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: |
check these guys out https://ethereal.credit
i was reading this https://kinetiq.buzz/
Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I could add
to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates.
I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe
you would have some experience with something like this.
Please let me know if you run into anything.
I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new
updates.
her explanation https://looksrare.cfd
view website https://kinetiq.lat/
have a peek at this web-site https://cakepad.digital
Coastline Treasures Hub – Clean design and well-arranged products made shopping fast and easy.
Hello, I read your new stuff daily. Your writing style is witty, keep it up!
Web Site https://usdai.cloud/
клиника наркологии клиника наркологии .
Savanna Selection Store – Items were well laid out, making the overall browsing experience comfortable.
discover here https://plasma.credit/
Golden Savanna Finds – The storefront looked tidy and the product display made exploring enjoyable.
закодироваться в москве закодироваться в москве .
наркологическая клиника наркологическая клиника .
Hello, for all time i used to check blog posts here early
in the morning, as i enjoy to gain knowledge of more and more.
Savanna Style Shop – The arrangement of products felt clean and easy to navigate.
Доброго!
Если хотите остаться на связи, лучше купить виртуальный номер уже сегодня. С помощью сервиса вы легко сможете купить виртуальный номер. Каждому нужен купить виртуальный номер для безопасности личных данных. Наши клиенты рекомендуют купить виртуальный номер друзьям и коллегам. Выбирайте наш сервис, чтобы купить виртуальный номер с удобством.
Полная информация по ссылке – https://premierpizza.ru/zachem-vam-kazahskiy-nomer-esli-vy-dazhe-ne-v-kazahstane/
виртуальный номер, постоянный виртуальный номер для смс, купить виртуальный номер навсегда
купить номер телефона навсегда, купить виртуальный номер для смс навсегда, виртуальный номер
Всего наилучшего и комфорта в общении!!
наркологические услуги http://www.narkologicheskaya-klinika-37.ru .
top picks store – It felt smooth navigating around; everything was placed logically.
attic corner – Fast pages and neat layout made exploring items enjoyable.
click resources https://cakepad.digital/
Everyday Finds Market – Had a smooth browsing session here; everything felt clean and well-arranged from the beginning.
Coastline Creations – Clean layout and clear images make finding items effortless.
UrbanTrendsHub – Site is simple to navigate with a great variety of products.
fresh selections – Easy to move around the site, and the pages stayed clean and organized.
visit the website https://etherealtrade.lat
Everyday Market Picks – Enjoyed how organized everything looked; the whole experience felt refreshingly simple.
алко помощь наркологическая http://narkologicheskaya-klinika-37.ru .
read what he said https://d2finance.cc/
here https://etherealtrade.xyz
YOURURL.com https://kittenswap.buzz
find out this here https://avalonfinance.cc
browse around here https://d2finance.cc/
Flora Market – Straightforward navigation with clear product groupings.
investigate this site https://yieldfi.pro
visit homepage https://hypperswap.space/
UrbanLifeTrends – Smooth navigation, excellent selection and appealing design.
wild collection – Browsing felt effortless and items were displayed clearly.
Golden Savanna Boutique – Liked the clean setup—browsing was pleasant and the product visuals were appealing.
my favorite shop – The layout made it simple to find what I needed, nothing felt cluttered at all.
directory https://usdai.cloud/
Таможенное оформление контейнеров москва — без задержек на границе
https://projeto1868.org/@ramonitarosado?page=about
find more info https://g8keep.org/
Букмекерская контора «Мелбет» – это уникальная возможность для всех желающих получить дополнительный доход. Здесь можно делать ставки на самые разные спортивные события по всему миру. Высокие коэффициенты, круглосуточная техническая поддержка, удобное мобильное приложение и многие другие преимущества проекта делают его весьма популярным среди любителей азартных игр. Доступ на виртуальную площадку открыт лишь для зарегистрированных пользователей. melbet промокод на сегодня 2026 помогут сэкономить как начинающим, так и опытным игрокам. В такой надежной и стабильной букмекерской конторе вы всегда можете быть уверены.
Learn More Here https://etherealtrade.rest
have a peek at this website https://hlp0.online
Bloom Bazaar – Simple navigation and organized pages improve the shopping experience.
Hi, I read your blog like every week. Your story-telling style is awesome, keep doing what you’re doing!
grovecraftstore – Clean layout with well-presented products, shopping felt hassle-free.