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: |
согласование перепланировки под ключ цена https://uzakonit-pereplanirovku-cena.ru/ .
adreachpro.click – Mobile version looks perfect; no glitches, fast scrolling, crisp text.
urbanchoicehub – Everything feels curated for people who value both style and comfort.
goliath casino online goliath-casino.com .
I want to highlight the section about TreklyGo: Your Guide to Mastering DeFi Safely.
Link below:
https://treklygo.com
ganabet. https://www.ganabet-online.com .
mostbet kg https://www.mostbet12039.ru
Hi to all, how is everything, I think every one is getting more from this
web page, and your views are nice designed for new viewers.
the goliath casino http://goliath-casino.com/ .
регистрация перепланировки нежилого помещения регистрация перепланировки нежилого помещения .
перепланировка квартиры цена перепланировка квартиры цена .
ganabet bono casino http://www.ganabet-online.com .
Kipróbáltad már a Casino Royale élő kaszinó játékait? Itt az idő! Nyerj nagyot a Casino Royale online platformon – gyors, egyszerű, biztonságos. Csatlakozz a játékosokhoz a palms royale casino sofia platformon. A Casino Royale játékai könnyen kezelhetők és látványosak.
A mobil app segítségével mindig naprakész lehetsz az új játékokról. A Palms Royale Casino Sofia híres a nemzetközi játékosok körében. Az online játékok grafikája lenyűgöző. A játékplatform stabil és megbízható. Az apk verzió minden funkciót tartalmaz. Fedezd fel a legjobb nyerőgépeket és rulett asztalokat. A biztonságos tranzakciók garantáltak.
surewin casino surewin-online.com .
узаконить перепланировку квартиры в москве стоимость узаконить перепланировку квартиры в москве стоимость .
ganabet inicio http://www.ganabet-online.com/ .
marketpilot.click – Appreciate the typography choices; comfortable spacing improved my reading experience.
бк. мостбет. бк. мостбет.
casino ganabet ganabet-online.com .
перепланировка квартиры москва стоимость http://www.uzakonit-pereplanirovku-cena.ru .
Aprende a gestionar expectativas ajenas sin sacrificar tu bienestar personal. https://comomandaralamediadeformaeducadapdf.cyou/ Descarga gratis el bestseller de Alba Cardalda en PDF.
beep beep casino bonus code https://beepbeepcasino-online.com .
valor casino apk https://www.valorslots.com .
J’ai une passion debordante pour Betway Casino, ca pulse comme une soiree animee. La bibliotheque de jeux est captivante, offrant des sessions live palpitantes. Il amplifie le plaisir des l’entree. Disponible 24/7 par chat ou email. Le processus est transparent et rapide, malgre tout plus de promotions frequentes boosteraient l’experience. Pour finir, Betway Casino assure un fun constant. Notons aussi la plateforme est visuellement vibrante, ajoute une touche de dynamisme. Particulierement cool les transactions crypto ultra-securisees, propose des avantages sur mesure.
Entrer maintenant|
jp99 online login http://jp99-online.com/ .
trendycollectionhub – Great place for discovering stylish collections and creative designs.
icebet casino icebet casino .
Наркологическая клиника «ТагилМед Реал» — это круглосуточная команда врачей, психологов и координаторов, которая берёт на себя полный цикл помощи при алкогольной и наркотической зависимости: от экстренной стабилизации и капельниц на дому до амбулаторного сопровождения, кодирования и длительной психотерапевтической поддержки. Мы работаем без выходных, используем портативное оборудование, придерживаемся принципов доказательной медицины и внимательно относимся к конфиденциальности: нейтральные формулировки в документах, немаркированный транспорт, разграниченный доступ к медицинским данным и единый доверенный контакт для семьи.
Подробнее можно узнать тут – наркологическая клиника наркологический центр
gana bet https://ganabet-online.com .
сколько стоит узаконить перепланировку квартиры сколько стоит узаконить перепланировку квартиры .
newtrendmarket – Fresh trends and a smooth shopping experience, really well put together.
beeb casino http://www.beepbeepcasino-online.com .
What caught my eye was the section about Real-Time Crypto Insights and Major Market Moves.
Here, I’m sharing a link:
https://pulsewander.com
surewin-casino http://surewin-online.com .
fichas de casino valor http://www.valorslots.com .
jp99 slot https://jp99-online.com/ .
goliath casino online goliath-casino.com .
goliath casino bonuskode http://goliath-casino.com .
goliath casino bonuskode http://goliath-casino.com/ .
A Casino Royale bónuszai segítenek többet nyerni minden tét után. A Casino Royale hotel és játékélmény páratlan szórakozást kínál. A casino royale online élmény mindig különleges. Letölthető apk formában, gyors hozzáférés minden játékhoz.
Élvezd a legjobb nyereményeket és bónuszokat a Casino Royale-ban. A rulett és póker játékok minden estét izgalmassá tesznek. A témához illő partik mindig emlékezetesek. Sportfogadási lehetőségek széles választékban. Az apk verzió minden funkciót tartalmaz. A Casino Royale hotel luxus szolgáltatásokkal vár. Minden sportág és játék elérhető mobilon is.
beep beep casino logowanie http://beepbeepcasino-online.com .
Aw, this was a very nice post. Taking the time and
actual effort to produce a superb article… but what can I say…
I put things off a whole lot and never seem to get nearly
anything done.
peep peep casino https://beepbeepcasino-online.com .
valor casino скачать http://www.valorslots.com .
beep peep casino http://beepbeepcasino-online.com/ .
jp99 slot login https://jp99-online.com/ .
Estetik ipuclar? ve fonksiyonel mobilyalarla evinize yepyeni bir soluk getirmeye haz?r m?s?n?z?
Между прочим, если вас интересует Turk Mutfag?nda Ask ve Tutku: Yenilikci Tarifler, загляните сюда.
Смотрите сами:
https://yemekruhu.com
Umar?z bu ipuclar?yla evinizde harikalar yaratabilirsiniz! Sevgiyle kal?n.
icebet clams casino http://icebet-online.com/ .
valor casino slots valor casino slots .
jompay 99 casino login https://jp99-online.com/ .