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: |
Everything is very open with a very clear description of the
issues. It was truly informative. Your site is very helpful.
Thanks for sharing!
bestbrightshop – Shopping was effortless, pages loaded quickly and selection was good.
shopbrightchoice – Very satisfied with the variety, placing an order was quick.
The level of insight in this post is outstanding.
Urban fashion hub – A few standout styles appeared instantly, very easy to explore.
Hey there, I think your blog might be having browser compatibility issues. When I look at your website in Ie, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, great blog!
https://mega-m.com.ua/chomu-inshi-vodiyi-zazdryat-tvoiemu-svitlu.html
brightbuystore – Easy navigation and lots of options, checkout was smooth.
Источник зеркало водка бет
пансионат для пожилых людей инвалидов Частный пансионат для инвалидов: комфорт, безопасность и индивидуальный уход Частный пансионат для инвалидов – это премиальный уровень ухода, комфортные условия проживания и широкий спектр дополнительных услуг. Мы предлагаем индивидуальный подход к каждому постояльцу, учитываем его особенности и потребности, а также обеспечиваем круглосуточный уход и медицинское наблюдение.
купить диплом колледжа техникума купить диплом колледжа техникума .
ссылка на сайт kraken ссылка зеркало
пансионат для пенсионеров инвалидов Дома для инвалидов в Москве: найти подходящий вариант Выбор дома для инвалидов в Москве – ответственный шаг, требующий внимательного изучения предложений. Необходимо учитывать такие факторы, как местоположение, условия проживания, спектр предоставляемых услуг, квалификация персонала, стоимость и репутация учреждения. Рекомендуется посетить несколько домов инвалидов, пообщаться с сотрудниками и жителями, чтобы оценить атмосферу и убедиться в соответствии учреждения потребностям человека с ограниченными возможностями.
brightshoppingdeals – Pleasant experience, site layout made it easy to browse items.
веб-сайт kraken зеркало рабочее
melbet apk md melbet apk md
timp retragere melbet https://melbet5012.ru
melbet mirror .md melbet mirror .md
здесь vodkabet
melbet partner program http://melbet5012.ru
узнать больше кракен onion сайт
Смотреть здесь vodkabet новый сайт
I constantly spent my half an hour to read this web
site’s articles every day along with a cup of
coffee.
Hello mates, nice piece of writing and nice arguments commented at this place, I am in fact enjoying by these.
https://mega-m.com.ua/oryhinal-chy-kopiya-rozkryvaiemo-pravdu-pro.html
взгляните на сайте здесь водка бэт
Но и без них можно найти что-то стоящее https://bizcity.co/VNvjw
melbet autentificare http://melbet5011.ru/
megaweb рабочая ссылка
mega маркет
содержание блэкспрут
Dekorasyona yeni bir gozle bakmaya ne dersiniz? Hem estetik hem de islevsellik on planda!
Зацепил раздел про Renkli ve Lezzetli Tariflerle Hayat?n?z? Renklendirin.
Смотрите сами:
https://evtarifim.com
Daha fazla dekorasyon onerisi icin bizi takip etmeyi unutmay?n!
купить диплом инженера электроника купить диплом инженера электроника .
Estetik ipuclar? ve fonksiyonel mobilyalarla evinize yepyeni bir soluk getirmeye haz?r m?s?n?z?
По теме “Stil ve Moda Onerileri: S?kl?k ve Kullan?sl?l?k”, есть отличная статья.
Смотрите сами:
https://stilvezarafet.com
Umar?z bu ipuclar?yla evinizde harikalar yaratabilirsiniz! Sevgiyle kal?n.
Следующая страница водка бэт
Следующая страница vodkabet
содержание blacksprut com зеркало
It is appropriate time to make some plans for the future and it is time to be happy.
I’ve read this post and if I could I desire to suggest you few interesting things or tips.
Maybe you could write next articles referring to this article.
I wish to read even more things about it!
Hello it’s me, I am also visiting this website on a regular basis, this web page is really fastidious and the people are really sharing nice thoughts.
https://pc-house.od.ua/rozhin-tumanu-skilky-realno-koshtuie-zamina.html
Читать далее зеркало водка бет
нажмите водка бет
Please let me know if you’re looking for a article writer for your blog.
You have some really good posts and I feel I would be a
good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load
off, I’d really like to write some articles for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine.
Please blast me an email if interested. Kudos!
I’ll right away grasp your rss feed as I can’t find your email subscription link or newsletter service.
Do you’ve any? Please allow me understand so that I could subscribe.
Thanks.
http://uvapharm.com/# UvaPharm
melbet intrare mobil https://melbet5011.ru
What’s up i am kavin, its my first time to commenting anyplace, when i read this paragraph i thought i could also make comment due to this good article.
https://crazy-professor.com.ua/shchyt-chy-marketynh-realna-tsinnist.html
Добрый день!
Стирка ковров в москве с выездом на дом цена – цена начинается от 2000 рублей за ковр! Наша компания предоставляет услуги по стирке ковров на дому, а также доставку чистых ковров обратно к вам!
Клининг москва уборка дома цена – цена начинается от 5000 рублей за квартиру! Наша компания предоставляет услуги по глубокой очистке квартир и офисов на высшем уровне!
Вся информация на сайте – https://a-chistory.ru/
химчистка спецодежды в москве цены, услуга очистке крыш снега, уборка снега цена за м2
мытье окон дзержинский, уборка квартир щелково цены, клининговая компания производство
Удачи и успешного клининга!!
Hi friends, nice article and pleasant urging commented here, I am in fact enjoying by these.
https://kirovrada.dp.ua/absolyutna-chystota-yak-vydalyty-ostanni.html
узнать больше Здесь водка бет
Pretty! This has been an extremely wonderful article. Thanks for supplying this information.
https://lift-load.com.ua/bkransmtth663.html
Modern dekorasyonla estetik ve fonksiyonelligi nas?l birlestirirsiniz? Bu yaz?da kesfedin.
Хочу выделить раздел про Renkli ve Lezzetli Tariflerle Hayat?n?z? Renklendirin.
Смотрите сами:
https://evtarifim.com
Evinizi guzellestirmek icin farkl? yaklas?m ve fikirlerle geri donecegiz.
подробнее зеркало водка бет
узнать vodka bet