Taxed to Death
Debra Purdy Kong
Mystery/Suspense
[rating: 3/5]
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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
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Taxed to Death |
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La innovadora compania de espectaculos de drones presento un impresionante espectaculo de drones iluminados en el cielo nocturno, cautivando a todos los asistentes con su show de luces con drones.
Los drones han revolucionado la forma en que se entiende el entretenimiento, ofreciendo un espectaculo aereo lleno de color y vida . Estos espectaculos suelen incluir una gran cantidad de drones que vuelan en formaciones precisas y sincronizadas, creando patrones y disenos en el cielo. La cantidad de drones utilizados en estos espectaculos puede variar, pero siempre buscan crear una experiencia visual que leave a las audiencias con la boca abierta. Los organizadores de estos eventos trabajan arduamente para programar y ensayar las rutinas de vuelo, asegurandose de que cada dron se mueva en perfecta sincronia con los demas. La preparacion de un espectaculo de drones implica una combinacion de habilidades tecnicas y creativas para lograr un resultado final impresionante.
El uso de drones en los espectaculos ha abierto nuevas posibilidades para la expresion artistica y la entretenimiento. Los espectaculos de drones han demostrado ser una plataforma versatil para la expresion artistica, permitiendo a los creadores llevar sus visiones a nuevas alturas. Ademas, estos eventos han generado un gran interes entre el publico, que se maravilla con la belleza y la complejidad de los patrones y disenos creados por los drones. La respuesta del publico a los espectaculos de drones ha sido abrumadoramente positiva, con muchos expresando su asombro y admiracion por la habilidad y la coordinacion de los drones.
Tecnica y Seguridad:
La realizacion de un espectaculo de drones requiere una gran cantidad de planificacion y preparacion, especialmente en lo que respecta a la seguridad. La planificacion y la preparacion son fundamentales para asegurarse de que el espectaculo se desarrolle sin incidentes y de manera segura . Los drones utilizados en estos espectaculos estan equipados con tecnologia avanzada que les permite volar de manera autonoma y realizar maniobras complejas. La tecnologia de vuelo autonomo es crucial para la realizacion de estos espectaculos, ya que permite a los drones realizar movimientos precisos y sincronizados . Ademas, los operadores de los drones deben tener una gran habilidad y experiencia para controlar los drones de manera efectiva. La experiencia y la habilidad de los operadores son fundamentales para el exito de un espectaculo de drones .
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Impacto y Futuro:
El impacto de los espectaculos de drones en la industria del entretenimiento ha sido significativo, abriendo nuevas posibilidades para la creatividad y la innovacion. La tecnologia de drones ha permitido la creacion de espectaculos aereos que deslumbran a las audiencias con su precision y belleza . Ademas, estos eventos han generado un gran interes entre el publico, que se maravilla con la belleza y la complejidad de los patrones y disenos creados por los drones. Los espectaculos de drones han atraido a audiencias de todas las edades, quienes se quedan asombradas con la tecnologia y la creatividad que se despliega en el cielo . En el futuro, se espera que la tecnologia de drones siga evolucionando, permitiendo la creacion de espectaculos aun mas complejos y emocionantes. Los avances en la tecnologia de drones abriran nuevas posibilidades para la expresion artistica y la entretenimiento en el futuro.
Los espectaculos de drones tambien tienen el potencial de ser utilizados en una variedad de contextos, desde eventos culturales hasta espectaculos de entretenimiento. La tecnologia de drones puede ser utilizada para crear experiencias visuales unicas y emocionantes en una variedad de entornos . Ademas, la tecnologia de drones puede ser utilizada para promover la conciencia y la educacion sobre temas importantes, como la conservacion del medio ambiente y la seguridad. Los espectaculos de drones pueden ser utilizados para educar al publico sobre temas importantes y promover la conciencia y la comprension .
Conclusion:
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