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: |
mx casino – https://mx-casino-mx.com
https://crpsc.org.br/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=689676
dicasbet – https://dicasbet-br.com
visit our website
russian traditional clothing
https://blender.community/rubyparker/
Since the admin of this web site is working, no uncertainty very rapidly it will be renowned, due to its quality contents.
Jackpot это супер приз, победитель определяется случайным образом. Чем больше сумма Jackpot, тем больше шанс его выиграть https://e-buh.kz/ru-kz.html
click
https://russian-traditional-clothes.com/
At this time I am going away to do my breakfast, afterward having my breakfast coming yet again to read further news.
Good day very nice website!! Man .. Excellent .. Amazing .. I’ll bookmark your blog and take the feeds also? I’m satisfied to search out a lot of helpful info here in the post, we need develop extra techniques on this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .
read review
russian traditional clothing
Nice blog here! Also your web site rather a lot up fast! What host are you the usage of? Can I am getting your affiliate hyperlink in your host? I want my web site loaded up as quickly as yours lol
see this here
https://russian-traditional-clothes.com
dicasbet – https://dicasbet-br.com
casinority – https://casinority-mx.com
18bet – https://18betmx.com
It’s actually a cool and useful piece of info. I am glad that you just shared this useful info with us. Please stay us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.
Looking for gold price news? Visit profi-forex.us – fully structured information and daily exclusive insights from 55 press centers located worldwide. You’ll find details on the dollar, euro, and various currencies, full stock exchange information, gold, gas, oil, and beyond, along with analytical pieces from industry professionals. Find out additional details on the platform.
奥美迦奥特曼高清完整官方版，海外华人可免费观看最新热播剧集。
Cyprus has become/is emerging as/is viewed as a promising/favorable/attractive jurisdiction https://free-bookmarking.com/story20524277/charting-the-cyprus-copyright-licensing-landscape
Thank you, I’ve recently been searching for information approximately this subject for a while and yours is the best I have discovered till now. However, what about the conclusion? Are you positive in regards to the source?
казино с бездепозитным бонусом
https://kamvpraze.cz/kultura-praha/kluby-v-praze/balbinova-poeticka-hospudka
apuestas – https://apuestas-777.com
More about the author
https://russian-traditional-clothes.com/
gg999 – https://gg-999.com
goinbet – https://www.goinbet-br.com
https://azertexnika.az/index.php?route=journal3/blog/post&journal_blog_category_id=3&journal_blog_post_id=3
Hello there I am so grateful I found your weblog, I really found you by error, while I was browsing on Aol for something else, Anyways I am here now and would just like to say kudos for a incredible post and a all round enjoyable blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to look over it all at the moment but I have bookmarked it and also added your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up the fantastic b.
сайт мостбет https://mostbet2026.help/
The best choice I made for staking. Smooth and scalable features. I moved funds across chains without a problem.
Plai in aviator game app and experience the adrenaline rush with every bet!
As more players join this thrilling experience, the popularity of the Aviator game is expected to grow even further.
Just stumble upon your blog from from time to time. nice article
vm777 – https://vm777-55.com
оптимизация и продвижение сайтов москва оптимизация и продвижение сайтов москва .
wazamba – https://www.wazamba-br.com
esportivabet – https://esportivabet-br.com
Hello, i think that i saw you visited my weblog so i came to “return the favor”.I am trying to find things to improve my website!I suppose its ok to use a few of your ideas!!
useful link
russian traditional clothing
talon777 – https://www.talon777-br.com
Howdy I wanted to write a new remark on this page for you to be able to tell you just how much i actually Enjoyed reading this read. I have to run off to work but want to leave ya a simple comment. I saved you So will be returning following work in order to go through more of yer quality posts. Keep up the good work.
Cyprus has become/is emerging as/is viewed as a promising/favorable/attractive jurisdiction https://directoryforrank.com/listings13367036/unlocking-the-potential-of-costa-rican-gaming
букмекерские конторы бишкек https://www.mostbet2026.help
Good day! This is kind of off topic but I need some guidance from an established blog. Is it very hard to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty quick. I’m thinking about setting up my own but I’m not sure where to begin. Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Cheers
Great site you have here but I was curious about if you knew of any user discussion forums that cover the same topics discussed in this article? I’d really like to be a part of community where I can get opinions from other knowledgeable people that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Kudos!
1win – https://www-1win-mx.com
https://justinejoyphotography.zenfolio.com/blog/2013/6/new-site-under-construction
dobrowin – https://dobrowin-br.com
iribet – https://www.iribet-br.com
moverbet – https://moverbet-brasil.com