Recommended for: crime junkies who love the fast paced thrill of the developing tech world

Summary: The owner, Trevor, of the major tech company, Journy, was found dead in his office. The catch is that his office was only accessible by a special key on a special elevator that only a handful of people had access to. The highest monetary contributor of Journy, Roder Hammersmith, has assigned his top investigator, Mackenzie, to lend a hand in the murder investigation. She teams up with FBI agent Danner to sort through the alibis of all the people who had access to Trevor’s office, and to learn more about Journy’s origin.

Review: I am not the target audience for this book. That being said, it was enjoyable about a third of the way into the story. The backstories were boring, and at times the tech investment information was too complicated. Another small, sort of pet peeve of mine, was that the author would switch between using the characters’ first and last names. I would get confused on who was talking and who they were talking about.

Dead Money by Jakob Kerr is basically a police procedural wherein Mackenzie Clyde was tasked with assisting/advising FBI agent, Jameson Danner. As it turned out Jameson was the son of an influential father, but kept that fact on the low down. The first day was misery, Danner didn’t even speak to her. She finally told him that he wasn’t living up to his end of the agreement and she said it plainly. The next day he came to work with a new attitude. Maybe it was her or maybe it was Roger Hammersmith had said to his boss, she would never know. Roger was a huge shareholder (as a venture capitalist) in the company of Trevor Canon, the murdered man. And Canon had put a dead clause into his will: no one would get any money until someone was being tried for his murder. Motive enough for Hammersmith as he had $5.2 billion invested. From then on, Mackenzie was part of the investigation, beginning with Eleanor Eden, second in command at Journy, Canon’s company, and someone with whom Mackenzie had had a relationship.

Mackenzie was a fixer, and a good one. She took advantage where she was able. She was smart and clever and a good investigator and could speak the tech speak, which Jameson could not. It got complicated. One of the five partners had disappeared and another had recently taken off. None of them was easy to get into a sit down. It was a good investigation with a grand finale. Then, a grander finale. Dead Money was clever and a bit different and well worth the read.

I was invited to read Dead Money by RandomHouse Publishing Group-Ballantine. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantine #JakobKerr #DeadMoney

What a ride this book has been! I could not put it down. This is exactly what I like to see in a thriller - lots of action, great plot, fast-paced, engrossing and a twist at the end. Bonus points for great character development. Looking forward to more books from this author.

4.5 ⭐️. This was a multi-layered murder mystery that had me completely bought in from the first page. The author does a great job of giving you breadcrumbs to follow as he slowly peels back the layers of this mystery until the end when you now can look back and see all the clues that you missed! If you like the writing style of David Ellis I really think you are going to enjoy this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback.

Mackenzie Clyde is a Silicon Valley lawyer, used to fixing things for her clients. The latest problem is the murder of a tech startup's CEO, leaving behind billions in “dead money” frozen in his will. Mackenzie’s boss was a primary investor in the company, and now wants her to help solve the crime. This leaves her helping the FBI, guiding the agent in charge through Silicon Valley. Secrets are revealed and the true stakes are discovered. But this is still an opportunity, and she's determined to come out ahead.

Dead money is a term used when a will includes a clause that nothing can be done within a company until certain conditions are met. The head of tech startup Journy is killed, and $20B cannot be divested to the proper people, including Mackenzie's boss, until his murder is solved. The local police were frozen out, so Mackenzie is sent to help the FBI agent understand the world of high finances and tech bros that they lived in. The inner circle at the company all have reason to have wanted Trevor Canon dead, as they all have the irritants and jealousies that create motive. Between all of the players involved, none were aware of the dead money clause until the murder forces his will to be read.

There is incredible tension as the two question everyone they can surrounding Trevor Canon. Financial ties, history between people, and competition in a very small playing field all provide ample motive. The pressure is on the FBI to solve this quickly and free up billions in investment money, and Mackenzie needs to prove she's worth the position she was given. We see that she grew up poor to a single mother, driven and fully aware that the rich are given different opportunities than everyone else. Tall and capable of holding her own in this world, she's still our inside look into this high stakes game of getting a bigger payday. There are several twists during the investigation, pulling suspects in and out of consideration, until the final quarter of the book when we find out exactly what happened and how. It's amazing and kept me up late to finish the story.

