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: |
aaa bet app – https://aaabet-br.com/aaa-bet-app/
After I initially left a comment I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is added I recieve 4 emails with the exact same comment. Is there a means you can remove me from that service? Many thanks!
fortune coins login – https://fortune-coins-us.com/fortune-coins-login/
1win app download 1win app download
When I originally commented I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on each time a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment. There has to be an easy method you are able to remove me from that service? Thank you!
UlvionBondGroup Overview – Appears dependable, visuals align and messaging maintains a professional feel.
Greetings from California! I’m bored at work so I
decided to check out your site on my iphone during lunch break.
I really like the info you present here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home.
I’m surprised at how fast your blog loaded on my phone ..
I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyways, very
good blog!
After I initially left a comment I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on every time a comment is added I get 4 emails with the exact same comment. Perhaps there is an easy method you are able to remove me from that service? Thanks a lot!
7 bet – https://7bet-bouns.com
phwin – https://phwin-ph.com
mr green – https://mr-green-de.com
When I initially commented I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on every time a comment is added I get 4 emails with the same comment. There has to be an easy method you can remove me from that service? Thank you!
fachai – https://fachai-ph.com
Chicken Road is a medium volatility game with cartoon-style visuals, where you control a daring chicken dodging ovens chicken road apk
我們提供官方合作夥伴台灣最完整的籃球比分相關服務，包含最新官方賽事資訊、數據分析，以及專業賽事預測。
When I originally commented I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on each time a comment is added I get 4 emails with the same comment. Is there an easy method you can remove me from that service? Thanks a lot!
When I initially left a comment I appear to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on each time a comment is added I receive 4 emails with the same comment. Is there a means you can remove me from that service? Many thanks!
When I originally commented I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now whenever a comment is added I recieve 4 emails with the same comment. There has to be a means you can remove me from that service? Thanks!
https://negrityanki-balashiha.ru/
how to enter booking code on 1win http://1win5741.help
5 bet – https://5bet-br.com
https://sonabet.pro/
1win withdrawal problem 1win5740.help
modo casino app – https://modo-us.com/modo-casino-app/
go fair casino login – https://go-fair-casino.com/go-fair-casino-login/
After I initially left a comment I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on every time a comment is added I receive four emails with the same comment. Is there a means you can remove me from that service? Cheers!
sg casino app – https://sg-casino-au.com/sg-casino-app/
go to site – Well-organized sections, pages load fast, very easy to browse
lucky jet 1win http://1win5740.help
After I initially commented I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now whenever a comment is added I get 4 emails with the same comment. Is there a way you can remove me from that service? Thanks!
愛壹帆海外版，專為華人打造的高清視頻平台AI深度學習內容匹配，支持全球加速觀看。
When I originally left a comment I seem to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is added I receive 4 emails with the exact same comment. Perhaps there is a way you are able to remove me from that service? Many thanks!
官方數據源24小時即時更新nba戰績比分、賽程表，以及NBA球星數據統計和表現分析。
After I initially commented I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now whenever a comment is added I receive 4 emails with the same comment. Perhaps there is an easy method you are able to remove me from that service? Thank you!
When I originally left a comment I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now whenever a comment is added I receive four emails with the same comment. There has to be an easy method you are able to remove me from that service? Appreciate it!
When I initially commented I seem to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now whenever a comment is added I receive 4 emails with the exact same comment. There has to be an easy method you are able to remove me from that service? Many thanks!
When I originally commented I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on each time a comment is added I receive four emails with the same comment. There has to be an easy method you can remove me from that service? Appreciate it!
When I initially commented I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on whenever a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment. Is there a way you are able to remove me from that service? Thanks a lot!
https://atkell.com/blogs/251623/C%C3%B3digo-Promocional-para-B%C3%B4nus-300-1xBet-2026-1XWAP200
When I initially commented I seem to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now whenever a comment is added I recieve 4 emails with the exact same comment. Perhaps there is a way you can remove me from that service? Kudos!
中職戰績粉絲必備的資訊平台，提供最即時的中職戰績新聞、球員數據分析，以及專業的比賽預測。
After I originally left a comment I appear to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on each time a comment is added I get 4 emails with the same comment. There has to be a means you can remove me from that service? Many thanks!
mozzart – https://mozzart-de.com
казино онлайн играть – https://play-online-casino-ru.com
يلا شوت كورة مباشر – https://yalla-shoot-kora-live.com
betking – https://betking-de.com
When I initially commented I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on each time a comment is added I recieve 4 emails with the exact same comment. Perhaps there is a means you can remove me from that service? Thank you!
When I initially commented I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now whenever a comment is added I recieve 4 emails with the same comment. Perhaps there is an easy method you are able to remove me from that service? Kudos!
我們的台彩專家團隊每日更新各大聯盟的比賽分析，包括NBA、MLB、中華職棒等。
After I initially left a comment I seem to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is added I receive four emails with the exact same comment. Is there a way you can remove me from that service? Thank you!