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://kyros.wtf
site here https://noon.pics/
why not find out more https://colend.lat/
HiddenGlenStore – Clear layout, easy to explore products, and checkout works well.
weblink https://alchemistai.cc/
поисковое seo в москве поисковое seo в москве .
Ребята, а вы знаете, где сейчас реально заработать в онлайн-казино? После десятков проверок остановился на лицензированных площадках. Важно: возможность игры с телефона. Актуальный рейтинг с джекпотами и кэшбэком — по ссылке: казино болливуд. Обсуждаем!
look what i found https://hyperunit.cc/
Applied digital stock. Starbuck logo. Top rated king size pillows. Massage tool for back. Best christmas movies. Librem 15 version 4. Connections august 13 2025. Amd earnings.
Travis kelce net worth 2025. Silver price today. Lil nГЎs x. Rachel mcadams nude. Best reading glasses for men. https://telegra.ph/Holizm-Den-surka-EHffekt-proekcii-YUng-01-16
What is the 75 hard challenge. When is the love island usa finale 2025. Elon musk forbes. Open checking account. Can i bend your ___ for a second. Apple september 2025 event date iphone 17 launch invite. What credit unions use zelle. Adderall generic name. Stock lily. Player 001 squid game. The new york times strands.
I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme.
Did you design this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for
you? Plz respond as I’m looking to design my own blog
and would like to find out where u got this from. appreciate it
Всем здравствуйте! Хочу поделиться подборкой онлайн казино, где можно выводить на карту МИР. Важно: высокая отдача. Актуальный рейтинг 2025 — здесь: Лев зеркало. Пишите, кто с чем сталкивался!
Всем привет! Поделюсь лайфхаком: чтобы не слить депозит впустую, выбирайте онлайн казино с высоким RTP. Я проверил десятки сайтов и оставил только те, где нет блокировок без причины. Список тут: Ретро. Кто уже играл — подтвердите?
Wimbledon live tennis scores, grass court action with real-time match tracking today
9ybet app – https://9ybet-br.com/9ybet-app/
realprize casino app – https://realprize-us.com/realprize-casino-app/
go to this site https://blend.ad
look at this now https://perena.cc/
Get More Information https://alchemistai.lat/
Car insurance near me. Prince talal. Did tiktok get unbanned. Executive coaching news. Belle gibson milla. Randa duncan.
Richard saghian. Wealthiest athletes. Village medical. Real madrid c.f.. Wwe saturday night’s main event. Heidi klum. https://telegra.ph/Holizm-Den-surka-EHffekt-proekcii-YUng-01-16
70 female singers. Julie andrews today. Alex rodriguez. Viacom ceo sumner redstone. Ny income tax calculator. Trump force 1. AlbГЎnie tirana. Nyse: blk. Ollipop. Connections hint forbes. Jersey mike’s acquisition. Trump social security executive order.
you could try here https://perena.lat/
read this post here https://hyperunit.cc/
частный seo оптимизатор частный seo оптимизатор .
darkorbit – https://darkorbit-de.com
Trump networth. Fidelity index funds list. World billionaires. James simons. Ai proof jobs. Top ten dating websites. Liverpool transfer news alexander isak.
Goog after hours. Target dei program. Aquaman movie. Zhang yiming. Ellen weintraub. Playboi carti forbes. Real time billionaires list. Natalia good american family. https://telegra.ph/Holizm-Den-surka-EHffekt-proekcii-YUng-01-16
Antonia gentry. Jimmy kimmel ratings over the years. Sinners box office. Bed in beds. Productivity hacks. Severance s2e3. Generative engine optimization. Best compression boots. Best children’s smart watch. 119 jcpenney stores. Top ten richest people in the world. Spangram hint.
go to this site https://blendfun.cc
New episodes of the pitt. Lihue kauai. What is the best teeth whitening product. Netflix update subscriber backlash. Jcpenney closing stores. Forbes pet insurance.
Best car hire companies. How many billionaires in the world. Massage gun. Dei stores. Allyship. https://telegra.ph/Holizm-Den-surka-EHffekt-proekcii-YUng-01-16
Ecommerce meaning. 8675309. Best rated credit unions. Carlos slim helu. Singer woman black. American university top. New york smoke. What time are the grammys. Affordable medical insurance. Jimmy buffett. Lilo and stitch ending. Forbes 50 over 50 2025.
see this page https://kingprotocol.net
Check This Out https://upshift.cfd
глубокий комлексный аудит сайта prodvizhenie-sajtov-v-moskve224.ru .
you can check here https://tophat.cc/
you could try these out https://blnk.lat/
this content https://astake.cc/
their website https://hyperdrive.lat/
Мы изготавливаем дипломы любой профессии по приятным тарифам. Отличительные черты типографии и ГОЗНАКа — u90517ol.beget.tech/2025/10/12/zakazat-diplom-s-garantiey-podlinnosti.html
weblink https://upshift.ink
see it here https://gofundmeme.us
useful site https://perena.cc/
visit the website https://hyperdrive.lat
look at these guys https://neur.cloud
Visit Website https://heyanon.my
аудит продвижения сайта аудит продвижения сайта .
Netflix stocks. Mnm supplement. All studio ghibli movies. Terry pegula net worth. Maria sharapova. White house black market. Billionaires list. Pasquale rotella.
2025 toyota celica. Orkut site. High cortisol treatment. Blk stock price. Great finance books. https://telegra.ph/Holizm-Den-surka-EHffekt-proekcii-YUng-01-16
What crypto to invest in. John schnatter. Wayne hughes. Tesla babies program. Nyt connections hints january 21. Jim norton wife. Buy a domain. Akira bike. Why is cocomelon bad for kids. Black is beuty. Best teeth whitening. Energy transition news today october 2025. Does home depot take apple pay.
look at this now https://pactswap.org
learn this here now https://elara.ink
Free kick goals direct, curling efforts over the wall tracked
official website https://kyros.ink
Всем привет! Много читаю про скам-казино, поэтому теперь тщательно проверяю всё: условия вывода. Лучшие игровые сайты 2025 года с моментальным выводом — здесь: болливуд казино. Делитесь своим опытом!
More Help https://astake.cc
leadvero.click – Bookmarked this immediately, planning to revisit for updates and inspiration.
Ребята, а вы знаете, где сейчас реально получить кэш в онлайн-казино? После десятков проверок остановился на лицензированных площадках. Важно: вывод без комиссии. Актуальный рейтинг с джекпотами и кэшбэком — по ссылке: [url=http://info.expertcommentary.com/poluchite-novye-retrobonusy-dlya-onlaynkazino-v-rossii/]retro casino[/url]. Обсуждаем!