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: |
Смотреть здесь vodkabet новый сайт
этот контент retro casino официальный
Great read. You have to make sure your content is easy to read and understand. It’s like you read my thoughts! Thumbs up! I used to be all about Limited time. Nice write up. You are a very persuasive writer. Thumbs up! To err is part of being a human, but do not count on people for forgiveness. Who raised you? They deserve a trophy for doing a great job. You appear to know a lot about this. It’s like you read my thoughts! Your article has proven useful to me. I truly appreciate this post. You are a very persuasive writer. You’ve made my day! Thx again. You are obviously very knowledgeable.
aviator çıxarış müddəti http://aviator16053.help/
перейдите на этот сайт ретро казино
узнать больше https://slon4-at.com
ссылка на сайт vodka casino
1win фрибет за регистрацию https://1win31794.help/
aviator कैसे इंस्टॉल करें aviator कैसे इंस्टॉल करें
страница retro casino бездепозитный бонус
mostbet profil malumotlari mostbet profil malumotlari
Этот медицинский обзор сосредоточен на последних достижениях, которые оказывают влияние на пациентов и медицинскую практику. Мы разбираем инновационные методы лечения и исследований, акцентируя внимание на их значимости для общественного здоровья. Читатели узнают о свежих данных и их возможном применении.
Открой скрытое – вывода из запоя на дому в Костроме
этот сайт casino retro registration
Смотреть здесь retro casino бездепозитный бонус
найти это ретро казино
проверить сайт vodka casino
проверить сайт retro casino бездепозитный бонус
интернет vodkabet новый сайт
al barsha apartments for rent dubaiproperty prices infographic dubai property finderwarehouse for rent in dubai al qusais monthly basishouses for rent in palm jumeirah dubaicrimson properties dubai 5 bedroom apartment dubai for sale foreign direct investment uaepk properties dubaimag dubai real estate wasl group dubai
веб-сайт vodka casino
здесь retro casino
читать casino retro
перейдите на этот сайт водкабет
подробнее casino retro
выберите ресурсы водка бет
интернет retro casino
в этом разделе ретро казино
нажмите, чтобы подробнее водка бет
Читать далее ретро казино
бонусы DBBET для новых игроков бонусы DBBET для новых игроков
Источник водкабет
этот контент retro casino
узнать больше Здесь casino retro
Узнать больше vodka bet
studio room for rent in dubaidubai property price developmenttranfer uae property to blood relation in dubai2 bedroom apartments for rent in dubai qusaisproperty sale in dubai marina palm jumeirah apartments for sale hsbc estate department dubaidubai hills estate bannersand valley real estate development dubai search movenpick hotel and apartment in dubai
пояснения casino retro registration
сайт ретро казино
узнать casino retro
узнать больше водка бет
В этой статье рассматриваются различные аспекты избавления от зависимости, включая физические и психологические методы. Мы обсудим поддержку, мотивацию и стратегии, которые помогут в процессе выздоровления. Читатели узнают, как преодолеть трудности и двигаться к новой жизни без зависимости.
Читать полностью – наркологическая клиника в лиецке
веб-сайте casino retro
what is hotel apartment in dubairent villa in dubai hillsvillas for rent in town square dubaidubai palm island house price2 bedroom apartment in dubai silicon oasis Why to Invest in Dubai Real Estate? fine living real estate dubai1bhk for rent family dubai monthly1 bedroom apartment for rent in dubai monthly basis dubai property lookup
содержание ретро казино
сайт retro casino официальный
найти это retro casino зеркало
можно проверить ЗДЕСЬ vodka casino
гид по ставкам на спорт гид по ставкам на спорт
ready apartment for sale in dubaibook cheap hotel apartments in dubaidubai hills estate villashotel apartments for long stay in dubaiflat for rent in dubai monthly basis One Bedroom Apartment for Sale in Dubai cube gulf dubai real estate centercommercial buildings near meVillas for sale in Bluewaters apartments for rent dubai internet city
Подробнее newretrocasino
22bet обзор и отзывы 22bet обзор и отзывы