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Time Travelling Taxman #2

UFOs & Unpaid Taxes

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A routine tax fraud investigation. A trip down the Extraterrestrial Highway. A chance encounter with a mysterious visitor from outer space.

He should have left it there. But Alfred Favero, Senior Analyst with the IRS, couldn’t.

Now he’s suspended from work and on the run from shadowy government agents as he tries to protect an ambassador from another world. Meanwhile, an old friend is taking advantage of his absence to woo his sweetheart. Alfred’s life is falling apart.

And things are only about to get stranger…

221 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 15, 2019

25 people are currently reading
45 people want to read

About the author

Rachel Ford

74 books127 followers
Rachel Ford lives in beautiful Central Wisconsin. She is a programmer, who works in everything from SQL to .NET to Cisco CVP and IVR. Her latest foray into new and exciting things has been developing custom Java plugins for CVP applications.
Rachel also enjoys recreating historically authentic jewelry, and mixing historical recreations with fantasy elements to create exciting new pieces.
When not designing jewelry or tinkering with computers, Rachel spends her time writing and reading science fiction and fantasy.

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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
97 reviews1 follower
March 17, 2019
Love this series and Alfred. Love the plot line. Well thought out and written. Can’t wait for next book. Already ore ordered.
Profile Image for Benjamin Fife.
Author 109 books65 followers
February 17, 2020
Have you watched Psych - the comedic drama psychic detective series? If so, you'll understand who I'm talking about. Alfred - the titular Time Travelling Taxman of this series, brought to life by some delightful writing by Rachel Ford & great characterization by John Carter Aimone - Is Carlton Lassiter. When I narrated Father of the Bride of Frankenstein, the author & I had a conversation about one character - a rabbi who sounded like he might work for the state department. I imagine a similar conversation between author & narrator about Alfred. He's a no-nonsense, straight shooting IRS agent with clear lines drawn between right & wrong - and it all ultimately comes down to your IRS filings with Freddy.

Sure, Alfred has a sense of Humor, but there's a lot of humor - and general societal cues - that are missed by the hero of this series. Alfred is not the kind of character who questions anyones motives. Or his own. He lives in a black & white world of numbers & reporting. But you'd better be reporting correctly! One thing I particularly liked about his character - his bizarre expletives. 20 years ago, I volunteered at a nursing home for a while & played pool with Alfred, I'm pretty sure. "Sugar Cookies" and "Son of a Biscuit" are a couple of examples. Its the kind of absurd thing that just has to be based in fact from someone Rachel Ford has known at one point or another. Aimone captures his character superbly.

Having read another of Ford's novels, I suspected I would enjoy this one as well, and I was not disappointed. It did take me a few chapters to really start guffawing though. The first 7 chapters were kind of stale, and I chuckled occasionally. Then we're introduced to Lee, my other favorite character of the book, and the driving force for most of the humor that follows in the book. Again, Aimone's portrayal is spot on, capturing Ford's writing and bringing it to life. I'm not going to delve into Lee other than saying that they're delightful & leave it at that to not raise any spoilers. (Closest Psych character - Maybe a combo of Gus & Woody - more on the Woody side of things though).

I jumped into this series in book 2, though I'd like to eventually check out T-Rexes & Tax Law (book 1). But, kind of like Psych, its not all that important to have checked out the pilot episode of the series (I know I watched it, but can't recall much from episode 1). This series would be right up the same tongue in cheek alley of Psych, and particularly, if you liked strait man, Carlton Lassiter, you'll like Alfred. And if you like the Travelling Taxman series - you'd probably get a kick out of Psych too.

The writing is pretty good & enjoyable - but not such that I'd feel compelled to read / listen to more of the series. This book starts a little slow, and ultimately plays out a bit like a Psych episode.

The Narration - Aimone is great in his characterizations. His timing however... Whenever I listen to an audiobook, I try to listen to at least part at 1x speed to really hear the performance aspect. After 5 minutes of it, I couldn't take his exceedingly long pauses between every sentence / paragraph / thought, and I cranked it up to 1.7 for the remainder of the book. Then the pauses seemed about right for if I was listening at 1x speed. Not sure if this was his call, a producers, or what, but it just felt like waiting for the next sentence.

