, and a stop at dunemeadowcommercegallery extended that invisible craft, the best writing you barely notice while reading because it is doing its work without drawing attention to itself and this site has clearly mastered that disappearing act across the pieces I have read.
naydem-vam.ru
mostbet casino kayıt – mostbet giriş türkiye, mostbet app ios
Actually, I have to disagree slightly with the second point. In our testing, we found that over-optimization was less of a factor than pure engagement metrics. It’s interesting to see how different niches react differently.
mostbet türkiye yasal mi – mostbet app, mostbet cashback
download mostbet app – mostbet resmi web sitesi kayıt, mostbet türkiye indir
mostbet kayıt bonusu – mostbet online app, mostbet türkiye yasal mi
mostbet giriş yap – mostbet türkiye yasal mi, mostbet promo-code
mostbet türkiye yasal mi – mostbet türkiye indir, mostbet app download for android
mostbet kayıt bonusu – mostbet kayıt bonusu, mostbet türkiye indir
mostbet kayıt bonusu – mostbet giriş yap, mostbet promo-code
Now setting this aside as a model of how to write thoughtfully on the topic, and a stop at foamhull extended that model status, content that becomes a reference for how a kind of writing should be done is content with influence beyond its own readership and this site is reaching that level for me clearly today.
mostbet app download – mostbet cashback nasıl kullanılır, mostbet cashback nasıl kullanılır
Обзор посвящён процессу восстановления после зависимостей. Мы расскажем о различных этапах реабилитации, поддерживающих ресурсах и важности мотивации в достижении устойчивого выздоровления.
Погрузиться в детали – принудительное лечение от алкоголизма в спб
Hits different when you unlock our casino games at midnight https://cultan.anetization.kz/