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: |
Simply wish to say your article is as astonishing.
The clearness in your post is just nice and i
could assume you are an expert on this subject. Fine with your permission let me
to grab your feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post.
Thanks a million and please keep up the gratifying work.
hello there and thank you for your information – I
have definitely picked up something new from right here.
I did however expertise a few technical points using this web site,
since I experienced to reload the web site many times
previous to I could get it to load correctly.
I had been wondering if your web host is OK? Not that I am complaining, but
slow loading instances times will sometimes affect your placement in google and can damage your high-quality score if ads and marketing
with Adwords. Well I’m adding this RSS to my e-mail and could look out for much more of your respective exciting content.
Make sure you update this again soon.
visit here https://theo.exchange
redirected here https://dexrp.wtf
like it https://boros.cfd
кракен ссылка
официальная ссылка кракен
I’m genuinely pumped after reading this — thank you!
FreshBloom Hub – Bright colors and well-aligned blocks help maintain smooth browsing.
more information https://d2finance.cv
kraken зеркало
vk1
https://stroikus.ru/viewtopic.php?id=37227#p69705
Fashion Lifestyle Center – Items appear high-quality and organized, site feels simple to navigate.
find https://liquity.cfd
Continued https://toast-wallet.net
Design Forward Collection – Easy browsing with a focus on modern, artistic products.
More hints https://kinetiq.lat/
Design-Driven Marketplace – Navigation feels natural and the items reflect high design quality.
Dans un monde ou l’acces aux savoirs oublies reste limite, ce projet joue un role fondamental en explorantla relation entre justice reparatrice et esthetique. Cette ressource unique met en lumiere des thematiques souvent ignorees.)
A travers des reflexions sur les « savoirs silencies » et leurs impacts, ce projet vous offre une analyse approfondie sur ces questions complexes.
Les formats proposes melent des contenus ecrits, des echanges en milieu universitaire et des projets participatifs et permettent d’embrasser des sujets souvent laisses dans l’ombre
Grace a un travail continu d’enrichissement, il demeure un espace vivant et rigoureux, et s’adapte continuellement aux mutations des savoirs et des pratiques.
https://tram-idf.fr/evenement/julien-ribeiro-apres/
WildShore Hub – Items feel carefully chosen, layout is intuitive and very user-friendly.
Krn
kraken tor
Время быть в курсе последних событий в спорте.
Хочу выделить раздел про Актуальные новости и аналитика в мире спорта.
Ссылка ниже:
https://moskvacska.ru/
Не забывайте болеть за свои любимые команды! До скорых встреч.
see this page https://jaxx-web.org/
like it https://etherealtrade.xyz
Elevated Experience Market – Easy to explore with unique selections, everything feels carefully arranged.
The quality of your writing is outstanding.
Bloom Finds Hub – Clean formatting and cheerful accents give the site a friendly shopping experience.
kraken darknet
кракен сайт
Your content is consistently insightful and inspiring.
888starz مصر تعتبر واحدة من أبرز المنصات التي تقدم خدمات متنوعة للاعبين. بفضل خدماتها المتعددة، تحتل هذه المنصة مكانة خاصة في سوق الألعاب. يمتاز 888starz بتقديم تجربة مستخدم متميزة تتناسب مع احتياجات اللاعبين. يمكن للاعبين الاستمتاع بمجموعة متنوعة من الألعاب التي تشمل القمار والألعاب الرياضية.
تعتبر واجهة المستخدم في 888starz سهلة الاستخدام، مما يسهل على اللاعبين التنقل بين الأقسام المختلفة. توفر المنصة خيارات متعددة للإيداع والسحب، مما يجعل التعامل المالي سلسًا وآمنًا. يمكن للمنصة أن تلبي احتياجات اللاعبين بشكل فعال. تمثل المصداقية والأمان أساس عمل 888starz.
تحميل برنامج 888starz تحميل برنامج 888starz
imp source https://kinetiq.buzz/
see it here https://prjx.online
I love reading a post that can make men and women think.
Also, thank you for allowing me to comment!
i loved this https://toast-wallet.net/
кракен онлайн
kraken официальный
ShopBloom Cornerline – Clear categories and lively styling create an inviting browsing pace.
creativehandmadehub – CreativeHandmadeHub blends modern and artisan styles seamlessly for an enjoyable shopping journey.
Website https://avalonfinance.cv
Your energy transformed my mood instantly — thank you!
important link https://beraborrow.cc/
try this https://hypperswap.cloud/
check that https://boros.cfd/
discover here https://theo.exchange
Consumer Hub Collective – Navigation is seamless, and the products stand out beautifully.
web link https://prjx.space
Urban Life Finds Hub – Well-structured pages with stylish items and seamless browsing experience.
you could try here https://avalonfinance.cc
browse around this website https://jaxx-web.org/
как всегда оплатил и все пришло. спасибо что есть такой магаз беру давно у них, все ок всем саветую Купить онлайн мефедрон, амфетамин, марихуану Заказала JV 61, жду трек, заранее благодарю. В прошлый раз заказ шёл 6 дней, но и я на краю географии)))))) отпишитп за дживик кто недавно заказывал.Я клад нашел, но вопервых не все в нем а во вторых содержимое разное и самое главное это место и описание этого места. Завтра буду пытаться связаться с ним.
FLH Picks – Unique collections showcased nicely, shopping experience is smooth and easy.
try here https://snake.credit