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: |
Сегодня мы отправимся на виртуальную экскурсию в уникальные уголки природы России.
По теме “Изучение ООПТ России: парки, заповедники, водоемы”, нашел много полезного.
Ссылка ниже:
https://alloopt.ru
Что думаете о красоте природы России? Делитесь мнениями!
купить диплом в каменске-уральском купить диплом в каменске-уральском .
https://telegra.ph/Starlink-pi-kupit-10-14
successbridge – Clean design, useful content — not just fluff, really helpful.
successbridge – Clean design, useful content — not just fluff, really helpful.
где купить диплом колледжа где купить диплом колледжа .
getthedeal – Prices are super low, I shared this with friends.
getthedeal – I always check this site first for great discounts.
где купить диплом техникума будьте где купить диплом техникума будьте .
Dogal guzellik ve cilt bak?m?nda uzmanlar?n s?rlar?na yak?ndan bak?yoruz.
Bu arada, eger Moda ve Konforun Zirvesi: Trendler ve Ipuclar? ile ilgileniyorsan?z, buraya goz at?n.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://sadesik.com
Guzelliginizin ve sagl?g?n?z?n anahtar? dogru cilt bak?m?nda sakl?.
Cilt bak?m?n?z? bir ust seviyeye c?karman?n zaman? geldi, siz ne dersiniz?
Modern Mobilya Trendleri ve Dekorasyon Ipuclar? hakk?ndaki yaz? ozellikle hosuma gitti.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://evimtarzi.com
Cildinizin dogall?g?n? ve sagl?g?n? korumak sizin elinizde.
Register at glory casino app download for android and receive bonuses on your first deposit on online casino games and slots right now!
Cilt bak?m?na dair dogal guzellik s?rlar?n? ogrenmeye haz?r m?s?n?z?
“Moda ve Stil Rehberi: En Yeni Trendler ve Kombinler” konusuyla ilgili olarak cok faydal? bilgiler buldum.
Burada okuyabilirsiniz:
https://modaruhu.com
Dogal guzelliginizi koruyun ve her zaman en iyi versiyonunuz olun.
Dogal ve etkili cilt bak?m yontemlerine dair tuyolar? kesfedin.
Modern Moda: Zarafet ve Stil Ipuclar? hakk?ndaki yaz? ozellikle hosuma gitti.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://modaevreni.com
Sagl?kl? ve dogal bir cilt icin duzenli bak?m sart.
The Minotaurus presale DAO empowers. Token’s vesting prevents chaos. Adventures immersive.
minotaurus presale
Hi there would you mind letting me know which webhost you’re working with?
I’ve loaded your blog in 3 different internet browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot quicker then most.
Can you recommend a good hosting provider at a fair
price? Many thanks, I appreciate it!
Dogal ve etkili cilt bak?m yontemlerine dair tuyolar? kesfedin.
Turk Mutfag?n?n Unutulmaz Lezzet Hikayeleri hakk?ndaki yaz? ozellikle hosuma gitti.
Kendiniz bak?n:
https://turksofrasi.com
Cildinizin dogall?g?n? ve sagl?g?n? korumak sizin elinizde.
Gelecegin cilt bak?m? ve makyaj trendlerinin izinde olal?m!
Yeri gelmisken, eger Ask ve Tutku ile Mutfak Tarifleri Kesfi ile ilgileniyorsan?z, buraya goz at?n.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://yemekruhu.com
Trendlere ayak uydurun ve cevrenizde fark yarat?n.
Gelecegin cilt bak?m? ve makyaj trendlerinin izinde olal?m!
Moda ve Stil: Yeni Baslang?c icin Ipuclar? hakk?ndaki yaz? dikkatimi cekti.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://siktarz.com
Trendlere ayak uydurun ve cevrenizde fark yarat?n.
linebet app bangladesh download
successbridge – I like the balance between inspiration and actionable steps here.
getthedeal – Simple checkout process, I grabbed some products in minutes now.
https://maverick-studio.es/render-mobiliario-cuarto-bano/
https://chefenutri.com.br/alimentos-que-fornecem-mais-energia-para-a-rotina/
Yeniliklere ac?k ve her daim cekici gorunmek isteyenler icin tuyolar.
