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: |
ролет штора ролет штора .
melbet versiune desktop https://melbet5015.ru/
Timber Grove Finds Online – Shopping is smooth, and items are clearly presented.
подробнее vodkabet онлайн казино
электрические рулонные шторы электрические рулонные шторы .
truewoodsupply – The clean interface helped a lot, shopping felt effortless and smooth today.
сайт кракен маркетплейс
такой Юридическая компания в Севастополе
truewoodsupply – Nice variety here, everything loads fast and looks clean while browsing.
автоматические шторы на окна автоматические шторы на окна .
Подробнее здесь кракен официальный сайт
рулонные жалюзи купить в москве рулонные жалюзи купить в москве .
рулонные шторы с электроприводом и дистанционным управлением http://www.rulonnye-zhalyuzi-avtomaticheskie.ru .
Greetings!
Love chat roulette blends serendipity with smart matching for meaningful bonds. Each interaction is private, live, and full of potential. Skip the boring profiles—love chat roulette puts you face-to-face with real chemistry. Whether you’re shy or bold, the conversation flows naturally. Find your match in seconds with love chat roulette.
More details on the website — https://gay24chat.com/
love chat random, roulette singles chat, chat roulette for universe-guided matches
flirty roulette for dreamy talk, dating chat roulette, chat roulette flirt strangers free
Good luck and amazing connections!!
мелбет сайт https://melbet5005.ru
рулонные шторы в москве рулонные шторы в москве .
Silver Moon Market Hub – Wide variety, smooth checkout, and everything came safely and fast.
profitfunnels.click – Appreciate the typography choices; comfortable spacing improved my reading experience.
подробнее здесь кракен онион ссылки
зайти на сайт Юрист по недвижимости
электрические рулонные шторы купить электрические рулонные шторы купить .
здесь водка бет регистрация
рулонные жалюзи купить в москве рулонные жалюзи купить в москве .
автоматические рулонные шторы на окна автоматические рулонные шторы на окна .
мелбет фрибет условия melbet5005.ru
подробнее Адвокат по алиментам
https://forumochek.ru/threads/kompanija-gikprom.8185/
Смотреть здесь vodka bet
веб-сайт Адвокат по уголовным делам
мелбет купон http://melbet5005.ru/
посетить веб-сайт водка бет регистрация
adsgrowthengine.click – Color palette felt calming, nothing distracting, just focused, thoughtful design.
pariază pe melbet pariază pe melbet
веб-сайт водка бэт
melbet mirror link http://melbet5005.ru/
Silver Moon Value Shop – Great products, fast website, and my items arrived without delay.
This gave me chills — absolutely incredible writing!
узнать больше водка бет регистрация
электрические рулонные шторы купить электрические рулонные шторы купить .
Промокод 1xBet на сегодня при регистрации. Пользователи могут использовать промокоды для получения различных бонусов от букмекера. Найти такие коды можно на тематических сайтах и рабочих зеркалах. 1xbet предлагает несколько форм создания аккаунта: в 1 клик. Компания заботится о клиентах и соблюдает международное право. Актуальные 1xBet бонус код можно получить бесплатно: в СМИ. Любой желающий легко найдёт промокод 1xbet на сегодня. Бонусы щедрые, а условия их получения — реальные. В некоторых случаях вообще ничего делать не нужно.
melbet responsabil gambling https://www.melbet5015.ru
https://portfolio.newschool.edu/ashmv/about/#comment-458
содержание vodkabet новый сайт
melbet bonus fără depunere melbet bonus fără depunere
содержание Юридическая консультация по аренде
кликните сюда vodkabet водкабет казино
как вывести деньги с мелбет если нет 18 melbet5005.ru
этот контент casino vodka
marketingpulse.click – Mobile version looks perfect; no glitches, fast scrolling, crisp text.
посетить сайт вход на кракен даркнет