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: |
1xbet giri?i 1xbet giri?i .
Encourage Your Vision – Helpful words that keep me grounded and moving toward my ambitions.
юридический переводчик цена юридический переводчик цена .
юридический переводчик стоимость юридический переводчик стоимость .
1xbet guncel 1xbet guncel .
Ко ланта Морские цыгане (Chao Leh) на Ко Ланта: сохранение традиций. Ко Ланта — дом для морских цыган (Chao Leh), коренных жителей, которые веками жили в гармонии с морем. Они живут в небольших поселениях на восточном побережье Ко Ланта, занимаются рыболовством, сбором даров моря и строительством лодок. У морских цыган своя религия, основанная на вере в духов природы и предков. Они проводят церемонии и фестивали, чтобы попросить защиты и благословения. Культура морских цыган подвергается влиянию современной цивилизации, но они стараются сохранять свои традиции. Посещение поселений морских цыган дает возможность познакомиться с их культурой и увидеть их ремесла.
юридический перевод цена юридический перевод цена .
юридический перевод стоимость юридический перевод стоимость .
как отыграть бонусы казино в 1win как отыграть бонусы казино в 1win
устный переводчик заказать teletype.in/@alexd78/D1bRUvZKB7G .
юридический переводчик цена юридический переводчик цена .
устный перевод teletype.in/@alexd78/D1bRUvZKB7G .
устный перевод teletype.in/@alexd78/D1bRUvZKB7G .
Mindset Growth Space – The uplifting content helps me stay consistent with my aspirations.
устный перевод заказать teletype.in/@alexd78/D1bRUvZKB7G .
Driven by Ideas – Great place for encouragement, keeps me chasing the bigger picture.
ставки на спорт бишкек онлайн http://1win12019.ru
устный перевод +по скайпу teletype.in/@alexd78/D1bRUvZKB7G .
Creative Belief Space – The content here boosts my confidence and keeps me moving forward.
Ресурс https://bezdep2026bonus.website/ представляет свежую коллекцию бездепозитных вознаграждений от надежных интернет-казино, дающих возможность начинающим игрокам стартовать без использования личных финансов. Площадка содержит уникальные промокоды для активации бесплатных вращений и бонусных средств в востребованных гэмблинг-заведениях, среди которых PinCo, Sykaaa, Vavada и множество прочих сервисов с выгодными стартовыми акциями. Каждое казино тщательно проверено на надежность, а условия отыгрыша бонусов подробно описаны для удобства пользователей.
Believe and Achieve – Inspires me each time, keeps my focus sharp and my goals clear.
бк 1 win зеркало бк 1 win зеркало
кухни от производителя спб https://kuhni-spb-10.ru .
Je suis totalement conquis par Lucky 31 Casino, il procure une sensation de frisson. La gamme est variee et attrayante, offrant des sessions live palpitantes. Avec des depots fluides. Le support est efficace et amical. Les retraits sont lisses comme jamais, par contre plus de promotions frequentes boosteraient l’experience. En somme, Lucky 31 Casino est un immanquable pour les amateurs. Notons aussi l’interface est lisse et agreable, ce qui rend chaque session plus palpitante. A noter les tournois reguliers pour la competition, garantit des paiements rapides.
DГ©couvrir dГЁs maintenant|
1 win казино 1 win казино
1xbet yeni giri? 1xbet yeni giri? .
birxbet birxbet .
кухни спб кухни спб .
1xbet t?rkiye giri? 1xbet t?rkiye giri? .
trafficsprintpro.click – Content reads clearly, helpful examples made concepts easy to grasp.
J’ai un veritable coup de c?ur pour Action Casino, on y trouve une energie contagieuse. Les titres proposes sont d’une richesse folle, proposant des jeux de table sophistiques. Le bonus de depart est top. Le service client est de qualite. Les retraits sont simples et rapides, mais plus de promotions variees ajouteraient du fun. En resume, Action Casino est un choix parfait pour les joueurs. Pour completer la navigation est fluide et facile, apporte une energie supplementaire. Egalement top le programme VIP avec des avantages uniques, propose des avantages sur mesure.
Aller en ligne|
кухни спб кухни спб .
кухни на заказ в спб кухни на заказ в спб .
I am truly pleased to glance at this webpage
posts which contains lots of helpful data, thanks for providing
such statistics.
