Dead Money by Jakob Kerr is a razor-sharp debut that dives into the dark undercurrents of ambition, addiction, and the illusion of control. Set in the high-stakes world of underground poker and drifting masculinity, it follows a young man as he chases risk, meaning, and a fast buck through a landscape littered with debt and deceit. With taut prose and brutal clarity, Kerr maps the psychology of losing—money, time, and ultimately, oneself. This is a novel about what we gamble when we think we’re in the game, and what’s left when the chips are gone.
