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: |
QQ88 – Sân chơi cá cược đẳng cấp châu Á, nơi hội tụ casino live, slot nổ hũ, thể thao và bắn cá. Trải nghiệm mượt mà, minh bạch, ưu đãi hấp dẫn mỗi ngày.
browse around this web-site russian traditional clothing
купить фен дайсон оригинал купить фен дайсон оригинал .
explorefutureopportunities.click – Layout is simple, messaging is clear, really motivates me to explore.
Your style is very unique in comparison to other people I have read stuff from.
I appreciate you for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I’ll just book mark this
page.
1win казино зеркало https://1win5522.ru/
check these guys out russian traditional clothing
web russian traditional clothing
1вин ставки http://1win5522.ru/
Mindful Lifestyle Essentials – Each product feels intentional, enhancing the overall shopping experience.
You ought to take part in a contest for one of the highest quality
sites on the web. I’m going to highly recommend this website!
What’s up, I want to subscribe for this webpage to get newest updates, thus where
can i do it please assist.
Woah! I’m really digging the template/theme of this site.
It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s challenging to
get that “perfect balance” between usability and visual appeal.
I must say that you’ve done a awesome job with this. Also, the
blog loads extremely quick for me on Internet explorer.
Excellent Blog!
1win программа https://1win5522.ru
thoughtfulfindshub – ThoughtfulFindsHub delivers a tidy interface with smoothly presented, carefully chosen items.
look what i found https://toast-wallet.net
Great site you have here but I was wondering if you knew of
any user discussion forums that cover the same topics discussed here?
I’d really like to be a part of online community where
I can get feedback from other experienced individuals that share the same interest.
If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Cheers!
dailydealsmart – DailyDealSmart is well-organized and offers a broad selection for all types of shoppers.
Ev dekorasyonunuza ozgun bir dokunus katacak el yap?m? onerilere ihtiyac?n?z m? var?
Между прочим, если вас интересует Yarat?c? El Sanatlar? ve Ev Dekorasyonu Ipuclar?, посмотрите сюда.
Смотрите сами:
https://kendimacera.com
Umar?m bu ipuclar? evinizi daha s?cak ve ozgun bir hale getirmenize yard?mc? olur.
explorefutureopportunities.click – Really motivating content, makes me think about new career options today.
easybuyhub – EasyBuyHub features a user-friendly interface and lots of shopping options.
Curated Wellness Essentials – Every product is meaningful, and the browsing experience is calm and pleasant.
промо 1вин https://www.1win5522.ru
wikipedia reference russian traditional clothing
explorefutureopportunities.click – Encouraging ideas, site is clean and content seems genuine for learners.
ألعاب كرة القدم – https://football-games-eg.com
marketingorbit.click – Content reads clearly, helpful examples made concepts easy to grasp.
rankvelocity.click – Overall, professional vibe here; trustworthy, polished, and pleasantly minimal throughout.
searchcommand.click – Loved the layout today; clean, simple, and genuinely user-friendly overall.
casino brisbane app – https://casino-brisbane-australia.com/casino-brisbane-app/
digitalgrowthhq.click – Overall, professional vibe here; trustworthy, polished, and pleasantly minimal throughout.
vblink 777 – https://vblink-777-us.com
вывоз ТБО вывоз ТБО .
marketingdrive.click – Found practical insights today; sharing this article with colleagues later.
royale login – https://casino-royale-us.com/royale-login/
read review russian traditional clothing
explorefutureopportunities.click – Nice resource, content encourages exploring new options and learning efficiently.
visit their website russian traditional clothing
I’m curious to find out what blog system you are working with?
I’m experiencing some minor security issues with my latest blog
and I’d like to find something more safeguarded.
Do you have any recommendations?
Breeze Outlet Shop – Clean and airy design, found items quickly without any hassle.
Организация «БелОптТорг» реализует прямые закупки высококачественных пеноблоков и газобетонных блоков из Беларуси от крупнейших заводов Могилев, КСИ и БЦК Орша с транспортировкой по Смоленску и территории России. Ищете купить пеноблоки в смоленске цены? На сайте belblokopt.ru представлен широкий ассортимент строительных блоков различной плотности D400-D600 для возведения домов, гаражей, перегородок и утепления зданий по конкурентным ценам. Специалисты обеспечивают профессиональную консультацию по выбору материалов, помощь в расчете необходимого количества блоков и гарантируют оперативную доставку с соблюдением всех сроков.
explorefutureopportunities.click – Found inspiration browsing, content feels trustworthy and user-friendly overall today.
bet nation app – https://bet-nation-au.com/bet-nation-app/
intentionalshopzone – IntentionalShopZone offers a smooth, well-organized interface and appealing product selections.
This is my first time pay a quick visit at here and i am truly impressed to read all at alone place.
гражданство румынии купить
569 bet app – https://569bet-br.com/569-bet-app/
5h bet – https://5hbet-bouns.com
I’ve been surfing online more than 3 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article
like yours. It is pretty worth enough for me. In my view,
if all site owners and bloggers made good content as
you did, the web will be much more useful than ever before.
multicanal jogo ao vivo – https://multicanal-jogo-ao-vivo.com
https://thynktales.com/post/1xbet-promo-code-now-130-sports-deal