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: |
образование купить диплом службе http://r-diploma28.ru .
Mountain Wind Studio Finds – Browsing was simple and the products were easy to view.
интернет трипскан вход
melbet game download http://www.melbet5004.ru
мелбет казино https://melbet5009.ru/
купить диплом в крыму купить диплом в крыму .
мелбет официальный сайт войти melbet5004.ru
нажмите, чтобы подробнее trip scan
melbet какое зеркало http://melbet5009.ru
melbet промокод 9100 рублей https://melbet5009.ru/
Windy Mountain Studio – The website is well-organized, so finding products was fast.
I love how you provide both depth and clarity in your writing.
Mountain Wind Corner – Intuitive design allowed me to navigate through items without any hassle.
Mountain Wind Selections – Clean design and intuitive navigation made shopping enjoyable.
shop moonfall – Items are well displayed and navigating the site felt intuitive.
melbet app ios download http://www.melbet5009.ru
Discover a world of excitement and entertainment true fortune casino mobile app!
At True Fortune Casino is a popular destination for players looking for an exciting gaming experience. Offering a diverse selection of games, it caters to both casual players and high rollers. From slot machines to table games, there is something for everyone.
Your vibrant approach is absolutely refreshing — great work!
moon picks – Smooth interface and organized categories made shopping pleasant.
заказ курсовых работ заказ курсовых работ .
Mountain Wind Collection – Browsing was comfortable and discovering items was effortless.
melbet kz скачать melbet kz скачать
женская обувь кожаный верх и подкладка Женская обувь по России – возможность приобрести качественную обувь с доставкой в любой уголок страны.
Urban Seed Treasures – Quick and effortless shopping with a tidy design.
SilverBirch Online – The fast loading times are a standout feature that enhances the clean look.
melbet казахстан http://melbet5009.ru
eldorado вывод средствВыберите подходящий способ депозита: банковская карта (виза, мир, мастеркард), электронный кошелек (киви, скрилл, нетеллер, вебмани, монета.ру, яндекс.деньги), мобильный платеж (смс), введите сумму и валюту пополнения, подтвердите платеж. Ultra hot eldorado slot официальный сайт Eldorado
Во время игры нельзя перевести взгляд влево или вправо и увидеть соседние автоматы и игроков за ними.
Правда, жителям некоторых стран придется пользоваться зеркалами, например, портал не запускается в Турции, Украине, Великобритании, Соединенных Штатах Америки, Франции и др.
shop moon boutique – Navigation was intuitive and exploring products felt effortless.
Wolf Hub – Simple pages with clean layout improved the browsing experience.
moonfall store – Clean layout and fast pages made shopping enjoyable.
Задумываетесь о том, куда вложить ваши сбережения? Сегодня поговорим об этом.
Кстати, если вас интересует Финансовые решения для автовладельцев: советы и материалы, загляните сюда.
Вот, делюсь ссылкой:
https://24leasing.ru
Принимайте решения, основываясь на ваших личных целях и приоритетах.
moon boutique access – Clear interface and tidy layout made product discovery easy.
mel-bet.kz mel-bet.kz
melbet букмекерская контора официальный скачать http://melbet5004.ru
написание курсовой на заказ цена написание курсовой на заказ цена .
условия бонуса в мелбет http://melbet5009.ru/
Urban Seed Essentials – Fast browsing experience with a neat, organized layout.
Main Gallery Page – Everything is so responsive and well-organized, it’s a pleasure to use.
Mountain Wind Marketplace – Items are clearly displayed, which made browsing straightforward.
Wolf Finds Hub – Easy-to-browse layout and organized items made shopping enjoyable.
melbet зеркало на сегодня melbet зеркало на сегодня
куплю курсовую работу куплю курсовую работу .
wildpeakcorner – Pleasant layout, finding and browsing products is effortless.
moon boutique corner – Items loaded quickly and categories were easy to navigate.
курсовые заказ курсовые заказ .
Mountain Wind Picks Online – Browsing was smooth and the interface is very user-friendly.
wildmountainemporium – Very organized, products are easy to find and view.
посетить сайт tripscan top
mountainwildlane – Very user-friendly design, products are clearly displayed.
этот контент vodka casino