Dead Money is a look behind the artifice and underbelly of the tech bro world -- very appropriate as it is dominating so much of the political and financial scene right now -- to see just how omnipotent, superhuman and untouchable they see themselves.
VC investigator and FBI agent team up to investigate the murder of the CEO of an Uber-like company called Journy, with high probability of the C-Suite housing the culprit, and a collection of oddballs and a missing CTO to boot. The plot unravels with great twists and turns, including some red herrings that get revealed in a denouement worthy of The Usual Suspects, Wild Things, and other 90's twist-fests.
The showdown and the iconic scene is made for the big screen.

To read this book is equal to taking a 101 class in AI. If your basic knowledge of how money is transferred around between companies, competing startups and the amounts that are spent to get ahead is lacking, this is your intro. These people are ruthless to be the best, the first and the richest with no regard who they step on to get there.
     Mackenzie Clyde is a force. Raised by a mother who knew that to get ahead in life took work, drive and putting yourself in the right spot, getting there, though, may take an illegal turn.  
     She is a lawyer in a major Venture Capital company but is not moving ahead in her career as fast as hoped and not really enjoying her job but a new opportunity arises and things pick up. She's to work alongside an FBI agent when the hotshot of a startup gets murdered. Her company has a vested interest in this startup and her boss wants to know what happened to his money. This leads to a progression of conflicts in techniques to  chase down the possible murderer. Along the way, the FBI starts to appreciate her deductive skills to aid in apprehension of the murderers and they develop a symbiotic relationship.
     Mackenzie has a brilliant mind and while appearing discontented has had a long term plan in place that  is soon to come to fruition. Her methodology is ingenious and her accomplices match her in goals and abilities. It takes a few chapters for the real Mackenzie to appear and then all the lessons her mom taught her come into play.
    A series of constant surprises will keep the reader entertained.

Loved this! A great mystery with all the classic elements. There’s lots of money at stake when a tech founder is murdered, especially when he’s changed his will to hold all his money in limbo until his killer is brought to justice. There are secrets, lots of arrogant rich people, some crazy Burning Man scenes, and lots of tech startup cliches (that are on so realistic!) Super fun and fast paced.

A very tall woman, a “dead money” provision in a gazillionaire venture capitalist’s will and a cast of really nasty and unlikeable characters made for a much better read than I was expecting. There is so much lying just beneath the surface, it is palpable, but you just can’t grasp it. It is always a few inches away and while you are being distracted by the side roads, it is easy to lose the “I almost had it” moment. This story was really well done on so many levels.

I will be on the lookout for this author’s next effort and wouldn’t it be fun if he incorporated that one disastrous afternoon when he was an in team truck driver. His words, not mine. Thanks to Bantam Books and NetGalley for a copy of a great debut novel.

This fast-paced debut is a mystery that delivers surprises, as well as insights into the Silicon Valley world of tech and venture capitalists. I could just imagine the murder of the eccentric, genius founder of Journy (think a company like Uber). The female main character is a "fixer" for a venture capital firm that came from nothing, and we get occasional chapters talking about her past. This kind of reminded me of The Firm, where secrets keep coming out and the main character is on the run. Who is really the "bad guy?" This could have been a 5-star read for me, but I found myself skimming some of the action/fight scenes in the middle of the book.

Tech CEO and Silicon Valley billionaire, Trevor Canon, is dead—and his money has gone with him.

Fearing for his life, Canon added a "dead money" clause into his will which would freeze his assets (some forty billion in company stock) until his killer was found and tried. In an unlikely pairing, FBI Special Agent Jameson Danner partners with Mackenzie Clyde, notorious "fixer" within the tech industry, to investigate who killed Canon and why before it's too late.

