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: |
In a genre often dominated by clear-cut heroes and villains, how does the ambiguity of character motivations in “Taxed to Death” affect your engagement with the story? Do you think this lack of clarity enhances the suspense, or does it detract from the overall mystery experience?
Taxed to Death (Book Review), Debra Purdy Kong
Moderator, согласен с вами полностью 🙂
Меня заинтересовала тема “”, но я там не могу ответить.
Актуальные ссылки KRAKEN:
– :
– :
– :
– :
– :
Ваша личная скидка по коду KRA-JNBN2025 – 8%
перейдите на этот сайт вотка бет
https://blogs.cornell.edu/cornellmasterclassinbangkok/2012/02/26/disaster-preparedness-in-the-thai-hospitality-industry/comment-page-564/#comment-167866
здесь хани мани казино зеркало
What do you think the author’s choice of character development says about the nature of suspense in mystery novels? Can a lack of understanding of the characters enhance or detract from the overall suspense, and how does this impact your engagement with the story?
Taxed to Death (Book Review), Debra Purdy Kong
Moderator, согласен с вами полностью 🙂
Меня заинтересовала тема “”, но я там не могу ответить.
Актуальные ссылки KRAKEN:
– :
– :
– :
– :
– :
Ваша личная скидка по коду KRA-LEIN2025 – 5%
Использование контрактной разработки помогает создавать устройства для IoT-систем, умной техники и промышленной автоматизации. Специалисты проектируют схемотехнику, создают платы, корпус и программное обеспечение, проводят тестирование и настройку прототипов http://wiki.m-nex.net/%D0%A0%D0%B0%D0%B7%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D0%98_%D0%A2%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5_%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BC%D1%8B%D1%88%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BD%D1%8B%D1%85_%D0%9C%D0%BE%D0%B4%D1%83%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%B9
Отличный подход для интеграции программного обеспечения с устройствами
Shop Skyline Fashion – Layout is tidy, trendy items look attractive, and browsing is very smooth.
пояснения vodkabet
In a genre often filled with clear-cut heroes and villains, how does the ambiguity of character motivations in “Taxed to Death” reflect the complexities of real-life moral dilemmas? Do you think this lack of clarity enhances or detracts from the overall reading experience, and why?
Taxed to Death (Book Review), Debra Purdy Kong
Admin, согласен с вами полностью 🙂
Меня заинтересовала тема “”, но я там не могу ответить.
Рабочие зеркала KRAKEN:
– :
– :
– :
– :
– :
Ваша личная скидка по коду KRA-GPOL2025 – 9%
каталог водкабет
Global Ridge Studio Hub – Organized product display with intuitive navigation enhances the experience.
https://lebanonhub.app/blogs/740674/1XBET-s-latest-promo-code-for-2026-TROFIM777-100-Bonus
How does the complexity of character motivations in “Taxed to Death” challenge the traditional expectations of mystery genres? Can the reader truly engage with a story when the protagonists’ actions remain unclear until the very end, and what does this say about the nature of suspense in storytelling?
Taxed to Death (Book Review), Debra Purdy Kong
Admin, согласен с вами полностью 🙂
Меня заинтересовала тема “”, но я там не могу ответить.
Рабочие зеркала KRAKEN:
– :
– :
– :
– :
– :
Ваша персональная скидка по коду KRA-AVDY2025 – 10%
посмотреть в этом разделе казино куш
Читать далее водка казино официальный сайт
PureSelectionsCenter – User-friendly layout, high-quality products, and effortless browsing.
GlobalRidge Picks – Neatly arranged items with smooth navigation for a pleasant shopping experience.
посмотреть на этом сайте зеркало vodka bet
Je reviendrai certainement pour plus.
веб-сайт казино хани мани
NatureSpot – Intuitive navigation with charming products displayed nicely throughout.
покупка аккаунтов букмекерских контор Приобретение аккаунтов БК – мираж, пленивший многих обещаниями безграничных возможностей. Однако, за маской привлекательности скрывается целый лабиринт опасностей. Помимо юридических и этических дилемм, возрастает риск стать жертвой мошенников, готовых завладеть вашими средствами, предоставив фальшивый аккаунт или попросту заблокировав доступ после получения оплаты.
http://infreeform.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4747&sid=15273a8a32c8a5dfd25c5036481b9506
Outlet Fresh Finds – The modern structure and quick loading made it pleasant to explore the styles.
Prodej reziva https://www.kup-drevo.cz v Ceske republice: siroky vyber reziva, stavebniho a dokoncovaciho reziva, tramu, prken a stepky. Dodavame soukromym klientum i firmam stalou kvalitu, konkurenceschopne ceny a dodavky po cele Ceske republice.
Prodej reziva https://www.kup-drevo.cz v Ceske republice: siroky vyber reziva, stavebniho a dokoncovaciho reziva, tramu, prken a stepky. Dodavame soukromym klientum i firmam stalou kvalitu, konkurenceschopne ceny a dodavky po cele Ceske republice.
Excellent web site. Lots of useful information here. I am sending it to some pals ans additionally sharing in delicious. And naturally, thank you to your effort!
https://www.proko.com/@promo_code_8/activity
страница казино куш
этот контент хани мани казино официальный сайт
https://vaspitacka.edu.rs/events/software-training-part-1/
BranchTreasures – Well-organized layout with charming products makes browsing enjoyable.
на этом сайте водка казино официальный сайт
каталог казино куш
перейдите на этот сайт vodka bet
Skyline Fashion Collections – Quick-loading pages, trendy products easy to view, browsing is enjoyable.
Skyline Fashion Selection – Well-organized interface, trendy products clearly displayed, browsing is simple.
сайт зеркало vodka bet
Skyline Style Corner – Fashionable items arranged neatly, clean interface, browsing feels effortless.
https://sites.udel.edu/jtrump/2014/04/18/blog-post-3/?unapproved=14685&moderation-hash=b6f1bd5246e632d11ff174b58873ebd5#comment-14685
hi88 – https://hi88-vi.com
Skyline Fashion Finds – Modern layout, smooth navigation, and products look fashionable and appealing.
SelectPureCenter – Clean layout, well-presented products, and easy browsing experience.
فريق تشيلي لكرة القدم – https://chile-football-team.com
tim nasional sepak bola suriah – https://tim-nasional-sepak-bola-suriah.com
взгляните на сайте здесь куш казино играть
High-performance backup server europe. Private dedicated backup server offers the perfect alternative to Dropbox, tailored specifically for your business: data privacy Europe, GDPR, top encryption, secure file storage, flexible backup plans. Choose our European backup hosting.
Best european servers. Only TOP European data centers in Estonia, Finland, Germany. All servers are GDPR compliant, blazing fast NVMe SSD drives, reliable network 10+ Gbps, selection of OS templates, 24/7 monitoring, easy remote management.
Перейти на сайт водкабет
http://adminka.getbb.ru/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3911