Really great book! It's such a fascinating look at the (incredible insipidness) of the tech industry. I liked the characters and the ending is very clever.

I will say, I wish the author had consulted me on the Russian names before this was published! 1) Oberon is NOT a Russian last name. 2) Yelchin isn't super common either, and was obviously inspired by the late actor Anton Yelchin.

I did enjoy reading all the financial stuff. And I especially appreciated how the main character's mother worked as an accountant!

Dead Money was an exciting and easy read on a day with no electricity. I liked the way it all unfolded with flashbacks to incrementally give us the whole story. Mackenzie works as a fixer for a finance company and one of the founders of a tech startup they funded is murdered. Normally, they would own most of the company. But the victim rewrote his will just before his death putting it all on hold until his murdere is solved. It's a fast paced adventure going all over California. I enjoyed the twists and turns and trying to figure out who could be trusted and who could not. Easy to read in one sitting because there is no down time to get distracted in. Looking forward to see what the author does next.

“Dead Money” by Jakob Kerr is an engaging and thoroughly enjoyable 5-star read! The story follows Mackenzie Clyde, the Director of Investigations for Hammersmith Venture, as she teams up with FBI Agent Jameson Danner to solve the murder of a tech CEO.

Most of the chapters are set in the present day, allowing readers to accompany Mackenzie and Jameson as they navigate the complex world of tech executives. Interspersed throughout the book are flashbacks that begin 18 years earlier, during Mackenzie’s high school years, and trace her journey through law school to her current role at Hammersmith Venture. These flashbacks provide valuable insight into the experiences that shaped Mackenzie into the determined and resourceful woman she is today.

The story is well-written and maintains a brisk pace that kept me hooked from start to finish. The suspense is perfectly balanced, with just enough to keep you guessing about the how and why of the murder.

This was my first read by Jakob Kerr, but it certainly won’t be my last. I’m excited to explore more of this author’s work!

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Jakob Kerr, and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.

This was great. Fast-paced tech con job all rolled into one. Tech con job all rolled into one. Even though about halfway through the book, you could see how this was going to play out. Still interesting characters that kept it moving along at breakneck speed.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine for the eARC.

If you are looking for a super twisty, fast paced, never lets you catch your breath type of suspense novel - this is the one for you. I loved the tech start up component of this book too. Really great.

This book is a creative piece of wizardry in the form of a thriller. By the end of this book, I was eager to read all the other books that this author wrote, only to find that this was his first novel! Unbelievable!

The murder of an executive at a large startup company in the sparkling and money grabbing world of venture capitalists and giant tech companies is the perfect plot and setting for this intriguing and exciting story. There is a lot of technobabble and big business scheming, but the story is written so that even a reader that is inexperienced in high tech can follow along and understand.

The suspense started off at an easy pace while the groundwork was laid out and the murder investigation began, but then it took off like a rocket and never slowed down. Good investigative work leads to a den of vipers and ups the level of excitement and intrigue. I couldn't put this book down.

This book would make a great movie. I can't wait to read what this author writes next.

My sincere thanks to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read a DRC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Enjoyable debut novel from Jakob Kerr.

Mackenzie Clyde works for Hammersmith Venture as an investigator, assisting her boss, Roger Hammersmith with his relationships with the founders of the Silicon Vally tech companies that he supplies the startup money for.

When Trevor Canon, the CEO of Journy, a thriving tech company, is found murdered, Roger sends Mackenzie to assist the FBI in their investigations, to protect his huge investment in the firm.

What follows is a very twisty, clever thriller with some great characters. It's told in two timelines - the present day investigation of the murder, and the story of Mackenzie's past and how she got where she is today. I assumed that the older timeline was just backstory, but it becomes clear it is vital to the plot as the many surprises unfold.

Who is lying, and who is being played?

I loved the strong female characters, and the many twists and turns of the plot. I appreciated the ending, although I thought there were a few small plot holes, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment at all. I'm hoping this is the start of a series. The writing was very impressive.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When Silicon Valley's biggest tech startups' CEO is murdered, Hammersmith puts MacKenzie, their "fixer" on the case along with the FBI due to a "dead money" clause in the CEO's will stating that if murdered, his stock is frozen until his killer if found. Hammersmith has given billions of dollars to this company and wants its money back asap. Trevor, prior to his death, appeared to have been hiding something important because why add the "dead money" clause?

This is a well written, twisty and suspenseful thriller! The author skillfully alternated between the present timeline, and various points in Mackenzie's past that lead up to her present role with Hammersmith. What I loved about this fast paced story is that not everyone's motivations are clear.
While I could see where the author was leading us with the ending, but the way he wove it all together didn't make it an obvious conclusion by any means, which I loved!

HIghly recommend!!!

What a ride! This thriller is full of twists and secrets. The story takes place in Silicon Valley in the “tech world” and Mackenzie is the FMC. She works for the largest venture capital firm as an investigator. One of her firms biggest clients gets murdered and she’s assigned as liaison to the FBI to help find the killer. This story is fast paced and it was hard to put down. Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine provided a complimentary digital ARC via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Congrats to Jakob Kerr for his exciting debut thriller set in the tech world of San Francisco. The plot: Mackenzie Clyde, a lawyer, has worked her way up to the position of Director of Investigations for Hammersmith Venture, the tech industry's most prestigious venture capital firm. Her boss, Roger Hammersmith, the founder and president of the firm, has invested heavily in Journy, a storybook startup company that is the crown jewel of HV's investment portfolio. Unfortunately Journy's founder, Trevor Canon, was found shot to death in his private office three weeks ago and the SFPD has made no progress in their investigation. Now the FBI has become involved and Roger Hammersmith has demanded that HV be attached as an advisor in the investigation and Mackenzie will represent the firm as a liaison, reporting directly to her boss.

