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: |
Grateful for posts like this one, they remind me there are still places online run by people who care about quality, and a look at larkcliff reflected the same standards, you can tell the difference between content made for readers and content made just for search engines today and this is the former.
Этот обзор сосредоточен на различных подходах к избавлению от зависимости. Мы изучим традиционные и альтернативные методы, а также их сочетание для достижения максимальной эффективности. Читатели смогут открыть для себя новые стратегии и подходы, которые помогут в их борьбе с зависимостями.
Подробнее тут – капельница от запоя на дому
Semana bombando no Wild Bandito.
Thanks for the helpful article. It is also my belief that mesothelioma has an really long latency period of time, which means that warning signs of the disease won’t emerge right until 30 to 50 years after the primary exposure to asbestos fiber. Pleural mesothelioma, that is certainly the most common type and has effects on the area about the lungs, might cause shortness of breath, breasts pains, and also a persistent cough, which may produce coughing up maintain.
Meu vizinho colocou R$80 no Santa’s Gift Rush e saiu com R$5.000. Sem print, só contou.
Great weblog here! Additionally your website quite a bit up fast! What web host are you the usage of? Can I am getting your affiliate hyperlink for your host? I want my site loaded up as fast as yours lol
Good day very cool website!! Man .. Beautiful .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds also?I am satisfied to seek out a lot of helpful info right here within the post, we want work out extra strategies on this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .
Высокий уровень сервиса и контроля качества, для нашего научного проекта это было критически важно.
https://xn--80aeedb0bfzeok.xn--p1ai/catalog/latunnye-naruzhnye-stopornye-koltsa-po-gost/latunoe-naruzhnoe-stopornoe-pruzhinnoe-koltso-18kh1-2-mm-lks-gost-13942-86/
Вывод запоя нужен не только при тяжелых осложнениях. Даже если пациент говорит, что «сам справится», запой может быстро привести к отравлении этанола, обезвоживанию, нарушению давления, делирия, галлюцинаций, судорожных реакций, инфаркта или инсульта. Чем дольше человек продолжает пить, тем выше риск серьезные последствий для организма.
Получить дополнительную информацию – вывод из запоя клиника
http://jaquealabanca.es/
El equipo de Jaquealabanca es una consultora con experiencia con presencia en el mercado espanol, que entrega servicios de calidad a quienes valoran la eficiencia, priorizando en la excelencia del servicio. Descubre todos los detalles a traves del enlace.
Thanks for the suggestions you write about through this blog. In addition, numerous young women who become pregnant never even seek to get medical health insurance because they worry they won’t qualify. Although a few states at this point require that insurers give coverage no matter the pre-existing conditions. Fees on these kind of guaranteed programs are usually bigger, but when thinking about the high cost of medical care bills it may be any safer approach to take to protect the financial potential.
http://jaquealabanca.es/
El proyecto Jaquealabanca se consolida como una agencia especializada enfocada en el publico en Espana, que pone a disposicion un acompanamiento profesional a empresas y particulares, priorizando en los resultados. Visita el sitio en el sitio oficial.
Wizdom Wonders de novo? O grupo do telegram não para de postar.
Define o alvo antes de abrir Diamond Cascade. Bateu, sai. Não tem negociação.
Good article. It is rather unfortunate that over the last one decade, the travel industry has already been able to to handle terrorism, SARS, tsunamis, bird flu, swine flu, along with the first ever entire global recession. Through all this the industry has proven to be effective, resilient and dynamic, discovering new solutions to deal with difficulty. There are always fresh complications and the opportunity to which the industry must just as before adapt and respond.
I found your blog website on google and verify a couple of of your early posts. Proceed to maintain up the very good operate. I simply further up your RSS feed to my MSN News Reader. Searching for ahead to reading more from you in a while!?
Tiltado? Sai fora.
читать vodka bet casino
содержание водка бет
A handful of memorable phrases from this one I will probably use later, and a look at brighthavenstudio added a couple more, content that contributes language to my own communication rather than just facts is content with a different kind of utility and this site is providing that linguistic utility consistently across what I read.
Santa’s Gift Rush de novo? A galera do chat não para de postar.
Good day! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be okay. I’m undoubtedly enjoying your blog and look forward to new posts.
http://jaquealabanca.es/
La empresa Jaquealabanca se presenta como una agencia especializada con presencia en el ambito nacional espanol, que ofrece un enfoque integral a empresas y particulares, con foco en la confianza y la transparencia. Mas informacion aqui.
Альтернативный адрес Casino и подключение на Казино основной сайт
Нынешние геймеры онлайн-казино часто сталкиваются с трудностью блокировки центрального портала. Собственно для решения этой проблемы https://camptent.com/sayt-kazino-s-bollivud-kazino-iskusstvennym-intellektom-predlagaet-luchshie-azartnye-igry-bonusy-i-razvlekatelnye-vozmozhnosti/ дает альтернативные зеркала.
Что означает собой дубликат казино
Копия — это абсолютная копия основного веб-площадки, которая находится по иному URL. Все сведения, депозиты и настройки игроков сохраняются такими же.
Плюсы использования дубликатов
Ключевое достоинство — это стабильный доступ к выбранным играм. Дубликаты позволяют миновать территориальные запреты и поддерживать игру без задержек.
Как отыскать свежее зеркало
Существует ряд испытанных способов нахождения свежей линка:
– Оформление подписки на официальную новостную ленту
– Запрос в сервис поддержки
– Мониторинг профильных форумов
– Применение публичных платформ
Безопасность при доступе через копию
Лицензионные дубликаты гарантируют такой же уровень защиты, что и центральный портал. Все платежи защищены новейшими технологиями криптографии.
