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: |
كرة قدم الأرجنتين – https://argentina-football.com
Visit our digital platform > https://bergkompressor.ru/
«ЕвроБукет» — служба доставки цветов в Нижнем Новгороде, предлагающая букеты из роз, сборные композиции, цветы в коробках, корзины и букеты невесты с индивидуальным дизайном и свежими сортовыми розами. Каталог включает готовые решения и возможность создания уникальных композиций под любой повод и бюджет. Заказать цветы и уточнить актуальные цены можно на https://evrobuket-nn.ru/ или по телефону — компания работает оперативно, с акцентом на качество цветов и внимание к деталям, чтобы каждый букет радовал получателя.
ibetph – https://ibetph-ph.com
сколько стоит купить диплом медсестры сколько стоит купить диплом медсестры .
онлайн обучение для детей онлайн обучение для детей .
ozwin casino app – https://ozwin-casino-77.com/ozwin-casino-app/
Amazing job — I’ll be sharing this with others.
Растаможка товаров москва теперь только здесь
https://linktree.biz/mollywalko
Makes sense to me.
купить диплом юриста астрахань купить диплом юриста астрахань .
thoughtfuldesignzone – ThoughtfulDesignZone presents intentional and elegant items with smooth browsing.
rocket – https://rocket-us.com
Design-focused store – Browsing is smooth, and the products are presented with a clear, creative style.
Публикация предлагает читателю не просто информацию, а инструменты для анализа и саморазвития. Мы стимулируем критическое мышление, предлагая различные точки зрения и призывая к самостоятельному поиску решений.
Исследовать вопрос подробнее – https://galleriafumagalli.com/en/news-en/bonalumi-1958-2013
Stylish home designs – The products are presented attractively, with a creative layout that enhances browsing.
See what’s new today — https://bergkompressor.ru/
This post is pure brilliance — energized and insightful!
You bring so much wisdom to your writing.
почему статус заказа отложен!? 1000539 https://uniongroup.biz он мне успел ответить – поверь, ничего такого о чём тебе стоило бы беспокоиться – не случилосьХороший,порядочный магазин обращяйтесь
http://centileo.com/club/user/28577/
moderncollectivehub – ModernCollectiveHub delivers stylish selections in a clean, organized interface.
mrbet – https://mrbet-88.com
yabby casino login – https://yabby-casino-us.com/yabby-casino-login/
tim nasional sepak bola yunani – https://tim-nasional-sepak-bola-yunani.com
SpookySwap Fantom
Purposeful Home & Style – Well-arranged sections with smooth browsing and a clear layout.
Purposeful Living Marketplace – Thoughtfully structured products with easy-to-follow navigation.
Với đội ngũ chuyên gia của SoiCau247 VIP, chúng tôi
áp dụng thống kê chi tiết và mô hình phân tích dữ liệu để đưa ra dàn số chất lượng.
Dự đoán được cập nhật
modernstylehub – ModernStyleHub offers well-curated products in a stylish, easy-to-navigate interface.
Sergii Dima portfolio – Creative work is well-organized, visually appealing, and professionally presented.
Portfolio showcase portal – Visitors can explore projects presented in a professional and clean format.
creativecollectivehub – CreativeCollectiveHub showcases intentional designs in a clean, smooth layout.
modernbuyzone – ModernBuyZone offers intentional, elegant products in a smooth and organized browsing layout.
Appreciate this post. Will try it out.
I constantly spent my half an hour to read this website’s posts
every day along with a cup of coffee.
Мы собрали для вас самые захватывающие факты из мира науки и истории. От малознакомых деталей до грандиозных событий — эта статья расширит ваш кругозор и подарит новое понимание того, как устроен наш мир.
Обратитесь за информацией – https://www.volgyfitness.hu/?p=6639&cpage=15
modernfindshub – ModernFindsHub presents stylishly selected products with a clean and intuitive interface.
помогите купить диплом помогите купить диплом .
from this source http://ingenieriaymantenimiento.blogspot.com/2008/06/navegando-en-web-encontre-algo-que-es.html
This was one of the clearest explanations I’ve seen.