This book was an unexpected treat in every chapter. The ‘silicon valley’ settings are well written
and for people with ties to the area, it’s a fun ride through the sites and sounds of the incredibly
inventive and solidly described back stabbingly brilliant crimes that you will not believe even
when you’re right there as you read what has been taking place. I was surprised to finish the
book in just two days because I just could not put it down, I hope this might be the start of
a series because the characters who survived are poised to return with more
stories in the world of Venture Capital within the confines of the technology sector.
My thanks to Bantam Publishing via Netagalley for the download of
the book for review purposes.

This debut novel features a multi-faceted story of murder, lies, and high-stakes corporate espionage.

Mackenzie Clyde is a lawyer and private liaison for venture capitalist Roger Hammersmith. Her boss requests her unique skills in helping to unravel the details surrounding the murder of Trevor Canon. Trevor was the founder and CEO of a startup company that went viral, amassing a fortune that is now frozen in the grips of a clause recently added to his will.

Despite the easy-to-guess twists in the investigation . . . this narrative is well-paced and entertaining. I recommend this book to those who enjoy police procedurals and the ruthless intricacies facing the corporate world of technology and industry.

I thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Dead Money for my unbiased evaluation.  3.5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc! This was a good debut, kept my attention, and makes me interested to see what the author does next. It had some flaws typical of first attempts (people were constantly referred to by their first name and never “she said” or “he did” which feels unnatural to read), etc. but overall good!

Highly entertaining and quick, this book kept me engaged from the start. “Dead money” can mean a few things but in this case, it was about a provision from a CEO’s will if he died. When he was found dead in his office, it started a chain of events with an invigorating criminal investigation.

Money was a big focus as it was noted that everything in society is driven by wealth. Rooms interiors were top of the line in San Francisco homes and work places. The author even said that rich neighbors objected to noisy trash pick-ups early in the morning. I remember a woman in an affluent DC area complaining when she heard workers at 8:30 a.m.

The characters were described pretty well and the story was easy to follow. This book gave readers a good clue where technology may be headed these days and what programs are catching the billionaire’s support in Silicon Valley.

We all think hard work gets you places but a leading character wasn’t convinced. This story was cleverly written and kept me wondering how it was going to end. I had a few thoughts but I was wrong and surprised with an unexpected twist. This would be great as a Netflix series.

My thanks to Bantam Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of January 28, 2025.

I’m surprised how much I enjoyed this book.

This twisty mystery kept me guessing and had a few surprises in the wings. The dual timelines worked perfectly to deliver the tidbits at the appropriate times, and also drove the fast pacing.

The action toward the end was exciting and fun; it also drove the faster pacing.

This book had a solid plot with interesting characters.

This book might appeal to readers of Freida McFadden, Nita Prose, and Gillian McAllister.

While this story is a little bit far fetched - why would a venture capital lawyer collaborate with the FBI for a murder investigation? - the book shows a lot of the intricacies of startups, with their weird and interesting founders and directors. It is, at the end, a murder investigation, that will for sure leave you wondering who did it, even after the truth is unveiled.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Dead Money.

The premise was intriguing and though I don't care about the tech industry and the bros who run it, the narrative quickly drew me in.

Mackenzie Clyde is a fixer who has worked her way from humble beginnings to the top as the right hand woman to a ruthless venture capitalist.

When the founder of a hot start-up is murdered, Mackenzie works alongside the federal agent investigating the death. She soon discovers the feds aren't being honest with her, but then neither is she.

I liked the police procedural aspects of the narrative as Clyde and the federal agent speak to witnesses and colleagues.

The flashbacks provided context and insight into Mackenzie's motives and ambitions, which I guessed early from the start.

I did find the narrative toward the end dragged on and the suspense and urgency suffered.

I also got annoyed and bored of everyone describing the dead CEO and Yoo as geniuses, brilliant, etc.

I matched Mackenzie when it came to rolling my eyes.

I did like Mackenzie and her mom, and the writing style and tone.

I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Mackenzie is a young woman who has clawed her way to the top and is now the lead investigative lawyer for a very rich VC. She fixes his problems, investigates possible ventures and makes sure they have all the dirt on the people they’ll be investing in. When one of their clients is murdered she is placed with the FBI’s investigation team to liaise and help solve the murder as quickly as possible. What follows is a cat and mouse game full of twists and turns that will leave the reader trying to figure out who to trust.

A highly engaging Silicon Valley murder mystery with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, all while peeking into the innerworkings of the tech industry.

