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: |
Modern dekorasyonla estetik ve fonksiyonelligi nas?l birlestirirsiniz? Bu yaz?da kesfedin.
По теме “Stil ve Moda Onerileri: S?kl?k ve Kullan?sl?l?k”, нашел много полезного.
Ссылка ниже:
https://stilvezarafet.com
Bu yaz?m?z isinize yarad?ysa, goruslerinizi bizimle paylas?n.
alle wettanbieter deutschland
Also visit my webpage: wie funktioniert handicap wette, Mammie,
stylefinder – Enjoyed checking out trendy outfits, the website loaded quickly.
I was recommended this web site by my cousin. I’m not sure whether this
post is written by him as no one else know such detailed about my trouble.
You are amazing! Thanks!
I was excited to discover this great site. I want to to thank
you for ones time for this wonderful read!!
I definitely savored every bit of it and i also have you
book marked to look at new things in your web site.
aviator bonus game http://aviator-game-winner.com/ .
диплом купить в уфе диплом купить в уфе .
trendemporium – Nice assortment of items, browsing today was effortless.
trendzonehub – Found stylish products quickly, the website was easy to navigate.
Промокод при регистрации в 1xbet сегодня. Этой акцией может воспользоваться каждый новый игрок при регистрации на сайте букмекера. Это отличный старт. В форме регистрации есть необязательное поле для ввода кода. Как получить 1х бет промокод на фрибет. В магазине xBonus можно обменять баллы на коды 1xbet kz: для ординаров, экспрессов или лотерей. Найти промокоды 1xbet можно на спортивных сайтах. Представители БК часто публикуют их к праздникам или турнирам. Все актуальные промокоды 2026 доступны в официальном разделе сайта и могут быть обменяны на бонусные баллы.
stylezone – Loved checking out products, navigation was smooth and hassle-free.
topurbancollection – Fast page loads and easy checkout, browsing was pleasant.
sportwetten ergebnisse
my blog post: wettanbieter ohne limit (Teri)
Estetik ipuclar? ve fonksiyonel mobilyalarla evinize yepyeni bir soluk getirmeye haz?r m?s?n?z?
По теме “Renkli ve Lezzetli Tariflerle Hayat?n?z? Renklendirin”, там просто кладезь информации.
Ссылка ниже:
https://evtarifim.com
Bu yaz?m?z isinize yarad?ysa, goruslerinizi bizimle paylas?n.
win crash game win crash game .
aviator x aviator-game-winner.com .
Mình đang dùng FLY88 mỗi ngày và thấy nền tảng khá ổn định, giao dịch nhanh, khuyến mãi cũng hấp dẫn nên trải nghiệm tương đối tốt.
Dekorasyona yeni bir gozle bakmaya ne dersiniz? Hem estetik hem de islevsellik on planda!
Хочу выделить материал про Estetik Ipuclar? ve Fonksiyonel Mobilyalar.
Смотрите сами:
https://icmekanturk.com
Bu yaz?m?z isinize yarad?ysa, goruslerinizi bizimle paylas?n.
pferderennen online wetten
my homepage :: buchmacher kappe
urbanpickshop – Convenient to find trendy items, checkout was smooth.
battery aviator game apk battery aviator game apk .
aviator game aviator game .
battery aviator game apk battery aviator game apk .
aviation game aviation game .
aviator money http://aviator-game-winner.com .
win crash game win crash game .
aviator money http://aviator-game-cash.com .
win crash game win crash game .
aviator x https://aviator-game-cash.com/ .
highriverdesigns – Really impressed with the design variety, website loads fast and smooth.
BH Style Collection – Easy navigation, good quality, and timely delivery.
Bu yaz?da, evinizi guzellestirirken islevselligi de art?rman?n yollar?n? kesfedecegiz.
Зацепил материал про Guzellik Ipuclar? ve Trendler: En Iyi Rehberiniz.
Ссылка ниже:
https://parlakten.com
Evinizi guzellestirmek icin farkl? yaklas?m ve fikirlerle geri donecegiz.
Blue Haven Apparel – Impressed by the designs and the parcel arrived right when they said it would.
сегодня вот ночью прислал трек. Бьется, радует https://moskva-autolombard.ru/beloyarskiy.html нет таких, а вымораживать рекламу других магазинов в этой ветке можно и минус в репу получить, есть другие ветки где обсуждаются реагенты от разных магазинов, а здесь обсуждается продукция данного ТСа , вкурил?
Hi, of course this paragraph is truly pleasant and I have learned lot of things from
it about blogging. thanks.
BlueHaven Shop – Smooth purchase experience and everything came exactly as promised.
Online medicine home delivery https://socalabortionpill.xyz/# Socal Abortion Pill
chiczone – Found stylish items effortlessly, site navigation was simple and fast.
trendfinder – Nice assortment available, site navigation felt effortless.
https://www.capitalsleepcenter.com/profile/alibacklinks3979745/profile
conversionforce.click – Pages loaded fast, images appeared sharp, and formatting stayed consistent.
промокод 1xBet при регистрации Воспользуйтесь бонусом при регистрации на https://www.fermerbezhlopot.ru/news/1xbet-promokod.html и заберите 32 500? + бонус 100%, чтобы получить дополнительное преимущество.
wette frankreich schweiz
my site :: seriöse wettanbieter deutschland (https://Relampagocacambas.Com.br/wett-app-schweiz)
The practical value of the information you’ve shared here is immeasurable. Thank you!
BH Trends Corner – Great browsing experience and the items showed up in excellent condition.
Haven Style Picks – Smooth checkout, great prices, and delivery arrived without any delays.
Modern dekorasyonla estetik ve fonksiyonelligi nas?l birlestirirsiniz? Bu yaz?da kesfedin.
Для тех, кто ищет информацию по теме “Atasehir’in En Iyi Bal?k Restoranlar? ve Lezzetli Tarifler”, нашел много полезного.
Вот, делюсь ссылкой:
https://tarifkasif.com
Umar?z bu ipuclar?yla evinizde harikalar yaratabilirsiniz! Sevgiyle kal?n.
Blue Haven TrendyWear – Loved the range of choices and the shipping was right on time.
HavenStyle Deals – Trendy options with reliable delivery and a super easy checkout.
urbanchoicehub – Smooth browsing and user-friendly design, products were easy to locate.