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: |
go to this website https://jaxxwallet-web.org
ссылка на сайт High-risk платёжка
услуга усиления проема http://www.usilenie-proemov2.ru .
усиление проёмов композитными материалами https://usilenie-proemov2.ru .
диплом купить воронеж диплом купить воронеж .
RiverLeaf Treasure – Very smooth experience, exploring the site felt effortless and pleasant.
read review https://web-breadwallet.com/
Casino utan registrering https://casino-utan-registrering.se bygger pa en snabbare ide: du hoppar over kontoskapandet och gar direkt in via din bank-ID-verifiering. Systemet ordnar uppgifter och transaktioner i bakgrunden, sa anvandaren mots av en mer stromlinjeformad start. Det gor att hela upplevelsen far ett mer direkt, tekniskt och friktionsfritt upplagg utan extra formular.
компании усиления проемов http://www.usilenie-proemov2.ru .
WorldwideGiftShop – Smooth browsing, well-organized pages, and an enjoyable shopping experience.
Casino utan svensk licens https://casinos-utan-licens.se ar onlineplattformar som drivs av operatorer med licens fran andra europeiska jurisdiktioner. De erbjuder ofta ett bredare utbud av tjanster och anvander egna regler for registrering och betalningar. For spelare innebar detta andra rutiner for sakerhet, verifiering och ansvarsfullt spelande.
каталог лучшая уходовая косметика
Casino utan svensk licens https://casinos-utan-licens.se ar onlineplattformar som drivs av operatorer med licens fran andra europeiska jurisdiktioner. De erbjuder ofta ett bredare utbud av tjanster och anvander egna regler for registrering och betalningar. For spelare innebar detta andra rutiner for sakerhet, verifiering och ansvarsfullt spelande.
moved here https://web-breadwallet.com
узнать аренда авто минск внедорожник
цена усиления проема http://usilenie-proemov2.ru .
tim nasional sepak bola rusia – https://tim-nasional-sepak-bola-rusia.com
материалы усиления проема http://www.usilenie-proemov2.ru .
JunglePickOnline – Clean design and wonderful selection of items, a very enjoyable experience.
I casino crypto https://crypto-casino-it.com sono piattaforme online che utilizzano valute digitali per transazioni rapide e sicure. Permettono di vedere in pratica i vantaggi della blockchain: trasparenza dei processi, assenza di intermediari, trasferimenti internazionali agevoli e un’interfaccia moderna, pensata per un’esperienza tecnologica degli utenti.
материалы усиления проема http://www.usilenie-proemov2.ru .
технология усиления проема http://www.usilenie-proemov2.ru .
Ищете Такси Межгород из Новосибирска? Посетите сайт https://www.mezhgorod-taxi-novosibirsk.ru/ и вы сможете заказать поездки из Новосибирска и аэропорта Толмачево на Алтай и другие города Сибири. На сайте подробно описаны направления и стоимость поездки на комфортном минивене. Бесплатные детские кресла и остановки по требованию. Подробнее на сайте.
class 777 casino app – https://class-777-casino.com/class-777-casino-app/
TropicalSelectStore – The site layout is clean and the products are excellent, very satisfied.
Растаможка москва без скрытых платежей
https://link.onepe.co/florentinaneel
bola90 – https://bola90-id.com
navigate to this website jaxx wallet
усиление проёмов при перепланировке http://www.usilenie-proemov2.ru .
click here to read https://jaxxwallet-web.org
азартные игры на деньги – https://gambling-for-money-ru.com
try here https://web-breadwallet.com
http://kmsstroi.ru/images/pgs/?1xslots_promokod_pri_registracii___frispinu_i_bonusu.html
go now https://lumi-wallet.io
Recommended Site https://web-breadwallet.com
GlobalGiftsSpot – Clear layout, seamless browsing, and neatly organized products.
GlobalGiftStore – Easy interface, neatly displayed products, and convenient browsing.
EcoPickStore – Clean website design and wonderful product selection, very satisfied today.
visit https://jaxxwallet-web.org/
TropicalChoiceCorner – Great layout and diverse products, made exploring the site enjoyable.
escort agency https://yeahcamp.ru Escort Girls
Simple Trend Picks – Stylish selections throughout, and navigating felt smooth.
GreenPickHub – Loved how organized the website is and the variety of products available.
https://thelanote.com/articles/1xbet_promo_code___welcome_bonus_code.html
Learn More Here https://lumi-wallet.io
this https://jaxxwallet-web.org/
Mostbet is a reliable online casino with a wide selection of slot machines, bonuses, the official промокод для mostbet на ставку
STB Trend Market – Easy-to-browse sections with a lot of appealing deals.
click this link now https://web-breadwallet.com/
pop over to this site https://jaxxwallet-web.org