Mackenzie Clyde is investigating the death of tech CEO Trevor Cannon. His assets were in some sort of agreement that, if anything happened to him, the assets would be frozen, becoming dead money This is where the title of Dead Money comes from. Clyde is not really a detective, but a lawyer and the personal employee of tech mogul Roger Hammersmith. He has an interest since his investments are tied up with the dead money left behind by the murder victim. So, Clyde is sent to investigate and represent her boss' interests.

The book takes the reader through the world of Silicon Valley and its tech companies. There is a ruthless element there. The reader gets good insight into the character of Mackenzie Clyde through flashbacks that show her growth and development and how she got where she is. The characters even visit the Burning Man festival. It was interesting seeing this event through their eyes. The plot has plenty of exciting twists and turns. I thought the ending was well done too.

This is a great novel of suspense, mystery, intrigue, and I enjoyed reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Mackenzie is a lawyer/nvestigator who reports directly to Roger Hammersmith, the president of a venture capitalist
firm. When the CEO of a startup firm is murdered, Mackenzie is sent in by her boss to work with the FBI in
exposing the murderer. Mackenzie is under pressure to produce results as the firm as over $5 billion dollars
invested in the startup. When it is determined that one of the executives is most lkely the killer, the chase is
on to reveal who and why. Mackenzie's backstory is also revealed. Engrossing fast paced thriller.
#DeadMoney #Random House #Ballantine

I enjoyed this book, is creation of characters, and the plot twists. A great vacation read, definitely keeping you on the edge of your seat.

Dead Money follows Mackenzie Clyde as she assists the FBI in investigating the murder of a Silicon Valley tech genius/CEO, Trevor Cannon. Prior to his death Trevor changed his will to lock his assets in a "dead money" clause, and appeared to have been hiding something important to cause his paranoia. The twists and turns of this story were enjoyable all throughout. The author skillfully alternated between the present timeline, and various points in Mackenzie's life leading up to her becoming an investigator for an important venture capital firm that financed Trevor Cannon's tech company. Not everyone's motivations are clear, and the twists and turns kept me invested in this book from start to finish. I could see where the author was leading us with the ending, but the way he wove it all together didn't make it an obvious conclusion by any means, which made it all the more enjoyable for me to read.
Thank you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

rating: 4.25 out of 5

Overall, this was a pretty good read. It reminded me of a John Grisham book like “The Firm.” Both were high stakes reads with plenty of murder and intrigue. I did like the different timelines that we had and it was a great tease in building the story for the reader.

Murder in Silicon Valley. As competitive as it is, not surprising. But the reasons will shock you.

If I hadn't just finished watching Silicon Valley for the first time, I probably would have given up in this book. It was a lot of things I just learned , so it was engaging. I like the female characters the most in the book. Didn't always love ALL the dialog that just was never ending, but I did like the multiple times.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel. This was fantastic. One of the best thrillers I've read all year. It is an inside job heist tale in Silicon Valley that keeps you guessing until the end. The author is clearly a tech insider because the atmosphere and the mechanics and the characters ring true. I was glued to the pages until it was over. It reminded me of Ocean's Eleven except that the cards are definitely not on the table in this one.

I support women's rights and women's wrongs in a protagonist and the main character of this story scratched that itch. It was a fun ride, a book with a lot of specificity about the tech world the author once worked on without bogging it down by too much technical jargon. The chapters interweaving moments in the past first may feel extraneous but they pay off for the plotting, with a resolution that is hinted at throughout to pick up on — which I appreciate a lot in how an author takes a reader through it instead of adding an out of left field twist.
If I had to mention a gripe, I'd say maybe there is too much detail (especially for the first half when laying out the suspects and notably when painting the picture of how Burning Man is usually organized), but the second half has pretty great pacing and the epilogue nailed it for me.

Thanks to Bantam Books/PRH and netgalley for the opportunity to read this before release in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. It was everything that I look for in a thriller, and I had so much fun with it. I love tech thrillers, and this one delivered for me. The writing was so well done in this book. I was hooked right from the beginning and stayed engaged the entire time. The pacing is incredibly quick, and you won’t feel like you’ve read over 400 pages by the time you’re done, or at least I didn’t because it felt like it was over in the blink of an eye. To me this book wasn’t about not being able to guess who committed the crime, it was more about the journey and the twists along the way, and it was great. There was a lot going on and a lot of moving pieces. As the author meticulously crafted their tale, things started to click and fall into place, and then the twists started happening. The final scenes were great, and I didn’t see everything coming, so while I think you will figure some of this book out, there is plenty to leave you guessing and waiting to figure out.

I didn’t realize until after I was done that this is a debut novel for this author, they are going places.

I highly recommend this one to those who love thrillers about tech, or who just love fast paced thrillers.

So good! This takes place in Silicon Valley, and surrounds tech billionaires. There is a murder in the lose, but those with money have all of the power.