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: |
try this web-site https://www.wikizero.com/en/Documentation
order drugs online
пустой диплом купить пустой диплом купить .
バイナリーオプション やり方
https://clients.jagphotography.com/guestbook.html
высшее образование диплом купить высшее образование диплом купить .
visit the site http://portableairconditioningunitsremakuji.blogspot.com/2015/02/
canadian pharmacies that are legit
в каком казино дают бездепозитные бонусы
have a peek at this site http://portableairconditioningunitsoku.blogspot.com/2015/02/portable-air-conditioning-units-non_14.html
online pharmacies of canada
clickpinghub – ClickPingHub offers a sleek interface with standout products that drew my attention.
canadian pharmaceuticals
compare pharmacy prices
visit this web-site https://avalonfinance.cv
https://graph.org/Code-Melbet-Sans-D%C3%A9p%C3%B4t–WAP200-n%C3%A9cessite-1–mini-12-19
Добро пожаловать в мир спортивных новостей!
Зацепил материал про Актуальные новости и аналитика в мире спорта.
Вот, можете почитать:
https://moskvacska.ru/
Будьте на связи и следите за нашими будущими обновлениями.
you could check here https://portalnusantaranews.com/sample-page/
Wildwood Artisan – The site offers unique artisan products, and browsing is smooth and enjoyable.
cheap prescription drugs
Articolo molto ben ricercato.
как использовать бонусный счет на 1win в казино бонус
Авто растаможено без переплат, растаможка авто москва
https://flats99.com/author/jonnavesely312/
Genuinely when someone doesn’t know then its up to other viewers that they will
assist, so here it takes place.
такчто чставлю 100/100баллов магазу и https://instavizitka.ru Заказ пришёл, все ровно)вот немного для Сашка
refinedshophub – RefinedShopHub features curated products in a polished layout that was very enjoyable to browse.
browse around this website http://solarcellanatsuga.blogspot.com/2017/03/solar-cell-images.html
medications with no prescription
Great website. Lots of helpful information here. I’m sending it to several buddies ans additionally sharing in delicious. And naturally, thank you on your effort!
canadian online pharmacies reviews
Michael D personal portal – Visitors can enjoy browsing content thanks to an intuitive design and layout.
Spooky Swap
news https://volleypedia.org/index.php?qa=1546773&qa_1=luxury1288-%E2%82%AA-situs-slot-gacor-rajanya-slot-gampang-menang
most reputable canadian pharmacies
useful source http://newbecommerciallighting.blogspot.com/2014/12/commercial-lighting-energy-free.html
see this site https://beratrax.org/
Fountain personal portal – Engaging materials are easy to find and navigate throughout the site.
find this https://beraborrow.cc
visit our website https://www.wikizero.com/m/Documentation
Владельцы коммерческого транспорта знают: надежность двигателя — основа успешного бизнеса. Специализированный центр предлагает профессиональные решения для тех, кто ценит качество и долговечность. В ассортименте представлены двигатели ЗМЗ различных модификаций, комплектующие для трансмиссии, рулевого управления, а также шины и диски ведущих производителей. Опытные консультанты https://parkmotors.ru/ помогут подобрать именно те запчасти, которые обеспечат бесперебойную работу вашей Газели. Удобное расположение в Москве и оперативная обработка заказов делают сотрудничество максимально комфортным для автовладельцев и сервисных центров.
get more https://yieldfi.pro/
site https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/111748
https://aptitude.gateoverflow.in/user/Codepomoxbet1
resource https://usdai.cloud/
great post to read http://steamboilerpitsujiku.blogspot.com/2017/07/robey-lincoln-steam-boiler.html
creativebuyzone – CreativeBuyZone presents carefully curated items in a clean, appealing layout.
Based Mostly on the baseline measurement of cane dependence,
the weight-bearing rate progressively decreased by 10%
weekly, from 60% to 30%. https://Rehabpools.store/
Authentic Lifestyle Store – Gives off an authentic mood supported by an interface that’s easy to move through.
no prescription canadian pharmacy
Artisan craft finds – Browsing is effortless, and the items feel unique and carefully displayed.