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: |
PureChoiceOutlet – Really liked the variety here, browsing was smooth and enjoyable today.
PerfectBuyZone – Products arrived on time, quality seems great and worth recommending too.
brightoakcollection – Very easy to find items, layout is tidy and visually appealing.
диплом купить севастополь диплом купить севастополь .
Подробнее здесь Mega даркнет
Loved the points you made here. https://s2m5.icu/rangers-transfer-news-on-james-sands/
BeyondPotential – Inspiring and actionable, great for anyone wanting to improve and grow.
DreamHavenOutlet Online Picks – The layout was intuitive, allowing me to move across sections effortlessly.
Thanks for the tips! https://7yuezsk8.icu/
PureChoiceOutlet – Great product selection available, site loads fast and navigation feels easy.
https://demo-jet.jetwp.ir/blog/2025/10/25/melbet-vhod-registratsiya-2025/
сюда Мега онион
PureChoiceOutlet – Really satisfied with overall feel, site design is clean and inviting.
веб-сайте Mega даркнет
римские шторы с пультом управления http://www.prokarniz28.ru .
brightoakstore – Navigation is smooth, and the layout feels welcoming and organized.
посетить сайт Мега ссылка
PerfectBuyZone – Great selection here, browsing was smooth and checkout went quickly today.
https://www.spgcarpenters.com.au/melbet-obzor-2025-2/
field finds – Fast pages and tidy layout made exploring products easy.
рулонные шторы автоматические рулонные шторы автоматические .
рольшторы на окна купить в москве http://www.rulonnye-shtory-s-elektroprivodom.ru .
ultimaterankbooster.shop – Mobile version looks perfect; no glitches, fast scrolling, crisp text.
автоматические рулонные шторы с электроприводом на окна http://rulonnye-shtory-s-elektroprivodom499.ru/ .
backlinkhub.shop – Loved the layout today; clean, simple, and genuinely user-friendly overall.
рулонные шторы на окно в кухне https://rulonnye-shtory-s-elektroprivodom.ru .
посмотреть на этом сайте Mega darknet
Harvest Finds Hub – Easy-to-browse layout and organized products improved usability.
автоматические рулонные шторы с электроприводом на окна http://rulonnye-shtory-s-elektroprivodom177.ru/ .
рулонные шторы с электроприводом купить рулонные шторы с электроприводом купить .
BeyondGrowthZone – Really motivating, the tips shared are easy to apply and effective.
PerfectBuyZone – Shopping felt effortless, site layout is neat and user-friendly overall.
рулонные шторы с пультом управления рулонные шторы с пультом управления .
What’s up, I check your blogs daily. Your writing style is awesome, keep up the good work!
рулонные шторы купить москва недорого рулонные шторы купить москва недорого .
Thanks for the tips! https://tfw9sn.com/page/49/
другие Мега даркнет
шторы на пульте управления шторы на пульте управления .
зайти на сайт Mega онион
field picks hub – Fast pages and organized layout made shopping effortless.
PerfectBuyZone – Products arrived on time, quality seems great and worth recommending too.
посетить веб-сайт Мега сайт
Urban Lane Hub – Clear pages and neatly structured items made exploring simple.
Super helpful and straight to the point. https://playboom-de.com/bayern-vs-dortmund-mehr-als-ein-test/
в этом разделе Mega ссылка
проверить сайт Мега даркнет
gold collection hub – Fast pages and tidy layout made exploring products pleasant and quick.
PerfectBuyZone – Good deals here, prices seem fair and shipping was fast and smooth.
рулонные шторы с пультом рулонные шторы с пультом .
римские шторы с пультом управления prokarniz28.ru .