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: |
поисковое продвижение сайта в интернете москва поисковое продвижение сайта в интернете москва .
Pin Up Casino Azərbaycanda ən populyar kazino saytıdır. Saytda çoxlu slotlar və canlı dilerlər var. Pulu kartınıza tez köçürürlər. Proqramı də var, telefondan oynamaq çox rahatdır. Giriş linki Pin Up Azerbaijan baxın.
check this https://kingprotocol.cc
my website https://alchemistai.tech
find more info https://exponent.my
hop over to here https://astherus.us
zorivotrustco site – Everything feels organized, making the experience smooth and reassuring.
Info slot gacor malam ini: mainkan Gate of Olympus atau Mahjong Ways di Bonaslot. Website ini anti rungkad dan aman. Bonus new member menanti anda. Kunjungi: п»їhttps://bonaslotind.us.com/# login sekarang dan menangkan.
news https://noon.gay
adnivo.click – Found practical insights today; sharing this article with colleagues later.
important site https://kyros.ink/
browse this site https://blendfun.cc/
trustedcontinuum.bond – Modern and clean, content emphasizes continuity and a professional, trustworthy feel.
see this website https://upshift.ink/
klickivo.click – Bookmarked this immediately, planning to revisit for updates and inspiration.
useful link https://upshift.cfd
If you’re ready to betwinner register and explore top sports odds, open https://bet-promo-codes.com/sportsbook-reviews/betwinner-registration/ and create your account securely.
view it now https://universalx.lat
go to my blog https://blnk.lat
klickivo.click – Found practical insights today; sharing this article with colleagues later.
統一獅賽程、戰績、球員數據，運用先進AI預測演算法一應俱全，讓您隨時掌握最愛球隊的最新動態。
Да просто дедушка форума )) Купить Кокаин, Бошки, Мефедрон, Гашиш Захожу 24-го, фигакс, бан.Хотелось бы услышать мнение продавца, по этому поводу
additional info https://cytonic.biz/
Эскорт тайна Балашиха
home https://kingprotocol.cc
игровой автомат гейтс оф олимпус
Gates of Olympus slot — известный слот от Pragmatic Play с системой Pay Anywhere, цепочками каскадов и коэффициентами до ?500. Действие происходит на Олимпе, где верховный бог повышает выплаты и делает каждый раунд случайным.
Экран игры представлено в виде 6?5, а выигрыш начисляется при выпадении не менее 8 идентичных символов в любой позиции. После выплаты символы исчезают, их заменяют новые элементы, формируя цепочки каскадов, способные принести серию выигрышей за одно вращение. Слот является волатильным, поэтому способен долго молчать, но в благоприятные моменты даёт крупные заносы до 5000? ставки.
Для тестирования игры доступен демо-версия без финансового риска. Для ставок на деньги целесообразно использовать официальные казино, например MELBET (18+), учитывая RTP около 96,5% и правила выбранного казино.
click here for more info https://noon.gay
1win apk http://www.1win5760.help
click here for more info https://alchemistai.cc
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。
1win qeydiyyat aviator http://www.1win5760.help
If some one wishes to be updated with most recent technologies afterward he must be visit this website and
be up to date all the time.
1win aviator az http://1win5760.help
It is not my first time to go to see this web site, i am browsing this site dailly and take nice information from here everyday.
More about the author https://gofundmeme.us
pop over to these guys https://astherus.us/
https://pridvinje.by/2025/02/18/virtualnye-nomera-telefonov-vidy-preimushhestva-i-primenenie/
additional resources https://gofundmeme.buzz
Hello my loved one! I want to say that this article
is amazing, nice written and include approximately all significant
infos. I’d like to look more posts like this .
bondcore.bond – Cohesive layout, content emphasizes openness and clear navigation throughout.
1win android yukle https://1win5760.help
Click Here https://colend.my/
hop over to this web-site https://gofundmeme.cc/
日本職棒完整賽程表、戰績排行、即時比分和數據更新。
view it now https://universalx.lat
Carabao Cup live scores, English League Cup with Premier League teams playing
Source https://elara.cfd/
go to this website https://verio.lat/
creativehorizon.bond – Bright and inspiring, content motivates users to think outside the box.
you can check here https://hyperdrive.ink