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: |
Перейти на сайт https://hpc.name/thread/z172/137419/poluchenie-obema-logicheskogo-diska-v-c.html
There were short sessions hitting x200+ on Fortune Mouse without stretching spins beyond plan.
http://com2geek.fr/
Com2geek se presente comme une entreprise professionnelle dediee au le cadre national francais, qui apporte une approche complete aux entreprises et particuliers, en priorisant sur les resultats. Decouvrez davantage ici.
Смотреть здесь https://hpc.name/thread/o950/68039/perehod-k-url-pri-otpravke-chisla-s-proverkoy-v-baze-dannyh.html
Fortune Dragon stood out among the most discussed launches.
Следующая страница https://hpc.name/thread/h771/132454/kak-pochinit-novogodnyuyu-elochnuyu-girlyandu-esli-ona-ne-rabotaet.html
Fortune Mouse chase scenarios are systematically avoided by veterans.
зайти на сайт https://hpc.name/thread/m282/92316/korrektnyy-sintaksis-dostupa-k-elementam-v-javascript-s-atributom-name-i-id.html
Mahjong Ways 2 maintained strong rhythm in the moderate-bet range.
посетить сайт https://hpc.name/thread/h521/69040/kak-vstavit-polzovatelskoe-pole-v-konstrukciyu-menyu-wordpress.html
Fortune Tiger mid-tier wins are being celebrated as much as mega-wins.
Читать далее https://hpc.name/thread/t271/107116/kak-obnovit-vse-zakladki-excel-v-powershell-pri-nalichii-neskolkih-svodnyh-tablic.html
Ayr?ca, eger dar cat? kat? dekorasyon konusuyla ilgileniyorsan?z, buray? inceleyin. Suradan okuyabilirsiniz: https://hobielyazma.com/articles/cati-kati-oda-dekorasyonu-yaratici-fikirler/
Источник https://hpc.name/thread/v050/136493/peredacha-zvuka-po-udp-iz-fayla-i-s-mikrofona-s-ispolzovaniem-c.html
Эта информационная статья охватывает широкий спектр актуальных тем и вопросов. Мы стремимся осветить ключевые факты и события с ясностью и простотой, чтобы каждый читатель мог извлечь из нее полезные знания и полезные инсайты.
Читать дальше – вывод из запоя в стационаре клиника
Постройте свой мир развлекательных игр с Mellstroy game online здесь
Зацепил материал про Футбольный бизнес: трансферы и контракты.
Смотрите сами:
https://manchesternews.ru
More hints https://cleanthebit.com/zh/
сайт https://hpc.name/thread/u360/67123/kak-ispravit-oshibku-pri-vyborke-dannyh-iz-bazy-mysql-s-usloviem-po-znacheniyu-v-stolbce.html
посетить сайт https://hpc.name/thread/n531/133959/prichiny-oshibki-brewunit-blocked-na-kofemashine-gaggia-titanium-i-sposoby-ee-ustraneniya.html
Wild Bandito showed strength on calculated entries.
Time logs make session quality measurable beyond profit alone.
go right here https://cleanthebit.com/zh/
Welcome bonuses are flashy but real edge comes from withdrawal terms and rollover.
найти это https://hpc.name/thread/t572/143247/poluchenie-vseh-perestanovok-elementov-ot-1-do-7-s-ispolzovaniem-rekursii-v-c.html
Hot streaks on Fortune Mouse are short, the discipline window is shorter.
Tournament leaderboards on Fortune Ox are filled with steady-volume players.
Fortune Tiger demo runs of $50-equivalent are being benchmarked weekly.
веб-сайте https://hpc.name/thread/r810/81264/sozdanie-procedury-i-funkcii-dlya-formirovaniya-daty-v-vba.html
http://com2geek.fr/
La societe Com2geek s’impose comme une agence specialisee orientee vers le cadre national francais, qui delivre un accompagnement professionnel a ceux qui recherchent des resultats, en priorisant sur l’attention personnalisee. Visitez le site via le lien.
веб-сайт https://hpc.name/thread/m091/89219/programma-dlya-poiska-naibolee-chasto-povtoryayushchegosya-znacheniya-v-massive-kp580bm80a.html
посмотреть в этом разделе https://hpc.name/thread/n770/137011/kak-obnovit-model-v-asp-net-mvc-2-posle-izmeneniy-v-baze-dannyh.html
Variance literacy is rising fast among the chat regulars.
Встану на пробу новых веществ сочный трип со мной мефедрон, кокаин купить +огромная потеря популярности и быстрый спад клиентов.Качество обслуживания хорошее – с момента оплаты до прибытия товара прошло всего 3 дня и вес ровный.
Between hype and strategy, control plus opportunity still wins.
Fortune Dragon on auto-spin works better when the loss limit is set before starting.
Fortune Dragon on auto-spin works better when the loss limit is set before starting.
recommended you read https://cleanthebit.com/hi/
Beginners prefer simpler-rhythm slots before stepping up to high volatility titles.
выберите ресурсы https://hpc.name/thread/m091/124702/prichiny-nizkoy-skorosti-interneta-i-sposoby-ih-ustraneniya.html
Mahjong Ways 2 mid-tier wins are being celebrated as much as mega-wins.
Wonderful blog! I found it while searching on Yahoo News.
Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem
to get there! Many thanks
В этой статье собраны факты, которые освещают целый ряд важных вопросов. Мы стремимся предложить читателям четкую, достоверную информацию, которая поможет сформировать собственное мнение и лучше понять сложные аспекты рассматриваемой темы.
Детали по клику – выведение из запоя капельница
Daily cashback active changed the math for high-volume players.
найти это https://hpc.name/thread/t231/77795/avtorizaciya-na-resurse-s-ispolzovaniem-ssl-tunnelya-v-java.html
the streamer scene is more analytical and less emotional.
сайт https://hpc.name/thread/s642/137319/box2d-polygonshape-ne-soderjit-konstruktor-kotoryy-prinimaet-argumenty-0.html
Players who respected limits closed the day without pressure.
Эта разъяснительная статья содержит простые и доступные разъяснения по актуальным вопросам. Мы стремимся сделать информацию понятной для широкой аудитории, чтобы каждый мог разобраться в предмете и извлечь из него максимум пользы.
Детали по клику – прокапаться нижний новгород
Читать далее https://hpc.name/thread/h990/102126/kak-otklyuchit-avtomaticheskoe-formatirovanie-koda-v-visual-prolog-8.html