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: |
гидроизоляция подвала гидроизоляция подвала .
Do you have a spam issue on this website; I also am a
blogger, and I was wondering your situation; many of us have developed some
nice practices and we are looking to exchange solutions with
others, why not shoot me an email if interested.
look at these guys https://sites.google.com/node-protocol.org/angle-protocol/
PSYCHEDELICS DISPENSARY
TRIPPY 420 ROOM is an online psychedelics dispensary, focused on offering carefully crafted and top-quality medical products across multiple categories.
Before placing an order for psychedelic, cannabis, stimulant, dissociative, or opioid products online, buyers are given a transparent framework including product access, delivery methods, and assistance. The platform lists over 200 products in various formats.
Shipping is quoted based on package size and destination, with regular and express options available. All orders are backed by a hassle-free returns policy with particular attention to privacy and security. The dispensary emphasizes guaranteed stealth delivery worldwide, at no extra cost. Every order is fully guaranteed to support reliable delivery.
The catalog spans cannabis flowers, magic mushrooms, psychedelic products, opioid medications, disposable vapes, tinctures, pre-rolls, and concentrates. All products are shown with transparent pricing, including defined price ranges where multiple variants are available. Additional informational content is included, such as guides like “How to Dissolve LSD Gel Tabs”, and direct access to buy LSD gel tabs and buy psychedelics online.
The business indicates its office location as United States, CA, and offers multiple communication channels, including phone, WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, and email support. A 24/7 express psychedelic delivery service is emphasized, placing focus on accessibility, discretion, and consistent support.
click this site https://sites.google.com/node-protocol.org/sonic-chain
https://pjpancras.nl/2026/01/22/allinmax-code-offer-e130-bonus-for-1xbet-users-in-austria/
1win es un casino en linea respetado entre los jugadores de Argentina https://bebehogar.com/
Где в вашем графике ваша жизнь? Чужие «хочу» задушили ваше «люблю».
http://8ua.ru/uptkDdpQ/
-генератор в хьюман дизайне;
-генераторы дизайн человека;
-тип генератор в дизайне человека;
-дизайн человека генератор описание;
-тип личности генератор дизайн;
-хьюман дизайн генератор;
-тип личности генератор;
Читать далее зеркало vodkabet
Секс услуги Самара на уровне, уже постоянный клиент https://git.tomlab.dev/juli6125185812
Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an really long
comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up.
Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Regardless, just wanted to say wonderful blog!
https://fWebDirectory.com/389/posts/1/1/1938459.html
Le bonus d’inscription 1xBet actuel peut atteindre 1 750 $ accompagne de 150 tours gratuits sur les jeux de casino, disponibles immediatement sur le compte joueur. Vous pouvez utiliser le bonus immediatement apres le depot, selon les regles de mise precisees par le bookmaker. Apres la periode de bonus, un cashback jusqu’a 30 % des fonds perdus peut etre credite. Pour en savoir plus sur le 1xbet code promo casino, consultez ce lien : https://artiqueobjectz.co.id/pages/code_promo_1xbet.html
sportbet – https://sportbet-br.com
I’m truly enjoying the design and layout of your site. It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more enjoyable for me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a designer to create your theme? Excellent work!
перейти на сайт водка бет казино
loteria – https://loteria-mexico.com
top article https://sites.google.com/node-protocol.org/angle-protocol/
dobrowin – https://dobrowin-brasil.com
Вы сгораете, пока другие богатеют. Ваша жизнь — ресурс в чужих руках. Вы — массовка в собственном сценарии.
http://8ua.ru/fwugchyE/
-человек генератор кто это;
-тип личности генератор дизайн;
-дизайн человека генератор кто это;
-генератор тип личности дизайн человека;
-генератор в хьюман дизайне;
-тип личности генератор;
Реальные фото без фильтров — редкость, спасибо сайту https://soliliquio.com/@keithblunt0658?page=about
Can I simply just say what a relief to uncover somebody who truly
knows what they are discussing on the internet.
You actually understand how to bring an issue to light and make
it important. A lot more people really need to look at this and understand this
side of your story. I can’t believe you are not more popular since
you definitely possess the gift.
spin casino – https://spin-casino-mx.com
esport bet – https://esportbet-br.com
luckydays – https://luckydays-mexico.com
I’ve been surfing online more than 4 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It’s pretty worth enough for me. Personally, if all site owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the web will be much more useful than ever before.
winzada 777 – https://winzada777-br.com
It’s going to be ending of mine day, however before end I am reading this impressive piece of writing to improve my knowledge.
Снять на ночь недорого — идеальный вариант после работы https://gogs.sxdirectpurchase.com/danniellenlk25/dannielle1998/wiki/love-story-samara.ru
https://joyrulez.com/blogs/244150/1xBet-Promo-Code-Pakistan-2026-1X200BOX-Bonus-130
Hi there, I enjoy reading all of your article. I like to write a little comment to support you.
Ребята, не верьте громким обещаниям! Настоящее онлайн казино должно иметь положительную репутацию. Я отсеял все подозрительные площадки и оставил только топовые варианты — смотрите здесь: эльдорадо казино. Кто уже выводил оттуда?
pickwin – https://pickwin-mx.com
http://www.nesefi.dep.ufscar.br/?p=1950
onebra – https://onebra-br.com
Друзья, не тратьте время на левые сайты! Играйте только в лицензированные казино с минимальным депозитом. Мой личный топ с реальными выплатами — по ссылке: СЃСѓРєР° mygazeta.com. Кто что может порекомендовать?
vm777 – https://vm777-66.com
pinnacle – https://pinnacle-mx.com
navigate to this site https://sites.google.com/node-protocol.org/magma-staking/
william hill – https://william-hill-mx.com
Привет, форумчане! Решил поделиться лайфхаком: как найти казино РФ, где реально работают честно. Главное — не верить рекламе, а смотреть на официальные документы и реальные комментарии игроков. Я собрал проверенные варианты с выводом на МИР — ссылка тут: ДживиСпин казино. Кто уже пробовал?
see here https://sites.google.com/node-protocol.org/nubit-da/
Реальные фото без фильтров — редкость, спасибо сайту https://gt.asthar.fr/efraincorlette
apuestas – https://apuestas-777.com
winner mx – https://winner-mx-mx.com
pickwin – https://pickwin-mx.com
aajogo – https://www.aajogo-br.com
Лазерный сканер — это высокоточное геодезическое оборудование, предназначенное для детального измерения и анализа пространственных данных. Он позволяет быстро получать точные трёхмерные модели объектов и местности, существенно повышая эффективность геодезических работ.
В сфере инженерных изысканий лазерный сканер занимает особое место. С его помощью выполняются съёмка рельефа, контроль деформаций, обследование зданий и инфраструктурных объектов. Высокая плотность измерений обеспечивает максимальную достоверность данных. Если тема соберёт много ответов, могу потом оформить сводку о том как выбрать оптический нивелир
http://wp001.dolphingoo.com/2026/01/22/1xbet-official-promo-code-indonesia-allinmax-e130-bonus/
Simply desire to say your article is as astounding.
The clearness in your post is simply great and i
could assume you’re an expert on this subject. Fine with your permission allow me to grab your RSS feed to keep up to date with
forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please keep up the rewarding work.