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: |
everydaystylecorner – The products look trendy and fresh, good mix of modern styles.
https://vsemetonado.ru/
Cilt bak?m?n?z? bir ust seviyeye c?karman?n zaman? geldi, siz ne dersiniz?
Modern Mobilya Tasar?mlar? ve Dekorasyon Ipuclar? hakk?ndaki bolum dikkatimi cekti.
Burada okuyabilirsiniz:
https://modernsturk.com
Dogal guzelliginizi koruyun ve her zaman en iyi versiyonunuz olun.
Pretty! This has been an incredibly wonderful post. Thanks for providing this info.
promostreamx.click – Overall, professional vibe here; trustworthy, polished, and pleasantly minimal throughout.
rankhive.click – Pages loaded fast, images appeared sharp, and formatting stayed consistent.
Cilt bak?m?n?z? bir ust seviyeye c?karman?n zaman? geldi, siz ne dersiniz?
Modern Mobilya Tasar?mlar? ve Dekorasyon Ipuclar? hakk?ndaki yaz? ozellikle hosuma gitti.
Iste, linki paylas?yorum:
https://modernsturk.com
Unutmay?n, her cilt tipi guzeldir ve dogru bak?m ile daha da guzellesir.
growwithconfidence – Fresh content and smooth layout, everything just works perfectly together.
клиники наркологические https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-27.ru/ .
ремонт в подвале https://www.gidroizolyaciya-cena-8.ru .
гидроизоляция подвала гидроизоляция подвала .
скачать приложение mostbet скачать приложение mostbet
buildabetterworld – Really liked the layout, it feels calming and professionally done.
гидроизоляция цена кг http://gidroizolyaciya-cena-8.ru .
styleforliving – This site has a nice flow, really easy on the eyes while browsing.
реабилитация зависимых http://www.narkologicheskaya-klinika-27.ru .
подвал дома ремонт https://gidroizolyaciya-cena-8.ru/ .
Je suis accro a Viggoslots Casino, ca offre une experience immersive. La selection de jeux est impressionnante, avec des slots aux graphismes modernes. Avec des depots fluides. Le support client est irreprochable. Les retraits sont ultra-rapides, par ailleurs des bonus plus varies seraient un plus. En conclusion, Viggoslots Casino est un endroit qui electrise. Par ailleurs le site est fluide et attractif, permet une plongee totale dans le jeu. Particulierement cool les evenements communautaires vibrants, qui booste la participation.
AccГ©der au site|
trendyfindsonline – Feels well-designed and up-to-date, good overall browsing experience.
promostreamx.click – Bookmarked this immediately, planning to revisit for updates and inspiration.
discoveryourpotential – Nicely structured site, really easy to navigate and stay engaged.
гидроизоляция подвала цена за м2 гидроизоляция подвала цена за м2 .
everydaystylecorner – I like how the design matches the everyday lifestyle theme perfectly.
гидроизоляция цена кг http://www.gidroizolyaciya-cena-7.ru .
Je suis bluffe par Betzino Casino, on y trouve une vibe envoutante. Le choix est aussi large qu’un festival, proposant des jeux de casino traditionnels. 100% jusqu’a 500 € plus des tours gratuits. Les agents sont toujours la pour aider. Les gains sont transferes rapidement, toutefois des offres plus consequentes seraient parfaites. En bref, Betzino Casino est un endroit qui electrise. Pour ajouter la navigation est intuitive et lisse, facilite une experience immersive. Particulierement cool les tournois reguliers pour s’amuser, offre des recompenses continues.
Visiter en ligne|
ИТ объединяет науку и бизнес кракен onion кракен онион тор кракен онион зеркало кракен даркнет маркет
90’lar modas?n?n guzellik s?rlar?yla gunumuzun trendlerine meydan okumaya ne dersiniz?
Зацепил раздел про Ev Dekorasyonunda Modern ve Estetik Cozumler.
Смотрите сами:
https://evimturk.com
90’lar?n guzellik s?rlar?yla tarz?n?za yeni bir soluk kazand?rabilirsiniz. Eski moda, yeni size ilham olsun!
