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: |
nightfallmarketplace – Items are high quality, checkout process was simple and fast today.
use this link https://kittenswap.cc
кухня на заказ спб http://www.kuhni-spb-12.ru .
dig this https://g8keep.org
Appreciate the content you put out! https://h71asf.icu/newcastle-bid-35m-for-james-maddison/
Устройство сломано. С такой поломкой вам необходимо обратиться в специализированный сервисный центр, прочитайте этот документ по сдаче устройства если в списке проблем ничего не помогло, смело сдавайте в сервис на диагностику
Статья содержит обоснованные аргументы, подкрепленные фактами.
click to find out more https://hlp0.cloud
I found this post very helpful. https://7d3g1.icu/leeds-considering-marcelo-gallardo-move/
he said https://prjx.space
melbet cont https://www.melbet5014.ru
Evinizde hem s?kl?g? hem de kullan?sl?l?g? onemseyenler icin harika ipuclar? derledik.
Особенно понравился материал про Renkli ve Lezzetli Tariflerle Hayat?n?z? Renklendirin.
Вот, можете почитать:
https://evtarifim.com
Umar?z bu ipuclar?yla evinizde harikalar yaratabilirsiniz! Sevgiyle kal?n.
this website https://avalonfinance.cv/
кухни на заказ в спб недорого кухни на заказ в спб недорого .
Привет всем Тсу движек https://tazman.ru Всем Мир! Да прибудет с вами Сила!
Great insights, thanks for sharing! https://casino-stake-fr.com/casino-stake-app/
why not find out more https://beratrax.org
Устройство сломано. С такой поломкой вам необходимо обратиться в специализированный сервисный центр, прочитайте этот гайд если в списке проблем ничего не помогло, смело сдавайте в сервис на диагностику
Have you ever thought about including a little bit more than just your
articles? I mean, what you say is important and all. Nevertheless just imagine if
you added some great images or videos to give your posts more, “pop”!
Your content is excellent but with images and videos, this website could definitely be one of the very best in its field.
Awesome blog!
Your Domain Name https://ethereal.credit/
кухни в спб на заказ http://kuhni-spb-12.ru .
useful site https://hypperswap.cloud
click this site https://etherealtrade.xyz/
кухни на заказ в санкт-петербурге https://kuhni-spb-9.ru .
this post https://arch.credit
мебель для кухни спб от производителя http://kuhni-spb-12.ru .
игровые автоматы играть бесплатно Вас интересует, где найти официальный сайт онлайн казино в России с лицензией? Мы предоставляем актуальную информацию о ведущих игровых площадках, их преимуществах и особенностях.
Learn More Here https://hyperliquid-wiki.cc/
wikipedia reference https://kittenswap.buzz
urbanedgecollective – Great selection today, found styles quickly and checkout was super easy overall.
adstrigger.click – Appreciate the typography choices; comfortable spacing improved my reading experience.
Daily Streetwear Spot – Discover fashionable urban wear curated for a modern lifestyle.
melbet casino melbet5014.ru
Bu yaz?da, evinizi guzellestirirken islevselligi de art?rman?n yollar?n? kesfedecegiz.
Особенно понравился раздел про Guzellik ve Cilt Bak?m?: Dogal Cozumler ve Ipuclar?.
Вот, делюсь ссылкой:
https://turkbakimi.com
Evinizi guzellestirmek icin farkl? yaklas?m ve fikirlerle geri donecegiz.
кухни на заказ в спб кухни на заказ в спб .
official statement https://plasma.credit/
trafficengine.click – Found practical insights today; sharing this article with colleagues later.
cum depun bani la melbet https://melbet5013.ru
Continued https://beraborrow.cc/
кухни на заказ питер кухни на заказ питер .
большая кухня на заказ http://www.kuhni-spb-12.ru .
melbet nu funcționează https://melbet5014.ru
кухни на заказ спб недорого с ценами https://www.kuhni-spb-11.ru .
кухни на заказ спб недорого с ценами kuhni-spb-12.ru .
кухни под заказ спб кухни под заказ спб .
кухни спб на заказ http://kuhni-spb-12.ru .
кухни на заказ санкт петербург кухни на заказ санкт петербург .
кухни на заказ спб http://kuhni-spb-9.ru/ .
рейтинг seo компаний рейтинг seo компаний .
лучшие агентства seo продвижения http://www.reiting-seo-kompanii.ru/ .