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: |
find out https://anycoindirect.me
view https://bitmix.app
try this out https://tornadocash.app/
The upcoming PFL Sioux Falls event is pretty much a homecoming event for Logan Storley presented as a professional fight card.
Recommended Reading https://daobase.online
https://www.tumblr.com/mike-from-gidstats/815153451776540672/pfl-sioux-falls-data-driven-analysis
PFL comes back to the Pentagon venue this Saturday for a fight night headlined by local favorite Logan Storley.
https://mikefromgidstats.substack.com/p/why-you-should-fade-the-hype-at-pfl
The upcoming PFL Sioux Falls event feels like a homecoming event for Logan Storley presented as a legitimate MMA event.
http://canadiantabs.com/# Canadian Tabs
https://mikefromgidstats.substack.com/p/why-you-should-fade-the-hype-at-pfl
The Sioux Falls PFL card is essentially a “Logan Storley homecoming” party presented as an official professional fight night.
my latest blog post https://anycoindirect.me
see this https://daobase.io/
Стисла поезія про малюків
The Professional Fighters League heads back back to Sanford Pentagon on Saturday for a fight night led by hometown star Logan Storley.
Наркологический центр «НОВЫЙ НАРКОЛОГ» в СПб ориентирован на результат и длительное восстановление. Программы включают медицинскую детоксикацию, терапию сопутствующих нарушений и психологическую поддержку для снижения тяги. Пациентам помогают пройти путь от острого состояния к устойчивой ремиссии без давления и с соблюдением конфиденциальности.
Подробнее тут – действие алкоголя и снотворного
our website https://letsexchange.cc
browse around these guys https://daobase.io/
click resources https://anycoindirect.me
click site https://letsexchange.cc/
you can find out more https://letsexchange.cc/
click for more info https://swaplab.io
More Help https://anycoindirect.me
have a peek at this site https://bitmix.app
weblink https://daobase.info/
check my site https://tornadocash.app/
click here for more info https://tornadocash.app
webpage https://anycoindirect.me
click to read https://tornadocash.app/
Поиск аддиктолога в Москве редко бывает случайным. Как правило, к такому специалисту обращаются тогда, когда зависимое поведение уже начинает заметно влиять на повседневную жизнь: повторяются эпизоды употребления, случаются срывы после попыток остановиться, накапливается напряжение в семье, ухудшается сон, усиливается тревожность, появляются долги, конфликты и ощущение утраты контроля над ситуацией. У одних проблема связана с алкоголем, у других — с наркотическими веществами, а у третьих — с игровой зависимостью, когда ставки, онлайн-казино или другие формы азартного поведения постепенно вытесняют работу, общение и привычный ритм жизни.
Подробнее – http://msk-clinica-plus.ru/lechenie-tabakokureniya-v-moskve
Этот текст призван помочь читателю расширить кругозор и получить практические знания. Мы используем простой язык, наглядные примеры и структурированное изложение, чтобы сделать обучение максимально эффективным и увлекательным.
А что дальше? – нарколог домой
Bonuses https://daobase.online/
browse around this site https://bitmix.app/
click over here now https://daobase.online/
Recommended Site https://daobase.online
web link https://mixmy.money/
site here https://daobase.info/
click over here https://daobase.io/
Click This Link https://daobase.info/
Visit This Link https://anycoindirect.me
discover here https://yomix.biz
moved here https://tornadocash.app/
This week’s PFL Sioux Falls fight night at the Sanford Pentagon provides a premium blend of local favorites and established division contenders hoping to cement their place in the 2026 season.
Современный интерьер невозможно представить без электрокарнизы для штор стоимость, который обеспечивает максимальный комфорт в управлении шторами.
Такие возможности обеспечивают удобство и энергоэффективность в повседневной жизни.
Check This Out https://daobase.io/
Visit This Link https://tornadocash.app
find more https://swaplab.io
Visit Website https://yomix.biz
Get More Info https://bitmix.app
useful source https://mixmy.money
website here https://yomix.biz/
visit the website https://daobase.online