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: |
official statement https://jaxxwallet-web.org/
I am not positive the place you are getting your info, however great topic. I must spend a while finding out much more or working out more. Thank you for excellent information I used to be in search of this info for my mission.
You always deliver top-tier writing.
I personally find that this platform exceeded my expectations with trustworthy service and robust security.
I blog quite often and I truly appreciate your content.
Your article has truly peaked my interest. I am going
to book mark your website and keep checking for new information about once a week.
I subscribed to your RSS feed as well.
kraken tor зеркало
why not look here https://jaxxwallet-web.org/
The best choice I made for exploring governance. Smooth and seamless withdrawals. Great for cross-chain swaps with minimal slippage.
https://spinbetter.black/arab/promo-code/
I’ve been using it for a few days for checking analytics, and the quick deposits stands out.
This was packed with value from start to finish.
I’m no longer sure the place you are getting your info, but great topic. I needs to spend some time studying much more or understanding more. Thank you for wonderful info I was on the lookout for this information for my mission.
read what he said https://jaxx-web.org
kraken актуальная ссылка
click here to investigate https://jaxxwallet-web.org
I appreciate how practical and helpful this post is.
When I originally commented I clicked the
“Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four e-mails with
the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service?
Thank you!
article https://jaxx-web.org/
official website https://jaxx-web.org
I’m not positive where you are getting your info, but great topic. I must spend a while learning more or figuring out more. Thanks for wonderful info I used to be on the lookout for this info for my mission.
kraken даркнет
Evinizi kendi tarz?n?za uygun bir sanat galerisine donusturmenin yollar?n? ar?yorsan?z, bu yaz? tam size gore!
По теме “Yarat?c? El Sanatlar? ve Ev Dekorasyonu Ipuclar?”, там просто кладезь информации.
Вот, можете почитать:
https://kendimacera.com
Dekorasyon yolculugunuzda ilham dolu ve keyifli anlar gecirmeniz dilegiyle!
ラブドール 等身 大 2021年に最も感動的なダッチワイフトップ7あなたの賢明な愛の人形を選ぶ方法5つの最高の最も安価なダッチワイフあなたのX-masへの秘密のサンタクロース
I’m not certain the place you’re getting your info, however good topic. I must spend a while finding out much more or figuring out more. Thank you for fantastic information I was looking for this information for my mission.
The best choice I made for staking. Smooth and reliable uptime.
navigate here https://jaxxwallet-web.org/
This was such a meaningful and insightful post.
investigate this site https://lumi-wallet.io/
Go Here https://jaxxwallet-web.org
Greetings from Colorado! I’m bored to tears at work so I decided to browse your site on my iphone during
lunch break. I love the info you provide here and can’t
wait to take a look when I get home. I’m amazed at how fast your blog loaded on my
cell phone .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, superb site!
my review here https://jaxx-web.org/
I am not positive the place you are getting your info, however great topic. I needs to spend a while studying much more or working out more. Thanks for wonderful info I was looking for this info for my mission.
I’m genuinely pumped after reading this — thank you!
my sources https://jaxxwallet-web.org/
click here now https://jaxxwallet-web.org/
browse this site https://jaxxwallet-web.org/
I am now not sure the place you’re getting your information, however great topic. I needs to spend a while finding out more or figuring out more. Thank you for excellent information I used to be in search of this info for my mission.
find here https://lumi-wallet.io
index https://jaxx-web.org
click resources https://lumi-wallet.io
go now https://lumi-wallet.io/
go to this website https://jaxx-web.org/
his explanation https://jaxxwallet-web.org
why not try this out https://lumi-wallet.io/
find out this here https://lumi-wallet.io/
Discover More Here https://jaxxwallet-web.org/
informative post https://jaxx-web.org
Homepage https://jaxxwallet-web.org
check over here https://jaxxwallet-web.org/
find more info https://lumi-wallet.io