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“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)
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"In Dead Money, Jakob Kerr has written a riveting account not just of a brutal murder at the nation’s hottest start-up, but of an entire industry that has taken over our culture and our country. As we follow Mackenzie Clyde through Silicon Valley's ‘parade of expensive labels and exposed ankles,’ we see its ambitions, its pretentions, its corruptions, while also getting a tour of Mackenzie’s own motives for joining that world and the price she’s paid for her success. Dead Money is a novel that works on so many levels and the key to everything, as always, is the mother."
— William Lashner, New York Times bestselling author of Freedom Road
A must-read thriller set in the world of high tech’s billionaires.
— Phillip Margolin, New York Times bestselling author of An Insignificant CaseWith Dead Money, Jakob Kerr has penned a stone-cold banger of a novel—a twisty journey through Silicon Valley’s dark side, all wrapped in a stunning mystery package with some wild surprises along the way. Compulsively readable.
— Blake Crouch, New York Times bestselling author of Dark MatterWith Dead Money, Jakob Kerr has penned a stone-cold banger of a novel—a twisty journey through Silicon Valley’s dark side, all wrapped in a stunning mystery package with some wild surprises along the way. . . . Compulsively readable.
— Blake Crouch, New York Times bestselling author of Dark MatterA bold debut of Silicon Valley’s billions, greed, and betrayal. Jakob Kerr’s Dead Money is compulsively readable, twisty and unpredictable. The ending made me gasp.
— Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite series.Reverse, reveal, surprise is my recipe for a great thriller, and it's one that Jakob Kerr has mastered in Dead Money, a terrific first novel that constantly surprises. Mackenzie Clyde is a memorable protagonist who gives us a keen, unvarnished window into the cutthroat world of high-tech finance. I hope we see her again.
— Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of The Oligarch's DaughterA bold debut of Silicon Valley’s billions, greed, and betrayal, Jakob Kerr’s Dead Money is compulsively readable, twisty and unpredictable. The ending made me gasp.
— Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite seriesIn Dead Money, Kerr has written a riveting account not just of a brutal murder at the nation’s hottest startup, but of an entire industry that has taken over our culture and our country. As we follow Mackenzie Clyde through Silicon Valley’s ‘parade of expensive labels and exposed ankles,’ we see its ambitions, its pretentions, and its corruptions, while also getting a tour of Mackenzie’s own motives for joining that world and the price she’s paid for her success. Dead Money is a novel that works on so many levels, and the key to everything, as always, is the mother.
— William Lashner, New York Times bestselling author of Freedom RoadReverse, reveal, surprise is my recipe for a great thriller, and it’s one that Kerr has mastered in Dead Money, a terrific first novel that constantly surprises. Mackenzie Clyde is a memorable protagonist who gives us a keen, unvarnished window into the cutthroat world of high-tech finance. I hope we see her again.
— Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of The Oligarch’s DaughterIn Dead Money, Kerr has written a riveting account not just of a brutal murder at the nation’s hottest startup, but of an entire industry that has taken over our culture and our country. As we follow Mackenzie Clyde through Silicon Valley’s ‘parade of expensive labels and exposed ankles,’ we see its ambitions, its pretentions, and its corruptions, while also getting a tour of Mackenzie’s own motives for joining that world and the price she’s paid for her success.
— William Lashner, New York Times bestselling author of Freedom RoadA must-read thriller set in the world of hi-tech’s billionaires that features great characters, twists and turns galore and a very satisfying surprise ending.
— Phillip Margolin, New York Times bestselling author of An Insignificant CaseA propulsive tale that brings together a skillfully constructed mystery and an instantly compelling heroine as it delves into the weird and wild world of the tech industry. It had me hooked from start to thrilling finish.
— Kate Alice Marshall, national bestselling author of What Lies in the WoodsA very fine modern murder mystery. Just don’t be sure you understood the first page until you’ve read the last one.
— Thomas Perry, New York Times bestselling author of The Old ManDead Money is more than a tight and twisty tale of greed, ambition, and murder. It’s also a deep dive into the dark heart of Silicon Valley’s tech culture, with an undercurrent of rage that powers the book to the final spectacular twist. If you’ve ever dreamed of murdering a tech billionaire—or if you simply love a good story—Dead Money is for you.
— Nick Petrie, author of The Price You PayA must-read thriller set in the world of high-tech’s billionaires that features great characters, twists and turns galore, and a very satisfying surprise ending.
— Phillip Margolin, New York Times bestselling author of An Insignificant CaseA very fine modern murder mystery . . . Just don’t be sure you understood the first page until you’ve read the last one.