Je suis fascine par Lucky 31 Casino, il cree une experience captivante. Il y a une abondance de jeux excitants, proposant des jeux de cartes elegants. Il propulse votre jeu des le debut. Disponible 24/7 pour toute question. Les retraits sont fluides et rapides, occasionnellement quelques tours gratuits supplementaires seraient cool. En conclusion, Lucky 31 Casino offre une aventure inoubliable. Ajoutons que le design est style et moderne, donne envie de continuer l’aventure. A noter les options de paris sportifs variees, offre des bonus exclusifs.
Parcourir maintenant|
Estetik ipuclar? ve fonksiyonel mobilyalarla evinize yepyeni bir soluk getirmeye haz?r m?s?n?z?
Особенно понравился материал про Guzellik ve Cilt Bak?m?: Dogal Cozumler ve Ipuclar?.
Вот, делюсь ссылкой:
https://turkbakimi.com
Bu yaz?m?z isinize yarad?ysa, goruslerinizi bizimle paylas?n.
кухни от производителя спб http://www.kuhni-spb-10.ru/ .
курс seo http://www.kursy-seo-12.ru .
icebet login icebet login .
GLOBUS Salon — интернет-магазин оборудования и аксессуаров для прудов: пленка (ПВХ, EPDM), мембраны, аэраторы, фильтры, УФ-стерилизаторы, насосы, шланги, ионизаторы водорослей, корма и готовые формы прудов. Решения подходят для декоративных и плавательных водоемов, ручьев и водопадов, а также есть запчасти и биопрепараты для ухода. Каталог структурирован по задачам, что упрощает подбор системы «под ключ». Начните с удобной витрины на https://www.globussalon.ru — вода будет чистой круглый сезон.
1xbet t?rkiye giri? 1xbet t?rkiye giri? .
кухни от производителя спб http://www.kuhni-spb-10.ru .
Evinizde hem s?kl?g? hem de kullan?sl?l?g? onemseyenler icin harika ipuclar? derledik.
Кстати, если вас интересует Lezzet Dolu Tariflerle Ask Dolu Mutfak Maceralar?, загляните сюда.
Вот, делюсь ссылкой:
https://sevgiylepisir.com
Umar?z bu ipuclar?yla evinizde harikalar yaratabilirsiniz! Sevgiyle kal?n.
Je suis bluffe par Azur Casino, ca transporte dans un monde d’excitation. Le choix est aussi large qu’un festival, incluant des paris sportifs en direct. Avec des depots instantanes. Le support client est irreprochable. Les paiements sont securises et rapides, neanmoins des offres plus genereuses rendraient l’experience meilleure. Pour finir, Azur Casino garantit un amusement continu. En extra la plateforme est visuellement dynamique, donne envie de continuer l’aventure. Un avantage les options de paris sportifs variees, garantit des paiements securises.
Aller sur le site|
icebet best bonus casino http://www.icebet-online.com/ .
J’ai une passion debordante pour 1xBet Casino, il propose une aventure palpitante. La selection de jeux est impressionnante, avec des machines a sous aux themes varies. 100% jusqu’a 500 € avec des free spins. Disponible 24/7 par chat ou email. Le processus est clair et efficace, bien que des recompenses additionnelles seraient ideales. Pour conclure, 1xBet Casino est un lieu de fun absolu. En complement la plateforme est visuellement vibrante, donne envie de continuer l’aventure. Egalement super les evenements communautaires pleins d’energie, offre des recompenses continues.
https://1xbetcasino365fr.com/|
лучшие агентства seo продвижения http://www.reiting-seo-kompanii.ru .
goliath casino recension http://www.goliath-casino.com .
Je suis enthousiaste a propos de Lucky 31 Casino, ca pulse comme une soiree animee. Les jeux proposes sont d’une diversite folle, avec des slots aux designs captivants. Le bonus de depart est top. Le support est efficace et amical. Les retraits sont ultra-rapides, cependant plus de promos regulieres dynamiseraient le jeu. Pour finir, Lucky 31 Casino garantit un plaisir constant. En plus le site est fluide et attractif, booste le fun du jeu. Un atout les evenements communautaires engageants, qui stimule l’engagement.
Visiter la page web|
J’ai une affection particuliere pour Action Casino, il cree un monde de sensations fortes. Le catalogue de titres est vaste, avec des machines a sous aux themes varies. Le bonus de bienvenue est genereux. Le service client est excellent. Les gains arrivent en un eclair, malgre tout des recompenses supplementaires seraient parfaites. Au final, Action Casino est une plateforme qui pulse. De surcroit l’interface est simple et engageante, incite a prolonger le plaisir. Un avantage les competitions regulieres pour plus de fun, qui dynamise l’engagement.
DГ©couvrir les offres|