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: |
blog https://perena.lat/
funnelio.click – Bookmarked this immediately, planning to revisit for updates and inspiration.
convertlyo.click – Overall, professional vibe here; trustworthy, polished, and pleasantly minimal throughout.
Charles ergen. Who are the most paid athletes. $trump coin. Open checking account online. Full moon july 2025.
Scoville. Corcoran. Nyt connections hints august 30. List of billionaires forbes. Female vocalist 90s. March 28 nyt connections hints. https://telegra.ph/Holizm-Den-surka-EHffekt-proekcii-YUng-01-16
Best undress app. Deny defend depose. Best heated jacket. Wealthiest sports person in the world. How much is 45.6 billion won in us dollars. Alex konrad forbes. Spring cocktails. Target boycott jamal bryant. Iphone 18. Ryan world. Beauty in black season 2. Rdr1 map. Demon slayer: kimetsu no yaiba infinity castle dub online. New on streaming this weekend.
like this https://hyperdrive.ink
go to my blog https://perena.cfd
оптимизация и продвижение сайтов москва оптимизация и продвижение сайтов москва .
интернет раскрутка prodvizhenie-sajtov-v-moskve215.ru .
browse around this site https://aixbt.my
site https://nucleusearn.ink/
resource https://perena.cc
find out this here https://elara.uno
How tall is paige bueckers. Demon slayer infinity castle. Do re mi fa ___ la. Scott bessent husband. Geostorm.
Omnilux reviews. Quote msft. Piero ferrari. How much money has trump raised for 2024 election. Alice munro. https://telegra.ph/Holizm-Den-surka-EHffekt-proekcii-YUng-01-16
Password leaks. Speaking coach. Trump supreme court. Mike rubin. Ways to make extra money. Real madrid vs barcelona today. Shoulder pain pillow. Galaxy s26 ultra. H-1b news. Easter island heads bodies. Philip f. anschutz. Top companies for ai.
go to website https://universalx.lat
оптимизация и seo продвижение сайтов москва prodvizhenie-sajtov-v-moskve213.ru .
Fobes. Best razors for women. Zte corp. Widow’s game. The time is always right to do what is right. Best dell laptops. Robson walton.
Best home warranty company. Shiba inu coin. Heart rate chart. Executive recruiter. Elon net worth. Xrp forbes. New iphone release date. https://telegra.ph/Holizm-Den-surka-EHffekt-proekcii-YUng-01-16
The firm tv show. The chosen season 5. Ramsey solutions. Solar companies. Mark zuckerberg age. Jim foerster. Questions to get to know someone. Andrew tate. Professional resume service. Strip stud draw nyt. Archer aviation stock.
продвижение сайтов интернет магазины в москве prodvizhenie-sajtov-v-moskve224.ru .
seo partner seo partner .
read review https://noon.pics
indigoshopstore.shop – Friendly interface, items are easy to find and descriptions are clear and concise.
Visit Website https://elara.cfd/
Widow’s game. Hioscar. Hunt family. Jaeyong lee. Backpacks for school. Adrenochrome meaning.
How often is the gold cup. Is there going to be a kpop demon hunters 2. Alwaleed bin talal. Vinicius jr. Canned puppy food. https://telegra.ph/Holizm-Den-surka-EHffekt-proekcii-YUng-01-16
Lakers valuation. You season 5 release date. Forbes influencers. How many grammys does kendrick lamar have. Milla from apple cider vinegar. How to find fein number. Queen of the south show cast. Average wages england. Five nights at freddy’s 3. What is the best teeth whitening product. How to make easy money. Michael sanchez. Omnilux contour face reviews. Fresh dog food brands.
moved here https://xmaquina.cc/
The bear francie. George w bush paintings. Ashland university. Forbes best-in-state. Kylie jenner. Actors descendants of the sun. Female billionaires. Top 10 places in the world to travel.
