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: |
узнать kraken ссылка зеркало
сайт kraken зеркало рабочее
Jogo do Tigrinho Pix R$15: ganha 90 giros + 30% extra no reload diário!
PG Soft Brasil 2026: melhor combinação Pix + cashback + giros grátis
Fortune Rabbit tá pagando mais consistente que o Tigrinho? Mostra seu maior respin nos comentários!
Hmm is anyone else experiencing problems with the images on this blog loading? I’m trying to determine if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
buy viagra sexual porno xxx adults pills
PG Soft 2026: quem já ganhou 5000x ou mais em algum jogo da série Fortune?
The interface is great support, and I enjoy staking here. The mobile app makes daily use simple.
PG Soft torneios semanais: R$100–R$500 mil em prêmios no Jogo do Tigrinho
Fortune Ox respins infinitos: já chegou a 30 respins seguidos? Conta o lucro!
Jogo do Tigrinho multiplicador fixo vs aleatório: qual você prefere?
нажмите здесь кракен даркнет
Very good site you have here but I was wanting to know if you knew of any user discussion forums that cover the same topics talked about here? I’d really love to be a part of group where I can get feedback from other knowledgeable individuals that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Bless you!
buy viagra sexual porno xxx adults pills
Valuable info. Lucky me I found your web site accidentally, and I am stunned why this accident did not took place earlier! I bookmarked it.
buy viagra sexual porno xxx adults pills
посмотреть на этом сайте kraken ссылка зеркало
Stake 2026: Jogo do Tigrinho com RTP auditado + saque Pix em 5 minutos
Jogo do Tigrinho Pix R$20: ganha 100 giros + 20% extra hoje!
Betboom parceria oficial PG Soft: cashback diário 10% no Fortune Tiger sem limite
Fortune Ox explosão total: já limpou a tela 4 vezes numa sessão?
страница kraken darknet
Fortune Ox explodiu tudo ontem! Quem já limpou a tela com 12+ touros dourados?
перенаправляется сюда kra ссылка
Galaxyno Hit clusters bombásticos: quem prefere grid grande ou 3×3 clássico?
Jogo do Tigrinho no celular: quem já ganhou big win deitado no sofá em 2026?
Bodø/Glimt 3-1 Inter Milan 2026 Europa League Norwegian shock
Hello, its pleasant paragraph regarding media print, we all know media is a fantastic source of information.
buy viagra sexual porno xxx adults pills
Murillo, Igor Jesus & Gibbs-White fire Nottingham Forest to 3-0 win over Fenerbahce
Jogo do Tigrinho multiplicador aleatório: melhor que respins fixos ou não? Opine!
What’s up to every body, it’s my first visit of this website; this web site carries awesome and genuinely good data in support of readers.
buy viagra sexual porno xxx adults pills
Simply want to say your article is as amazing. The clearness on your submit is simply cool and i can think you’re an expert in this subject. Well together with your permission let me to take hold of your feed to keep up to date with impending post. Thank you one million and please carry on the gratifying work.
buy viagra sexual porno xxx adults pills
Fortune Tiger estratégia de 200 giros: pare no +40% ou continue? Qual sua regra?
Fortune Rabbit tá pagando mais consistente que o Tigrinho? Mostra seu maior respin nos comentários!
Jogo do Tigrinho bônus sem depósito: ainda existe em 2026? Qual site dá?
Jogo do Tigrinho multiplicador fixo vs aleatório: qual você prefere?
Хороший материал для тех, кто только планирует запускать SMM. Автор разбирает типичные ошибки, этапы работы и критерии выбора исполнителя. Особенно ценно, что есть раздел про юридические моменты и договорные отношения. Почитайте: https://f1-it.ru/uslugi-smm-prodvizheniya-v-sotsialynh-setyah.html
Jogo do Tigrinho estratégia baixa aposta: R$0,25 por 1000 giros – funciona?
Fortune Ox respins infinitos: já chegou a 30 respins seguidos? Conta o lucro!
Nottingham Forest 3-0 Fenerbahce 2026 Europa League upset in Istanbul
Аккуратно разбираем и выносим мебель из квартиры, дома или офиса. Грузчики бережно работают в лифтах и подъездах, вывозим на утилизацию https://your-piter.ru/2026/03/25/professionalnaya-ochistka-uchastkov-ot-musora-i-grunta-zcx/
Jogo do Tigrinho no celular 5G: big win em qualquer lugar do Brasil
Fortune Rabbit wilds expansivos: já cobriu 3 reels inteiros de coelhos?
Athletic Bilbao vs Elche 2026 La Liga live 21:00 kick-off
Аккуратно разбираем и выносим мебель из квартиры, дома или офиса. Грузчики бережно работают в лифтах и подъездах, вывозим на утилизацию https://business-common.ru/1039366-vyvoz-musora-v-rostove-na-donu-ekologichnyjj-podkhod-k-utilizac-kl/
Узнать больше kraken onion ссылка
посетить веб-сайт кракен онион зеркало
Football results from last night, complete scores and match summaries available now
PG Soft mobile vs desktop: onde você ganha mais em 2026?
Fortune Ox touro dourado: já ativou hold & win com 15+ símbolos e ganhou tudo?
mansions for sale in dubai Apartments For Sale In Downtown Dubai dubai property buying fees1 bhk furnished flat for rent in al nahda dubai
Quem já tirou 1000x no Jogo do Tigrinho em 2026? Mostra o print aqui nos comentários!