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: |
clock radio with remote http://www.alarm-radio-clocks.com .
I don’t even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was once good.
I do not recognise who you are however definitely you
are going to a famous blogger in case you are not already.
Cheers!
купить диплом техникума ссср в челябинске купить диплом техникума ссср в челябинске .
Guzellik dunyas?nda neler olup bittigini merak edenler icin ozel bir derleme haz?rlad?k.
Ev Dekorasyonu ve Tasar?m Ipuclar? hakk?ndaki yaz? ozellikle hosuma gitti.
Kendiniz bak?n:
https://anadolustil.com
Guzellik yolculugunuzda ilham alman?z dilegiyle!
Fiquei impressionado com BETesporte Casino, oferece um prazer esportivo inigualavel. As opcoes sao amplas como um campo de jogo, oferecendo jogos de mesa dinamicos. 100% ate R$600 + apostas gratis. O acompanhamento e impecavel, acessivel a qualquer hora. Os ganhos chegam sem atraso, embora mais apostas gratis seriam incriveis. Resumindo, BETesporte Casino e uma plataforma que domina o gramado para jogadores em busca de emocao ! Alem disso o design e moderno e vibrante, facilita uma imersao total. Muito atrativo o programa VIP com niveis exclusivos, fortalece o senso de comunidade.
Explorar agora|
Guzellik s?rlar?n? ve trendlerin ard?ndaki detaylar? kesfetmeye haz?r olun.
Yeri gelmisken, eger Fonksiyonel ve Estetik Mobilya Cozumleri ile ilgileniyorsan?z, buraya bir bak?n.
Burada okuyabilirsiniz:
https://icmekanturk.com
Trendlere ayak uydurun ve cevrenizde fark yarat?n.
cialis generique: pharmacie en ligne sans ordonnance – Pharmacie sans ordonnance
https://odysee.com/@ghomrasughek
dailytrendstore – Found quality products at decent prices, happy with the selection.
Guzellik ve kozmetik konusunda en guncel ipuclar? ve trendler burada!
Eviniz Icin Zarif Mobilya ve Dekorasyon Onerileri hakk?ndaki bolum ozellikle hosuma gitti.
Kendiniz bak?n:
https://evimsicak.com
Guzellik dunyas?nda kesfe c?kan herkese sonsuz basar?lar.
seoignite.click – Already bookmarked the site—looks like a valuable resource to return to.
urbanstylehub – This site will definitely be on my list for future shopping trips.
Откройте для себя прекрасные и загадочные места, которые находятся под охраной в нашей стране.
Между прочим, если вас интересует Изучение ООПТ России: парки, заповедники, водоемы, посмотрите сюда.
Смотрите сами:
https://alloopt.ru
Что думаете о красоте природы России? Делитесь мнениями!
radio clock with cd player http://alarm-radio-clocks.com .
stereo clock radio alarm http://www.alarm-radio-clocks.com/ .
Ich bin vollig begeistert von Richard Casino, es bietet ein Casino-Abenteuer, das wie ein Thron funkelt. Die Auswahl im Casino ist ein wahres Kronungsjuwel, mit Casino-Spielen, die fur Kryptowahrungen optimiert sind. Das Casino-Team bietet Unterstutzung, die wie ein Zepter glanzt, liefert klare und schnelle Losungen. Auszahlungen im Casino sind schnell wie ein koniglicher Marsch, aber mehr Freispiele im Casino waren ein Kronungsmoment. Am Ende ist Richard Casino eine Casino-Erfahrung, die wie ein Kronungsjuwel glanzt fur Fans moderner Casino-Slots! Zusatzlich die Casino-Plattform hat einen Look, der wie ein Kronungsmantel glanzt, was jede Casino-Session noch prachtiger macht.
casino royale cast richard branson|
2023 y?l?na damgas?n? vuran guzellik ve kozmetik trendlerini sizler icin derledik.
Modern Modada Stil Ipuclar? ve Trendler hakk?ndaki yaz? dikkatimi cekti.
Burada okuyabilirsiniz:
https://modakasifi.com
Kendinize en uygun guzellik rehberini bulun ve yeni baslang?clar yap?n.