How long would you wait to get everything you ever wanted? How patient could you be? How tenacious do you think you are? If your one shot is only a nebulous gleam in your eye, how do you hold on?

Mackenzie Clyde didn’t come all the way from living a lonely and bullied childhood in Reno only to play tiddlywinks for some legal department in a Silicon Valley startup. She promised her mom she wouldn’t stop until she had it all. That doesn’t mean break the glass ceiling; that means invent a new one that’s better than the glass one. That means making herself feared and hated by Silicon Valley tech bros and a confidante of a powerful venture capitalist. She knows secrets, people, and money. That’s why her boss sends her in to assist the FBI with an investigation into the murder of a tech mogul who could’ve only been killed by one of the other members of his C-Suite.

Dead Money is an absolutely fantastic thriller by debut author Jakob Kerr. I would say it was the best book in my batch of ARCs that were published in January. Kerr’s breakneck pacing reminds me of Alison Gaylin a little, the fabulous twists, turns, and betrayals remind me of Robert Dugoni, and the emotional weight reminds me a bit of one of my favorite thriller writers ever, Jordan Harper.

I love a great technothriller and I love a great thriller about people who have more money than humanity. Dead Money meets somewhere in the middle of that, where the technology meets with the money and shakes hands. The problem is the money being in the hands of either the corrupt or the old, white, and privileged and the tech being in the hands of the young, naive, and hubristic. One plays the long con and the other has the attention span of a squirrel. Someone has to cover the middle ground. What does the middle ground do when no one’s looking?

I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Crime Thriller/Murder Thriller/Suspense Mystery/Suspense Thriller

What a fun book! Though a bit slow to start, this twisty mystery winds its way through the high tech scene of San Francisco. I loved all the outrageous descriptions of the perks of high tech - kombucha on tap, private Burning Man encampments, mystic retreats, company branded trail mix. Hope to read more by this author! Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book!

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

This book was more investigative and police procedural than I expected. I still found all the twist and turns intriguing and the story gets very deep and complex! It was more business/company oriented than I usually prefer but structured well. I would recommend for anyone that enjoys fiction with regard to business, money, and the mystery surrounding a death!

What I really liked about this book was the tech world where it takes place. Learning more about the nooks and crannies of the behind the scenes. I loved how the twists worked out in the end. Where I am usually able to guess the ending, I did have hints but really liked how it came about. So the plot was great!
What I felt was missing was more personality of the characters. They just seemed so one dimensional. I really didn’t like any of them, till the end. That is when I thought- “there are the personalities I’ve been waiting for”!
I also thought the background chapters of Mackenzie were way too long and didn’t necessarily contribute that much to the story other than little bits here and there. I would have loved background on Danner!

I imagine this will be a popular book and this is just my opinion. I like a little more wit and I just never laughed or chuckled at all. Not everyone cares about that and I think the plot of this book will carry it! I would read the authors next book for sure!

I really enjoyed reading this book. The twists and turns were so good and I did not realize what was happening until the very end! The writing was very well done and I though the characters were well developed.

Dead Money a twisty and challenging mystery perfect for all you armchair detectives out there!

Mackenzie is a fixer for rich tech bros. When one bro is murdered, he leaves his money tied up within his estate, possibly for years. Mackenzie works for a venture capitalist firm highly invested in the dead man’s company. With the police at a dead end, Mackenzie must step in, solve the mystery, and make a bit of money for herself.

I really loved Dead Money. It reminds me of a modern Agatha Christie fair play novel with the twists and surprises of The Da Vinci Code. It also allows you to see behind the scenes of the real Silicon Valley because the author has a history in that field. This book is highly recommended. 5 stars and a favorite!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam Books for providing me with an advanced review copy.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Dead Money by Jakob Kerr
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 416 / Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Release Date: January 28, 2025

Mackenzie Clyde is the “fixer” for the CEO of one of the biggest venture capitalist firms in Silicon Valley. Armed with her legal background, she solves problems by digging up dirt on her company’s competitors, clients, and anyone who might pose a problem. Her current problem is the murder of Trevor Canon, the CEO of the hottest startup in town. All the shares of the company’s executive team along with Mackenzie’s firm, are frozen until the murderer is found, a stipulation Canon added to his will right before he was killed.