Dead Money is a twisty thriller debut featuring Silicon Valley billionaires, dark money, and murder (oh my!). The author knows a thing or two about Silicon Valley, having been one of the first employees at Airbnb and the story shows this. The book feels like it was written by someone with a good handle on Silicon Valley politicking, a fairly pedestrian understanding of AI, and an idyllic view of law enforcement. Despite this, it was a fully immersive read with unpredictable turns, well-developed characters, and even a bit of cheeky humor as a nod to those within the tech space. If you enjoy thrillers or crime fiction, definitely pick this one up!

A sleek, smart, and satisfyingly sharp mystery, *Dead Money* delivers both high-stakes thrills and biting social commentary. Mackenzie Clyde is the kind of heroine you want in your corner—clever, underestimated, and always two steps ahead, even when she’s thrown into a game rigged against her.

The murder mystery is juicy on its own, but it’s the backdrop of Silicon Valley’s wealth-soaked ego-fest that really elevates the story. Power players, shady startups, billion-dollar secrets—it’s all deliciously cutthroat. Mackenzie navigates the chaos with dry wit and a morally gray compass that somehow still points true.

This one’s perfect for fans of twisty plots, take-no-prisoners protagonists, and the satisfying unraveling of the rich and powerful. Think *Succession* meets *The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo*, but with better coffee and NDAs.

Dead Money by Jakob Kerr was such a fun and fast paced thriller! I loved the setting of the tech companies of San Francisco. I found the main character Mackenzie to be very multi faceted. I loved her back story and how it was slowly revealed. I was not familiar with venture capitalism and found the info in this story to be fascinating. I hope this becomes a series! I definitely recommend this book to thriller readers!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was a very intriguing debut novel! It's a twisty, thrilling ride that hooked me immediately.It was well paced with a strong woman as the main character.I enjoyed how it dealt with being a woman working in a male dominated profession, I really loved the feminist undertones.

While I had some idea of where it was going,
I definitely didn't figure out everything. This book features well developed multiple timelines and a suspenseful storyline with a
unique plot!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was a good thriller with lots of twists and turns. I liked the peek into the world of Silicon Valley and venture capital. I would say that I didn’t really like any of the characters by the end, but it didn’t really matter because it was such a fun story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this.

Dead Money was a twisty read from the start! If you didn't know that this was Kerr's debut novel, you'd have no clue. This book was incredibly well written. Although I did find it a bit long, I still greatly enjoyed it. This novel takes you into the tech startup world and taught me a lot of things that I didn't know, all the while, it didn't go over my head. 4 stars!

Where do I even start? The non-linear timeline? The chef's kiss ending? This was a ride.

This isn't my typical read, but I'm so glad I picked it up. Mackenzie is a well written character. At first she seems very single track minded, and angry but as the story unravels we get a lot of backstory / depth. I'm not going to say there was character growth, but she comes into her own as you see her progression from high school to where she is career wise at the end of the book. Which life goals wise, is a journey.

Getting to see how all the people are connected, and the lives of tech giants is also neat in itself. I enjoyed following the case for multiple reasons, but each deep dive took us to a new unique rich person, and well, they are arrogant weirdos. While there is a lot of tech talk in this book, the FBI agent works as a great 'we need to explain this to the non-tech person' character.

The way flashbacks are layered in, and the use of Trevor's death as the anchor really set up the ending perfectly. It all works together to create tension, and build up to a big reveal. Very well plotted, and I enjoyed reading every chapter.

I did think there was going to be a romance between Mackenzie and the FBI agent, but I was sooo thankful that never became a plot line. It would have ruined the book. I absolutely loved that this book had nothing to do with Mackenzie's love life. It was refreshing.

If you enjoyed Ocean's 11 (the movie) you're going to love this book. It has that vibe, but you're the FBI trying to figure it out for most of the book. It's not until the last few chapters that you become Danny Ocean, laying out the entire mastermind.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Mackenzie Clyde serves as the unofficial “problem solver” for a ruthless Silicon Valley venture capitalist. When Trevor Canon, the controversial CEO of a leading tech startup, is murdered, his last will and rites freezes billions in assets, jeopardizing her boss’s substantial investments. Tasked with resolving the crisis, Mackenzie—a lawyer by training—partners with the FBI to navigate a complex web of suspects among the Valley’s elite. As she delves deeper, Mackenzie sees the investigation as more than just a problem to solve; she views it as a pivotal opportunity, one she’s determined to seize by any means necessary.

