The three stories are very realistic and well-written accounts of how three people with different backgrounds deal with their struggles in life. Be it financial, healthwise, or purposewise. They’re stories of transformation. The content is interesting and the writing skills of Srinath Adiga are good. Despite all that, it took me a long time to finish the book.

This is partly because there was no surprising turn of events (to me). Dead Money reads like a case study. So while I greatly appreciate the character building, the setting, and the Afterlife Dollars concept with all of its consequences, I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I expected. I’d almost say it reads like a non-fiction book illustrating the rise and downfall of an economic asset and the industry surrounding it. The consequences of the Afterlife Dollars economy as a whole are more interesting than the stories of the narrators. 

So yes, it is a truly interesting book to read, but not the most exciting. I do feel limited by the star rating system. I would give 3 stars for the enjoyable read and 5 stars for engaging my mind (as you can see from the length of this review). Still, I rounded my rating down to three stars because I find the first one more important for fiction books.

The main reason for my lesser reading experience is that the middle part is less interesting and hardly moves the plot forward. On the other hand, the first part reads like a thriller and I was curious where the third part would take me (a somewhat hasty dystopian ending apparently).

Regardless of the above: Dead Money leaves me intrigued and makes me think about my choices in life and how my choices influence the world. While I would never want to do something like Raymond, I do feel inspired to identify emerging industries and take part in their growth.