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: |
חשבתי שזה מגניב, אמא שלי קפצה על הזין שלי, ואני לא אמור לקבל שום דבר בשביל זה. ובכן, פנימה, לחץ על קש — והכוס עבדה. תנועות רכות וחודרות עמוקות, פעימות איטיות, צפיפות נעימה בפנים. הזמנת זונות
That is a really good tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere.
Short but very precise info… Appreciate your sharing this one.
A must read post!
I am genuinely thankful to the owner of this
web site who has shared this impressive piece of writing at at this place.
I am really enjoying the theme/design of your blog. Do you ever run into any internet browser compatibility problems?
A couple of my blog audience have complained about my blog not operating correctly
in Explorer but looks great in Chrome. Do you have any suggestions to help
fix this problem?
Magnificent website. Plenty of useful information here. I am sending it to some buddies ans additionally sharing in delicious.
And certainly, thanks in your effort!
Visit my webpage :: Prediksi Parlay
Wow, this paragraph is good, my younger sister is analyzing such things, so I am going to inform her.
מתנדנדים לקצב. כבר לא יכולתי לסבול, תפסתי את שערה, דחפתי עמוק יותר. היא לא התנגדה, רק נהמה, את עצמו להתחנן. סבטקה, בלי להתרחק ממני, התכופפה וחשפה את ישבנה. ישבנה היה עגול, עם סימני great info
Heya i am for the first time here. I came
across this board and I find It truly useful & it
helped me out a lot. I hope to give something back and aid others like you helped me.
Гидроизоляция материал http://stroika-tovar.ru/articles/stati/usilenie-fundamentov-zdanij-metallom-buroinekczionnymi-svayami-i-inektirovaniem.html/ .
I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your sites really nice,
keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back down the road.
Cheers
Краснодар мебель Кухня – сердце дома, место, где рождаются кулинарные шедевры и собирается вся семья. Именно поэтому выбор мебели для кухни – задача ответственная и требующая особого подхода. Мебель на заказ в Краснодаре – это возможность создать уникальное пространство, идеально отвечающее вашим потребностям и предпочтениям.
Excellent way of describing, and pleasant post to obtain facts regarding my presentation topic, which i am going to deliver in institution of higher education.
Усиление фундамента http://www.tadgikov.net/stroitelnye-materialy/6619-rekonstruktsiya-i-kapitalnyj-remont-zdanij-printsipy-metody-i-etapy-provedeniya-rabot.html/ .
Усиление конструкций работа Усиление конструкций работа .
вывод из запоя цена
vivod-iz-zapoya-tula001.ru
вывод из запоя тула
Гидроизоляция фундамента Гидроизоляция фундамента .
It’s very simple to find out any topic on web as compared
to books, as I found this piece of writing at this website.
What’s up every one, here every person is sharing
these knowledge, thus it’s good to read this weblog,
and I used to pay a visit this web site all
the time.
awas ditipu
What’s up mates, its wonderful paragraph about teachingand completely defined, keep
it up all the time.
Hello There. I discovered your weblog the usage of msn. That is a very smartly
written article. I will be sure to bookmark it and return to read extra of your useful
info. Thanks for the post. I will definitely comeback.
עזרו לארוז ולהתלבש נערות ליווי היה לי תענוג לצפות בהם סוף סוף כולנו היינו מוכנים לחזור. אבל חבריו של רומן, ראה כיצד ידיהם גולשות על גופת אשתו. ליבו החל לפעום מהר יותר, אך הוא נשאר במקום נערת ליווי ערביה
Simply desire to say your article is as surprising.
The clearness for your publish is simply cool and i could suppose you’re an expert on this subject.
Well together with your permission let me to clutch your feed to
keep up to date with approaching post. Thanks a million and please keep up the rewarding work.
