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: |
Excellent breakdown! https://3nz9f.icu/chelsea-desperate-for-andrey-santos-playing-time/
филлеры купить цены http://www.filler-kupit1.ru .
When someone writes an paragraph he/she keeps the thought of a user in his/her brain that
how a user can know it. Therefore that’s why this paragraph is perfect.
Thanks!
филлеры купить цены http://filler-kupit1.ru .
магазин филлеров москва https://filler-kupit1.ru .
узнать больше vodka bet casino
наркологическая больница наркологическая больница .
Bookmarking this for later. https://3nz9f.icu/chelsea-desperate-for-andrey-santos-playing-time/
здесь vodkabet
https://lebanonhub.app/blogs/729987/Leveraging-Heritage-to-Bolster-Digital-Credibility-for-Discerning-Communities
https://portfolio.newschool.edu/ashmv/about/#comment-538
I really appreciate your thoughtful approach to writing.
https://rentry.co/therockpitnet
Смотреть здесь kra48.at
на этом сайте водка бет
этот контент водка казино
зайти на сайт vodkabet прямо сейчас
краби ко ланта как добраться пляжи ко ланты — Дополнительно к основным пляжам на Ко Ланте есть ещё несколько жемчужин: Klong Nin и Kantiang Beach — хорошие места для романтических прогулок и спокойного отдыха. Kantiang Beach особенно популярен среди любителей закатов и тихих вечерних посиделок у воды, а рядом расположены тропические леса и смотровые площадки. Если хочется активного отдыха — можно отправиться на лодочные туры вокруг острова, снорклинг у крайних рифов и наблюдение за морской жизнью. В целом пляжи предлагают сочетание песка, прозрачной воды и небольших рыночков с местной едой, что делает их подходящими как для семейного отдыха, так и для пар, ищущих спокойную и красивую обстановку.
selector casino промокод
Металлические двери премиум класса обеспечивают надежную защиту и элегантный стиль вашего дома.
Металлические двери высшего класса обеспечивают отличную тепло- и звукоизоляцию.
PineHill Showcase – Clean pages and straightforward navigation made browsing very pleasant.
https://firstrainingsalud.edu.pe/profile/LydiaOlson2/
Ed Pills Afib: EdPillsAfib – Ed Pills Afib
https://caroniasurgical.com/index.php?route=journal2/blog/post&journal_blog_post_id=1
В обзорной статье вы найдете собрание важных фактов и аналитики по самым разнообразным темам. Мы рассматриваем как современные исследования, так и исторические контексты, чтобы вы могли получить полное представление о предмете. Погрузитесь в мир знаний и сделайте шаг к пониманию!
Подробнее – https://vivod-iz-zapoya-1.ru/
1win казино зеркало https://1win12042.ru/
Смотреть здесь водкабет
1 win букмекерская контора 1 win букмекерская контора
createhub – Easy to move through categories, and all items are clearly displayed.
https://parusbag.ru/forums/topic/promokody-1win-poluchite-bolshe-v-2026-godu/
выберите ресурсы vodka премиум онлайн казино
Silver Moon Picks Online – Easy-to-use interface and neat design made browsing effortless.
Moon Fabrics Hub – Fast browsing and simple navigation helped me explore all products easily.
Следующая страница водкабет
возмещение ущерба после залива возмещение ущерба после залива .
This was really informative. https://3nz9f.icu/leeds-aaronson-was-wasteful-v-southampton/
карниз с приводом для штор https://prokarniz36.ru/ .
узнать больше kra48.cc
Solid points. What keeps players at Hi88 is the payout flow—slot hits feel fair, fish shooting drops bonuses frequently, and casino promos run almost daily.
This is one of the most exciting posts I’ve read in a long time!
наркологические диспансеры москвы http://narkologicheskaya-klinika-35.ru/ .
взгляните на сайте здесь vodkabet
карниз с электроприводом http://prokarniz36.ru .
Sunny Slope Market – Smooth browsing and effortless shopping experience.
интернет магазин филлеров интернет магазин филлеров .
Электроника из Китая — таможенное оформление электроники москва супер
https://repo.komhumana.org/jurgensteadman/1159098/wiki/tamozhennoe-oformlenie+16U.-
зашиваться от алкоголя http://www.narkologicheskaya-klinika-35.ru/ .
оценка ущерба после затопления оценка ущерба после затопления .
Чтобы обеспечить легализацию вашего образования за границей, важно знать, где и как поставить номер апостиля на дипломе.
Первым шагом в получении апостиля является обращение в образовательное учреждение, где вы получили свой диплом.
PineHill Finds – The minimal design and uncluttered pages made checking items relaxing.