So - Plot - 4 stars. Writing 4 Stars. Narration - 3 Stars. Fix the pauses & I might even give it 5 stars, but the pauses just put a damper on the whole thing. Would I listen to more by John Carter Aimone? Yeah, but if it is the same style, It would always be at a faster speed.
Profile Image for Gilbert Stack.
Author 96 books78 followers
September 19, 2019
If you enjoyed the first book in this series, you’re going to love this one. The new and improved, but still endearingly flawed, Alfred Favero, has set his sights on another tax cheat—a UFO-themed shop and museum called Landing Site Earth. They peddle trinkets to gullible Americans who believe that aliens regularly visit the planet and Alfred is certain they are underreporting their income to Uncle Sam. Unfortunately for Alfred, that is not the only thing they are underreporting as our favorite taxman discovers when he catches the owner of the shop with a genuine alien. Discovering this fact causes Alfred to run headlong into a black operation within the US government and forces him to take stock of himself and decide if he wants to be the kind of man who turns his back on an alien in trouble or the kind who puts it all on the line to rescue an intelligent being from the clutches of his government.

While all of this is happening, Alfred remains clueless regarding most human interactions and as a result he has accidentally pushed Nancy into the arms of Josh, the ex-marine from the first novel who desperately wants to be Nancy’s boyfriend. Josh is self-confident, physically fit, and comfortable with women—all things that Alfred is not. His situation is not helped by Alfred’s need to go on the run with Lee, the remarkably likeable alien. This is both the most enjoyable part of the novel and the one with most obvious weaknesses. Alfred spends a lot of money while he seeks to keep Lee out of government hands, but there is no mention of how he pays for everything. In today’s society, most of us do not have a lot of cash on hand and I would have appreciated it if the author could have make some passing explanation as to why Alfred has endless supplies of cash. After all, using his debit or credit card would have brought the government down on him in a moment. Still, it’s a small complaint—especially when compared to the delight of watching Lee discover America and hilariously give Alfred advise on how to win the heart of Nancy.

Narrator John Carter Aimone stepped up his game in this novel. The long pauses between sentences are much diminished and the tendency to be overly dramatic toned down a bit. He also has created a truly wonderful voice for the alien, Lee, catching all of the creatures wonder and pleasure at everything around him.

In summation, this is an utterly delightful book which leaves me eagerly looking forward to the next novel in the series.

I received this book for free from Audiobook Boom in exchange for an honest review.

If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
Profile Image for krysley.
303 reviews1 follower
January 7, 2020
Once again, Rachel Ford knocked it out of the park for me when it comes to this series. Last time I described T-Rexes & Tax Law as being ridiculously awesome. This time, it's totally a buddy caper featuring E.T. and the Taxman.

What is it about Alfred Favero? Sugar cookies, I just don't know, but I adore that man. Maybe it's his progression as a character. Maybe it's his cluelessness. Maybe it's his growth when it comes to his relationship with Nancy. Maybe it's his animosity towards that son of a biscuit, Josh. Maybe it's his willingness to jump feet first into trouble even when he definitely shouldn't (or doesn't even recognized trouble when it's staring him in the face). I don't know, I don't care. Just give me more Alfred.

I sped through this audiobook much like I did T-Rexes. Time (hehe) really did fly by for me because I enjoyed this book so much. Though there wasn't quite as much bangbang action as the first, UFOs does clip along at a great pace. Something is always usually happening and, even though I guessed exactly what happened and where Alfred went wrong, the characters (and narrator) made it an enjoyable ride.

Once again, John Carter Aimone, the narrator, brings Alfred to life. He tends to be over the top in his acting, but it totally works for this series and its characters. For example, his tone and inflection for Lee really brought to mind the Simpsons episode where Mr. Burns was all doped up and the citizens thought he was an alien. I think Aimone nails all the characters, honestly.

The only criticism I would have for the audiobook in general is that Aimone delivers his narration at such a slow pace and there are long pauses that I have to increase the speed to 1.35x. Once there, it sounds great and the story goes by quickly.

I already have the rest of the series queued up and can't wait to continue these Taxman shenanigans.

After a while, crocodile.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Profile Image for Caroline Hannam.
81 reviews
January 6, 2020
So book two in the Time Travelling Taxman series: UFOs and Unpaid Taxes by Rachel Ford.
This story is very different from the first book and it took me a little while to get into it. Even though I was familiar with Alfred Favero, Senior Analyst for the IRS, his rather self-righteous views and dogged, compulsive ways to pursue any perceived tax offenders, he annoyed me at the beginning of the book. To be fair his instincts generally prove to be right and his sense of justice and fairness is commendable. That and his aggravating, but often endearing flaws redeemed him to me and it was good to witness his continuing personal growth.

The ongoing back story from book 1 is Alfred’s love for Nancy, his colleague and Lead IT analyst for the IRS; his rivalry with Josh (ex-marine from book 1) for Nancy’s heart and her torn feelings for them both. These circumstances force Alfred and Josh to become allies in the adventures afoot.

