Dead Money

What a twisty and twisted thriller! Jakob Kerr’s debut novel Dead Money is fascinating, dark, and full of surprises. Mackenzie Clyde is the Director of Investigations for Hammersmith Venture. Her unofficial job is as a problem solver for the ruthless venture capitalist Roger Hammersmith. When the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of tech’s hottest startup, Trevor Canon, is found murdered and the San Francisco police are making no progress, Roger wants Mackenzie to resolve things.

Unfortunately for Roger (and others), Trevor made some changes recently resulting in leaving behind billions in dead money frozen in his will. Roger has a fortune on the line. While Mackenzie is not a homicide detective, Roger manages to get her attached to the Federal Bureau of Investigation task force when they take over the case. While this sounds unlikely, all will be revealed in time.

Mackenzie is a lawyer and a problem solver who is confident and logical. She uses flattery as a weapon, but it doesn’t come easily. When that doesn’t work, she goes to her reserve skillsets. The other characters have depth as well and readers learn more about them throughout the novel.

It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel. The intricacies in the plot and the twists are fascinating. The novel starts 22 days after Trevor Canon’s murder, and occasionally goes back and forth in time. While this isn’t my favorite style of writing, it allows readers to gain more background on some of the characters and starts to set the stage for some of the twists in the plot.

I was intrigued by the characters, the technology start-up world, and the look at venture capitalists. As the investigation unfolds, additional motives and opportunities for the murder are discovered. The author does a great job on characterization and plotting, but I wanted a little more world-building to make it seem like San Francisco. There were also a few minor inconsistencies that could be cleaned up, but didn’t adversely affect the story for me. What an ending! While there are hints as a reader gets closer to the end, there are still some surprises along the way.

Overall, this was a twisty, fast-paced, and engrossing look at the world of venture capitalists and the tech industry mixed with a murder investigation. It was fascinating to watch the story unfold and see the secrets that are revealed. The ending was a wake-up call that makes you wonder what’s next. Will this become a series? It has the potential.

Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine – Bantam and Jakob Kerr provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for January 28, 2025.