Book Summary
In Dead Money, Jakob Kerr delivers a razor-sharp thriller set in the cutthroat world of Silicon Valley venture capital. When Trevor Canon, the controversial CEO of ride-share giant Journy, is murdered, billions in assets are frozen by a “dead money” clause in his will. Enter Mackenzie Clyde—a 6’2″ lawyer-turned-fixer for a ruthless VC firm—who partners with the FBI to untangle a web of suspects ranging from tech bros to corporate sharks. What begins as a whodunit evolves into a nesting doll of deception, culminating in a fiery climax at Burning Man.
Kerr’s debut crackles with insider authenticity (he was an early Airbnb employee) while subverting thriller tropes. Reviews praise its “unpredictable nesting-box of surprises” (The New York Times) and “compulsively readable” twists (Blake Crouch). Though some find the tech jargon dense early on, the payoff—a feminist revenge plot wrapped in corporate intrigue—makes this a standout for fans of Gone Girl and Succession hybrids .
Key Themes
Power & Underestimation: Mackenzie weaponizes others’ assumptions about her gender and height, embodying Kerr’s critique of Silicon Valley’s boys’ club. Flashbacks reveal how her working-class mother taught her to “flip the goddamn table” instead of begging for seats at male-dominated tables—a philosophy that drives the explosive finale .
Tech’s Dark Side: From AI ethics to VC greed, Kerr exposes how innovation thrives on exploitation. The “dead money” MacGuffin mirrors real startup culture, where wealth is often illusory until exits or IPOs. One chilling scene shows Journy’s self-driving cars being repurposed for cartel deliveries, blurring lines between disruption and criminality .
What Makes It Unique
Structure as Sleight-of-Hand: Alternating timelines—present-day investigation and Mackenzie’s past—hide clues in plain sight. Early chapters seem to follow a procedural formula, but Kerr masterfully recontextualizes every detail by the end. The Usual Suspects-style reveal left 78% of NetGalley reviewers “gasping” .
Authentic Backdrop: Unlike glossier tech thrillers, Dead Money nails Silicon Valley’s absurdity (e.g., a suspect’s NFT-funded alibi) without caricature. Burning Man’s chaotic finale—where billionaires play at radical self-reliance—becomes a perfect metaphor for the industry’s hypocrisy .
Reader Reactions
Early readers call Mackenzie “the most interesting thriller protagonist in years” (Kirkus, starred review). Many highlight her morally gray agency: “She’s not fighting for a seat at the table—she’s building her own damn table… with explosives” (Goodreads). Some critique uneven pacing in mid-chapters, but agree the “final 50 pages are worth every slow burn”.
Book clubs debate the ending’s ambiguity: Justice was served… sort of,
notes reviewer Alaina M., while others demand a sequel. The audiobook (narrated by Rachel Music) earns praise for amplifying Mackenzie’s dry humor—especially her takedowns of “VC Gandalfs” who think they’re tech’s messiahs .
About the Author
Jakob Kerr spent a decade at Airbnb, scaling it from startup to global brand—an experience that fuels Dead Money‘s boardroom verisimilitude. A former lawyer and sportswriter, he’s also (briefly) driven an ice cream truck, a disaster he promises to fictionalize someday. Now based in the Pacific Northwest, Kerr cites The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Michael Crichton as influences .
His insider status shows in details like the “dead money” clause (a real VC term for frozen assets) and Journy’s growth-hacking antics. Kerr told Mystery & Suspense Magazine the novel was inspired by seeing founders “play God with other people’s lives”—a theme Mackenzie turns against her targets .
Memorable Quotes
“Men never have to make those choices. They cruise right through the system because they’re the ones that built it. We shouldn’t be fighting for a seat at their table. We should be flipping the goddamn thing over.”
“In Silicon Valley, there are three ways to deal with a rich asshole: outthink them, outlast them, or become them. I’d rather set the whole circus on fire.”