Alfred suspects a company that has set up a museum, shop and cafe at a rumoured UFO landing site of tax evasion and pursues them. During his investigation he witnesses an alien being escorted by black suits into one of the buildings. He is found out, arrested and forced to drop the case. His feels it is wrong the way the government is holding the alien and suspects that they may be torturing it and rescues the alien.

From here on ensues a hilarious caper of Alfred on the run with Lee, the alien; dealing with his new friend’s needs, curiosity and vernacular learnt from old TV shows. Of course Nancy comes to Alfred’s aid and because of her, reluctantly Josh too.
The ending was to me fairly predictable, but that didn’t take away from the enjoyment of getting there.

Overall this book was very different from the first one and in my opinion not quite as good, but still thoroughly enjoyable.

I was used to the drawl of the narrator John Carter Aimone, from the first book and have grown to rather like him. I have increased the playback speed to x1.10, which I found improved the listening experience for me.

I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review of my own opinion of it.

247 reviews3 followers
August 23, 2019
Quite different from the first book...3 stars

UFOs & Unpaid Taxes (Time Traveling Taxman, Book 2) by Rachel Ford and narrated by John Carter Aimone overall was OK, but it didn’t draw me in like the first book. Would recommend if you’ve listened to the first book in the series.

What’s it about? Alfred is back and manages to get roped into rescuing an alien and pulls Nancy and Josh into the mix. From there, they bring the alien on some adventures of every day life. For those who are new to Alfred, he tends to make some bonehead moves and is a by the book kind of guy. I enjoyed the second half more than the first as that was where the action happened. It should be forewarned there is no time travel in this book.

Regarding narration, it felt like the pauses were longer and the speech was drawn out more in this book. Maybe because the story just didn’t do it for me this time?

The good news? Book three is turning out to be fantastic, so if book two doesn’t do it for you, know that book three is better and similar to the first.

Parental guidance/trigger warnings: a little romance (nothing graphic), some swearing but very minimal as the MC doesn’t swear, breaking and entering (it’s indicated, but that’s all I’ll say due to spoilers), drugging of MC, a man grabs the aliens butt. Overall these books are pretty tame for the genre.

*I was given a free review copy of the audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Thank you for allowing me to listen and review the book!
Profile Image for Julie Howard.
Author 2 books31 followers
March 6, 2020
I enjoyed this book. It is so unusual to what I normally listen to but it is just a great series, that I am hooked. I really liked the twist to the story and think the author does an excellent job of twisting what should be a strange story and making it work. If you like quirky fun stories with funny one liners then this book and In fact the whole series is for you. The story is book two in the series but works just as well as a stand alone.
Alfred is on the hunt for tax fraud and this time he is on his own. This finds him in the Nevada desert to find out why a business is in the black when the small town is booming with lots of alien tourist in the area. It's not long before he falls foul of the local law and when he stumbles on a secret they are trying to keep, his job is threatened. Alfred, with no girlfriend and no job decides to try and do the wrong thing for the right reasons. This means breaking into a government installation and going on the run, with a very special friend. Going undercover isn't easy and its not long before the pair is joined by computer Tec. Nancy and ex marine Josh. Can they keep there secret quiet or will the men in black catch up to them.
I liked the narrator but did have to speed him up, as he talked to slow.
Profile Image for Lian.
29 reviews
March 15, 2019
I had so much fun reading this book. One of my favourite things about this series is the pacing. Every scene serves a purpose and keeps the plot moving along. Alfred's stubborn and tenacious personality with regard to his work really played up the humour in this book. It was also nice to see Alfred's continued character growth -- I'm excited to see the way his character continues to develop as this series continues. Nancy continues to be just an absolute delight.

*Spoilers*
While I'm not a big fan of romantic plots in a lot of things, I don't hate the growing relationship between Alfred and Nancy. Getting to see Alfred's growing affection and understanding of what his feelings mean has been great, and there's a foundation for the relationship there so it doesn't feel forced.

I am only giving this book 4.5 stars because there is no time travel.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
223 reviews3 followers
December 26, 2019
**** SPOILER ALERT ****
Ford delivers another lighthearted romp through the "Time Traveling Taxman" universe in "UFO's & Unpaid Taxes".
The author delivers more great world building and character development as we learn more about Alfred Favarro and Nancy Abbott.
I devoured this entertaining tale, only stopping long enough for a shift at work, before finishing it off. I recommend this book. I highly reccomend getting the "Time Travelling Taxman: Boxset" with the first six volumes in the series.
In the interest of transparency: I was given a review copy of this book and I am voluntarily sharing this review.
It is my own honest opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Roger.
5,646 reviews28 followers
January 9, 2020
UFOs & Unpaid Taxes (Time Travelling Taxman Book 2), my second read from author Rachel Ford. While not as good as T-Rexes & Tax Law (Time Travelling Taxman Book 1), non-the-less well-written & enjoyable. I was given an Audible copy of this book & am voluntarily reading & reviewing it. John Carter Aimone’s talented narration again adds greatly to the book's enjoyment. I look forward to the next book in the series, MarvelousCon & Tax Cons (Time Travelling Taxman Book 3). (RIP January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).
304 reviews6 followers
January 25, 2023
aaaawwww

