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: |
Wild Rose Online – Pleasant layout and inviting atmosphere, discovered several nice items.
This was such an enlightening read — thank you for sharing your expertise!
MidCity Finds Hub – Collections appear well-curated, browsing is intuitive and fast.
My developer is trying to persuade me to move to .net from
PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the costs.
But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using WordPress on several
websites for about a year and am nervous about switching to
another platform. I have heard excellent things about blogengine.net.
Is there a way I can transfer all my wordpress content into it?
Any kind of help would be greatly appreciated!
pin up tennis tikish https://pinup5009.ru/
MidCity Boutique – Well-presented selections, navigation feels natural and enjoyable.
MidCity Corner – Collections are appealing, browsing feels quick and effortless.
пинап пинап
каталог https://krab1cc.at
home picks today – Items look neat and appealing, navigation is intuitive and simple.
home value store – Products are nicely arranged, navigation is quick and easy.
помощь в написании курсовой https://www.kupit-kursovuyu-23.ru .
home essentials store – Items look attractive, navigation is clean and easy to use.
top home selections – Home items are visually appealing, site layout is smooth and easy.
pin up aviator app http://www.pinup5010.ru
You’ve mastered enthusiastic writing — seriously brilliant!
ModernHome Online – Smooth and intuitive navigation paired with a clean modern design.
Premium World Market – Enjoyed checking out the collection, everything has an international flair.
Wonderful website. Plenty of useful info here. I am sending it to a few pals ans additionally sharing in delicious. And naturally, thanks on your sweat!
ThreeForest Corner – Comfortable browsing, items well-arranged, navigation feels intuitive.
LeafOutlet Finds – Everything feels tidy and convenient, great for quick browsing.
ThreeForest Treasures – Easy navigation, natural-themed items arranged neatly, site feels welcoming.
пин ап новый промокод http://www.pinup5009.ru
you can try this out thinkorswim login
LeafOutlet Online Market – Great browsing today—simple, clean, and easy to explore throughout.
pin up balansni ko‘rish pin up balansni ko‘rish
pin up aviator yuklab olish http://pinup5009.ru
узнать больше актуальные зеркала kraken
pin up promo kod 2025 uz pin up promo kod 2025 uz
Excellent web site. Lots of helpful information here. I’m sending it to several friends ans additionally sharing in delicious. And naturally, thank you for your effort!
Modern Home Corner – Loved the simple design and fast page transitions throughout the site.
пин ап как получить выигрыш пин ап как получить выигрыш
TopValuePicks – Smooth interface and fast loading enhance the shopping experience.
Building Today Studio – Inspiring theme with organized sections and fast, easy navigation.
пин ап центр помощи https://pinup5010.ru/
HotOffersHub – Products are easy to find, and navigation is smooth.
weblink thinkorswim
22bet
learning adventure shop – Items are attractive, site layout makes browsing enjoyable.
https://ivebo.co.uk/read-blog/214821
Fantastic website. Plenty of helpful info here. I am sending it to several friends ans also sharing in delicious. And obviously, thank you in your effort!
explore new knowledge – Selections feel organized, browsing feels fast and enjoyable.
pin up yuklash android https://pinup5009.ru
Таможенные услуги москва — высокий профессионализм
https://rc.intaps.com/thaliafarthing/thalia1995/wiki/tamozhennoe-oformlenie-2g
игровые автоматы бездепозитный бонус за регистрацию Игровые автоматы, также известные как слоты, представляют собой один из самых популярных видов азартных игр в казино и онлайн-платформах. Их принцип работы основан на случайном выпадении символов на вращающихся барабанах, что определяет исход игры. Современные игровые автоматы предлагают огромное разнообразие тематик, бонусных функций и способов выигрыша, делая процесс игры увлекательным и непредсказуемым.
pin up uzcard orqali pul olish https://pinup5010.ru
MidCity Online Store – Collections look great, navigation is intuitive and browsing is pleasant.
This gave me chills — absolutely incredible writing!
Modern Decor Hub – The interface was tidy and exploring products was effortless.
Hello everyone, it’s my first visit at this site, and post is genuinely fruitful designed for me, keep up posting these types of articles or reviews.
juegos 2018