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: |
todos os jogos de hoje ao vivo placar – https://todos-os-jogos-de-hoje-ao-vivo-placar.com
содержание войти на vbet poker
выберите ресурсы водка бет
f9 bet app – https://f9bet-br.com/f9-bet-app/
Перейти на сайт водка казино бет
dyson пылесос купить интернет магазин dsn-ofitsialnyj-sajt.ru .
https://www.filippospastry.eu/index.php?route=journal3/blog/post&journal_blog_post_id=9
смотреть здесь vodkabet водкабет казино
на этом сайте vodkabet водкабет казино
Откройте полный каталог алкоголя: крепкие напитки, вина, пиво, коктейли алкоголь на дом новосибирск
https://apoteketreceptfritt.com/1xbet-free-spins-promo-code-somalia-1xbig2026-e130-bonus/
juwa 777 casino app – https://juwa-777-online.com/juwa-777-casino-app/
такой водка бет
фен дайсон как отличить оригинал fen-d-11.ru .
Подробнее здесь водка казино
Алкогольные напитки купить с доставкой от 40 минут или самовывозом в интернет-магазине заказать алкоголь с доставкой спб
top88 – https://top88-vn.com
I’m now not sure where you’re getting your info, but great topic. I needs to spend some time finding out much more or figuring out more. Thank you for fantastic information I was in search of this information for my mission.
подробнее здесь зеркало vodka bet
интернет дайсон сайт dn-kupit-2.ru .
Die Faszination des Bösen: Hexen, Stiefmütter, Wölfe. Die Antagonisten sind oft interessanter als die Helden. Studieren Sie die Bösewichte in einer Grimms Märchen PDF und gruseln Sie sich ein bisschen. https://grimmsmarchenpdf.site/ Grimms Fairy Tales Pdf
оригинальный дайсон ofitsialnyj-sajt-dn-1.ru .
casino brisbane login – https://casino-brisbane-australia.com/casino-brisbane-login/
официальные dyson интернет магазин ofitsialnyj-sajt-dsn.ru .
Смотреть здесь зеркало водка бет
интернет водка бет
Wonderful items from you, man. I’ve bear in mind your stuff previous to and you are just extremely excellent.
I really like what you have received here, certainly like what you are stating and the best way through which you
assert it. You make it entertaining and you continue to take care of to keep it sensible.
I can not wait to read much more from you. This is really a great web site.
Sharing, a helpful guide on Mexican Pharmacy safety. The author describes quality control for ED meds. You can read it here: п»їpolkcity.us.com.
посетить сайт vodkabet прямо сейчас
нажмите, чтобы подробнее vodka bet casino
Читать далее зеркало vodka bet
перейдите на этот сайт водка бет
п»їRecently, I came across an interesting guide about buying affordable antibiotics. The site discusses FDA equivalents when buying antibiotics. If anyone wants Trusted pharmacy sources, check this out: п»їUpstate Medical. It helped me.
jogo galo hoje ao vivo – https://jogo-galo-hoje-ao-vivo.com
перейти на сайт vbet casino
Алкогольные напитки купить с доставкой от 40 минут или самовывозом в интернет-магазине https://rossalracespbg.ru/
PS Barito Putera – https://PS-Barito-Putera.com
Play bitcoin at the best live dealer tables. Uk casino free play no deposit take your win when the season stars, a panda or a bird. Once the process has been completed, with the highest prize being 300 coins for five of a kind. Slot gates of olympus by pragmatic play demo free play lara truly is the king of the massive innings, trustworthy and widely recommended. We’d recommend this game if you enjoy the original Gates of Olympus slot game, or you’re just a fan of mythical slots in general. The Super Scatters really make this game stand out. Plus, who wouldn’t want to win up to 50,000x their stake? info@siriusxenergy call now Mailinfo@siriusxenergy The free spins bonus round can also be triggered with a bonus buy in the base game for 100x the player’s bet. }} With generous offers, demo access, and reliable performance, CoinCasino is one of the best choices for players chasing the 5,000x Gates of Olympus max win as it offers continuous rewards instead of just one flash-in-the-pan welcome bonus.
https://hesvietnam.edu.vn/top-satta-matka-matka-tips-today-for-winning-big-in-tadagamings-slot-matka/
You remember the original Gates of Olympus. Of course you do. That familiar rumble as Zeus prepared to strike, the satisfying chain reactions of the tumbles, the slow build of the bonus round. It was, and is, a titan of a game. We’d recommend this game if you enjoy the original Gates of Olympus slot game, or you’re just a fan of mythical slots in general. The Super Scatters really make this game stand out. Plus, who wouldn’t want to win up to 50,000x their stake? Pragmatic Play returns to Mount Olympus with Gates of Olympus 1000, an amped-up sequel to the fan-favourite original. Set against the divine backdrop of Mount Olympus, Zeus takes centre stage once more in this mythological slot packed with action. Played on a vibrant 6×5 grid, it ditches traditional paylines in favour of a dynamic ‘pay anywhere’ system, creating non-stop momentum with every spin.
кликните сюда водка казино бет
можно проверить ЗДЕСЬ vodkabet прямо сейчас
этот контент vodka премиум онлайн казино
hit n spin – https://hit-n-spin-de.com
Промокод 1xBet на сегодня при регистрации. Пользователи могут использовать промокоды для получения различных бонусов от букмекера. Доступ к кодам есть на тематических сайтах и рабочих зеркалах. 1xbet предлагает несколько форм создания аккаунта: в 1 клик. Компания заботится о клиентах и соблюдает международное право. Актуальные 1xbet today promo code можно получить бесплатно: на нашем сайте. Любой желающий легко найдёт промокод 1xbet на сегодня. Предложения выгодные, а условия их получения — реальные. В некоторых случаях вообще ничего делать не нужно.
Ein Treffpunkt für Radfahrer gesucht? Ein Bike-Café in Berlin Guide als PDF zeigt dir Orte, wo du dein Fahrrad sicher abstellen kannst, wo es Werkzeug für kleine Reparaturen gibt und wo die Community der Radler zusammenkommt. https://cafeinberlinpdf.site/ Cafe In Berlin Complete Pdf
подробнее здесь казино водка бет
1xbit – https://1xbit-br.com
сюда vodkabet
8800 bet – https://8800-bet.com
sidepot – https://sidepot-us.com
ссылка на сайт водка казино