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: |
https://talhabrothers.com/index.php?route=journal3%2Fblog%2Fpost&journal_blog_category_id=2&journal_blog_post_id=8
I’m no longer certain where you’re getting your info, however great topic. I needs to spend a while learning more or figuring out more. Thank you for fantastic info I was searching for this info for my mission.
I am extremely impressed together with your writing talents and also with the format in your blog.
Is this a paid subject matter or did you modify it yourself?
Anyway keep up the nice high quality writing,
it is rare to see a nice blog like this one these days..
п»їRecently, I discovered an interesting report about cheap Indian generics. The site discusses CDSCO regulations for generic meds. If anyone wants Trusted Indian sources, visit this link: п»їlink. Might be useful.
https://discuss.ilw.com/forum/immigration-discussion/484035-services-d%E2%80%99am%C3%A9nagement-paysager-%C3%A0-laval/page72
https://www.journal-theme.com/6v3/blog/journal-blog?page=17
https://ipb.edu.tl/aae-ipb-partisipa-formasaun-hosi-orador-untl-nain-3/#comment-2319166
What’s up to all, how is everything, I think every one is getting more from
this web page, and your views are good designed for
new people.
I’m genuinely hyped after reading this — incredible!
https://boosty.to/fdsfsff/posts/e06dad63-f9da-4b12-be3d-f0442d30551c?share=success_publish_link
https://www.pearltrees.com/moin54/item771268553
Hi there friends, its impressive paragraph regarding cultureand fully explained, keep it up all the time.
Hello to every body, it’s my first pay a quick visit of this blog; this blog carries remarkable and really excellent
data in support of readers.
https://www.brianevansphotography.com/blog/2016/4/northern-california-film—personal
discover this info here https://toast-wallet.net
I am no longer positive the place you’re getting your information, but great topic. I needs to spend a while finding out much more or understanding more. Thank you for excellent info I was looking for this info for my mission.
kraken тор браузер
https://xiglute.com/forums/topic/107659/codigo-de-bonus-1x-bet-2026-1xsun200/view/post_id/728688
https://smile.pitt.edu/blog/186
Go Here https://toast-wallet.net/
https://www.bloggang.com/viewdiary.php?id=checkpricdf&month=04-2020&date=19&group=1&gblog=504
как зайти на кракен даркнет
https://gifyu.com/promoco1415161718
I’m no longer positive the place you’re getting your information, but great topic. I must spend a while finding out much more or understanding more. Thanks for magnificent information I was searching for this information for my mission.
https://forumtransportu.pl/forum/temat/11551
Футбольные дерби всегда захватывают дух, и сегодня мы…
Зацепил материал про Хроники и тактика футбольных дерби.
Смотрите сами:
https://tottenham-army.ru
Футбольные дерби — тема, которая никогда не потеряет актуальности…
http://pc-mazsik.network.hu/forumtema/how-to-prevent-common-plumbing-issues-in-wayne-nj
I am now not positive the place you are getting your info, however great topic. I must spend some time studying more or working out more. Thanks for fantastic info I used to be looking for this information for my mission.
have a peek at these guys https://jaxxwallet-web.org/
his explanation https://toast-wallet.net
I personally find that i value the scalable features and easy onboarding. This site is reliable.
check this link right here now https://toast-wallet.net/
The interface is easy onboarding, and I enjoy swapping tokens here.
This platform exceeded my expectations with fast transactions and accurate charts.
get more https://jaxxwallet-web.org
https://www.chaoqgroup.com/blog/new-products/best-leather-bags
https://blogs.uoregon.edu/mmj3/2015/03/17/spoiler-alert-the-jinx-liveblog/#comment-204791
https://iob.uog.edu.et/events/summer-school-2015/
Wonderful blog! Do you have any suggestions for aspiring writers?
I’m hoping to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything.
Would you advise starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a
paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m completely overwhelmed ..
Any recommendations? Thanks a lot!
Useful and straightforward content. Everything is explained clearly without unnecessary details.
https://edublog.educastur.es/xentiquinaconsandra/2021/04/21/taller-iii-semana-del-libro/
Extra resources https://toast-wallet.net
https://drc.uog.edu.et/aviator-oyna-vЙ™-qazan-rЙ™smi-sayti-aviator-azerbayca-2
https://kingshouse.gov.jm/gg-custodes-honours-donna-parchment-brown/
купить диплом в самаре цены купить диплом в самаре цены .
I’m no longer positive the place you are getting your information, but great topic. I needs to spend a while finding out more or working out more. Thank you for fantastic information I used to be looking for this info for my mission.
I personally find that customer support was helpful, which gave me confidence to continue. Support solved my issue in minutes.
https://www.hackerearth.com/@Codepromo1xbet5645/
Your voice is so lively and fun — amazing work!
https://aurasoft-skyline.co.uk/public-beta-coming-soon