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: |
melbet „verificare documente” http://melbet5011.ru/
Hey just wanted to give you a quick heads up.
The words in your content seem to be running off the
screen in Opera. I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with web browser compatibility but I
figured I’d post to let you know. The design look great
though! Hope you get the problem solved soon. Cheers
Exactly what I needed today. https://gptai-22.icu/chelsea-david-datro-fofana-deal-in-final-stages/
Hiya very nice blog!! Guy .. Beautiful .. Amazing ..
I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds also? I am satisfied to seek out a lot of
useful info right here in the publish, we need work out extra strategies in this regard,
thanks for sharing. . . . . .
посетить сайт https://kra47at.at
melbet limitări cont https://melbet5012.ru
Best Value Finds – Handpicked deals for smart shoppers looking for quality and affordability.
продолжить https://kra46att.at
Это стандарт для качественных вагончиков-бытовок мир бытовок
посмотреть на этом сайте https://kra48at.at/
Evinizde hem s?kl?g? hem de kullan?sl?l?g? onemseyenler icin harika ipuclar? derledik.
Особенно понравился раздел про Guzellik ve Cilt Bak?m?: Dogal Cozumler ve Ipuclar?.
Вот, можете почитать:
https://turkbakimi.com
Bu yaz?m?z isinize yarad?ysa, goruslerinizi bizimle paylas?n.
перенаправляется сюда https://kra48at.at
Stilvolle Uhrenreplika Luxusuhren Replika: Glamour zum erschwinglichen Preis Luxusuhren Replika ermoglichen es, den Traum von einer begehrten Luxusuhr zu verwirklichen, ohne das Budget zu sprengen. Diese Nachbildungen fangen den Glanz und das Prestige bekannter Marken wie Rolex, Omega oder Patek Philippe ein und bieten ein ahnliches Tragegefuhl wie die Originale. Mit raffinierten Details wie funkelnden Zirkonia-Steinen, aufwendigen Zifferblattmustern und prazisen Mechaniken sind Luxusuhren Replika ein Statement von Geschmack und Stil.
Attractive part of content. I just stumbled upon your website and in accession capital to say that I get actually enjoyed account your weblog posts. Any way I will be subscribing in your augment or even I achievement you get right of entry to consistently fast.
Rio Sex Guide
Подробнее https://kra47at.at
купить диплом о высшем образовании с занесением в реестр в красноярске купить диплом о высшем образовании с занесением в реестр в красноярске .
интернет https://kra47at.at
купить диплом электрика техникум http://r-diploma23.ru .
посмотреть на этом сайте https://kra48at.at
узнать https://kra47at.at/
Hooked on the section about Exploring the crypto industry with AI: one step ahead of the market.
Смотрите сами:
https://kitchentechy.com
promocode melbet http://melbet5012.ru/
I want to highlight the material about Insights on Real-Time Crypto Trends and News.
Ссылка ниже:
https://pulsewander.com
For those looking for information on the topic “Harness Gaming Skills for Financial Success”, there’s an excellent article.
Вот, можете почитать:
https://esportsgrind.com
купить аттестаты за 11 класс в чите купить аттестаты за 11 класс в чите .
melbet verificare cont melbet verificare cont
melbet app download http://melbet5012.ru
Хочу выделить раздел про Ипотека Онлайн: ставки, калькуляторы и инструкции.
Вот, можете почитать:
https://sneps.ru
содержание https://kra46att.at/
По теме “Ипотека Онлайн: ставки, калькуляторы и инструкции”, там просто кладезь информации.
Ссылка ниже:
https://sneps.ru
выберите ресурсы https://kra46att.at
This was really informative. https://3tnz0q9s.com/category/news/
Merhaba dekorasyon severler! Estetik ve islevselligi bir araya getirdigimiz mobilya cozumlerine hos geldiniz.
Кстати, если вас интересует Guzellik Ipuclar? ve Trendler: En Iyi Rehberiniz, посмотрите сюда.
Смотрите сами:
https://parlakten.com
Evinizi guzellestirmek icin farkl? yaklas?m ve fikirlerle geri donecegiz.
oglindă melbet https://melbet5011.ru/
взгляните на сайте здесь https://kra46att.at/
опубликовано здесь https://kra46att.at
посетить веб-сайт https://kra47at.at/
этот контент https://kra48at.at/
сайт https://kra46att.at/
A fascinating discussion is worth comment. I do believe that you should write more on this issue, it may not
be a taboo subject but generally folks don’t discuss such issues.
To the next! All the best!!
Перейти на сайт https://kra46att.at
проверить сайт https://kra46att.at/
читать https://kra47at.at
нажмите https://kra48at.at/
melbet responsabil gambling http://melbet5012.ru
melbet poker https://melbet5011.ru/
Независимая экспертиза стала решающим аргументом при подаче претензии – https://zaliv-expertiza.ru/
посмотреть в этом разделе https://kra46att.at/
здесь https://kra48at.at
melbet mac download melbet mac download