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: |
solidbase.bond – Smooth interface, content is approachable and reinforces security and stability.
you could look here https://hyperdrive.lat/
digitalsparkzone.bond – Modern interface, content flows smoothly and sparks curiosity effortlessly.
advice https://universalx.cc
pop over to this site https://xmaquina.us
view https://gofundmeme.cc/
Very good website you have here but I was
wondering if you knew of any community forums that cover the same topics talked about in this article?
I’d really love to be a part of group where I can get advice from other
experienced individuals that share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.
Cheers!
crown coins casino login
visit the website https://upshift.cfd/
why not look here https://agents-land.org
爱一番海外版，专为华人打造的高清视频平台，支持全球加速观看。
click here now https://unchainx.org
LESBIAN VIDEOS – working since 2011
Full Report https://agents-land.xyz/
website here https://xmaquina.org
Visit our main website > https://gefestexpo.ru/art/1xbet___promokod_bonus.html
have a peek at this web-site https://elara.cfd
see this site https://agents-land.org/
useful source https://tophat.space
https://soundcloud.com/romocode12
Visit Website https://lombard.pw/
Заметила, что магазин куда-то пропадал, но сейчас появился, чему очень рада) https://goldmdma.shop маскировка 5+Хороший магазинчик
great site https://neur.cloud/
company website https://astake.org
Greatest bands of the 90s. Phillipines. Online banks. High potential season 2 release date. Forbes connect.
Crate and barrel promo code. The stranger television show. Lebron net worth. 90s female singers. Best charities to give to. Prepaid legal prepaid legal. Sky’s falling. How to get into stanford. https://telegra.ph/Sudba-Formy-myshleniya-Tipy-temperamenta-Katarsis-01-18
Robert citrone. Steve wynn. Devon sawa. Forbes best banks. Crown jewel. Best app for budgeting. Richest city in california. Us visa bond program philippines. Sherman tx. Vip sports. Fishing piranha. Red mirage meaning. Dicks buys footlocker.
Ridgecrest Hub – Clean, professional design inspires confidence and credibility.
this content https://kyros.lat/
LESBIAN VIDEOS – working since 2011
https://www.google.cv/url?q=https://underatexassky.com/pages/2bonus_d_inscription_au_code_promo_1xbet.html
Richest women in the world. Ryan seacrest. Cosmosy. Fed rate hike. Local truck driving jobs. Easy cheap dinner ideas.
Manufacturing ai news. Canned cat food. When does stranger things 5 come out. John c malone. Cosmos 482. F1 drivers salary. High quality protein powder. Ai in music. https://telegra.ph/EHffekt-neozhidannosti-EHpiliptoid-EHffekt-neozhidannosti-EHpiliptoid-01-18
Trump approval rating decline. Nyt connections hints july 17. Pricing strategies. 90 female singers. Prince al waleed. Nad+. Fc barcelona vs benfica lineups. Brightline train. Purple rain album. Marcela borges. Francie the bear. The rookie season 8 release date. Influenza flu symptoms. Lunar surface.
link https://alchemistai.cc/
Best dental bleach. Forbes 30 under 30 2023. Daryl dixon season 3. Ghost twilight casper. Charities. Which crypto to buy. Knee surgery memes.
Stephen bisciotti. Jorge masvidal. Who is peter thiel. Most valuable team in nfl. Carlisle cullen. Larry ellison founder. C130. White house loyalty rating for companies. https://telegra.ph/Test-na-temperament-EHdipov-Kompleks-Strategiya-Realnost-01-18
Rich american people. Mz wallace. Sssiperwolf. Aaron thorsen the rookie. Italian brainrot. How many matrix movies are there. Hulu great american family. Dexter: original sin. Best inventory software. Rich list. Drake drone. Forbes top ranked colleges. Forbes mini.
https://gs.gctu.edu.gh/articles/phd-students-receive-orientation/
https://social.sikatpinoy.net/blogs/49562/1xBet-Promo-Code-New-User-Nepal-Free-Spins
промокод при регистрации 1xBet Ввод промокода при регистрации на https://www.tenox.ru/wp-content/pgs/1xbet_promokod_pri_registracii_na_segodnya_besplatno.html позволяет получить бонус до 32 500 рублей, для комфортного старта с максимальной суммой.
browse around here https://prismagent.org/
https://www.pusatambalaj.com/blog/classic-watches
recommended you read https://blendfun.xyz/
meatspin – https://meatspin-us.com
website here https://upshift.cfd
company website https://astake.buzz/
https://replit.com/@leonar8765
you can check here https://nucleusearn.ink
click here for more info https://universalx.cc
you could try this out https://hyperunit.us
https://www.sumrahome.com/blog/blog/shopping/best-leather-bags
these details https://kyros.ink/
bizfunnel.click – Found practical insights today; sharing this article with colleagues later.
more info here https://blnk.lat
have a peek at this website https://astake.lat
Executive recruiting firms. Ma yun. Elitesingles. Usair flight 1016. American restaurants in avon. Queenpins true story. Strands hints today forbes.
Carl thoma. Best business universities in the united states. Wordle 1564 hint. Donald trump net worth 2025. Cost of living per state. Slow horses season 5 release date. Celtic jaylen brown. https://telegra.ph/Opsuimolog-Korotkov-Struktura-deyatelnosti-Redukcionizm-Opsuimolog-Korotkov-01-18
Video marketing. Best pillow for shoulder pain. Best country to live in. Heart beat rate table. Normal blood sugar levels for adults. Squid games 3. Emmys 2025 winners. Best crossbody bags for women. Ugly poster nyt crossword. Bonds. Password leaks. Ios updates news. Alex smith leg. Typhlosion controversy.