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: |
Hey folks!
Just discovered a great gaming site!
Stumbled upon Nova Jackpot Casino and I’m impressed: Nova Jackpot reviews
They offer fast payouts. Strong Trustpilot score.
Drop your experience below?
Fortune Tiger stays as the main showcase of the moment.
https://brazino777.net.co/
La plataforma Brazino777 es un contemporaneo casa de apuestas online junto con centro de apuestas deportivas disenado exclusivamente para los jugadores en Colombia, el cual funciona con licencia oficial y brinda un recorrido completo ya sea por medio del movil como desde el ordenador.
seoshelf – Bookmarked this immediately, planning to revisit for updates and inspiration.
the chat keeps reminding rookies to size positions properly.
можно проверить ЗДЕСЬ мега даркнет
нажмите здесь mega darknet
Wild Bandito in turbo mode delivered solid streaks during peak liquidity hours.
так я там всем давно ответил ты пишешь с опозданием. Зайди почту проверь. https://klyuet.ru все просто=)всяко подобные магазины нужно стороной обходить..
ООО «РМС» обеспечивает поставки специализированных сварочных материалов для сложных условий эксплуатации.
https://rms-ekb.ru/catalog/list/list-60khn-1x1000x1000-gost-19903-74/
выберите ресурсы мега ссылка
https://fiesta-new.ru/wp-content/pgs/pravilynaya_ventilyaciya_v_saune_zalog_komforta_i_bezopasnosti.html
Might we expect to see more of these same problems in the future?
на этом сайте мега сайт
Sprawdź salon gier na automatach aplikacja prowadzoną przez Totalizator — bonus powitalny do 13 750 zł! Bezpieczna gra z oficjalną licencją — wejdź i zacznij grać i skorzystaj z promocji! Oficjalna aplikacja Totalizatora oferuje darmowe spiny — pod nadzorem urzędu. Zaufany operator — Salon Gier na Automatach zapewnia bezpieczeństwo danych i program lojalnościowy. Szukasz legalnego salonu gier? Oficjalna aplikacja z licencją daje Ci powitalny pakiet — pobierz teraz! Graj z Totalizatorem — Aplikacja z licencją oferuje bonus aż do 10 000 zł i bezpieczeństwo płatności. Pełna ochrona gracza — zainstaluj teraz i aktywuj spiny!
узнать больше mega onion
нажмите, чтобы подробнее mega darknet
https://brazino777.net.co/
La plataforma Brazino777 se presenta como un moderno casa de apuestas online y tambien operador de apuestas creado especificamente para la audiencia de Colombia, que opera de manera autorizada y brinda una experiencia completa tanto a traves del telefono inteligente como desde el ordenador.
посмотреть в этом разделе mega ссылка
такой mega ссылка
seoshelf – Loved the layout today; clean, simple, and genuinely user-friendly overall.
продолжить мега сайт
Slot rotation is no longer optional for serious players.
Players ignored the $5 side bet and focused on base game.
https://brazino777.net.co/
La plataforma Brazino777 es un moderno casa de apuestas online y casa de apuestas creado especificamente para la audiencia de Colombia, el cual funciona con licencia oficial y brinda una propuesta integral tanto a traves del telefono inteligente como por medio de la computadora.
united kingdom casino no deposit bonus 2021, online casino usa reddit and are there casinos in montreal united kingdom, or win how to earn real money by playing games (Chastity)
money online casino for free usa
https://1xbet-promo-code-2026.com/codigo-promocional-da-1xbet-venezuela-2026-lsnews/
the streamer scene now tracks session ROI over single hits.
Caishen Wins respected stop-loss outperformed forced recovery attempts.
Чаты строителей https://stroitelirussia.ru в России— официальный сайт для общения и обмена опытом. Объединяем строителей со всех регионов России, обсуждения, вакансии, советы и полезные контакты
подробнее мега ссылка
https://brazino777.net.co/
Brazino777 constituye un innovador casino en linea y tambien casa de apuestas creado especificamente para la audiencia de Colombia, el cual funciona con permiso vigente y proporciona un recorrido completo ya sea por medio del movil como desde la computadora.
https://www.empowher.com/users/alonsojordan4
Ремонт и отделка квартир https://kaluga-remont.su а также строительство коттеджей под ключ. Комплексные услуги, опытная команда и контроль на каждом этапе работ
https://brazino777.net.co/
Brazino777 Casino se presenta como un moderno sitio de apuestas digital y tambien casa de apuestas creado especificamente para la audiencia de Colombia, que opera de forma legal y proporciona un recorrido completo ya sea por medio del movil como por medio de la computadora.
Mahjong Ways 2 feature trigger frequency is the new RTP proxy.
нажмите здесь мега даркнет
посмотреть на этом сайте mega сайт
Hot streaks on Mahjong Ways 2 are short, the discipline window is shorter.
https://1xbet-promo-code-free-bet.com/1xbet-promo-code-today-kyrgyzstan-2026-wintrue-sign-up-bonus-130/
Капельница от похмелья в Нижнем Новгороде: быстрое восстановление, снятие интоксикации и улучшение состояния под контролем специалистов в наркологической клинике «Похмельная служба»
Изучить вопрос глубже – капельница от похмелья вызов на дом нижний новгород
Solo focus on Fortune Tiger works only when the rhythm allows it.
Хороший,порядочный магазин обращяйтесь купить кокаин, мефедрон, бошки, марихуану магазин ровный, три года с ним уже, только один раз отправку долго ждал…. но дождался)в скаипе не отвечают!!!!
Players rotating titles found more opportunities than those sticking to one game.
Перейти на сайт mega onion
Fortune Ox in short rotation performed well in fast sessions.
Today the market favored those who respected stop gain and stop loss.
https://brazino777.net.co/
La plataforma Brazino777 resulta ser un moderno sitio de apuestas digital y tambien plataforma de apuestas creado especificamente para el publico colombiano, que se maneja con licencia oficial y proporciona una experiencia completa ya sea por medio del movil como desde la computadora.
Short disciplined sessions are paying off more than uncontrolled marathons.
зайти на сайт мега даркнет