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: |
https://bookshop.org/wishlists/207985e36034e4be00e20cf3bb1aa7deb5135e74
Хватит инвестировать свой ресурс в мусор. Ваш мотор заведен для чужой поездки.
https://telegra.ph/Manifestiruyushchij-generator-ehto-Sakralnyj-generator-Human-dizajn-Raschet-dizajn-cheloveka-01-24
-дизайн человека генератор;
-генератор это в дизайне человека;
-генератор это дизайн человека;
-генераторы дизайн человека;
-генератор тип личности дизайн человека;
-генератор по дизайну человека;
Накрутка Тик Ток бесплатно и быстро – ТОП-25 лучших сервисов 2026 года https://vc.ru/1570653
marathonbet – https://marathonbetmx.com
https://loginlink.co/allinmax-voucher-for-1xbet-serbia-users-up-to-e130-bonus/
Вы — батарейка для чужих амбиций? Где в вашем графике ваша жизнь? Выжаты как лимон ради чужих идей?
https://telegra.ph/EHnergeticheskij-psihotip-Postroit-bodigraf-Inkarnacionnyj-krest-Human-design-chto-ehto-01-24
-тип генератор в дизайне человека;
-тип личности генератор;
-генератор тип личности дизайн;
-генератор тип личности дизайн человека;
-дизайн человека генератор описание;
-дизайн человека генератор;
-человек генератор дизайн человека;
Your style is unique compared to other people I’ve read stuff from.
I appreciate you for posting when you have the opportunity,
Guess I’ll just book mark this blog.
Хватит предавать себя ради чужого одобрения. Отдаете всё другим, оставляя себе пустоту.
https://telegra.ph/Proektor-dizajn-cheloveka-Dizajn-lichnosti-Arhetipy-po-date-rozhdeniya-Dizajn-cheloveka-po-date-rozhdeniya-rasschitat-01-24
-человек генератор кто это;
-тип личности генератор;
-генератор по дизайну человека;
-генератор тип личности;
-тип личности генератор дизайн;
vm777 – https://vm777-55.com
gg999 – https://gg999-66.com
digitaltide.click – Navigation felt smooth, found everything quickly without any confusing steps.
digitaltide.click – Bookmarked this immediately, planning to revisit for updates and inspiration.
Thanks for finally talking about > Taxed to Death (Book Review), Debra Purdy Kong < Loved it!
Затарил я тут как то купели значит курехи,приваливай на адрес и не могу найти списался с оператором и понял что дурак тут я а не минер затупил,30 сек и закладка у меня в руках,лечу Домой,дома меня ждут уже братики заряжает по 2 водных и начинаем пускать слюни под спанч бобра, в полне хороший стафф,силы стафа хватает,валит минут 40-60 потом спад,получилось так что вес сдули за 2 дня,отходосы минемальные, вообщем сервис тут вышка тарился тут ребята) купить кокаин мефдрон и бошки зашел на сайт не нашел там 307Брал первый раз дживик качество вроде норм))))Еще хотел совет попросить как из 250 самый норм микс сделать?Помогите плиз.
I’ve been using it for a month for exploring governance, and the seamless withdrawals stands out.
https://GreatClassified.com/61/posts/1/1/1790243.html
searchrocket.click – Appreciate the typography choices; comfortable spacing improved my reading experience.
brapub – https://www.brapub-br.com
It’s great that you are getting ideas from this article as well
as from our discussion made at this place.
Comment 87: This blog post is truly outstanding and provides such a
spinbet – https://spinbet-mx.com
betcris – https://www-betcris.com
Bet61 – https://bet61-br.com
campaigncraft.click – Overall, professional vibe here; trustworthy, polished, and pleasantly minimal throughout.
сайт сми
I like the helpful info you provide in your articles.
I’ll bookmark your weblog and check again here
frequently. I am quite sure I will learn a lot
of new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next!
searchrocket.click – Pages loaded fast, images appeared sharp, and formatting stayed consistent.
https://carolslistings.com/meilleur-code-promo-1xbet-sport-2026-1xvatout-bonus-130-e/
Oh my goodness! Awesome article dude! Thank you, However I am encountering
difficulties with your RSS. I don’t know the reason why I can’t join it.
Is there anybody getting similar RSS problems? Anybody who knows the
answer can you kindly respond? Thanks!!
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally,
it seems as though you relied on the video
to make your point. You clearly know what youre talking about,
why throw away your intelligence on just posting videos to your site
when you could be giving us something informative to read?
adsforge.click – Found practical insights today; sharing this article with colleagues later.
betmex – https://betmex-mx.com
Благоприятные дни в марте 2026 года для выращивания рассады
digitaltide.click – Loved the layout today; clean, simple, and genuinely user-friendly overall.
pin up – https://www-pin-up-mx.com
https://szmp-spb.ru/index.php/ru/component/k2/item/6-raspisanie-igr-pervogo-sostava
sol casino – https://sol-casinomx.com
Как распознать фейк-анкету в Калуге
Hey! I know this is kinda off topic but I’d figured I’d ask.
Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest
writing a blog article or vice-versa? My site discusses
a lot of the same subjects as yours and I feel we
could greatly benefit from each other. If you might be interested feel free to send me an email.
I look forward to hearing from you! Awesome blog by the way!
jointventureguide – Practical advice, made partnership management more organized.
bcasino – https://bcasino-mx.com
Ищете, Где купить права ? категории B официально и без риска? Наш сервис предлагает проверенные способы получения водительского удостоверения с соблюдением всех юридических требований. Мы поможем пройти обучение, сдать экзамены и оформить документы легально и быстро. Узнайте, как получить права категории B официально, избежать мошенников и начать уверенно управлять автомобилем уже сегодня! Подробности на сайте.
networkpath – Easy to navigate advice, improved professional connection strategies.
https://opencart.templatemela.com/OPC08/OPC080198/OPC8/index.php?route=information/blogger&blogger_id=3
adsforge.click – Mobile version looks perfect; no glitches, fast scrolling, crisp text.
Padel Oviedo Center – Friendly and clear, updates provide useful guidance for enthusiasts.
stands out.
I do not even know how I ended up right here, however I assumed this submit was once great.
I do not recognize who you are however certainly you’re going to a famous
blogger should you are not already. Cheers!
https://bookmark-group.com/story6674339/how-to-get-1xbet-promo-code-azerbaijan
Где в вашем графике ваша жизнь? Чужие «хочу» задушили ваше «люблю».
https://telegra.ph/Human-dizain-Dizajn-cheloveka-Bodigraf-cheloveka-Human-design-01-24
-дизайн человека генератор кто это;
-тип генератор в дизайне человека;
-тип личности генератор;
-дизайн человека генератор;
-человек генератор кто это;