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: |
диплом купить юургу диплом купить юургу .
веб-сайте https://kra42-cc.at
Подбираете место, где заказать медицинскую книжку в городе Самара оперативно и с курьером? На сайте https://gosdentalklinic-china.ru/ можно получить санкнижку онлайн без похода в поликлинику — готово за сутки. При оформлении онлайн-заявки возможна доставка на дом, а цены понятные: медкнижка от 1 699 ?, продление — от 799 ?. Всё официально и удобно. Подробнее на сайте — медкнижка онлайн, оформление за сутки, медкнижка с доставкой.
Кто-нибудь пробовал слоты онлайн? Сам играю уже месяц в casino 7k. Выплаты приходят быстро. Советую попробовать.
нажмите здесь https://kra43-cc.at/
скачать ставки на спорт мелбет https://melbet5008.ru/
узнать больше https://kra43-cc.at
здесь https://kra42-cc.at
https://affariat.com/user/profile/163703
melbet minimum stake https://www.melbet5008.ru
сюда https://kra43-cc.at
exploreopportunities.click – Motivational tips here support taking action and discovering opportunities effectively daily.
Казино 1вин нравится тем, что нет зависаний и ошибок. Даже долгие игровые сессии идут ровно. Вывод прошёл быстро: 1win
Читать далее https://kra43-cc.at/
Смотреть здесь https://kra43-cc.at
If some one needs to be updated with newest technologies therefore
he must be pay a visit this site and be up
to date everyday.
мелбет казино скачать https://melbet5010.ru
J’adore le dynamisme de MonteCryptos Casino, ca invite a plonger dans le fun. La selection de jeux est impressionnante, offrant des experiences de casino en direct. Il booste votre aventure des le depart. Le support client est irreprochable. Les transactions sont fiables et efficaces, parfois quelques free spins en plus seraient bienvenus. En bref, MonteCryptos Casino est un immanquable pour les amateurs. De plus la plateforme est visuellement vibrante, facilite une immersion totale. Un bonus les evenements communautaires pleins d’energie, propose des privileges sur mesure.
Visiter maintenant|
Хотите быстрее учиться? Методы запоминания информации и эффективные стратегии https://gratiavitae.ru/
https://pastebin.com/u/ReidMaho2
содержание https://kra43-cc.at
На 1win всё удобно — от регистрации до вывода средств. Казино работает без лагов. Деньги пришли в тот же день https://1win-miracle.top/
мелбет оператор https://www.melbet5010.ru
Je suis captive par Coolzino Casino, il cree une experience captivante. On trouve une gamme de jeux eblouissante, offrant des sessions live immersives. Le bonus initial est super. Les agents sont rapides et pros. Les gains arrivent sans delai, bien que quelques spins gratuits en plus seraient top. Pour conclure, Coolzino Casino assure un divertissement non-stop. D’ailleurs l’interface est lisse et agreable, ajoute une vibe electrisante. Un bonus le programme VIP avec des niveaux exclusifs, offre des recompenses continues.
Visiter aujourd’hui|
Смотреть здесь https://kra43-cc.at/
здесь https://kra43-cc.at
Читать далее https://kra42-cc.at
подробнее https://kra42-cc.at
Ищете медкнижку за один день в столице по выгодной стоимости? В медцентре https://hearth-health.ru можно быстро получить официальную медкнижку начиная с 1 200 ?, перевыпустить медкнижку по цене от 1 800 ? или заказать медицинский документ по цене 1 000 ?, включая сдачу анализов начиная с 500 ?. Всё — законно, юридически корректно и без проблем. Удобный режим работы, можно оформить заказ через интернет и забрать справки быстро. Подробнее на сайте — медкнижка срочно, получение через интернет, доступная справка.
трипскан Tripscan сотрудничает с ведущими авиакомпаниями и отелями по всему миру, что позволяет предлагать эксклюзивные скидки и выгодные предложения.
найти это https://kra43-cc.at/
https://list.ly/1xbetbest45/lists
перенаправляется сюда https://kra43-cc.at/
в этом разделе https://kra43-cc.at
Подробнее https://kra43-cc.at/
сюда https://kra43-cc.at
melbet личный кабинет http://melbet5010.ru/
https://www.exchangle.com/JuelzWalter4
melbet отзывы казахстан http://www.melbet5010.ru
melbet app new version melbet app new version
нажмите здесь https://kra42-cc.at
https://wefunder.com/1xbetvip1
нажмите здесь https://kra42-cc.at/
Узнать больше https://kra42-cc.at
http://seedbox.phorum.pl/viewtopic.php?p=5117#5117
https://hhi.instructure.com/eportfolios/18909?verifier=4EiThknn1KCfTkImCapWXBYOVOOeex7aqvUgM5us
“Всех благ в вашем нелегком Бизнасе” купить кокаин, меф, бошки через телеграмм Проверенный временем
Смотреть здесь https://kra43-cc.at
найти это https://kra43-cc.at
нажмите здесь https://kra43-cc.at