I loved Li! I also thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and the character development - I thought Alfred made some really good progress in his social interactions and emotional states (especially from the beginning of book 1). Admittedly, I was expecting time travel to be part of the plot (and I hope it will be in future books in the series); however, with the story revolving around Li'Muldan, I think that I enjoyed it every bit as much as if it was a time travel novel.
I definitely look forward to book 3!
Profile Image for Jack Roach.
Author 7 books2 followers
March 9, 2019
This book was hilarious. In the same vein as Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, it features a fish-out-of-water protagonist struggling to negotiate the turmoils of a world he's been unexpectedly thrust into. It perhaps wraps up a bit too quickly at the end, but that doesn't detract much from the fun I had reading it. Based on this work, I would definitely read more of Ms. Ford's novels.

I read an Advanced Review Copy, which I was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Deedra.
3,932 reviews40 followers
December 9, 2019
Audible:This was another great story!Alfred is happy to have found another company not paying their way.He headed to UFO central and finds a new friend.He's in a lot of trouble with work and the government. The only flaw is the way the narrator,John Carter Aimone drags out his sentences when Alfred speaks or thinks.He can't be THAT much of a dullard.lol I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.' 
Profile Image for Donna.
225 reviews7 followers
November 6, 2019
An entertaining ride

I loved this installment of the Time Travelling Taxman. Although there wasn't any time travel this time the alien encounter was quite entertaining and humorous at times and our favorite taxman Alfred learns more about himself. Definitely recommend giving this a read and can't wait to see what Alfred gets himself into next!
Profile Image for Sharon.
680 reviews
December 3, 2019
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The tax man is at it again. I enjoyed this book. The character interactions were fun and interesting, I easily got to know the characters even the alien. Great to read if you have an interest in area 51 or the like. Would recommend.
Profile Image for Isaac Norsham.
52 reviews64 followers
October 4, 2020
Book 2 have the same problem with book 1. The love plotline seem really forced. This time I can give a slightly pass because the book told through Alfred point of view. So the problem is as the reader, I cannot see the moment where Nance started to like Alfred. It did'nt told in the story. No real reason they should be together just because they both are the main characters. And also, Alfred is an asshole and a loser.
323 reviews5 followers
January 31, 2022
Fun!

So much fun and funny, both. Is tax evasion enough of a reason to kidnap an alien? Maybe. Alfred thinks he knows what is going on, but accidentally gives an alien the time of his life. But is going broke feeding Li going to be all right? Read this tale to find out. So worth the time, it is so enjoyable!!.
Profile Image for Warren W..
Author 5 books1 follower
September 15, 2019
What a fun read! Wonderful!

I really enjoyed the first book, but this one was the cat’s meow! Imagine, an adventurous tax man. Who’d figure? But you need to read this fun 23 skidoo story. Loads of dazzle-dazzle fun! I hope there is another one!
Profile Image for Deborah  Colgrove.
116 reviews2 followers
December 12, 2019
I really love this storyline. The story is so real. It makes me feel like I am there looking at the alien myself. This is a very good book and I enjoyed it very much. I loved it. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.
Profile Image for Jared.
30 reviews4 followers
March 8, 2020
Loved it! I only wish I could have read the first story first. It has a fun story that is easily followed. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more in the series.

I got this book as a free download from StoryOrigin.com for an honest review.
Profile Image for Kavita Favelle.
272 reviews2 followers
June 4, 2021
A thoroughly entertaining and feel good book despite a mostly predictable story line. The writing style is rather dated, it reads very much like sci-fi of the 60s and 70s (I'm not talking about the freely outmoded slang used by Li), but it doesn't suffer from that.
546 reviews3 followers
June 9, 2019
Out of this world good

Great Read. Unique storyline and likeable characters. The alien ambassador was a funny guy. Good to see Alfred work up the guts to start dating Nancy.
Profile Image for O.E. Tearmann.
Author 22 books61 followers
February 28, 2020
Starting off hard headed and getting goofy fast, this is a fun ride through the wild and the wacky, complete with UFOs and romantic snafus. Have fun with it, you'll be smiling :D
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