Порядок доступа на основной сайт
Авторизация осуществляется привычным образом. Клиенту требуется внести свой никнейм и пароль, которыми были установлены при оформлении.
Значимо учитывать, что регистрационные сведения работают на во всех дубликатах и основном сайте. Повторно записываться не следует.
каталог vodka bet
Glad to have another data point on a question I am still thinking through, and a look at naturallycraftedgoodsmarket added two more, content that acknowledges its place in a wider conversation rather than pretending to settle the question alone is intellectually honest in a way that I wish was more common across the open web.
I have realized some important matters through your website post. One other stuff I would like to state is that there are lots of games out there designed in particular for preschool age youngsters. They involve pattern identification, colors, animals, and styles. These normally focus on familiarization instead of memorization. This will keep a child occupied without sensing like they are studying. Thanks
I just added this blog site to my google reader, excellent stuff. Can not get enough!
Por que o bônus do Dim Sum Prize sempre cai quando eu tô prestes a sair? kkkkk
Альтернативный сайт Casino и вход на Казино официальный сайт
Нынешние пользователи интернет казино регулярно сталкиваются с трудностью доступа к предпочитаемым игровым ресурсам. Блокировки интернет-компаций побуждают управление казино формировать действующие альтернативы, данные о которых возможно найти на https://www.glnm.ma/2026/05/10/mellstroy-game-eto-izvestnyy-brend-s-bolshimi-obeshchaniyami-nuzhno-li-verit-etomu-proektu/ и прочих специализированных ресурсах.
Что являет собой зеркало казино
Копия — это идентичная копия основного веб-площадки казино с отличным URL адресом. Все инструменты, игры, поощрения и персональный аккаунт работают совершенно такими же.
Плюсы применения дубликатов
Первостепенное преимущество резервных площадок — вариант преодолеть блокировки и получить стабильный доступ к азартному счету. Игроки в состоянии продолжать развлекаться, добавлять деньги в депозит и забирать средства без остановок.
Как получить свежее зеркало
Имеется несколько путей выяснить расположение действующего дубликата:
– Оформление подписки на email-рассылку казино
– Обращение в службу помощи через виртуальный-чат
– Проверенные паблики в социальных сетях
– Специализированные сайты и аналитические площадки
Безопасность и вход на основной сайт
Важно осознавать, что подлинное зеркало поддерживает такой же степень секьюрити, как и главный ресурс. Все личные информация шифруются по новейшим системам, а банковские транзакции выполняются через безопасные соединения.
Итог
Применение копий казино — это практичный и законный метод получить стабильный соединение к выбранным развлекательным автоматам. Главное — использовать надежными каналами информации о действующих URL.
Great post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed! Very helpful info particularly the last part 🙂 I care for such info much. I was looking for this particular info for a very long time. Thank you and best of luck.
PIX ou USDT pra saque rápido? Os regulares não decide.
в таких случаях вызов нарколога на дом предоставляет возможность оценить состояние пациента и предложить амбулаторное лечение.
Исследовать вопрос подробнее – нарколог на дом
certainly like your website but you have to check the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Many of them are rife with spelling problems and I find it very bothersome to tell the truth nevertheless I will surely come back again.
Vale a pena comprar bônus no Fortune Rabbit ou espera natural compensa mais?
Highly recommend to anyone looking for a sensible take on this topic without the usual marketing nonsense, and a look at driftfairs kept that grounded approach going, sites that stay focused on serving readers rather than monetising every click are rare and this is clearly one of those rare ones I really appreciate finding.
узнать больше vodkabet
I have realized that of all varieties of insurance, medical health insurance is the most marked by controversy because of the discord between the insurance coverage company’s obligation to remain making money and the consumer’s need to have insurance. Insurance companies’ revenue on wellness plans are low, hence some organizations struggle to gain profits. Thanks for the strategies you discuss through this website.
A enfermeira do plantão noturno colocou R$120 no Santa’s Gift Rush e saiu com R$180. Sem print, só contou.
узнать больше vodkabet
Программа 12 шагов применяется много лет и используется при наркомании, алкоголизме, сочетанных зависимостях, зависимости от аптечных препаратов, марихуаны, гашиша, спайсов, солей, опиатов, стимуляторов и других наркотиков. Человек не просто отказывается употреблять наркотик, а меняет мышление, учится видеть болезнь без оправданий, проходит шаг за шагом личную работу и получает инструменты для трезвого поведения после центра. Такая программа помогает не заменить одну зависимость другой, а осознать природу аддикции, выявить корни употребления и начать действовать иначе.
Подробнее можно узнать тут – 12 шагов программа онлайн
нажмите здесь водкабет
Информация о проверке качества продукции повышает лояльность клиентов
https://redmetsplav.ru/store/magniy-i-ego-splavy/zarubezhnye-splavy-2/magniy-as21/truba-magnievaya-as21/
Wild Bandito morto hoje.
Have you ever considered creating an ebook or guest authoring on other websites? I have a blog based upon on the same information you discuss and would love to have you share some stories/information. I know my subscribers would value your work. If you’re even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an e-mail.
https://files.fm/f/7f7jandq2z
O motorista de uber que joga entre corridas jura por depósito instantâneo pra saque rápido nas sessões de Jewel Race Ganesha.
The next time I learn a blog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as much as this one. I imply, I know it was my choice to learn, however I truly thought youd have something fascinating to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you can fix when you werent too busy searching for attention.
Этот обзор содержит информацию о передовых достижениях в области медицины. Мы разберем инновационные технологии, которые меняют подход к лечению и диагностике, а также их влияние на эффективность оказания медицинской помощи.
Изучить аспект более тщательно – детокс24
Ninguém fala do Jungle Delight mas a taxa de hit é honestamente decente.