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: |
Wow, that’s what I was exploring for, what a data! existing here at this webpage, thanks admin of this website.
shluhi-balashiha.ru
Xelra Hub Online – Smooth interface, quick loading pages and checkout steps simple.
Всем привет! Поделюсь лайфхаком: чтобы не слить депозит впустую, выбирайте онлайн платформу с высоким RTP. Я проверил десятки сайтов и оставил только те, где быстрая верификация. Список тут: казино болливуд. Кто уже играл — подтвердите?
проект перепланировки и переустройства квартиры proekt-pereplanirovki-kvartiry20.ru .
Привет! Хочу предупредить новичков: не все онлайн игровые порталы одинаково полезны. Ищите те, где есть возможность играть на рубли, и обязательно сверяйтесь с независимыми обзорами. Я нашёл несколько платформ 2025 года с бонусами без вейджера — всё собрано здесь: syka-win.ru Sykaaa официальный сайт. Кто уже успел попробовать?
Привет всем! Решил поделиться, как найти платящее онлайн игровой сайт в 2025 году. Главное — не гнаться за большими бонусами, а смотреть на лицензию и наличие вывода без задержек. Я собрал список проверенных площадок с быстрым кэш-аутом — вот тут: онлайн казино. Кто уже пробовал?
ссылка на сайт https://krab3a.at/
stake casino login – https://stake-casino-au.com/stake-casino-login/
betus login – https://betus-casino-us.com/betus-login/
casino townsville login – https://casino-townsville.com/casino-townsville-login/
Сегодня получил свою родненькую Купить наркотики | Где купить наркотики? Первый раз брал у этого магазина,сразу же что то не то,если всё будет Ок,буду брать дальше,в принцыпе со всеми бывает(jte тут брал кто?Как качество?К скольки делать?
Следующая страница https://kinogo.blue/filmy-2017/2033-nepokornaya.html
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 three emails with the same comment.
Is there any way you can remove people from that service?
Thanks!
Hurrah, that’s what I was looking for, what a data! present here at this blog, thanks admin of this web site.
It’s hard to find well-informed people about this topic,
but you sound like you know what you’re talking about!
Thanks
Wow, that’s what I was exploring for, what a data! present here at this web site, thanks admin of this site.
web link jaxx liberty wallet
Hurrah, that’s what I was exploring for, what a information! existing here at this website, thanks admin of this website.
другие https://bonus-betting.ru/clubnika-casino-promokod/
инвентарь для спорт зала инвентарь для спорт зала .
Hurrah, that’s what I was seeking for, what a stuff! present here at this website, thanks admin of this web site.
Продолжение https://bonus-betting.ru/hype-casino-promokod/
modo casino login – https://modo-us.com/modo-casino-login/
Мы изготавливаем дипломы любой профессии по выгодным ценам. Быстро заказать диплом об образовании mirmafii.ru/article/10072
Great blog here! Also your web site loads up
very fast! What host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link
to your host? I wish my website loaded up as fast
as yours lol
веб-сайте https://krab3a.at/
red stag casino app – https://red-stag-us.com/red-stag-casino-app/
взгляните на сайте здесь https://bonus-betting.ru/1xbit-promokod/
Hurrah, that’s what I was exploring for, what a data! existing here at this weblog, thanks admin of this web page.
dobrowin app – https://dobrowin-br.net/dobrowin-app/
Wow, that’s what I was searching for, what a material! existing here at this web site, thanks admin of this web page.
this page jaxx liberty wallet
смотреть здесь https://kinogo.blue/filmy-2025/2318-istekshiy-srok.html
tim nasional sepak bola kroasia – https://tim-nasional-sepak-bola-kroasia.com
Hurrah, that’s what I was looking for, what a stuff! present here at this weblog, thanks admin of this web page.
Wow, that’s what I was looking for, what a material! present here at this website, thanks admin of this web page.
Hurrah, that’s what I was looking for, what a material! present here at this weblog, thanks admin of this web site.
otsobet – https://otsobet-ph.com
seowins.click – Pages loaded fast, images appeared sharp, and formatting stayed consistent.
Hurrah, that’s what I was searching for, what a stuff! present here at this blog, thanks admin of this web site.
lvbet – https://lvbet-88.com
Hurrah, that’s what I was searching for, what a data! present here at this web site, thanks admin of this web page.
Wow, that’s what I was seeking for, what a stuff! existing here at this weblog, thanks admin of this site.
Привет! Недавно искал онлайн-платформу, где можно спокойно вывести выигрыш, и понял: главное — лицензия. Собрал рабочие варианты с поддержкой QIWI — ссылка: мелстрой казино. Кто уже пробовал?
Следующая страница https://bonus-betting.ru/promokod-bet-boom/
Друзья, расскажу по-честному: я долго искал казино, которое платит, и наконец нашёл рабочие варианты. Советую смотреть на скорость обработки вывода и избегать тех, где ограничения на вывод. Актуальный список лучших платформ на 2025 — по ссылке: [url=https://www.trans-portes-express.fr/2025/10/30/igrayte-besplatno-v-igrovye-avtomaty-lev-kazino-onlayn-v-rossii/]Лев[/url]. Пишите в комментариях, какие казино вам зашли!
learn the facts here now jaxx liberty
The staking tools are trustworthy service and useful analytics.
Zaviro Zone – Fast navigation, clear product info, and overall site experience is pleasant.