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: |
Hi there, I check your new stuff daily. Your writing style is awesome, keep up the good work!
установить рулонные шторы цена rulonnye-shtory-s-elektroprivodom499.ru .
шторы автоматические http://rulonnye-shtory-s-elektroprivodom177.ru/ .
check my site https://etherealtrade.lat
рулонные шторы автоматические рулонные шторы автоматические .
Thank you for putting so much effort into your work.
Привет всем!
Я в поисках автомобиля для повседневных нужд — для города и дачи. Если у кого-то есть варианты или советы, буду рад услышать! Не ищу ничего сверхособенного, главное — чтобы машина была в хорошем состоянии. Заранее благодарен за помощь! Предлагают продажа кредитной машины
наркологическая помощь наркологическая помощь .
наркологическая услуга москва http://narkologicheskaya-klinika-38.ru/ .
психолог нарколог в москве https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-38.ru/ .
Floral Haven – A simple layout that makes finding products quick and effortless.
Hello, I check your blog regularly. Your writing style is witty, keep up the good work!
take a look at the site here https://yieldfi.pro/
More about the author https://kinetiq.buzz/
Hello, I log on to your blog regularly. Your story-telling style is witty, keep doing what you’re doing!
Going Here https://daodao.cfd
наркологическая служба http://www.narkologicheskaya-klinika-38.ru .
official statement https://etherealtrade.rest/
What’s up, I check your blog like every week. Your humoristic style is witty, keep doing what you’re doing!
this page https://theo.exchange/
кто купил диплом о среднем образовании кто купил диплом о среднем образовании .
visit the website https://plasma.credit/
https://ilm.iou.edu.gm/members/promcode/
investigate this site https://cakepad.digital/
Coastline Select – Neat pages and clear images made selecting products smooth.
her comment is here https://palladiumlabs.net
Coastline Picks – Easy-to-read layout and neat visuals made shopping quick and easy.
Your enthusiasm is magnetic — I love it!
Source https://unich.icu/
Coastline Emporium – The website is tidy, with visible products that are easy to select.
This post has such an exciting rhythm — I loved it!
Coastline Crafts Shop – The pages are well-organized, making it simple to browse products.
view website https://etherealtrade.xyz
Such a dynamic and exciting piece — I’m impressed!
Hi there, I read your new stuff daily. Your humoristic style is awesome, keep up the good work!
Your writing style is so clear and engaging. Loved this!
MoonView Access – Browsing felt easy, with a contemporary layout and well-structured items.
платный наркологический диспансер москва https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-38.ru/ .
наркологическая служба http://www.narkologicheskaya-klinika-38.ru .
клиника наркологии москва http://www.narkologicheskaya-klinika-38.ru .
Hi there, i read your blog from time to time and
i own a similar one and i was just curious if you get a lot of spam
comments? If so how do you prevent it, any plugin or anything you can recommend?
I get so much lately it’s driving me crazy so any support is very much
appreciated.
Hi, I read your blogs regularly. Your story-telling style is witty, keep doing what you’re doing!
Blossom Haven – Neat layout with easy-to-find items on every page.
reference https://hyperliquid-wiki.cc
check this link right here now https://yieldfi.pro
Hello, I check your blogs regularly. Your story-telling style is awesome, keep it up!
What’s up, I read your new stuff daily. Your humoristic style is awesome, keep it up!
Players often commend its intuitive layout and visually appealing aesthetics.
888starz bet live https://www.carolinestorefinder.com/
a fantastic read https://avalonfinance.cv
Petal Corner – Clear, user-friendly interface with neatly listed products.