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: |
независимый эксперт по оценке ущерба залив https://ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-3.ru/ .
сколько стоит экспертиза после залива https://ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-3.ru .
Nice read, keep it up! https://3nz9f.icu/newcastle-still-keen-on-conor-gallagher/
скачать мелбет на андроид украина http://www.melbet5005.ru
затопили квартиру что делать затопили квартиру что делать .
как провести оценку ущерба после залива ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-4.ru .
подробнее кракен тор
такой vodkabet новый сайт
melbet partners melbet partners
cazinou melbet http://melbet5015.ru
brightdealchoices – Very convenient to shop, browsing felt seamless.
Hi everyone!
Chat with singles roulette puts authentic connection at your fingertips. Say goodbye to ghosting and hello to live, responsive conversations. Whether you seek flirtation or deep emotional resonance, chat with singles roulette delivers. Mood-based matching ensures compatibility from the first hello. Experience real romance—no games, just heart.
More details on the website — https://freebongo.ru/
roulette romantic meet app, chat roulette dating app, love roulette strangers app free
love roulette meet free, chat roulette for honest right-now selves, chat roulette flirt free online
Good luck and amazing connections!!
Thanks for the tips! https://3nz9f.icu/newcastle-still-keen-on-conor-gallagher/
Подробнее актуальные кракен ссылки
stylevaulthub – Trendy finds were easy to browse, delivery was prompt and safe.
узнать vodkabet прямо сейчас
Следующая страница vodkabet прямо сейчас
Смотреть здесь казино водка
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know so
much about this, like you wrote the book in it or something.
I think that you can do with some pics to drive the message home a little
bit, but other than that, this is great blog. An excellent read.
I will certainly be back.
melbet depozit minim melbet depozit minim
опубликовано здесь кракен маркет даркнет
перенаправляется сюда casino vodka
перенаправляется сюда vodkabet водкабет казино
metformin pills 500 mg metformin 500 mg prices UclaMetformin
BrightRoot Boutique Finds – Pages load fast, and all products are nicely presented.
BrightRoot Essentials – Fast loading pages with a neat and organized presentation.
перейдите на этот сайт vodkabet онлайн казино
читать водкабет
Читать далее водка бет регистрация
San Quentin 2 by Nolimit City. If you thought the original San Quentin was intense san quentin 2
интернет vodka bet
I’ve heard different opinions on this. What do you think the best approach is? https://3nz9f.icu/west-ham-eyeing-up-man-utd-trio/
melbet баланс 500 рублей melbet баланс 500 рублей
dealhubcentral – Loved the variety of deals, browsing the site was effortless.
Brilliant article! https://3nz9f.icu/
продолжить Защита в уголовных делах
BrightRoot Boutique – Browsing was smooth, and items are nicely arranged.
valuebrightstore – Pleasant experience, pages loaded quickly and checkout was simple.
нажмите что такое кракен даркнет
читать Юрист по бракоразводным процессам
взгляните на сайте здесь vodkabet прямо сейчас
здесь vodkabet онлайн казино
зайти на сайт водка казино
Аптечные травы вообщем. купить онлайн мефедрон, экстази, бошки вот это уже наводит на мысли
посмотреть в этом разделе кракен зеркало
BswFinasteride: BswFinasteride – BswFinasteride
I’ve been saying this for years! Great to see someone finally put it so clearly. https://3nz9f.icu/man-united-had-a-howler-over-chris-smalling/
Evinizde hem s?kl?g? hem de kullan?sl?l?g? onemseyenler icin harika ipuclar? derledik.
Между прочим, если вас интересует Eviniz Icin Estetik ve Fonksiyonel Mobilya Secimi, посмотрите сюда.
Ссылка ниже:
https://evimtarzi.com
Daha fazla dekorasyon onerisi icin bizi takip etmeyi unutmay?n!
Nice post. I learn something new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon every day.
It’s always helpful to read through content from other
writers and use a little something from other
web sites.
BrightRoot Treasures Shop – Very responsive and items are easy to explore.