This novel was very well written. The plot and story was easy to follow and the characters were both likeable as well as unlikeable, but I actually love an unlikeable character, especially if it is the main character, no spoilers here just saying in general that’s a favorite trope of mine. I would have liked a bit more background for some characters, but I suppose it would have ruined the story, however, the ending was a little extraordinary if not complicated as it didn’t seem very realistic. I understand it is a thriller fiction novel, but one can only suspend their disbelief for so much. I will say that I loved the hints of feminism throughout and the twist was a bit predictable, but I really enjoyed the ride. The twist, although a bit predictable, did not hit me until much later in the book and when it was revealed, I was very satisfied. Beyond any small details that made me go “now how did that work out the way they wanted?” I still enjoyed the ride! The ending seemed like a setup for a sequel too and that’s exciting!

A great debut novel set in the tech world. Multi layered with some twist and turns. Started a little slow but did allow you to build the back stories of the characters.

This story reminded me of Succession, Silicon Valley CEO is murdered, leaving behind billions of dollars up for inheritance. Mackenzie is the FMC, a lawyer who is trying to narrow down who could be responsible. A murder mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

I was hooked on this book from the first chapter. It’s been a while since I’ve read a good mystery thriller. The plot is thought out, the pacing is excellent, and the story keeps you hooked until the last page.

A CEO is found dead in his office. Many stand to gain with his loss. No one can will claim anything until the person responsible for the death is found due to the Dead Money clause in the will. This begins the hunt for the killer.

DEAD MONEY by Jakob Kerr is an exciting mystery set amongst the risks, potential corruption, and infighting which surround venture capital funding for innovation and technology firms. Kerr is an insider, having worked as a lawyer and communications executive in the tech industry, including nearly a decade at Airbnb after starting as one of its first employees. And he does a remarkable job of conveying the excesses of that business culture which sets the tone for Mackenzie Clyde, a young lawyer-turned-investigator for a key rainmaker named Roger Hammersmith. Hammersmith has invested billions in Journy (a transport firm with scooters, buggies and soon-to-come autonomous vehicles) whose CEO and founder is murdered. Eventually, the FBI gets involved and Mackenzie joins the investigative team. Current Journy employees, including key executives, are quickly suspect. Utilizing flashbacks to provide background and motivation, Kerr also weaves in organized international thuggery and numerous surprises. DEAD MONEY received starred reviews from Kirkus ("[this] twisty, propulsive debut explores Silicon Valley's dark side through the eyes of a wily outsider heroine") and Publishers Weekly ("Impressively unpredictable.").

4.5 stars overall

Dead Money by Jakob Kerr was a fantastic readl!! This book kept me captivated and I didn’t want to put it down!!

Kerr had me hooked from beginning to end. I was taken into a world of tech, suspense, power, money, and with characters that were so well written. I learned about dead money a term I knew nothing about before. I feel like I got a front row seat into the high stakes of the tech industry, the deceit, and the greed. I learned I am not built for that world lol. It’s hard to believe that this is Kerr’s debut novel I was so blown away. I can’t wait to see what he writes next. Thank you to Random House, Bantam Books, and NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.

It was so nice to have some originality and relevance in this thriller. You will enjoy this if you’ve ever wondered about the enormity of the sums involved in tech valuations and venture capital and thought about where all the money originated. Well done.

Mackenzie Clyde is in over her head. She needs to solve a murder to free up billions in "dead money" that is held up in the will. As she tries to keep her job, keep her boss happy, & solve the murder, she has to dig deep within & get everything done.