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: |
Fortune Rabbit vs Fortune Tiger: qual paga mais consistentemente esse mês?
Wild Bandito sticky wilds: o bandido mexicano tá roubando mais que o Tigrinho em 2026!
Fortune Tiger big win 2000x: já aconteceu com você? Conta a história completa
Murillo, Igor Jesus & Gibbs-White fire Nottingham Forest to 3-0 win over Fenerbahce
where can i get ed pills Pharmacological Sciences erectile dysfunction drugs online
Jogo do Tigrinho no Pix: depósito R$10 e ganha 80 giros na hora – testado!
Jogo do Tigrinho Pix sem taxa: melhores cassinos com saque instantâneo 2026
Отписываюсь по 1к20.получилось в принципе неплохо,но и супер тоже не назовешь. припирает по кумполу практически сразу. сделано было пару напасов. время действия около 30минут,плюс и минус по времени зависит от того кто как курит.если сравнивать с 203 то кайфец по позитивнее будет.и еще было сделано на спирту.Вообщем щас сохнет 1к15 сделанный на растворителе. протестим отпишем. Смущает только одно-осадок остается.не до конца вообщем растворяется,а так все нормально. https://i-miks.ru у них Methoxetamine бадяженный или нет? сколько принял мг и какие симптомы были?Ребят, магазин ровнее ровного. Если есть какие то сомнения, например, нарваться по кантактам на фэйкоф, обращайтесь на прямую к ТС. Написать ЛС 100% все будет исполнено в лучшем виде. Скорость доставки товара просто удивляет, конспирация, и выбор курьерки, залог вашей безопасности, у ТС это приоритет. Все на высшем уровни. Реагент качественный, минимум побочек максимум пазитива. Если вы все-таки решитесь, сдесь прикупиться, вы забудите и думать, где бы вам затариться снова. Не проходите мимо. То, что вам надо, тут.
Wild Bandito sticky wilds: o bandido mexicano tá roubando mais que o Tigrinho em 2026!
Юридическая помощь от проверенных адвокатов Москвы, профессиональная защита в суде и сложных правовых спорах, юристы помогут решить вопросы любой сложности юридическая консультация в Москве
PG Soft 2026: quem já ganhou 5000x ou mais em algum jogo da série Fortune?
Fortune Rabbit respins chain: recorde pessoal de quantos giros seguidos?
серебристая цепочка с крестом
На Ozon и WB часто смотрю подобные украшения, и этот вариант с крестом визуально смотрится достаточно удачно. Особенно под y2k эстетику
Wild Bandito sticky wilds: o bandido mexicano tá roubando a cena do Tigrinho!
Fortune Tiger big win 2000x: já aconteceu com você? Conta a história completa
узнать больше kraken darknet ссылка
подробнее кракен онион зеркало
Jogo do Tigrinho multiplicador aleatório: melhor que respins fixos ou não? Opine!
Юридическая помощь от проверенных адвокатов Москвы, профессиональная защита в суде и сложных правовых спорах, юристы помогут решить вопросы любой сложности юридическая консультация
top online pokies and casinos united states pokies, free poker chips no
deposit uk and free spins no deposit united statesn pokies, or
top online pokies and casinos real money canada
Look at my webpage casino coins for sale (Lavina)
Jogo do Tigrinho estratégia de sessão: 300 giros e stop – funciona?
Fortune Dragon novo lançamento PG Soft: já testou? Conta se tá melhor que o Tigrinho!
PG Soft no Brasil 2026: Pix, suporte em português e giros grátis todo dia
PG Soft no Brasil: Pix instantâneo + suporte em português + giros grátis todo dia
Man United Sancho eyes Dortmund return 2026 transfer news
Jogo do Tigrinho cassino Pix: R$10 vira 150 giros + cashback 12% – promoção da semana
узнать больше Здесь кракен даркнет маркет
подробнее здесь кракен ссылка
Fortune Ox respins infinitos: já chegou a 25 respins seguidos? Mítico!
PG Soft torneios semanais: R$100k–R$500k em prêmios – já ganhou algo no Tigrinho?
Fortune Ox hold & win: quem já segurou 15+ símbolos e explodiu tudo?
I switched from another service because of the useful analytics and great support.
Юридическая помощь от проверенных адвокатов Москвы, профессиональная защита в суде и сложных правовых спорах, юристы помогут решить вопросы любой сложности юридическая компания
Galaxyno Hit clusters bombásticos: quem prefere grid grande ou 3×3 clássico?
2026 football news: Premier League clubs dominate Europa League
нажмите, чтобы подробнее кракен darknet
Find the newest info here > http://вип-свет.рф/
содержание kraken сайт
Fortune Tiger cartinha x10: melhor momento do ano ou só sorte?
Jogo do Tigrinho Pix R$15: ganha 90 giros + 30% extra no reload diário!
I’ve been using it for a week for trading, and the robust security stands out.
PG Soft tá lançando Fortune Dragon em 2026? Já viu o teaser? Conta o que achou
Jogo do Tigrinho Pix R$20: ganha 100 giros + 25% extra no primeiro depósito hoje!
PG Soft torneio diário R$30 mil: quem tá lucrando todo dia no Fortune Tiger?
I was skeptical, but after several months of using the API, the easy onboarding convinced me. I moved funds across chains without a problem.
переводчик технического текста в москве teh-perevod.ru .
Betboom VIP: quem já subiu de nível só jogando Fortune Tiger? Benefícios reais
другие kraken сайт зеркала
http://ugtk.kz/# pin up casino
анализ баннеров reklamnyj-kreativ13.ru .