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: |
Подробнее здесь kra48.cc
филлеры цена филлеры цена .
филлер купить филлер купить .
электрокарнизы для штор https://prokarniz36.ru .
электрокарнизы для штор prokarniz36.ru .
электрокарнизы для штор купить в москве http://www.prokarniz36.ru .
купить филлеры оптом купить филлеры оптом .
Excellent breakdown! https://3nz9f.icu/arsenal-missed-a-trick-on-raphinha/
Hey there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my zynga group?
There’s a lot of folks that I think would really appreciate your content.
Please let me know. Many thanks
интернет магазин филлеров интернет магазин филлеров .
What’s up to all, since I am really eager of reading this blog’s post to be updated on a regular basis. It includes good information.
https://detailtesting.com/melbet-bonus-za-registraciyu-2025/
купить филлеры оптом купить филлеры оптом .
филлеры купить цены http://www.filler-kupit.ru .
This is gold, thank you! https://3nz9f.icu/category/uncategorized/
Moon Fabrics Finds – Browsing was fast and stress-free thanks to clear menus.
This information is invaluable. Where can I find out more?
https://ceraselarogen.ro/skachat-melbet-2025/
филлер ру филлер ру .
пиши в скайп, все работает, мне всегда отправляют, все на уровне https://ural-print.ru минималка СК и рег? и внесите ясностьВсем все выслано.
перейти на сайт vodka bet
как доказать виновника залива http://ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-5.ru .
другие vodkabet прямо сейчас
купить филлеры москва купить филлеры москва .
купить филлеры для косметологов filler-kupit1.ru .
ко ланта отзывы где ко ланта — географически Ко Ланта находится в Андаманском море на юго-западе Таиланда, в провинции Крабі, недалеко от островов Кроти и Trang. Основные точки — Ko Lanta Yai (главный остров) и Ko Lanta Noi, соединённые мостом; порт Saladan считается центральной точкой доступа к паромам на материк и к соседним бухтам. Остров удобно исследовать на арендованном скутере или велосипеде: протяжённость дорог ограничена, но дорожное покрытие хорошее. Рядом с островом находятся национальные парки и заповедники, что делает место привлекательным для любителей природы и морской тематины.
независимая экспертиза при затоплении независимая экспертиза при затоплении .
This was thoughtful, informative, and very well done.
филлер филлер .
I think everything said was very reasonable. But, consider this, what if you were to create a killer title? I mean, I don’t want to tell you how to run your website, but what if you added a post title that makes people desire more? I mean %BLOG_TITLE% is a little boring. You ought to peek at Yahoo’s front page and note how they create news headlines to get people to open the links. You might add a related video or a picture or two to grab readers interested about what you’ve got to say. Just my opinion, it would bring your posts a little livelier.
https://www.carpenteriemotta.it/2025/10/26/melbet-zerkalo-2025-obzor/
как провести оценку ущерба после залива https://ekspertiza-zaliva-kvartiry-5.ru/ .
диплом купить в перми диплом купить в перми .
1win отзывы http://www.1win12042.ru
Таможенное оформление одежды москва — большая партия прошла
https://playtube.theapp4u.com/@educurtis64137?page=about
филлер филлер .
Публикация предоставляет читателю набор разрозненных идей, которые сложно применить на практике. Мы лишь слегка касаемся разных точек зрения, не углубляясь в анализ и не предлагая никаких выводов.
Вот – cum
Silver Moon Collection – Clean design and organized categories made discovering items easy.
здесь kra48.cc
посетить сайт зеркало водка бет
этот сайт водка бэт
ссылка на сайт зеркало водка бет
клиника наркология https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-35.ru/ .
скрытый алкоголизм https://www.narkologicheskaya-klinika-35.ru .
нарколог психолог narkologicheskaya-klinika-35.ru .
этот сайт vodka премиум онлайн казино
Главная водка бет
диплом государственного образца купить http://www.r-diploma1.ru .
Этот информативный текст выделяется своими захватывающими аспектами, которые делают сложные темы доступными и понятными. Мы стремимся предложить читателям глубину знаний вместе с разнообразием интересных фактов. Откройте новые горизонты и развивайте свои способности познавать мир!
Получить больше информации – https://vivod-iz-zapoya-1.ru/
посетить сайт https://kra48a.at/
перенаправляется сюда https://kra48a.at
1win casino бонус код https://1win12042.ru
Эта информационная заметка содержит увлекательные сведения, которые могут вас удивить! Мы собрали интересные факты, которые сделают вашу жизнь ярче и полнее. Узнайте нечто новое о привычных аспектах повседневности и откройте для себя удивительный мир информации.
Ознакомиться с деталями – https://vivod-iz-zapoya-1.ru/