Je suis fascine par Vbet Casino, ca transporte dans un monde d’excitation. La variete des jeux est epoustouflante, incluant des paris sur des evenements sportifs. Il donne un elan excitant. Disponible 24/7 pour toute question. Le processus est fluide et intuitif, a l’occasion des offres plus genereuses rendraient l’experience meilleure. Pour finir, Vbet Casino est un immanquable pour les amateurs. Par ailleurs la plateforme est visuellement dynamique, ajoute une vibe electrisante. A signaler les tournois frequents pour l’adrenaline, assure des transactions fiables.
Savoir plus|
наркологический частный центр https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-27.ru/ .
getinspireddaily – The idea fits perfectly with the layout, it’s cheerful and light.
мостбет мобильная версия скачать https://www.mostbet12036.ru
J’adore l’ambiance electrisante de Viggoslots Casino, c’est un lieu ou l’adrenaline coule a flots. Les options sont aussi vastes qu’un horizon, avec des slots aux graphismes modernes. Avec des depots instantanes. Les agents sont toujours la pour aider. Les retraits sont simples et rapides, neanmoins des recompenses additionnelles seraient ideales. Au final, Viggoslots Casino assure un fun constant. Notons aussi l’interface est lisse et agreable, permet une plongee totale dans le jeu. Un plus les evenements communautaires vibrants, garantit des paiements rapides.
https://casinoviggoslotsfr.com/|
buildabetterworld – Really liked the layout, it feels calming and professionally done.
наркологический центр наркологический центр .
globalstylemarket – Smooth navigation and well-organized categories, browsing is effortless.
Cilt bak?m?na dair dogal guzellik s?rlar?n? ogrenmeye haz?r m?s?n?z?
“Lezzetin Zirvesine C?karan SofraKeyfi Hikayeleri” konusunda bilgi arayanlar icin harika bir makale var.
Kendiniz bak?n:
https://sofrakeyfi.com
Dogal guzelliginizi koruyun ve her zaman en iyi versiyonunuz olun.
гидроизоляция цена за м2 за работу http://gidroizolyaciya-cena-7.ru .
trendyfindsonline – Great work on the details, everything looks neat and polished.
J’adore l’energie de Viggoslots Casino, on y trouve une vibe envoutante. Les jeux proposes sont d’une diversite folle, offrant des tables live interactives. Avec des depots instantanes. Les agents repondent avec efficacite. Les paiements sont securises et instantanes, par ailleurs des offres plus genereuses seraient top. Dans l’ensemble, Viggoslots Casino est un immanquable pour les amateurs. Notons egalement l’interface est fluide comme une soiree, ajoute une vibe electrisante. Un avantage notable les tournois reguliers pour la competition, offre des recompenses regulieres.
https://viggoslotscasino366fr.com/|
скрытый алкоголизм скрытый алкоголизм .
buildabetterworld – Inspiring energy overall, love how the content feels genuine and kind.
гидроизоляция цена за работу гидроизоляция цена за работу .
стационар наркологический стационар наркологический .
everydaystylecorner – Great first impression, layout looks neat and well organized.
styleforliving – Great mix of content and visuals, matches the modern lifestyle vibe.
наркологические услуги наркологические услуги .
Dogal guzelliginizin s?rlar?n? ortaya c?karmaya var m?s?n?z?
Modern Moda: Zarafet ve Stil Ipuclar? hakk?ndaki yaz? dikkatimi cekti.
Asag?daki linke bakabilirsiniz:
https://modaevreni.com
Dogal guzelliginizi koruyun ve her zaman en iyi versiyonunuz olun.
обмазочная гидроизоляция цена обмазочная гидроизоляция цена .
trendyfindsonline – Great work on the details, everything looks neat and polished.
Dogal ve etkili cilt bak?m yontemlerine dair tuyolar? kesfedin.
Bu arada, eger Cilt Bak?m? ve Guzellik: Trendler ve Ipuclar? ile ilgileniyorsan?z, buraya bir bak?n.
Iste, linki paylas?yorum:
https://bakimruhu.com
Cildinizin dogall?g?n? ve sagl?g?n? korumak sizin elinizde.