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: |
бифазные филлеры filler-kupit.ru .
seo эксперт агентство http://reiting-seo-kompanii.ru .
рейтинг компаний seo оптимизации http://reiting-seo-kompanii.ru .
автоматические гардины для штор http://www.prokarniz36.ru .
pumpkinpatchstore – Layout is calm, easy to locate items and categories.
карниз для штор с электроприводом http://www.prokarniz36.ru .
My partner and I absolutely love your blog and find a lot of your post’s to be just what I’m looking for. can you offer guest writers to write content available for you? I wouldn’t mind producing a post or elaborating on a lot of the subjects you write regarding here. Again, awesome web log!
https://maurleen.webversatility.com/2025/11/02/melbet-vhod-s-mobilnogo-2025/
электрокарнизы цена http://www.prokarniz36.ru/ .
карниз с приводом для штор http://prokarniz36.ru .
рекламное агентство seo рекламное агентство seo .
электрокарнизы цена https://prokarniz36.ru .
автоматические гардины для штор http://www.prokarniz36.ru .
топ агентства seo топ агентства seo .
rarefashionboutique – Well-laid-out sections and fast-loading pages, shopping felt hassle-free.
seo компания москва http://reiting-seo-kompanii.ru .
рейтинг компаний seo оптимизации https://reiting-seo-kompanii.ru/ .
This text is priceless. Where can I find out more?
https://almadina-furniture.com/melbet-2025-obzor-bk-2/
рейтинг seo компаний рейтинг seo компаний .
продвижение сайтов топ агентство продвижение сайтов топ агентство .
Эвакуатор таганрог Эвакуатор — специализированная автотранспортная техника, предназначенная для перемещения автомобилей, которые не могут сами двигаться по дороге из-за поломки, ДТП или иных неисправностей. Обычно эвакуаторы оснащены тягловыми механизмами, лебедками, крюками, подъёмниками и креплениями, позволяющими надежно закрепить машину на платформе или на кузове. В зависимости от ситуации применяют эвакуаторы низкорамные или с кран-манипулятором; первые нужны для быстрого зацепления лёгких авто, вторые — для зацепа тяжёлых или нестандартных транспортных средств. Услуги эвакуатора могут включать буксировку на сервис или на штрафплощадку, доставку в автосервис, ремонт на месте, эвакуацию после ДТП, запуск двигателя, зарядку аккумулятора, подвоз топлива, а также оформление необходимых документов. Обращаться к лицензированным операторам рекомендуется через официальный сайт компании или по телефону диспетчера; чаще всего выдается квитанция/акт об оказании услуг. Вызов эвакуатора позволяет быстро убрать автомобиль с дороги, обеспечить безопасность дорожного движения и снизить риск дополнительных повреждений.
creststylecorner – Well-organized layout and neat product listings, shopping felt effortless.
seo продвижение рейтинг компаний seo продвижение рейтинг компаний .
сколько стоит экспертиза после залива https://ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-5.ru .
I’ll definitely try this out. https://3nz9f.icu/
бот для лаки джет скачать бот для лаки джет скачать
rarestylehub – Neatly organized pages and intuitive navigation, shopping was pleasant.
электрокарниз купить в москве http://www.prokarniz36.ru .
карнизы с электроприводом купить http://www.prokarniz36.ru/ .
электрический карниз для штор купить http://prokarniz36.ru .
Crest Artisan Studio – Easy navigation with well-laid-out items made shopping effortless.
электрические гардины для штор prokarniz36.ru .
rusticcornerstore – Clear layout, shopping feels stress-free and organized.
Northern Finds Hub – Smooth design and clearly displayed products improved usability.
лучшие seo агентства лучшие seo агентства .
Northern Treasures – Smooth navigation and clearly arranged items improved usability.
авиатор казино http://1win12041.ru
brightwinterstore – Products look appealing and navigation is smooth — a good shopping experience.
modernhubzone – Clean interface, products easy to locate, and navigating categories was simple.
seo продвижение сайтов агентство http://reiting-seo-kompanii.ru/ .
Hello, yeah this piece of writing is actually good and I have learned lot of things from it on the topic of blogging. thanks.
https://v2.volkvision.info/index.php/2025/10/26/melbet-2025-obzor-bk/
экспертиза после залива экспертиза после залива .
рейтинг digital seo агентств http://www.reiting-seo-kompanii.ru .
seo рейтинг seo рейтинг .
как доказать виновника залива http://ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-5.ru .
moderncorner – Well-structured layout, products easy to explore, and navigation feels seamless.
hubselection – Smooth browsing, intuitive interface, and items are clearly presented.
заказать филлеры оптом https://filler-kupit.ru .
seo agency ranking reiting-seo-kompanii.ru .
Wonderful website. A lot of useful information here.
I am sending it to several pals ans also sharing in delicious.
And certainly, thank you on your sweat!
рекламное агентство seo рекламное агентство seo .