Dead Money

A Novel

By: Jakob Kerr

Narrated by: Rachel Music

“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

EDGAR AWARD NOMINEE • 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

Tech crime mystery

Great read! Intriguing tech details. Excellent character development. Enough misdirection to make the reader work for the ending.

I hope to read more from this author!

Phenomenally written /organized Mystery!

This book was a delight! The organization kept you in suspense & then revealed all. Each character was incredibly well developed & realistic. I found myself see so many instances of literary quality. This would be an outstanding, engaging book club selection. Vocabulary, knowledge of tech industry, knowledge of psychology were beguiling.
I read this book because Hanna’s dad recommended it. I remain in awe of style & mystery. Great work! I am looking forward to number two.

I so wish that he chose a different name for one of the characters

There is a character in this story they talk about the character by his last name a lot. The character’s last name is Yu. It drove me nuts, listening to them talk about him. “Do you know where Yu is?” “You haven’t found Yu yet?” “Neither have you.”
There are so many other names that he could’ve chosen that would not have reminded me of the vaudeville skit: “Who’s on first?”

Character voices are unbearable

It’s almost impossible to rate the actual book because the narrator’s character voices are so affected. It’s really a shame because her regular voice isn’t bad. I am about to give up on the novel because of this.

Too complex

The overall story was well written and the narration was excellent. And, the characters were all well developed.
The plot, however, was convoluted, and I found it confusing.