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: |
Fashion Picks Hub – Smooth scrolling and items are well-arranged and easy to find.
перенаправляется сюда сколько будет стоить купить права
premiumseoservice.shop – Color palette felt calming, nothing distracting, just focused, thoughtful design.
Season Hub Outlet – Quick-loading pages with a trustworthy and appealing display of products.
Our family had similar issues, thanks.
смотреть здесь kush casino зеркало
продолжить купить водительские права
управление шторами с телефона управление шторами с телефона .
электронные шторы http://prokarniz29.ru .
взгляните на сайте здесь
происшествия в Алматы
автоматическое открывание штор https://prokarniz29.ru/ .
CreativeValueHub – Very satisfied exploring this store, layout neat and navigation intuitive throughout.
содержание kush casino бонус
Simple Fashion Store – Pleasant interface with well-structured product sections.
Удобство и стиль в интерьере обеспечит электрокарнизы для штор цена заказать через интернет +7 (499) 638-25-37, который легко управляется с пульта.
Электрокарниз — это современное решение для автоматизации управления шторами и занавесками.
digitalperformancecenter.shop – Content reads clearly, helpful examples made concepts easy to grasp.
Season Store Online – Smooth navigation and a well-presented selection of seasonal items.
перелет бангкок краби туры в краби таиланд — готовые туры и маршруты
промокоды в казино на сегодня бездепозитный бонус
нажмите
купить права красноярск
можно проверить ЗДЕСЬ
новости нурсултана
узнать больше kush casino зеркало
Особенно понравился материал про Moda ve Stil: Giyimle Yeni Baslang?c Yap?n.
Смотрите сами:
https://siktarz.com
содержание kush casino зеркало
Таможенное оформление экспорт москва — сроки супер
https://vydeo.space/archerhull0159
диплом техникума купить москва диплом техникума купить москва .
Trendy Selection Online – Interface feels modern and navigating the site is effortless.
смотреть здесь
купить права самара
другие куш казино официальный
продолжить
купить категорию водительского удостоверения
This design is steller! You most certainly know how to
keep a reader amused. Between your wit and your videos,
I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Wonderful job.
I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how you
presented it. Too cool!
I absolutely adore your site! You aggressive me as able-bodied as all the others actuality and your broiled PS is absolutely great!
Explore Fashion Trends – Easy to browse, well-organized products, and fast-loading pages.
проверить сайт
купить права в магнитогорске
Soft Summer Page – Gentle theme and smooth browsing created a calm, user-friendly experience.
бездепозитные бонусы в казино за регистрацию
Best Season Deals – Browsing was simple, and the seasonal picks look very appealing.
купить диплом гпту купить диплом гпту .
This website has lots of really useful stuff on it. Thanks for informing me.
Soft Summer Collections – The light, calming theme made finding products simple and enjoyable.
Soft Summer Access – Soft design and well-arranged sections made exploring easy and pleasant.
купить диплом фармацевта с сертификатом купить диплом фармацевта с сертификатом .
Читать далее купить права категории
Season Essentials Store – Quick loading pages and a solid assortment of seasonal items.
нажмите сколько купить права на машину
BrightStyleCollection – Loved the stylish items, site feels modern and browsing was smooth.
The other day, while I was at work, my cousin stole my apple ipad and tested to see if it can survive a 30 foot
drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My iPad is now destroyed and she
has 83 views. I know this is entirely off topic but I
had to share it with someone!
смотреть здесь куш казино официальный
Источник kush casino официальный сайт
Главная
новости Нурсултана