I loved this gritty, twisty murder mystery! I especially got a kick out of the Silicon Valley tech scene that this story is based in, seeing as that’s where I live and the industry I worked in. And I loved Mackenzie. She’s a tough, smart, capable woman who doesn’t let anyone get in her way of getting things done. So good.

Thank you, @Jakob_Kerr, @PenguinRandomHouse, and @NetGalley for my gifted copy. I loved it!

I have quite mixed feelings on this one. In short, it has a slow start and a great ending.

The first half of the book was underwhelming, presenting a straightforward police procedural that was a little thin on the character development and didn't seem to have much to say for itself. Techbros are assholes? Groundbreaking. (And yes, please do read that in full Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly voice.)

Things pick up in the latter half with a number of genuinely interesting twists... but the downside? Said twists left me feeling like the first half of the book was a waste of time.

And the writing itself? The phrase "hung in the air like a fart at a funeral" is indelible, but not in a good way.

So, my conundrum. Do an exciting climax and an original explanation of what's <i>really</i> going on outweigh an uneven book? I'm not sure I have an answer.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam books for this ARC for review. Well, that was a wild ride!! This book took a minute for me to get into as it takes a couple chapters to get the set up going, but once it does—- the story takes off and this thriller has some interesting twists along the way. The best part was definitely the last 25% of the book where the story came together and then the final twists and turns hit.

“Don’t call me a fixer. This isn’t HBO.”

In her job as unofficial “problem solver” for Silicon Valley’s most ruthless venture capitalist, Mackenzie Clyde’s gotten used to playing for high stakes. Even if none of those tech-bro millions she’s so good at wrangling ever make it into her pockets. But this time, she’s in way over her head—or so it seems.

Trevor Canon, the CEO of tech’s hottest startup has just been murdered, leaving behind billions in “dead money” frozen in his will. As the company’s chief investor, Mackenzie’s boss has a fortune on the line—and with the police treading water, it’s up to Mackenzie to step up and resolve things, fast.

Except that Mackenzie’s used to being underestimated. In fact, she’s counting on it.
Because the way she sees it, this isn’t an investigation. It’s an opportunity. And she’ll do anything it takes to seize it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5)

This book was definitely a slow burn, learning the who’s who of Journy, the tech company, and all of the major players. The book takes place before and after Canon’s death, where secrets are revealed and the layers of how this death occurred are revealed.

I felt as though I was able to figure out twists pretty easily, though it still didn’t make it less shocking. Once we got to the big moment of the book, it felt like there was a large spiderweb of what’s going on and it was hard to keep up.

Over all it was a good read, but still not sure I’m 100% positive I know how everything played out.

I wasn't sure how I would feel about reaching a tech industry thriller, but this was fairly entertaining! Honestly a really well done debut novel. I found myself super hooked by the story from the start, however I feel like it was a bit longer than it needed to be, and the middle/end fell flat. There were some twists and turns but nothing that made my jaw drop, however I did really enjoy the ending! Excited to see what's next from this author!

4.5 stars. A wonderful debut! Mackenzie Clyde is an attorney-turned-investigator for a large venture capital firm in the Silicon Valley. After the CEO of one of the companies in which her firm has a very large investment is murdered, she teams up with FBI Agent Jameson Danner, the son of a powerful U.S. Senator, to discover who did it and why. The plot is a very intriguing one, filled with all sorts of things — organized crime figures, oligarchs, Russian gangsters, technology startups, etc., and has plenty of twists and turns. The storyline is well-written, and the characters, especially those of Clyde and Danner, are well-developed and interesting, so much so that I hope they are involved in the start of a new series. All in all, this was a great read.

Extremely smart story that kept me guessing until the end! The story is fast paced, easy to read. I loved the strong female representation. Even the backstories were highly engaging! I'll definitely be looking for future stories by Kerr.... I think this would make a great series. Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review. Highly recommend this thriller!

Plenty twisted and full of technical, political and personal drama, this thriller delves into financial and IT crime with a savvy protagonist and reluctant partner. I found myself skimming through the action, feeling like I’d read most of the filler of the story before, and searching for highlights. If you’re into tech and looking for a good nightstand read, this may be for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy. These opinions are my own.