What is the best protein powder. Las vegas strip draw nyt. You see me now cast. The trade desk. Deny defend depose meaning. Roadside assistance plans. Microsoft stock price. https://telegra.ph/Holizm-Den-surka-EHffekt-proekcii-YUng-01-16
Not for profit. Uncut gems. Alexandra fine. Best electric toothbrushes to buy online 2025. Connections nyt hint today. Mission impossible 2 cast. Presidents day sales. Connection forbes today. Squid game nyc. Northern lights tonight near me. Wordle hints today. Who does joan end up with. E 7. Female singers from the 80s.
visit homepage https://exponent.bond
Ребята, а вы знаете, где сейчас реально выиграть в онлайн-казино? После десятков проверок остановился на лицензированных площадках. Важно: вывод без комиссии. Актуальный рейтинг с джекпотами и кэшбэком — по ссылке: РЎРЈРљРђ Sykaaa казино. Обсуждаем!
hop over to these guys https://hyperdrive.lat/
official website https://agents-land.xyz
growvanta.click – Mobile version looks perfect; no glitches, fast scrolling, crisp text.
Привет всем! Решил поделиться, как найти честное онлайн казино в 2025 году. Главное — не гнаться за большими бонусами, а смотреть на лицензию и отзывы реальных игроков. Я собрал список проверенных площадок с минимальным депозитом — вот тут: [url=https://bmstrading.ca/na-sykaaa-casino-igrayte-v-onlaynkazino-bezopasno-i-zasluzhenno-doveriya/]sykaaa casino[/url]. Кто уже пробовал?
these details https://flaunch.ink
my latest blog post https://hyperunit.cc/
check this link right here now https://astake.buzz/
why not try this out https://hyperunit.cc
find more information https://hyperdrive.ink/
Visit This Link https://nucleusearn.org/
see this page https://blnk.my/
Silver price news. Celica 2025. Idr to usd. Ai companies. Sir philip green. Visa integrity fee.
Logan paul. Kellogg’s diner. Student loan forgiveness golden letters. Jocko sims. Sheldon adelson. Charvarius ward. Shane bieber. https://telegra.ph/Holizm-Den-surka-EHffekt-proekcii-YUng-01-16
Blood pressure chart as per age. Scarf silk scarf. Apple new iphone release date. Sek to dollars. Best health insurance carriers. Connections hint today. Forbes fictional 15. Forbes pips. The world richest country in the world. Twilight movies in order to watch. You see me now cast.
Disability employment services news. Ea nasir. Texans new logo. Sea snake bites. Best crm programs.
White lotus season 3 episode 5. Usd to vnd. Booking code promo. Tina louise. Athlete most paid. James packer. Phillipines. https://telegra.ph/Holizm-Den-surka-EHffekt-proekcii-YUng-01-16
Direct file. El hombre mas rico del mundo. Sanford weill. Datadog. Brics currency. South asian women. The weeknd grammys. How can you tell if your phone has been hacked. Recruitment firms. Fitness apps. Next ios update.
cpbl粉絲必備的資訊平台，結合大數據AI算法提供最即時的cpbl新聞、球員數據分析，以及專業的比賽預測。
Друзья, подскажите, куда лучше играть в 2025? Сам недавно протестировал кучу игровых сайтов — большинство тянут с выплатами. Остановился на тех, где есть лицензия и вывод за 5 минут. Полный список с RTP и бонусами — по ссылке: Mellstroy. Кто с чем сталкивался?
Recommended Site https://kingprotocol.net/
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 вывод за 5 минут. Полный список с RTP и бонусами — по ссылке: mellstroy game. Кто с чем сталкивался?
Michael sanchez. How much does walmart store managers make. Timothee chanlet. Is donald trump still alive. Severance season 2 episode 5 recap. White lotus release time.
What is the most highly populated city in the world. Kafka. Tell me lies season 3 release date. How to share iphone screen to tv. Nyt connections hints march 21. Best balance transfers on credit cards. https://telegra.ph/Holizm-Den-surka-EHffekt-proekcii-YUng-01-16
Cadbury eggs. Forbes richest people in the world. W craig jelinek. Quotes about leadership. Carbon credits. Glucose levels. Highest paid sportsperson in the world. Good american show. When is the rookie coming back. Who is the richest man in the world right now. Apple share. Normal resting heart rate by age.
moved here https://verio.buzz/
Всем здравствуйте! Хочу поделиться подборкой онлайн казино, где можно выводить на карту МИР. Важно: прозрачность. Актуальный рейтинг 2025 — здесь: РЎСѓРєР°. Пишите, кто с чем сталкивался!
find here https://colend.lat
интернет продвижение москва интернет продвижение москва .
browse this site https://astake.cc/
this contact form https://slop-club.org