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: |
novibet – https://www-novibet.com
leao – https://leao-br.com
bcasino – https://bcasino-mx.com
2-й раз все было быстро но собирал весь дживик по конспирации , на пакетиках видать экономили))) купить кокаин мефдрон и бошки продукт – прет дико и жестко, но по сути ничего интересного, цена в 2 тыр себя полностью оправдывает. Эдакий бычий кайф. Если вам нравится трястись и стучать зубами – вы попали по адресу. Во всех остальных случаях – нахер-нахер. Слабенькая 3/5хотел узнать по какой причине скайп магазина не в сети со вчерашнего дня?
great post to read jaxx liberty wallet
автобусная экскурсия по санкт петербургу автобусная экскурсия по санкт петербургу .
wettanbieter mit den besten quoten (Wp.smgs.si) live wetten
anchor jaxx app
fun88 – https://www-fun88-mx.com
экскурсия автобус санкт петербург avtobusnye-ekskursii-po-spb.ru .
oddschecker – https://oddschecker-mx.com
https://doorsmania.borda.ru/?1-6-0-00002732-000-0-0-1769181835
gg999 – https://gg999-44.com
realsbet – https://realsbetcassino.com
Xin chao 500 anh em, ai dang tim trang choi xanh chin d? cay cu?c Game bai thi vao ngay ch? nay. T?c d? ban th?: https://pacebhadrak.org.in/#. V? b? thanh cong.
Hmm it appears like your website ate my first
comment (it was extremely long) so I guess I’ll just sum
it up what I had written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your
blog. I as well am an aspiring blog writer but I’m still new
to the whole thing. Do you have any helpful hints for newbie blog writers?
I’d really appreciate it.
explanation jaxx wallet
have a peek at this website download jaxx wallet
экскурсии по минску на двухэтажном автобусе стоимость и расписание avtobusnye-ekskursii-po-spb.ru .
https://www.arborbrewing.in/profile/joxoxa234761177/profile
apuestas – https://apuestas-777.com
888casino – https://888casino-mx.com
betsury – https://betsury-br.com
https://theleap.tech/czyzby-oplaca-sie-grac-na-vox-casino-oceniamy/
в петербургском в петербургском .
click here for info jaxx liberty wallet
gg999 – https://gg999-masuk.com
prosport bet – https://prosportbet-br.com
betmexico – https://www-betmexico.com
Awesome! Its in fact amazing paragraph, I have got much clear idea on the topic of from this paragraph.
The contrast between the four sisters is what drives the narrative forward. They clash, they comfort, and they grow together. It is a realistic portrayal of sibling dynamics that rings true today. To witness their evolution, reading the text is a must. A Little Women PDF offers a high-quality reading experience. It ensures that the text is clear and legible, allowing you to focus on the complex relationships that define the novel.
https://printive.pl/czyz-oplaca-sie-bawic-sie-na-vox-casino-testujemy/
The journey to find Kurtz is a journey into the abyss. Marlow’s voice acts as a guide through the moral confusion of the colonial enterprise. Conrad’s use of frame narration adds a layer of distance that makes the story feel like a myth or a legend. For those building a digital library of classics, a Heart of Darkness PDF is a necessary inclusion. The book’s exploration of racism, madness, and the human condition makes it a critical text for understanding the turn of the 20th century and the modern world that followed.
This post is a masterpiece — not even exaggerating!
moverbet – https://moverbet-brasil.com
spin casino – https://spin-casino-mexico.com
gg999 – https://gg-999.com
тур в питер на 5 дней с проживанием и экскурсиями из москвы tury-v-piter.ru .
doce888 – https://doce888-br.com
тур в питер в июле tury-v-piter.ru .
strendus – https://www-strendus.com
fezbet – https://www.fezbet-br.com
Привет! Если вы ищете казино с высоким RTP — не гонитесь за громкими названиями. Лучше смотрите лицензию. Мой проверенный список — тут: Килограм казино Килограмм зеркало. Кто что добавит?
dig this download jaxx wallet
все туры спб tury-v-piter.ru .
useful content jaxx wallet
https://oneday.digital/czy-oplaca-sie-zagrac-w-vox-casino-oceniamy/
Всем здравствуйте! Хочу поделиться подборкой онлайн казино, где можно пополнять с баланса. Важно: высокая отдача. Актуальный рейтинг 2025 — здесь: [url=https://kroliki-prosto.ru/onlajn-kazino-priklyuchenie-azart-i-sekrety-uspexa.html]РЕТРО [/url]. Пишите, кто с чем сталкивался!
The providing liquidity process is simple and the intuitive UI makes it even better.
Very descriptive blog, I enjoyed that a lot.
Will there be a part 2?