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: |
click this link now https://jaxxwallet-web.org/
CityTrendSpot – Smooth navigation with stylish items showcased attractively.
sportwetten bonus freispielen
My homepage; ecopayz wettanbieter (menu-fix-faculty-som-yale.pantheonsite.io)
Learn More Here jaxx app
check that jaxx wallet
link jax wallet
Modern Trend Store – The site feels fresh, with well-arranged items and effortless browsing.
hop over to these guys jaxx app
Going Here https://web-breadwallet.com/
Simple Trend Picks – Browsing feels effortless, and the modern items stand out nicely.
Выберите тяговые АКБ, которые обеспечивают мощность, долгий ресурс и стабильную работу погрузчиков и штабелёров, помогая вашему складу работать быстрее, безопаснее и без простоев большой выбор аккумуляторов
кракен сайт
kraken
Evinizde s?rad?s? tasar?mlar yaratmak icin haz?r m?s?n?z? Oyleyse baslayal?m.
Хочу выделить раздел про DIY Dunyas?na Giris: Pratik ve Estetik Cozumler.
Ссылка ниже:
https://yapjust.com
Hayal gucunuzu serbest b?rak?n ve yarat?c? projelerinizi bizimle paylasmaktan cekinmeyin!
VIP Escort Dating Site for Men Escort services with top models and VIP girls! escort agency
see here https://jaxxwallet-web.org
You actually make it seem really easy along with your presentation however
I to find this topic to be actually one thing which I think I would never understand.
It seems too complicated and extremely vast for me. I’m looking ahead to your next put up, I’ll attempt to get the dangle of it!
FashionBuy Styles – A clean, quick experience with a nice range of fashion finds.
software Sportwetten versteuern öSterreich vorhersage
HomeStyleCorner – Neat interface, well-organized items, and enjoyable shopping experience.
pop over to this web-site https://lumi-wallet.io/
Continued jaxx liberty wallet
click reference jaxx liberty
TrendyHomeFinds – Organized pages, easy navigation, and modern home items.
webpage jaxx liberty wallet
the original source jaxx liberty
HomeStyleTrends – Pleasant interface, well-laid-out pages, and stylish product display.
Bonuses download jaxx wallet
FashionBuy Online – Simple design with dependable speed, perfect for quick fashion browsing.
кракен рабочая
официальная ссылка кракен
pop over here https://web-breadwallet.com
MetroStyleSpot – User-friendly layout and stylish products make exploring enjoyable.
TrendyLivingOnline – Simple layout, clear navigation, and stylish home selections.
Shop Collective Fashion – Modern layout with speedy browsing made checking items effortless.
There’s certainly a lot to learn about this issue.
I really like all the points you have made.
CityTrendCollection – Browsing was smooth, checkout fast, very satisfied with the entire experience.
Fashion Buyer Corner – Good set of stylish options and the whole site responded instantly.
UrbanSelectOnline – Fast and easy shopping, very happy with how smooth everything was.
Collective Style Store – The pages loaded smoothly, and finding stylish outfits was simple.
informative post jaxx wallet
check this link right here now https://jaxxwallet-web.org/
Bonuses https://lumi-wallet.io/
RainyChoiceShop – Seamless browsing and speedy checkout, I’m extremely pleased.
CityPickHub – Checkout was quick, browsing simple, very impressed overall.
Таможенное оформление экспорт москва быстро и без ошибок
https://tubebeans.com/@dwainchisholm3?page=about
This Site jaxx liberty
news https://lumi-wallet.io
TrendyDecorHub – Pleasant visuals, smooth navigation, and chic home selections.
Collective Fashion Select – The catalog felt organized, and pages responded very quickly.
StreetStyleHub – Attractive urban items and smooth browsing create a pleasant experience.
RainyVibesOnline – Seamless shopping experience and fast checkout, very pleased.