Estou completamente viciado em DazardBet Casino, da uma energia de cassino totalmente insana. O catalogo de jogos do cassino e colossal, incluindo jogos de mesa de cassino cheios de estilo. O suporte do cassino esta disponivel 24/7, com uma ajuda que e um show a parte. Os pagamentos do cassino sao suaves e seguros, as vezes queria mais promocoes de cassino que arrebentam. Ta na cara, DazardBet Casino garante uma diversao de cassino fora de serie para os amantes de cassinos online! De bonus a plataforma do cassino arrasa com um visual eletrizante, da um toque de classe ao cassino.
dazardbet casino|
best cd alarm clock radio http://www.alarm-radio-clocks.com .
best alarm clock cd player http://alarm-radio-clocks.com/ .
top clock radio https://alarm-radio-clocks.com/ .
winwithus.bond – Really useful content, helps me stay updated with trends fast.
best alarm clock radio with cd player http://www.alarm-radio-clocks.com .
winwithus.bond – Clean layout and smooth browsing, makes finding info simple.
stereo radio alarm clock https://alarm-radio-clocks.com/ .
growthnetworkgroup.cfd – Found valuable resources and insights that are helping my business.
top rated clock radio http://alarm-radio-clocks.com .
growthnetworkgroup.cfd – Found valuable resources and insights that are helping my business.
Dogal guzellik ve cilt bak?m?nda uzmanlar?n s?rlar?na yak?ndan bak?yoruz.
Guzellik ve Bak?m: Trendler ve Ipuclar? hakk?ndaki yaz? dikkate degerdi.
Burada okuyabilirsiniz:
https://ciltruhu.com
Cilt bak?m?n?n buyusu ile tan?s?n ve hayat?n?za kazand?r?n.
cd clock radio http://www.alarm-radio-clocks.com/ .
Cildinizi s?martmak icin haz?r olun!
Bu arada, eger Lezzetin Zirvesine C?karan SofraKeyfi Hikayeleri ile ilgileniyorsan?z, buraya bir bak?n.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://sofrakeyfi.com
Cilt bak?m?n?n buyusu ile tan?s?n ve hayat?n?za kazand?r?n.
best cd radio alarm clock http://www.alarm-radio-clocks.com .
Guzellik s?rlar?n? ve trendlerin ard?ndaki detaylar? kesfetmeye haz?r olun.
En Son Moda Trendleri: S?kl?k ve Konfor hakk?ndaki yaz? dikkate degerdi.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://turktekstil.com
Umar?z bu trendler, tarz?n?za yeni bir soluk getirir.
проектирование перепланировки в квартире http://www.proekt-pereplanirovki-kvartiry11.ru .
подготовка проекта перепланировки квартиры https://proekt-pereplanirovki-kvartiry11.ru/ .
проект перепланировки москва проект перепланировки москва .
best radio alarm clock http://alarm-radio-clocks.com/ .
reviews best clock radios http://www.alarm-radio-clocks.com/ .
Hey there, creative soul, I literally just stumbled upon something insanely awesome, I had to stop everything and scream about it.
This piece is totally bonkers. It’s packed with wild visuals, next-level thinking, and just the right amount of mad energy.
Think I’m kidding? Alright, witness the madness right on this link!
Didn’t click? Fine. Imagine a caffeinated unicorn coded a site after binging inspiration. That’s the vibe this beast gives.
So click already, and tattoo the link. Because on my Wi-Fi, this is worth it.
Boom.
cd player alarm clock alarm-radio-clocks.com .
trendandstyle – Impressed with the product variety and timely delivery.
trendandstyle – Impressed with the product variety and timely delivery.
cialis generique acheter Cialis en ligne France acheter Cialis en ligne France
Dogal ve etkili cilt bak?m yontemlerine dair tuyolar? kesfedin.
Bu arada, eger Estetik ve Fonksiyonellik: Ideal Mekan Tasar?m? ile ilgileniyorsan?z, buraya goz at?n.
Burada okuyabilirsiniz:
https://evsahnesi.com
Unutmay?n, her cilt tipi guzeldir ve dogru bak?m ile daha da guzellesir.
проект перепланировки заказать https://www.proekt-pereplanirovki-kvartiry11.ru .
проект после перепланировки https://proekt-pereplanirovki-kvartiry11.ru .
Cilt bak?m?n?n puf noktalar?na dair bilmeniz gereken her sey burada!
Yeri gelmisken, eger Dogal Guzellik Yontemleri: Cilt ve Sac Bak?m? Ipuclar? ile ilgileniyorsan?z, buraya goz at?n.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://ipekcilt.com
Unutmay?n, her cilt tipi guzeldir ve dogru bak?m ile daha da guzellesir.
best alarm clocks with radio http://www.alarm-radio-clocks.com .
проект перепланировки квартиры сро проект перепланировки квартиры сро .
radio alarm clock phone combo alarm-radio-clocks.com .