4.5 stars
"You only get one life. So get the hell on with it."

This was a great debut novel!
I always want to like murder mysteries, but they always fall flat for me, without fail. They tend to be too corny, too cringy, or too unbelievable.
So this one surprised me; it had a good amount of suspense, action, and mystery. Despite having a handful of theories, I never had a solid guess on where the story was headed.
Silicon Valley, startups, venture capital. It was modern and relevant and kept me on my toes. An easy read... although I did need to lookup how to pronounce apoplectic lol.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

“Dead Money” by Jakob Kerr is a mystery filled with conspiracy, lies and many layers of deception. It takes place in the high stakes world of tech and AI. The story revolves around a female fixer whose boss was brutally murdered in his office. She becomes embroiled in the investigation along with the FBI and the ruthless bad actors in venture capital and high stakes investments. I recommend this debut novel to everyone who is interest in the technology industry and is looking for a fresh twist in the mystery genre.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"Dead Money" by Jakob Kerr is an impressive debut that immerses readers in the cutthroat world of Silicon Valley. McKenzie Clyde, a fixer for venture capitalists, teams up with FBI Agent Jameson Danner to unravel the mystery behind the murder of a tech startup CEO. The novel is packed with twists and turns, keeping readers guessing until the very end. Kerr's writing is fast-paced and engaging, and the complex, layered plot is filled with conspiracies and surprises. The strong, underestimated female protagonist adds depth to this smart and thrilling story, making it a highly recommended read for fans of technological thrillers and mysteries.

For a debut book, “Dead Money” by Jakob Kerr was quite good. McKenzie Clyde is a fixer for Venture Capitalist in Silicon Valley. When her boss asks her to “investigate” a murder of the CEO of a tech startup, she joins forces with Agent Danner with the FBI.
This novel has lots of smart twist and turns. Am looking forward to the author’s next book…

Dead Money is an engaging murder mystery with Silicon Valley startups, financial puzzles, blood money and a shady underworld. The story contains plots within plots and keeps you guessing until he end.

Friendly advice: do not start this book if you already have plans for the day. I would completely say wait till Friday after work and make sure you do not care about the next day. This is a nonstop thriller about a woman who is considered a problem solver. She is able to investigate information and use her talent of being underestimated. We start off with the challenge of how the body was found, which highlights that the murder was more on track with an Agatha Christie vibe. This is not a simple cozy mystery or anything with very warm characters. This is however a fast-paced thriller using FBI and her to solve the crime. The problem then starts to look in her direction and she has to worry about more than just helping her boss. Every detail really fits well with the next and it was nice to see the characters train of thoughts.

Notes:
It is about a tech company so there will be information about that
It can become a bit dry at times with the wealth of information, but it is still amazing

"Dead Money" has a little bit of everything -- tech startups, venture capitalists, ride sharing/ride hailing apps, money laundering, Russian organized crime and oligarchs, enforcers, murder, the FBI, greed, hubris, tenacious investigators, an overabundance of egos, generative AI, conspiracies, lies, underestimated female characters, etc. Journy, the tech startup in question, has been wildly successful so far but is it sustainable, especially after one of the founders and CEO is murdered in his office.

The story was more complex and convoluted than I expected, with conspiracies inside of conspiracies, and some good surprises as to who knew what and when, and how they capitalized on the knowledge for personal and/or professional gain.

What an interesting first novel for the author! It was very well written overall and kept my interest throughout the whole book. I will say, getting towards the end, I got a little restless with Mackenzie at the outdoor event looking for Stanley. I loved the ending though & how much of a bad as* Mackenzie is. I love when women are written as ruthless.

Here’s the review I wrote on Goodreads:

I can say is what a ride for a debut novel - The CEO of a tech company is murdered & an investigator for the company that funded them is tasked to work with the FBI. The twists and turns throughout the book were definitely good. I can honestly say I saw the end coming, but it was still a good story overall.

WHAT A RIDE!!!!! This was fantastic. I really enjoyed reading it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

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!

Review of Uncorrected eBook File

Tony’s work at Journy’s offices was explicit, and he handled it exactly as was expected of him . . . and then he found the body of Trevor Canon.

Who killed Journy’s founder and CEO? And why?

That’s precisely what lawyer Mackenzie Clyde intends to find out. As a problem-solver for Roger Hammersmith, she’s used to high stakes. Then FBI Agent Jameson Danner becomes part of the investigation, and Mackenzie seems to be in over her head.

But Mackenzie is used to being underestimated . . . and she sees an impossible-to-ignore opportunity.

=========

From the outset, the fast pace of this high-stakes adventure is a relentless thrill ride hurtling the narrative forward and keeping readers on the edge of their seats. The plot is complex, filled with intrigue and surprises. Strong, believable characters . . . with close-held secrets . . . populate this tale of the high-tech world of the Silicon Valley and the cutthroat offices of the rich and powerful.

The unfolding narrative slowly peels away the layers of secrets, lies, and conspiracies with its unexpected, mind-boggling revelations. The corporate technology twist keeps the mystery feeling fresh; this electrifying tale is both compelling and unputdownable.

Readers who enjoy technological thrillers or mysteries will find much to appreciate here. as it races toward a denouement the reader simply won’t see coming.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine / Bantam and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
#DeadMoney #NetGalley

Mackenzie Clyde makes an interesting lead character as she plays multiple roles in Dead money, a debut novel by Jakob Kerr. It centers around a murder of a tech tycoon, and there is plenty of insight into tech life. What grabbed me the most though were the scenes at the Burning Man festival in the desert. I have never attended, so I enjoyed the peek at that scene as background to solving the case.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Great mystery and really liked the characters/setting. For the most part I could not guess the outcome until close to the end of the book. I recommend this book!

Thanks for the ARC Random House and NetGalley! Dead Money was great. I didn't know anything about it or Jakob Kerr going in, but it's the best book I've read so far this year. Will definitely keep an eye out for more books by Jakob.

Wow, just wow. All I kept thinking about as I read this book was how it’s going to be made into a movie. Better than The Firm.
Startup tech and venture capital. Murder and Russian Oligarchs. All this combined with a strong lead character and twists and turns makes Dead Money the best book I’ve read in 2024.

Thanks to the publisher for early access to this book, which is certain to do well in bookstores. It was very well plotted with enough twists to keep the seasoned thriller-lover on the edge of their seat. I enjoyed the setting in SF's burgeoning tech-startup/VC industry.

Wow what a Journy! Really good book with lots of excellent twists and turns. There were several times throughout that I thought I had it and just was 100% wrong. I liked that the book kept you guessing but also kept the story moving forward without a lot of fluff. Really entertaining from start the finish.

Thanks to NetGalley, Jakob Kerr, and Bantam for providing me an advanced reading copy.

In this twisty and sharply observed debut mystery, Mackenzie Clyde, problem-solver extraordinaire, finds herself embroiled in a high-stakes case.
Kerr’s writing captures the frenetic energy of the tech world, and the pacing keeps you turning pages. The characters are intriguing, and the plot twists are satisfyingly unexpected. The overall experience is a thrilling ride through the cutthroat world of venture capital and corporate intrigue.
If you’re a fan of tech thrillers with a Silicon Valley backdrop, “Dead Money” is worth adding to your reading list. Just be prepared for a rollercoaster of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One of the best debut novels I’ve read in years. A great caper thriller.
I thought I’d solved the murder when (spoiler) the Russian oligarchs showed up, but I was way behind the author’s plot twists. I especially appreciated the flashbacks to explain Mackenzie’s character.

A non-stop thrill ride that keeps you on the edge of your seat. This was my first experience with the author and I will be looking forward to future works.