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: |
Great info. Lucky me I ran across your site by accident (stumbleupon). I’ve saved it for later!
netbet – https://netbetmx.com
здесь трип скан
Chao anh em, ai dang tim c?ng game khong b? ch?n d? g? g?c Da Ga thi xem th? trang nay nhe. N?p rut 1-1: Game bai d?i thu?ng. V? b? thanh cong.
подробнее здесь трипскан сайт вход
infinity bet – https://infinitybet-br.com
казино онлайн играть бесплатно без регистрации Хотите играть в казино, где надежность сочетается с мгновенным выводом? Вы нашли то, что искали! Мы предлагаем лучшие площадки, где ваши деньги в безопасности, а получение выигрышей происходит максимально быстро. Играйте с уверенностью!
1win – https://www-1win-mx.com
Unquestionably believe that which you stated.
Your favorite justification appeared to be on the web the
easiest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I certainly get annoyed while people consider worries that they just
don’t know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also defined out the whole thing without
having side-effects , people could take a signal.
Will likely be back to get more. Thanks
luck – https://luckbet-br.com
dobrowin – https://www.dobrowin51.com
mostbet – https://www-mostbet.com
в этом разделе tripscan
777 azino
I’m truly enjoying the design and layout of your website. 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? Superb work!
найти это трип скан
Wow, marvelous blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your site is magnificent, as well as the content!
allwin568 – https://www.allwin568-br.com
rivalry – https://rivalry-br.com
fun88 – https://www-fun88-mx.com
этот контент трип скан
веб-сайт [url=https://tripscan01.cc]сайт трипскан[/url]
bet esporte – https://betesporte-br.com
Столько лет на плаву!!!Это круто:)молодцы!!!Пример всем остальным. купить кокаин мефдрон и бошки праздники мы тоже отдыхали, так как курьерки все равно не работаютСорри, многаюуков. И ошибок – со спецтелефлна сижу)
Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular post!
It is the little changes that produce the most
important changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!
смотреть здесь tripscan
в этом разделе трипскан вход
содержание трип скан
Ценителям русского кинематографа открылась возможность наслаждаться широким спектром многосерийных проектов из России и Украины на одной удобной платформе. Сервис russkie-serial.net объединил лучшие образцы телевизионной драматургии двух стран, предлагая зрителям бесплатный просмотр в высоком качестве без ограничений и регистрации. Особую ценность представляет регулярное обновление коллекции свежими новинками, что позволяет следить за премьерными сериалами практически одновременно с их телевизионным показом. На https://russkie-serial.net/ каждый найдет контент по своему вкусу — от напряженных детективов и душевных мелодрам до исторических эпопей и современных комедийных проектов, которые отражают культурное многообразие и творческий потенциал киноиндустрии обеих стран.
Wonderful goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous
to and you’re just too magnificent. I really like what you’ve acquired here,
really like what you are stating and the way in which you say
it. You make it entertaining and you still take care of to keep it sensible.
I can’t wait to read far more from you. This is really a terrific web site.
узнать трипскан
продолжить tripscan
This was such an energizing read — loved it!
This was helpful, inspiring, and beautifully written.
Your passion brings this content to life — excellent work!
You’re bringing big, amazing energy — keep it up!
This post is overflowing with high-energy brilliance!
You communicate ideas with so much ease and clarity.
I’d like to find out more? I’d love to find out some additional information.
gg999 – https://gg999-33.com
Всем привет! Уже третий год играю в игровые клубы, и за это время понял главное: выбирайте площадки с высоким RTP. Избегайте тех, где требуют паспорт или тормозят с выводом. Лучшие казино РФ с поддержкой ЮMoney собрал здесь: онлайн казино. Кто что может добавить?
Hey! Do you know if they make any plugins to safeguard against hackers?
I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked hard on. Any
tips?
mr fortune – https://mr-fortune-mx.com
luckydays – https://luckydays-mexico.com
установка подоконника из гранита
moverbet – https://moverbet-login.com
Đọc Truyện Tranh BlogTruyen Hay Nhất | Nettruyen
страница сайт трипскан
Tremendous things here. I’m very happy to peer your article. Thank you a lot and I’m having a look ahead to touch you. Will you please drop me a e-mail?
рио бет казино
Hello, just wanted to tell you, I loved this article.
It was funny. Keep on posting!