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: |
Купить диплом ВУЗа. Производство документа занимает немного времени, а цена – доступна любому. Таким образом вы получаете возможность сберечь бюджет и получить хорошую работу мечты. Приобрести диплом под заказ в Москве вы сможете через сайт компании. – pottomall.com/bbs/board.php?bo_table=free&wr_id=5319583
achieve naturally – Simple steps, helps make daily progress feel realistic and motivating.
1win virtual sport 1win virtual sport
Подробнее кракен
http://danishsurvival.listbb.ru/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=594
купить пылесос дайсон в санкт петербурге купить пылесос дайсон в санкт петербурге .
посмотреть в этом разделе кра
rankformula.click – Overall, professional vibe here; trustworthy, polished, and pleasantly minimal throughout.
https://www.waffleandwhisk.com/2018/12/peanut-butter-hot-chocolate-bakemas-day.html?sc=1767785009248#c8750633887005866990
1вин онлайн чат https://MAQOLALAR.UZ
пояснения https://krab3a.at
Узнать больше маркетплейс
Thanks , I’ve recently been looking for information approximately this topic for a long time and yours is the greatest I’ve came upon so far. But, what about the conclusion? Are you sure about the source?
favbet – https://favbet-de.com
подробнее https://krab3a.at
https://genpod.co.za/blog/season-essentials
пылесос дайсон вертикальный беспроводной купить пылесос дайсон вертикальный беспроводной купить .
rankformula.click – Content reads clearly, helpful examples made concepts easy to grasp.
smokace – https://smokace-de88.com
lincoln casino app – https://lincoln-us.com/lincoln-casino-app/
26bet app – https://26bet-br.com/26bet-app/
здесь кра
ссылка на сайт кра
ссылка на сайт krab2.cc
кликните сюда https://krab3a.at/
пылесосы dyson официальный пылесосы dyson официальный .
интернет https://krab3a.at/
strategic thinking zone – A useful space for exploring structured ideas.
https://instaconnect.co//bonusnew1win
Excellent blog! Do you have any recommendations for aspiring writers?
I’m planning to start my own site soon but I’m
a little lost on everything. Would you recommend starting with a free platform like WordPress or go
for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m totally confused ..
Any tips? Many thanks!
modo – https://modo-us.com
1win litsenziya http://MAQOLALAR.UZ/
03 bet – https://03bet-br.com
Hey all! Check out this pharmacy online if you need generics cheaply. This store provides the best prices on all meds. If you want to save, visit here: express pharmacy. Best regards.
drake casino login – https://drake-us.com/drake-casino-login/
alliances insight platform – Useful tips, simplifies how alliances operate in different markets.
hellspin casino – https://hellspin-casino-77.com
https://davidlwisee.tribunablog.com/1xbet-casino-promo-code-turkey-1xbig2026-130-bonus-53734582
forward energy flowing – Gentle, approachable phrasing illustrating how liberated energy improves outcomes.
фен выпрямитель дайсон купить в тц багратионовская vypryamitel-dn-2.ru .
http://danishsurvival.listbb.ru/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=594
1вин узбекистан http://www.MAQOLALAR.UZ
Читать далее https://krab3a.cc/
опубликовано здесь kra
здесь капча
I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme.
Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you?
Plz answer back as I’m looking to design my own blog and would like to know where u got this from.
kudos
дайсон официальный сайт выпрямители vypryamitel-dn-1.ru .
в этом разделе https://krab3a.cc
подробнее https://krab3a.at/
Lately, I was looking for antibiotics for a tooth infection and discovered Amoxicillin Express. You can get Amoxicillin 500mg overnight. If you are in pain, check this out: https://amoxicillinexpress.com. Best prices.