Killer Book

It’s no longer novel to see Silicon Valley as a setting for books and movies. So I wasn’t too surprised when I picked up Killer Code, a murder mystery which takes place around a small, publicly traded company that makes a network security system.

Author John Walker is no stranger to Valley intrigue. He’s worked in the tech industry for about 20 years, with the last 11 at Cisco Systems. The book is a decent stocking stuffer. It’s a whodunit with the murder victim being Martin Bentoff, who John describes as a brilliant and sociopathic software engineer. (Gosh, that name sounds like Mark Benioff of Salesforce!).

Anyway, the book includes many facets of note for the modern-day exec, such as the battle that transpires with a Taiwanese company that tries to take control. A fictional investment firm makes an appearance, and I liked the testy executive meeting that takes place near the end.

If anyone’s read it,let me know what you think of its authenticity or whether it reminds you of any company you know.