— Thomas Perry, New York Times bestselling author of The Old ManDead Money is more than a tight and twisty tale of greed, ambition, and murder. It’s also a deep dive into the dark heart of Silicon Valley’s tech culture, with an undercurrent of rage that powers the book to the final spectacular twist. If you’ve ever dreamed of murdering a tech billionaire—or if you simply love a good story—Dead Money is for you.
— Nick Petrie, author of The Price You PayA propulsive tale that brings together a skillfully constructed mystery and an instantly compelling heroine as it delves into the weird and wild world of the tech industry. It had me hooked from start to thrilling finish.
— Kate Alice Marshall, national bestselling author of What Lies in the WoodsA must-read thriller set in the world of high tech’s billionaires.
— Phillip Margolin, New York Times bestselling author of An Insignificant CaseReverse, reveal, surprise is my recipe for a great thriller, and it’s one that Jakob Kerr has mastered in Dead Money, a terrific first novel that constantly surprises.
— Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of The Oligarch’s DaughterCompulsively readable, twisty, and unpredictable . . . The ending made me gasp.
— Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite series.A fine modern murder mystery. Just don’t be sure you understood the first page until you’ve read the last one.
— Thomas Perry, New York Times bestselling author of The Old ManA novel that works on so many levels, and the key to everything, as always, is the mother.
— William Lashner, New York Times bestselling author of Freedom RoadIf you’ve ever dreamed of murdering a tech billionaire—or if you simply love a good story—Dead Money is for you.
— Nick Petrie, author of The Price You PayKerr’s twisty, propulsive debut explores Silicon Valley’s dark side through the eyes of a wily outsider heroine. . . . Kerr has created one of the most memorable female thriller protagonists in recent years.
— Kirkus Reviews, starred reviewImpressively unpredictable . . . After setting the stage for a standard, albeit glitzy, murder mystery, Kerr takes the narrative on a series of hairpin turns before arriving at a jaw-dropping finale. This marks the arrival of a formidable new talent.
— Publishers Weekly, starred reviewKerr’s terrific debut . . . appears to be a traditional whodunit but is really an unpredictable nesting-box of surprises. Kerr, who worked at Airbnb for a decade, brings an insider’s knowledge and a satirist’s sensibility to the vanities and delusions of Silicon Valley . . . Mackenzie—6-foot-2, full of secrets, constantly underestimated—is the most interesting character of all.
— The New York Times Book ReviewFascinating, dark, and full of surprises . . . a twisty, fast-paced, and engrossing look at the world of venture capitalists and the tech industry.
— Mystery & Suspense MagazineA fast-paced dissection of modern tech culture and a genuinely thrilling page-turner.
— CrimeReadsWith Dead Money, Jakob Kerr has penned a stone-cold banger of a novel—a twisty journey through Silicon Valley’s dark side, all wrapped in a stunning mystery package with some wild surprises along the way. . . . Compulsively readable.
— Blake Crouch, New York Times bestselling author of Dark MatterKerr’s twisty, propulsive debut explores Silicon Valley’s dark side through the eyes of a wily outsider heroine. . . . Kerr has created one of the most memorable female thriller protagonists in recent years.
— Kirkus Reviews, starred reviewA propulsive tale that brings together a skillfully constructed mystery and an instantly compelling heroine as it delves into the weird and wild world of the tech industry. It had me hooked from start to thrilling finish.
— Kate Alice Marshall, national bestselling author of What Lies in the WoodsImpressively unpredictable.
— Publishers Weekly, starred reviewA fine modern murder mystery. Just don’t be sure you understood the first page until you’ve read the last one.
— Thomas Perry, New York Times bestselling author of The Old ManA novel that works on so many levels, and the key to everything, as always, is the mother.
— William Lashner, New York Times bestselling author of Freedom RoadIf you’ve ever dreamed of murdering a tech billionaire—or if you simply love a good story—Dead Money is for you.
— Nick Petrie, author of The Price You PayA glamorous, galling and sometimes humorous . . . exploration of high-stakes finance.
— BookPage[Jakob] Kerr’s terrific debut . . . appears to be a traditional whodunit but is really an unpredictable nesting-box of surprises. Kerr, who worked at Airbnb for a decade, brings an insider’s knowledge and a satirist’s sensibility to the vanities and delusions of Silicon Valley . . . Mackenzie—6-foot-2, full of secrets, constantly underestimated—is the most interesting character of all.
— The New York Times Book ReviewBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!