Dead Money

By Jakob Kerr

Book Overview

"A gripping thriller that pulls back the curtain on the secret world of tech billionaires."--Time (100 Must-Read Books of 2025)

"A stone-cold banger of a novel--a twisty journey through Silicon Valley's dark side, wrapped in a stunning mystery package with some wild surprises along the way."--Blake Crouch, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter

A WASHINGTON POST AND CRIMEREADS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

DON'T CALL ME A FIXER. THIS ISN'T HBO.

As the unofficial "problem solver" for Silicon Valley's most ruthless venture capitalist, Mackenzie Clyde's an expert at wrangling tech bros and their multimillions--even as her own shot at a windfall remains just out of reach.

But now she's playing for higher stakes. Because the lightning-rod CEO of tech's hottest startup has just been murdered, leaving behind billions in "dead money" frozen in his will--and Mackenzie's boss is the company's chief investor.

With a fortune on the line and the official investigation going nowhere, it's up to Mackenzie to step in and resolve things, fast.

Mackenzie's a lawyer, not a detective. Cracking this fiendishly clever killing, with its list of suspects that reads like a who's-who of Valley power players, should be way out of her league.

Except Mackenzie's used to being underestimated. In fact, she's counting on it.

"Terrific . . . filled with jaw-dropping twists and turns . . . an unpredictable nesting-box of surprises."--The New York Times Book Review (Best Thrillers of the Year So Far)

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593726707
• ISBN13: 9780593726709
• Release Date: January 2025
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Twisty techno thriller!

I was a bit hesitant to read this book because I don't usually read techno financial thrillers. However, once I started, I was immediately hooked! From the murder of Trevor at the beginning and then the introduction to Mackenzie Clyde (unofficial problem solver for tech giant Roger at Hammersmith Venture) and how skillfully she can cut though issues to the solution, it was so much fun to go along with her and the FBI to solve Trevor's murder. This was such an original and twisty thriller that I did not guess all the twists and definitely followed a few red herrings before all was revealed. It wasn't too financial but had some interesting things that I did not know about, mainly the "Dead Money" clause that can be put in wills. While Mackenzie is the main character, the other people are fascinating too, mostly with being rich, running multimillionaire businesses, acting like they are above the law, and that it is fun to see how Mackenzie works around them, changing the court around till she is the one in charge and getting answers to the mystery that way. This was a fabulously fun read and an amazing debut! So many great twists and how the whole thing turns out is so sweet! I look forward to seeing what else this author comes up with, especially if it is another winner like this book!

Unforgettable Thriller

I devoured this - easy 5 ⭐️ Very smart with great pacing, and the average reader could understand what was happening. Would absolutely read this author’s future books.