As the biggest shareholder in Journy, HV was slated to now have the controlling interest. But shortly before his death, Canon added a new section to his will, a 'dead money' provision, stipulating that in the case he is ever murdered, all his assets would be frozen until the murderer is found and prosecuted. Apparently Canon had an inkling that someone wanted him dead.

So Mackenzie begins working with Special Agent Jameson Danner, who seems less than thrilled to be including her in his investigation. And so begins a very twisty, turny thriller plot. The story was well written, with timely flashbacks to Mackenzie's past that fill in the background little by little. I thought I had figured out the whodunit fairly early but Kerr had some surprises up his sleeve for me. I liked how it all turned out. Very smart! I always look to see how a male author handles his female characters and I thought Kerr created interesting and clever personalities with Mackenzie and others.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this debut thriller. I will look forward to reading more from this author. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

LOVE a good revenge story!

Twists, turns, secrets fill the pages of this debut novel from Kerr. Nothing is as it seems, makes for a great thriller. When you've got to read the last word to understand the motivation, the crime and the revenge, guess what, I am hooked.

Its an ending that is truly satisfying.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam

4.5/5 stars

This is from a debut author, and I must say that I'd be happy to read anything from him in the future. I'd call it a Murder Thriller with some FBI/private investigation thrown in as well.

The location is Silicon Valley and centers around the uber-successful tech company, Journy. When the founder and CEO is found murdered in his ultra secure office, the FBI and the company's venture capitalist backer want answers. So, a rookie FBI agent, Jameson Danner (with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove) and Mackenzie Clyde (a "problem solver" from Hammersmith Venture) combine forces and resources to try and catch the villain.

There are multiple timelines here reaching back to Mackenzie's (Hammersmith's investigator) early years to give a more in-depth view of her and her single mother's lives. But it's not confusing and is helpful in seeing Mackenzie's mindset during the story. As the suspect list is whittled down, things take a decided turn, and a larger game is found to be at play.

Lots of twists and turns here, and while I had figured out the "who", it was still fun to hear the play-by-play at the end. A clever and satisfying debut.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Bantam Books for providing the free early arc of Dead Money for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

MacKenzie is an investigator and her boss has her investigating the murder of one of his friends, and someone this guy has invested a boatload of money into the dead guy's business, and until the murder is solved all the money is completely tied up.. let's just say MacKenzie has her work cut out for her.

I really enjoyed the investigation aspects of this story with MacKenzie and the FBI agent working on the case. The writing was really well done, nothing in the tech stuff felt like it went over my head, it's fast-paced from beginning to end, and the mystery aspect was full of twists and turns, and one huge one at the end that I definitely didn't see coming.

This was a great debut novel and I'll be keeping this author on my radar for his future releases.

Dead Money was FANTASTIC! This is one of my first 5-star reads for 2025!

When a tech mogul is murdered and his assets are frozen, everyone wants to know who done it. The cast of characters is lively and eccentric, and I love how Kerr's plot continued to go deeper and deeper unraveling the connections and the story the more I got into the book. It was a little lengthy, but, warranted to get to the meat of the story. The issue is interesting, the characters compelling, and the finale jaw-dropping. I could not get enough of this book and cannot wait to see how many others agree!

There was too much tech lingo for liking so it sadly a DNF. I expected some from it being a mystery set in the tech world. It's just a personal preference from someone not super tech savvy or knowledgeable about start-ups.

This was really good! It’s been awhile since I’ve read a really sold crime thriller. The mystery was so well-built and I enjoyed the “locked room” nature of it. All of the suspects/characters were complex and interesting, and I thought that all of them could plausibly have done it. And I really enjoyed the MC. She was so complicated but very relatable.

Despite that it heavily deals with technology and AI, it was explained in a way that a layman can easily understand. The world building centered around this industry was also very well done. All in all, I loved this!

Thank you to Random House - Ballantine and Netgalley for this ARC. Dead Money is out 1/28!

4.5/5 stars

This is kind of a mesh between a murder mystery, FBI Procedural, and technology/business story. So, it had a lot going for it.

I thought the initial murder was intriguing and wanted to solve the mystery. I liked our main characters and thought they brought a lot to the story with background and personality.

But there is just so. much. dialogue. I know they had to do interviews, but even just the conversations between Mackenzie and Danner were too much (“fair,” “understood,” “agree”). It was kind of distracting.

I did solve the murder very early on, but wasn’t 100% sure of the motive until later. I thought the motive was great and it truly made the story more interesting!

I really enjoyed the tangled stories and layers of truths in this one, but felt it could have been shorter, and there was one huge plot hole I just can’t excuse.

Thank you to @RandomHouse and #NetGalley for the DRC of #DeadMoney. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Outstanding debut novel!

This book is a wild ride that I didn't want to end. It kept me up late to see where the next twist would take me. Ending left the door open for a sequel (fingers crossed). Can't wait to see what's next from this author.

Great!! Please Jakob write another soon. Excellent twist and turn until the very end. Exactly my kind of book, kept me interested and eager to keep reading until the end.

Wow! What a fantastic debut! Cannot wait to see how Jakob Kerr continues to deliver! Combustible characters that had me on the edge of my seat. This was like a combo of a roller coaster ride and a ping pong match. I have whiplash and had no idea who to trust. Well done Mr. Kerr.
Thank you NetGalley, Jakob Kerr and Bantam Books for the opportunity to read and review this book