Yeri gelmisken, eger Ask ve Tutku ile Mutfak Tarifleri Kesfi ile ilgileniyorsan?z, buraya goz at?n.
Burada okuyabilirsiniz:
https://yemekruhu.com
Kendinize en uygun guzellik rehberini bulun ve yeni baslang?clar yap?n.
leadersunitedgroup – Feels like a community, not just a site, very welcoming tone.
leadersunitedgroup – I’m learning new things here, good for growth and mindset.
Создать идеальный водоем проще, чем кажется: «Твой Пруд» собрал топ оборудование в одном месте. В каталоге найдутся решения для мини пруда и солидного водопада, с ясными характеристиками и комплектами. Перейдите на https://tvoyprud.ru — выбирайте оборудование по объему, форме и бюджету. Команда подскажет совместимость и производительность систем, чтобы вода была кристально чистой весь сезон.
Guzellik dunyas?nda neler olup bittigini merak edenler icin ozel bir derleme haz?rlad?k.
Fonksiyon ve Estetik: Mobilya ve Dekorasyon Onerileri hakk?ndaki bolum ozellikle hosuma gitti.
Kendiniz bak?n:
https://dogalyasammobilya.com
Guzellik dunyas?nda kesfe c?kan herkese sonsuz basar?lar.
рейтинг автосервисов в Москве по ремонту дизельных двигателей http://www.dzen.ru/a/ao5jcsrfueyawtpn .
Gelecegin cilt bak?m? ve makyaj trendlerinin izinde olal?m!
“Fonksiyonel ve Estetik Mobilya Cozumleri” konusuyla ilgili olarak harika bir makale var.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://icmekanturk.com
Kendinize en uygun guzellik rehberini bulun ve yeni baslang?clar yap?n.
Register at glory casino app download apk and receive bonuses on your first deposit on online casino games and slots right now!
connectinnovationhub – I bookmarked it, looks like a resource worth revisiting regularly.
connectinnovationhub – Content is helpful and practical, not just theory — much appreciated.
winmore – I’ll be returning often, I sense good value in topics.
winmore – I’ll be returning often, I sense good value in topics.
I’m not that much of a online reader to be honest but your blogs really nice,
keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site
to come back later. All the best
findsomethingnew – Tone is friendly and casual, makes reading comfortable.
findsomethingnew – Tone is friendly and casual, makes reading comfortable.
pagepilot.click – I like how easy it is to find everything, intuitive menus.
trafficcraft.click – Navigation is clean and logical, made things easy to find.
https://www.sibc.nd.edu/post/janne-fuss
keywordfuel.click – Color palette is subtle and soothing, doesn’t strain my eyes.
sitepilot.click – Found some useful pages already, excited to explore deeper.
Guzellik dunyas?nda neler olup bittigini merak edenler icin ozel bir derleme haz?rlad?k.
Yeri gelmisken, eger Guzellik ve Kozmetik: Ipuclar? ve Trendler ile ilgileniyorsan?z, buraya goz at?n.
Kendiniz bak?n:
https://guzellikturk.com
Trendlere ayak uydurun ve cevrenizde fark yarat?n.
netvortex.click – The visual design feels deliberate, lots of attention to spacing.
Gelecegin cilt bak?m? ve makyaj trendlerinin izinde olal?m!
Moda ve Stil: Yeni Baslang?c icin Ipuclar? hakk?ndaki yaz? ozellikle hosuma gitti.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://siktarz.com
Kendinize en uygun guzellik rehberini bulun ve yeni baslang?clar yap?n.
https://telegra.ph/Dji-mini-1-kupit-10-13-4
futuregoalsnetwork – Every page gives insight, I always walk away learning something.
Cilt bak?m?na dair dogal guzellik s?rlar?n? ogrenmeye haz?r m?s?n?z?
Bu arada, eger Cilt Bak?m? ve Dogal Guzellik S?rlar? ile ilgileniyorsan?z, buraya bir bak?n.
Iste, linki paylas?yorum:
https://turkbakimi.com
Sagl?kl? ve dogal bir cilt icin duzenli bak?m sart.