Dead Money

WINNER OF THE EDGAR AWARD • “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

Jakob Kerr is a lawyer and communications executive working in the tech industry. He was one of the first employees at Airbnb and spent over a decade shepherding the company from tiny startup to global phenomenon. He has also been a bartender, sportswriter, and—for one disastrous afternoon—the driver of an ice cream truck. After fifteen years in San Francisco, he recently returned to his native Pacific Northwest, where he now lives with his wife and children. Dead Money is his first novel.