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: |
Great site. Lots of helpful information here. I’m sending it to several pals ans also sharing in delicious. And obviously, thanks on your sweat!
pin up to‘lov usullari pinup5011.ru
Great website. A lot of helpful info here. I’m sending it to several buddies ans also sharing in delicious. And obviously, thanks on your sweat!
сколько стоит купить диплом медсестры сколько стоит купить диплом медсестры .
Magnificent web site. A lot of useful info here. I am sending it to several buddies ans additionally sharing in delicious. And certainly, thank you to your effort!
Magnificent web site. Lots of useful info here. I am sending it to several pals ans additionally sharing in delicious. And obviously, thank you in your sweat!
Fantastic website. A lot of useful information here. I am sending it to several pals ans also sharing in delicious. And naturally, thank you on your effort!
sg casino app – https://sg-casino-au.com/sg-casino-app/
пин ап промокод 2025 уз http://www.pinup5011.ru
Great web site. A lot of helpful information here. I am sending it to some buddies ans additionally sharing in delicious. And certainly, thanks to your sweat!
посмотреть на этом сайте https://cryptocloud.club/threads/sytyj-xomjak-kriptotrejding-ot-a-do-ja-lev-dmitrievich-2024.115
check this link right here now http://metto.com.sg/author/salestrainer/page/397/
Mountain Mist Online Store – Misty goods arranged neatly, browsing feels effortless and enjoyable.
check this link right here now http://logburnersnurenda.blogspot.com/2017/07/
Fantastic site. Lots of useful info here. I am sending it to some friends ans also sharing in delicious. And certainly, thank you to your sweat!
Mountain Mist Studio – Selections look appealing, site feels organized and easy to explore.
your modern shopping – Selections appear fresh, browsing feels intuitive and pleasant.
Excellent site. Lots of helpful information here. I’m sending it to a few buddies ans also sharing in delicious. And obviously, thank you for your sweat!
Get the facts http://portableairconditioningunitsremakuji.blogspot.com/2015/02/
Fantastic website. A lot of useful info here. I am sending it to some friends ans also sharing in delicious. And certainly, thanks on your effort!
Magnificent site. Plenty of helpful information here. I am sending it to several buddies ans also sharing in delicious. And obviously, thank you in your effort!
Wonderful web site. Lots of helpful info here. I am sending it to some friends ans also sharing in delicious. And obviously, thank you for your sweat!
click site http://electricmeternaguika.blogspot.com/2017/09/electric-meter-noise.html
Excellent web site. A lot of useful info here. I am sending it to some buddies ans additionally sharing in delicious. And naturally, thank you in your sweat!
visit site http://portableairconditioningunitsoku.blogspot.com/2015/
Magnificent web site. Lots of useful information here. I’m sending it to several friends ans additionally sharing in delicious. And of course, thanks on your sweat!
visite site https://www.dieselenginetrader.biz/diesel-engine-vibration-analysis/
смотреть здесь https://cryptocloud.club/
https://www.04597.com.ua/list/528638
trend shopping corner – Items look stylish, navigation feels easy and smooth.
Incredible! This blog looks just like my old one! It’s on a totally different topic but it has pretty much the
same page layout and design. Outstanding choice of colors!
visit this site right here https://master.unionlido.com/slots/big-time-gaming.html
https://zenwriting.net/n9mac0yjap
shopping zone picks – Selections appear modern, site layout feels natural and clear.
go to these guys https://www.dieselenginetrader.biz/diesel-engine-vibration-analysis/
bet7 app – https://bet7-88.com/bet7-app/
Great web site. Plenty of useful information here. I am sending it to a few pals ans additionally sharing in delicious. And of course, thanks for your sweat!
find out https://kompromat100.info/dom-id-a6d12ce1f5a7a72fcb8b75a1f1dbaf6f.html
i thought about this https://royalseohub.com/elevate-da-dr-tf-build-websites-results-first-pay-later-887/
have a peek here http://portableairconditioningunitsremakuji.blogspot.com/2015/02/portable-air-conditioning-units-non_11.html
Мужской портал https://phizmat.org.ua о стиле, здоровье, отношениях и деньгах. Свежие новости, честные обзоры гаджетов и авто, тренировки и питание, подборки фильмов и игр, лайфхаки для работы и отдыха — без воды и кликбейта. Советы, инструкции и тесты каждый день.
richard casino app – https://richard-casino-77.com/richard-casino-app/
Wonderful site. A lot of useful info here. I’m sending it to a few friends ans additionally sharing in delicious. And naturally, thank you for your effort!
https://fact.eu.com/virtualnyj-nomer-polza-primenenie-plyusy-i-minusy.html
this website https://buynbagit.com/luxury1288-%E2%82%AA-situs-slot-gacor-rajanya-slot-gampang-menang-4/
Excellent web site. Plenty of useful info here. I am sending it to some buddies ans additionally sharing in delicious. And obviously, thank you for your sweat!
i thought about this http://boilerrepairyuiriku.blogspot.com/2017/03/boiler-repair-wigan.html
Срочный эвакуатор Дмитров: оперативный выезд, подача от 20 минут. Перевозка автомобилей после ДТП и поломок, межгород, бережная транспортировка. Работаем круглосуточно, без скрытых доплат, принимаем заявки в любое время.
pin up yordam markazi http://pinup5011.ru
informative post http://portableairconditioningunitsoku.blogspot.com/2015/