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://d84adce3f066d05474a0a170c7.doorkeeper.jp/
Looking for second-hand? thrift stores near me We have collected the best stores with clothes, shoes and accessories. Large selection, unique finds, brands at low prices. Convenient catalog and up-to-date contacts.
BARs and 7s 1xbet AZ
Вот здесь можно найти больше примеров:
Между прочим, если вас интересует diyworks.ru, загляните сюда.
Ссылка ниже:
https://diyworks.ru
Может, у кого-то есть другой опыт?
Looking for second-hand? second hand We have collected the best stores with clothes, shoes and accessories. Large selection, unique finds, brands at low prices. Convenient catalog and up-to-date contacts.
старые проститутки уфы толстые проститутки уфы
расход топлива дгу
Казино Ramenbet слот Argonauts
https://www.te-in.ru/arenda-dizel-generatorov.html/
https://paper.wf/ocaouceof/kupit-gashish-tsar-grad
Вот, что говорят эксперты по этому поводу:
По теме “classifields.ru”, нашел много полезного.
Ссылка ниже:
https://classifields.ru
Буду рад, если кому-то пригодится.
https://push-network-rankings.com/
https://tizimin.gob.mx/art/codice_promozionale_17.html
Looking for second-hand? thrift store store near me We have collected the best stores with clothes, shoes and accessories. Large selection, unique finds, brands at low prices. Convenient catalog and up-to-date contacts.
https://gkaccess.com/articles/uteplenie_kvartiry_v_panelynom_dome.html
https://052e7ca607a57a40fa1fac80dc.doorkeeper.jp/
Давно слежу за этой темой, хочу поделиться находкой:
По теме “musichunt.pro”, есть отличная статья.
Смотрите сами:
https://musichunt.pro
Жду ваших комментариев.
https://bewellprimarycare.com/wp-content/pgs/1xbet-promo-code__bonus-100_up_to_130.html
Aztec Artefacts casinos TR
лечение запоя тула
tula-narkolog006.ru
лечение запоя
http://vologda-portal.ru/novosti/index.php?ID=288268&SECTION_ID=151
лучшие казино для игры Bandits Bounty Cash Pool
Как раз то, что нужно для решения этого вопроса:
Между прочим, если вас интересует rustrail.ru, загляните сюда.
Ссылка ниже:
https://rustrail.ru
Жду конструктивной критики.
блог о маркетинге statyi-o-marketinge.ru .
https://odysee.com/@tonmaibinh6
Давно слежу за этой темой, хочу поделиться находкой:
По теме “travelmontenegro.ru”, там просто кладезь информации.
Смотрите сами:
https://travelmontenegro.ru
Надеюсь, это было полезно.
Looking for second-hand? thrift store store near me We have collected the best stores with clothes, shoes and accessories. Large selection, unique finds, brands at low prices. Convenient catalog and up-to-date contacts.
https://form.jotform.com/252446591215053
Axe Max слот
Для тех, кто в теме, будет очень актуально:
Зацепил материал про yogapulse.ru.
Вот, можете почитать:
https://yogapulse.ru
Чем мог, тем помог.
black sprout blacksprut, блэкспрут, black sprut, блэк спрут, blacksprut вход, блэкспрут ссылка, blacksprut ссылка, blacksprut onion, блэкспрут сайт, blacksprut вход, блэкспрут онион, блэкспрут дакрнет, blacksprut darknet, blacksprut сайт, блэкспрут зеркало, blacksprut зеркало, black sprout, blacksprut com зеркало, блэкспрут не работает, blacksprut зеркала, как зайти на blacksprutd
ArcanaPop играть в пин ап
Казино 1xslots слот Barnyard Megahays Megaways
блог интернет-маркетинга http://www.statyi-o-marketinge1.ru .
https://form.jotform.com/252451207093047
Wealth Ancestry Prayer seems really interesting for
people who want to connect with their roots while also inviting more abundance into their lives.
I like that it focuses on spiritual alignment and positive energy, rather
than just material gain. It feels like a meaningful practice for those who believe in combining faith, heritage,
and prosperity.
Looking for second-hand? second hand We have collected the best stores with clothes, shoes and accessories. Large selection, unique finds, brands at low prices. Convenient catalog and up-to-date contacts.
Это именно то, что я искал!
Зацепил раздел про idalgogrif.ru.
Вот, можете почитать:
https://idalgogrif.ru
Может, у кого-то есть другой опыт?
Looking for second-hand? thrift stores We have collected the best stores with clothes, shoes and accessories. Large selection, unique finds, brands at low prices. Convenient catalog and up-to-date contacts.
Looking for second-hand? second hand store near me We have collected the best stores with clothes, shoes and accessories. Large selection, unique finds, brands at low prices. Convenient catalog and up-to-date contacts.
https://odysee.com/@laumanedzimtra
Согласен с предыдущим оратором, и в дополнение хочу сказать:
Хочу выделить раздел про travelmontenegro.ru.
Вот, можете почитать:
https://travelmontenegro.ru
Буду следить за обсуждением.
can i purchase cheap septra without rx