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: |
Fresh Daily Finds Online – Very smooth browsing with well-organized content.
Подробнее
сегодняшние новости
Fresh Picks Center – Pleasant experience navigating the site and discovering items.
продолжить
новости Карагандинской области
This has answered all my questions.
SkyBlossomCorner – Nice user interface, navigation felt intuitive and search worked fast too.
Продолжение купить права владивосток
здесь
купить права на вождение
I found this post very helpful. https://l860y7c.top/bcci-unlikely-to-submit-undertaking-in-supreme-court/
GrowAndLearnOnline – Excellent resources, and browsing felt simple and enjoyable.
Super helpful and straight to the point. https://mbmw12k.top/author/n8rngtd-top/
Thank you for writing this. https://888-de.com/von-panzern-nomaden-und-overaths-erbe/
Таможенный склад москва помог избежать штрафов
https://mytoru.com/author/aundreawitteno/
LearningThriveCenter – Nice learning materials and smooth browsing experience overall.
Excellent breakdown! https://9drv0ci.top/
Продолжение kush casino
нажмите, чтобы подробнее водка бет
взгляните на сайте здесь водка бэт
симулятор казино онлайн
1xBet Promo Code Casino http://ruptur.com/libs/photo/promokod_1xbet_na_segodnya_besplatno_pri_registracii.html
1xBet offers specific promo codes for casino players that provide free spins, deposit bonuses, or cashback on losses. These codes can be used in the casino section of the site to enhance the gaming experience.
Explore SunlitValleyMarket – Navigation was effortless and the layout was very user-friendly.
SkyBlossomCorner – Great variety of items displayed, site layout is clean and easy.
Your advice is spot-on and has already given me a new way to approach things. I cant wait to put these tips into action!
содержание водкабет
узнать kush казино играть
солнечный март семена купить
I’ll definitely try this out. https://7yueg12c.icu/
Установите жалюзи электрические Прокарниз, и наслаждайтесь комфортом и простотой управления светом в вашем доме.
С каждым днем автоматические жалюзи с электрическим управлением завоевывают сердца покупателей. Эти инновационные устройства предлагают комфорт и удобство.
Во-первых, такая система управления позволяет регулировать уровень света в помещении. Управление жалюзи осуществляется через дистанционный пульт, что делает использование более комфортным.
Также жалюзи с электроприводом способствуют повышению энергоэффективности. Эти устройства помогают поддерживать комфортный микроклимат, удерживая тепло в холодное время года.
В итоге, автоматические жалюзи на окна являются прекрасным решением для создания комфорта в доме. Установка таких жалюзи улучшает функциональность и внешний вид вашего помещения.
А вы не несете ответственность за ваших официальных представителей, которые представляют ваш бренд в странах СНГ? https://sarahlawrence.org Все радует в работе магазина,да и приходит с бонусом.Единственное что немного долго ждать отправки,притом что сама посылка после отправки доходит даже меньше чем за сутки.С Новым Годом всех поздравляю,очень рад сотрудничеству с данным магазином,желаю только хорошего!
умные шторы умные шторы .
SkyBlossomCorner – Pleasant browsing today, site loads quickly and selection looks high quality.
Your blog always inspires me. https://2m0x.icu/man-city-sky-blues-eyeing-james-maddison-summer-move/
Источник vodka bet casino
ссылка на сайт водка бэт
Excellent breakdown! https://9l8ciqc.top/peterson-retires-from-all-forms-of-cricket/
перейдите на этот сайт водка бэт
I’ve been active for several months, mostly for learning crypto basics, and it’s always easy onboarding. The updates are frequent and clear.
в этом разделе сколько стоит купить водительские права
Very well written, thanks! https://guanfafafa1.com/a-different-stripe/
перенаправляется сюда
овости Костанайской области
здесь водкабет казино
https://sites.gsu.edu/nramirez5/2016/04/04/georgia-aquarium-gift-shop/comment-page-1161/#comment-176165
SkyBlossomCorner – Pleasant browsing today, site loads quickly and selection looks high quality.
управление шторами с телефона управление шторами с телефона .
SkyBlossomCorner – Products look appealing, checkout seems simple and browsing experience pleasant.
здесь
новости Казахстана на сегодня
умные римские шторы https://prokarniz29.ru/ .
каталог
Кызылорда новости на сегодня
можно проверить ЗДЕСЬ kush казино играть
Главная
коронавирус в Казахстане последние новости на сегодня