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: |
timelessharborboutique – Fast-loading pages and organized products for effortless browsing.
timelessharborgoods – Smooth interface with neatly arranged merchandise and easy navigation.
modernurbanhub – Great products and very reasonable prices, completely satisfied.
москва ремонт квартир москва ремонт квартир .
video chat rooms 321chat rooms
бригады по ремонту квартир в москве luchshie-remontnye-kompanii-moskvy.com .
ремонт квартир компании http://www.luchshie-remontnye-kompanii-moskvy.com .
timelessharborcornerstore – Easy browsing and visually tidy products make shopping enjoyable.
321 sexchat free adult cam chat
компании по ремонту компании по ремонту .
лучшая компания по ремонту квартир лучшая компания по ремонту квартир .
321chat alternatives video chat rooms
фирма ремонт квартир фирма ремонт квартир .
Наслаждайтесь увлекательными играми и щедрыми бонусами в LuckyPari official!
Уникальной платформой можно назвать LuckyPari, которая предоставляет пользователям широкий спектр услуг. Здесь можно найти множество спортивных событий, на которые можно делать ставки. Одним из значительных преимуществ LuckyPari является удобный интерфейс. которые могут столкнуться с различными вопросами. Есть возможность обращения в службу поддержки как через чат, так и по электронной почте.
электрокарнизы электрокарнизы .
win crash game win crash game .
urbanhubfinder – Found perfect products, pricing is fair and very satisfying.
win crash game win crash game .
автоматические карнизы для штор автоматические карнизы для штор .
battery aviator game apk battery aviator game apk .
электрокарнизы для штор цена электрокарнизы для штор цена .
электрокарнизы для штор купить в москве https://www.elektrokarnizmsk.ru .
гардина с электроприводом elektrokarnizmsk.ru .
электрокарниз недорого elektrokarnizmsk.ru .
слот the dog house megaways https://www.wwwpsy.ru .
в этом разделе kraken tor
слоты мелбет https://wwwpsy.ru/ .
слот the dog house megaways http://www.wwwpsy.ru/ .
adult video chat 321chat login
free 321chat live chat online
купить диплом 5000 руб http://r-diploma30.ru/ .
проверить сайт кракен маркетплейс
321chat rooms 321chat forum
urbanfashionhub – Found great products, prices are very reasonable and satisfying.
перенаправляется сюда вход на kraken darknet
читать кракен тор ссылка
urbantrendemporium – Very happy with the selection, competitive prices and high-quality products.
urbanstylecorner – Great variety of items, very satisfied with both price and quality.
video chat with strangers free video chat
карниз с приводом для штор https://elektrokarnizmsk.ru/ .
электрические гардины для штор https://elektrokarnizmsk.ru/ .
карниз с электроприводом карниз с электроприводом .
1xbet промокод на сегодня 2026. Чтобы удовлетворить ставочников, букмекеры постоянно добавляют новые функции и предложения. Одним из лидеров является 1хБет. Ввод промокода при регистрации позволяет получить увеличенную сумму бонуса. После создания аккаунта внеси первый депозит (до 32 500 рублей) — и получи вознаграждение. Абсолютно бесплатный 1 x bet промокод доступен всем новичкам, чтобы активировать дополнительные преимущества. Игнорировать поле «Введите промокод» — значит потерять выгоду. Оно присутствует при трёх из четырёх способов регистрации (через e-mail).
rocket wala game http://aviator-game-deposit.com/ .
????? ??? http://www.aviator-game-deposit.com .
321 chat alternatives adult chat rooms
лучшие ремонтные компании москвы лучшие ремонтные компании москвы .
???? ???? ??? http://www.aviator-game-deposit.com .
mel bet http://www.v-bux.ru .
PMA Ivermectin: PMA Ivermectin – PmaIvermectin