Узнайте больше о ведущих политических силах, общественных организациях и союзах Эстонии. История, идеология, лидеры, программы и влияние на жизнь страны Политические партии Эстонии
лечение запоя
vivod-iz-zapoya-tula002.ru
вывод из запоя цена
На сайте https://xn—-7sbbummpeluekfi.xn--p1ai/ узнайте все подробности, которые касаются таких популярных услуг, как реставрация, антикор. Работы выполняются на высоком уровне, качественно и в соответствии с самыми высокими требованиями. Установлены привлекательные, доступные цены на все работы. На все работы предоставляются гарантии, что подтверждает то, что специалисты уверены в своих силах. В компании трудятся компетентные, знающие специалисты, которые справятся с самой сложной задачей.
Инъектирование фундамента https://www.iseekmate.com/34687-uslugi-gidroizolyatsii-i-tseny-polnyj-gid-po-vyboru-i-raschyotu-stoimosti.html .
Усиление конструкций Усиление конструкций .
Wow, incredible blog format! How lengthy have you ever been running a blog for?
you make running a blog glance easy. The full glance
of your web site is magnificent, let alone the content
material!
Today, while I was at work, my cousin stole my iphone and tested to see if it
can survive a 40 foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My apple ipad is now destroyed
and she has 83 views. I know this is entirely off topic but I had to share it with someone!
как зайти на кракен
Гидроизоляция частного дома usileniekonstrukcij3.ru .
I like the valuable info you provide in your articles.
I will bookmark your weblog and check again here frequently.
I’m quite certain I’ll learn a lot of new stuff right here!
Best of luck for the next!
Гидроизоляция материал Гидроизоляция материал .
I will immediately snatch your rss feed as I can not in finding your
e-mail subscription hyperlink or e-newsletter service.
Do you have any? Kindly allow me recognize so that I may subscribe.
Thanks.
Микрозаймы онлайн https://kskredit.ru на карту — быстрое оформление, без справок и поручителей. Получите деньги за 5 минут, круглосуточно и без отказа. Доступны займы с любой кредитной историей.
Хочешь больше денег https://mfokapital.ru Изучай инвестиции, учись зарабатывать, управляй финансами, торгуй на Форекс и используй магию денег. Рабочие схемы, ритуалы, лайфхаки и инструкции — путь к финансовой независимости начинается здесь!
I am sure this article has touched all the internet users, its really really pleasant piece of writing on building up new
webpage.
Быстрые микрозаймы https://clover-finance.ru без отказа — деньги онлайн за 5 минут. Минимум документов, максимум удобства. Получите займ с любой кредитной историей.
Porn star engaged in a shootout with robbers and put them to flight https://x.com/MKids3447/status/1928357870908678202
Name That Term
In Conjunction With Synonym: Alternatives and Usage
Excellent article. I definitely love this site. Continue the good work!
экстренный вывод из запоя
vivod-iz-zapoya-tula003.ru
экстренный вывод из запоя
Порнозвезда устроила перестрелку с грабителями и обратила их в бегство https://x.com/MKids3447/status/1928373934254072294
как зайти на кракен
1 win бк https://www.1win22085.ru .
Сделай сам как сделать красивый ремонт дома Ремонт квартиры и дома своими руками: стены, пол, потолок, сантехника, электрика и отделка. Всё, что нужно — в одном месте: от выбора материалов до финального штриха. Экономьте с умом!
Aw, this was an extremely good post. Finding the time and actual effort to produce a really good article… but what can I say… I
hesitate a whole lot and never manage to get nearly anything done.
Check out my web-site – super rich สีเขียว มีสาขาไหนบ้าง pantip
Курительная трубка – это не просто способ насладиться табаком, а целый ритуал, требующий внимания к деталям. Чтобы получить максимум удовольствия от процесса, важно подобрать правильные аксессуары: от удобных тамперов до качественных ёршиков и фильтров. В этой статье мы расскажем, какие принадлежности действительно полезны, как они влияют на вкус и сохранность трубки, и на что стоит обратить внимание при выборе: Здесь
Aw, this was an extremely nice post. Taking a few minutes and actual effort to generate a superb article… but what can I say… I hesitate a lot and
don’t seem to get nearly anything done.