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: |
Hurrah, that’s what I was looking for, what a data! existing here at this web site, thanks admin of this web page.
I switched from another service because of the stable performance and responsive team.
I’ve been active for several months, mostly for cross-chain transfers, and it’s always trustworthy service.
The interface is responsive team, and I enjoy providing liquidity here.
кликните сюда https://krab3a.at
Wow, that’s what I was searching for, what a material! present here at this blog, thanks admin of this site.
Great platform with low fees — it made my crypto journey easier. Charts are accurate and load instantly.
I switched from another service because of the scalable features and wide token selection. Great for cross-chain swaps with minimal slippage.
I’m impressed by the intuitive UI. I’ll definitely continue using it. Support solved my issue in minutes.
мелбет онлайн мелбет онлайн .
Hurrah, that’s what I was seeking for, what a information! existing here at this blog, thanks admin of this web site.
здесь https://bonus-betting.ru/promokod-bet-boom/
tim nasional sepak bola finlandia – https://tim-nasional-sepak-bola-finlandia.com
Hurrah, that’s what I was looking for, what a information! existing here at this webpage, thanks admin of this website.
Wow, that’s what I was seeking for, what a information! existing here at this website, thanks admin of this website.
See the latest here
Читать далее https://krab3a.at/
8800 bet – https://8800-bet.com
tim nasional sepak bola ekuador – https://tim-nasional-sepak-bola-ekuador.com
I personally find that the interface is responsive team, and I enjoy trading here. Great for cross-chain swaps with minimal slippage.
Главная https://kinogo.blue/filmy/1213-master-taj-czi.html
placar jogos ao vivo – https://placar-jogos-ao-vivo.com
Привет! После череды обманов наконец нашёл казино, где реально не задерживают выплаты. Смотрите на наличие лицензии. Список надёжных вариантов — тут: Мелстрой гейм. Кто уже играл?
Wow, that’s what I was seeking for, what a data! existing here at this blog, thanks admin of this web page.
Друзья, подскажите, куда лучше играть в 2025? Сам недавно протестировал кучу игровых сайтов — большинство тянут с выплатами. Остановился на тех, где есть поддержка рубля и без верификации. Полный список с RTP и бонусами — по ссылке: [url=https://negociostorres.com/2025/10/30/vash-gid-v-onlaynkazino-kilogram-kak-zaregistrirovatsya-i-nachat-igrat/]Килограмм[/url]. Кто с чем сталкивался?
blog here jaxx liberty wallet
Hurrah, that’s what I was searching for, what a material! existing here at this weblog, thanks admin of this web site.
мелбет ставки на спорт зеркало мелбет ставки на спорт зеркало .
I personally find that i’m impressed by the accurate charts. I’ll definitely continue using it. Definitely recommend to anyone in crypto.
Wow, that’s what I was exploring for, what a data! present here at this website, thanks admin of this website.
нажмите здесь https://krab3a.at/
Wow, that’s what I was exploring for, what a material! existing here at this website, thanks admin of this website.
Kryvox Network – Pages loaded quickly, navigation intuitive and content easy to understand.
Your energy in this post is infectious — LOVE IT!
смотреть здесь https://kinogo.blue/filmy/1819-megan-k-vashim-uslugam.html
look at this site jaxx liberty wallet
Hurrah, that’s what I was seeking for, what a material! existing here at this website, thanks admin of this web site.
купить диплом нархоза иркутск купить диплом нархоза иркутск .
Wow, that’s what I was seeking for, what a data! existing here at this website, thanks admin of this web page.
Wow, that’s what I was seeking for, what a stuff! present here at this website, thanks admin of this site.
Всем здравствуйте! Хочу поделиться подборкой онлайн казино, где можно пополнять с баланса. Важно: честность. Актуальный рейтинг 2025 — здесь: Eldorado. Пишите, кто с чем сталкивался!
Hurrah, that’s what I was exploring for, what a stuff! existing here at this weblog, thanks admin of this site.
Привет! Решил собрать только те игровые клубы, где лично получил выплату. Критерии: с минимальным депозитом. Все рабочие ссылки — по адресу: Мелстрой. Кто уже тестировал эти площадки?
продолжить https://krab3a.at/
Всем здравия! Недавно искал рабочий игровой клуб для игры на рубли, и понял: половина сайтов — скам. Советую обращать внимание на наличие лицензии и читать обзоры. Свой топ-7 с моментальным выводом оставил здесь: болливуд казино. Пишите, кто что знает по теме!
почему после ремонта айфон нужен акт/гарантия
Hurrah, that’s what I was searching for, what a data! present here at this website, thanks admin of this website.
Hurrah, that’s what I was seeking for, what a data! present here at this blog, thanks admin of this web page.
anonym – https://anonym-de.com
Here’s the ugly truth: nearly all HVAC failures take place because someone missed a step. Didn’t calculate the load properly. Used cheap equipment. Got wrong the insulation needs. We’ve personally fixed countless of these failures. And each time, we remember another lesson. Like in 2017, when we started adding remote monitoring to each installation. Why? Because Sarah, our lead tech, got tired of watching homeowners lose money on bad temperature settings. Now clients save $500+ yearly.
https://www.demilked.com/author/ellachuduj/