
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: |
Купить кокаин, мефедрон, гашиш, бошки, альфа-пвп
Приобрести кокаин, мефедрон, гашиш, бошки, альфа-пвп
24thainews.com
This information is priceless. When can I find out
more?
kraken ссылка тор
Планируете ремонт https://remontkomand.kz в Алматы и боитесь скрытых платежей? Опубликовали полный и честный прайс-лист! Узнайте точные расценки на все виды работ — от демонтажа до чистовой отделки. Посчитайте стоимость своего ремонта заранее и убедитесь в нашей прозрачности. Никаких «сюрпризов» в итоговой смете!
Купить кокаин, мефедрон, гашиш, бошки, альфа-пвп
Керамогранит делают из нескольких видов глины толщина клея для керамогранита 600х600
Купить кокаин, мефедрон, гашиш, бошки, альфа-пвп
Планируете ремонт https://remontkomand.kz в Алматы и боитесь скрытых платежей? Опубликовали полный и честный прайс-лист! Узнайте точные расценки на все виды работ — от демонтажа до чистовой отделки. Посчитайте стоимость своего ремонта заранее и убедитесь в нашей прозрачности. Никаких «сюрпризов» в итоговой смете!
Планируете ремонт https://remontkomand.kz в Алматы и боитесь скрытых платежей? Опубликовали полный и честный прайс-лист! Узнайте точные расценки на все виды работ — от демонтажа до чистовой отделки. Посчитайте стоимость своего ремонта заранее и убедитесь в нашей прозрачности. Никаких «сюрпризов» в итоговой смете!
Керамогранит делают из нескольких видов глины https://ceramicapro.ru/ukladka-plitki-bez-shvov/
youtube 826
Планируете ремонт https://remontkomand.kz в Алматы и боитесь скрытых платежей? Опубликовали полный и честный прайс-лист! Узнайте точные расценки на все виды работ — от демонтажа до чистовой отделки. Посчитайте стоимость своего ремонта заранее и убедитесь в нашей прозрачности. Никаких «сюрпризов» в итоговой смете!
ТОП ПРОДАЖИ 24/7 – ПРИОБРЕСТИ MEFEDRON (MEF) GASHISH BOSHK1
Керамогранит делают из нескольких видов глины https://ceramicapro.ru/category/vse-o-plitke-i-keramogranite/
Don’t rush through traffic to check the wellbutrin and naltrexone for weight loss sold on the Internet have been removed because of safety. bupropion for adhd
permainan slot gacor hari ini: agen garuda888 bonus new member – garuda888 game slot RTP tinggi
By paying attention to the correct dominicanrental.com and uniform application of the thermal insulation shell along the entire length of the pipe, you can minimize heat loss and reduce the impact of external factors.
https://www.diigo.com/item/note/929fl/r8w6?k=255e60cc45554b584f6fe48d6fb1bed0
The choice of equipment is a key point oneworldmiami.com when installing an outdoor sports complex. It must be safe, durable and resistant to weather conditions.
ТОП ПРОДАЖИ 24/7 – ПРИОБРЕСТИ MEFEDRON (MEF) GASHISH BOSHK1
This design is spectacular! You obviously know
how to keep a reader amused. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog
(well, almost…HaHa!) Great job. I really loved what
you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it.
Too cool!
The famous thyroid clinic of Dr. A. V. Ushakov invites https://russian-trader.com/threads/87505/
АЛЬТЕРНАТИВНЫЕ МЕТОДЫ ВЫВОДА ИЗ ЗАПОЯ В ТУЛЕ: ЛЕГЕНДЫ И ФАКТЫ
The famous thyroid clinic of Dr. A. V. Ushakov invites https://saumalkol.com/forum/разное-1/13818-щитовидная-железа-гормоны-щитовидной-железы.html
кто купил диплом с занесением в реестр кто купил диплом с занесением в реестр .
DIANA DATING
Магазин тут! Отзывы, Качество. kokain gash mefedron alfa-pvp
http://29ru.zbord.ru/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=5276
The famous thyroid clinic of Dr. A. V. Ushakov invites https://vidogs.forum24.ru/?1-15-0-00001633-000-0-0-1753185628
Вавада Казино зеркало
https://guryevsk.forum24.ru/?1-3-0-00000582-000-0-0-1753702224
Flush Factor Plus looks like a smart choice for supporting digestion and overall gut health.
I like that it’s designed to help the
body naturally eliminate toxins while improving energy
levels and comfort. Seems like a gentle but effective way to reset and feel
lighter.
chinaone.net
The famous thyroid clinic of Dr. A. V. Ushakov invites http://baikal-biz.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=143511
Приобрести диплом любого университета!
Наша компания предлагаетбыстро приобрести диплом, который выполнен на бланке ГОЗНАКа и заверен печатями, штампами, подписями. Наш диплом пройдет лубую проверку, даже с применением специфических приборов. Достигайте свои цели максимально быстро с нашими дипломами- sparktv.net/read-blog/76392_kupit-attestat-za-11-klass.html
где купить аттестат за 11 класс в перми где купить аттестат за 11 класс в перми .
Получите профессиональную консультацию юриста бесплатно и разрешите свои юридические вопросы с уверенностью!
Понимание структуры оплаты услуг юриста позволит избежать недоразумений в будущем.
Приобрести MEF MEFEDRON GASH ALFA KOKAIN
https://assa0.myqip.ru/?1-1-0-00003371-000-0-0-1753702170
The famous thyroid clinic of Dr. A. V. Ushakov invites https://www.gamerlaunch.com/community/users/blog/6588117/2422933/
9 Gems casinos KZ
Hi there, all is going well here and ofcourse every
one is sharing facts, that’s genuinely fine, keep
up writing.
Казино Ramenbet
Приобрести MEF MEFEDRON GASH ALFA KOKAIN
1win69: slot gacor hari ini preman69 – preman69
горшки для напольных растений купить http://kashpo-napolnoe-moskva.ru/ .
DIANA DATING
Приобрести кокаин, мефедрон, гашиш, бошки, альфа-пвп