Dot Dead (The Silicon Valley Mysteries) [Paperback]

Keith Raffel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 8, 2006 | Series: The Silicon Valley Mysteries (Book 1)

When Ian Michaels, a Silicon Valley hotshot, discovers a young, beautiful woman stabbed to death in his house, it takes him a moment to realize that the still-warm corpse is his maid. Far from the gray-haired, cookie-baking grandmother he imagined her to be, Gwendolyn was a stranger to Ian, but her family, old boyfriend, and the Palo Alto police seem to think they were a couple. And despite his best efforts to prove otherwise, the evidence against Ian is growing. It looks like someone is framing Ian for murder, but who?

An executive at a tech firm, Ian is anxious to prove his innocence to his boss and mentor Paul Berk, a Silicon Valley legend. As the investigation heats up so does Ian's interest in Gwendolyn's sister, but can she be trusted?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...A fast-paced, truly witty mystery set in the maze and madness of Silicon Valley. ...A fun read." -- Stuart M. Kaminsky, Grand Master Award-winning mystery author

"...A spellbinding novel, with a protagonist you won't want to leave...." -- Who-Dunnit.com

"Keith Raffel, an entrepreneur who sold his CRM firm, UpShot, to Siebel Systems... publishes a surprisingly entertaining whodunit." -- Inc. magazine

"Raffel, founder of a software company, has written a well-plotted mystery with... action and plot twists... You can't go wrong." -- Library Journal, July 1, 2006

"The breakneck pace, intriguing characters, and snappy dialogue of the Silicon Valley world... hooked me." -- Cara Black, author of Murder in Montmartre and many other mystery titles

"This book is a pleasure, and especially fun to read about Palo Alto from a person who grew up there." -- San Jose Mercury, August 6, 2006

About the Author

Keith Raffel is the author of Dot Dead and Smasher. As counsel to the Senate Intelligence Committee, Keith Raffel held a top secret clearance to watch over CIA activities.  As a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, he founded UpShot Corporation, the award-winning Internet software company, and sold it to Siebel Systems.  He has also been a carpenter, college writing instructor, candidate for elective office, and professional gambler. These days he stays busy writing his mysteries and thrillers in his hometown of Palo Alto, California where he lives with his wife and four children.  Check the latest news at www.keithraffel.com.

Click here to watch Keith Raffel discuss his book Dot Dead: A Silicon Valley Mystery as a part of the Authors@Google series. This event took place on July 24, 2007 at Google headquarters in Mountain View, CA.

Watch Keith's interview on Press:Here.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: MIDNIGHT INK; Second printing edition (July 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 073870833X
• ISBN-13: 978-0738708331
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,254,493 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

As counsel to the Senate Intelligence Committee, Keith Raffel held a top secret clearance to watch over CIA activities. As a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, he founded UpShot Corporation, the award-winning Internet software company, and sold it to Siebel Systems. Keith has also been a carpenter, college instructor, candidate for elective office, and professional gambler. These days he stays busy writing his mysteries and thrillers in his hometown of Palo Alto where he lives with his wife and four children. Check the latest news at www.keithraffel.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really Kept My Interest, November 9, 2006

By 

Teresa M. Mckinsey (TM from PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dot Dead (The Silicon Valley Mysteries) (Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Having grown up in Palo Alto, I recognized so many places mentioned in it. It also brought back memories of my younger years when they were mentioning the "Palo Alto Times", a local newspaper, which sadly, no longer exists. I have passed this book along to my son and daughter. It was recommended to my by my mother, who had just read it, but passed it along to my sister.
I was interested in it because of the local, but soon became engrossed in the storyline. I would recommend it to any fan of mystery novels, no matter where they grew up.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This one grabbed (and held!) my attention, July 19, 2006

By 

Richard Bohn "The oldest living independent C... (Burley, ID United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dot Dead (The Silicon Valley Mysteries) (Paperback)

I don't usually post reviews of fiction, especially mysteries. But this one caught my eye. You see, author Keith Raffel founded the SaaS CRM provider, UpShot. I was a big fan of UpShot, giving them one of our Willy awards, and was disappointed when they were later sold to Siebel. So now this Renaissance man has turned his attention to the writer's craft.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Totally believable. Well paced - good chapter lengths. I spent some time in Silicon Valley and this book brought back quite a few memories, not all of them pleasant. Anyone in high-tech will love this book. The rest of you probably will too! Check it out now!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unputdown-able, January 28, 2007

By 

Paddy pooh "paddy" (East Coast, VA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dot Dead (The Silicon Valley Mysteries) (Paperback)

This title caught my eye at the local library and I'm so glad I picked it up. I finished it in 2 days in the middle of a busy week. I do hope Raffel writes again and often.