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: |
have a peek at this web-site https://anycoindirect.me/
browse around this web-site https://swaplab.io/
webpage https://daobase.info
additional reading https://daobase.io
you can try this out https://tornadocash.app
pop over to these guys https://yomix.biz
look what i found https://yomix.biz
Full Article https://bitmix.app
you could try this out https://yomix.biz/
web https://bitmix.app
UFC PFL Sioux Falls Logan Storley vs Florim Zendeli
The upcoming PFL Sioux Falls event is basically a homecoming event for Logan Storley masked as a sanctioned pro fighting show.
helpful site https://anycoindirect.me
my response https://letsexchange.cc
navigate to this website https://anycoindirect.me
read https://daobase.online/
find out here now https://anycoindirect.me
that site https://yomix.biz/
this website https://letsexchange.cc/
click reference https://anycoindirect.me/
page https://bitmix.app
try this web-site https://yomix.biz/
have a peek here https://daobase.io
YOURURL.com https://yomix.biz/
you can check here https://tornadocash.app
my latest blog post https://daobase.online
Этот интересный отчет представляет собой сборник полезных фактов, касающихся актуальных тем. Мы проанализируем данные, чтобы вы могли сделать обоснованные выводы. Читайте, чтобы узнать больше о последних трендах и значимых событиях!
Что скрывают от вас? – вывод из запоя круглосуточно
you can try here https://tornadocash.app
official statement https://daobase.io
more https://mixmy.money/
best site https://swaplab.io
useful reference https://mixmy.money
Если вы хотите дизайнерские барные стулья купить, наш магазин предложит вам лучшие варианты и уникальный дизайн.
Не менее важно узнать о возможностях доставки и гарантийном обслуживании при покупке.
Recommended Reading https://mixmy.money/
Нужна помощь с эвакуатором в Москве? заказать эвакуатор приедет быстро и по лучшей цене.
Специалисты выезжают на место в любой час по заданному адресу.
check over here https://daobase.io
find more information https://swaplab.io/
Если вам нужен **эвакуация автомобиля в москве стоимость** в Москве, закажите услугу прямо сейчас для быстрой помощи.
Используя новейшее оснащение, эвакуаторы обеспечивают быстрый и надежный транспорт авто.
## Раздел 2: Как работает эвакуатор в Москве
Затем транспорт перемещается в сервис или указанное место без дополнительных повреждений.
## Раздел 3: Преимущества эвакуатора в Москве
Кроме того, профессионалы гарантируют сохранность груза и самого автомобиля во время перевозки.
## Раздел 4: Заключение и рекомендации
Не забывайте, что предупреждение и внимательность — основа безопасного вождения.
informative post https://bitmix.app/
see this site https://bitmix.app
read here https://daobase.io/
Click Here https://bitmix.app
southern maryland escorts Escort In Mykonos brazilian escort miami
look at this website https://daobase.info
Look At This https://letsexchange.cc
official source https://daobase.io
click over here https://anycoindirect.me
blog here https://daobase.online/
he said https://mixmy.money/
https://justpaste.it/pfl-sioux-falls-mjmil
The approaching PFL Sioux Falls event at the Sanford Pentagon presents a high-level blend of homegrown talents and divisional stalwarts seeking to lock down their position in the 2026 season.
go to this site https://anycoindirect.me