Trigger Warnings: murder, drowning, death, violence, gun violence, blood, car accident, imprisonment, implied sexual assault

“I was once a famous murderess. I killed a wealthy family, Manson-style, and then I went on the run. But my thing wasn’t about starting a race war to reach the land of milk and honey, or secretly wanting to be a Beatle. According to the news, I was just another fame-hungry killer, desperate to carve my face on the Mount Rushmore of great American psychopaths.”

So begins Hannah Deitch’s delightfully dark debut novel, Killer Potential. Follow along as SAT tutor Evie Gordon sets out on a Thelma and Louise-style roadtrip to escape allegations of murder after discovering the dead bodies of her employers. Her unlikely companion? A mysterious woman she frees from a closet in her employers’ home, bruised and haunted and unable to speak.

Killer Potential is sharp and thrilling, and more than incidentally funny. With equally lyrical prose and tongue-in-cheek humor, it is a fun, quick read for anyone who enjoys the crime thriller genre. With the added bonus of unapologetic queerness, what’s not to love?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC!

i love womens rights and womens wrongs and especially lesbians, the book was interesting and i love stories about rich ppl and their problems

Killer Potential is a thriller/mystery book that blurs the line between justice and moral good. We follow Evie, who is drawn into a classic case of “right place, wrong time,” turning reality on its head. She is forced to grapple with questions of personal fulfillment, survival, her future, and whether the law will be on her side.

With suspense, plot twists, and complex characters, this book provides a lens into our hierarchical society and the limitless opportunities available to families at the top, regardless of their mistakes—while for others, a single mistake can drastically stain their lives.

Evie’s role as an SAT tutor—someone who is stubborn, ambitious, and intelligent—really resonated with me. The fact that she gets caught up in a terrible crime leads us to question whether Evie truly had a choice in ultimately going down that path.

This book accomplished what it needed to: it kept me hooked until the very end. Seeing Evie slowly unravel the mystery of the crime scene and narrate her progression from a place of high potential (private school, university) to ultimately accepting her fate and track record really showed immense growth. It goes to show that life is never predictable.

If you’re looking to dip your toes into mystery/thriller, this is the perfect book, with its social commentary, reconciliation of moral choices, and questioning of the future.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read an early copy of this book! Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. I ended up DNFing because I wasn't invested or connecting deeper with it. I do think that there is an audience out there for it though. I think I'll probably be in the minority. I still recommend it to others that I think would really enjoy it.

Great story line, easy read, not too many twists or turns but certainly kept my interest! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was instantly hooked into the daily life of Evie Gordon, a young woman who fails to seamlessly get into the working world despite her extensive education and ends up working as an SAT tutor to wealthy kids in Los Angeles. She resents her gig and the kids, the wealth, and the injustice of it, but needs the money and is good at it. At heart Evie is a small-town girl who is smart in books but less so in how the world works.

One day she shows up to her job at the Victor’s house to tutor her student. This is where the story takes a dramatic turn, and without spoiling the whole book, the action begins.

The story is certainly compelling. It is long, and at points does get repetitive. Of course you must read to the end because many of the details that fill in the narrative happen at the end. I was a bit numb at the end of reading it. I am not sure I was satisfied by the ending, but I was sure that I could not take much more.

The writing is well paced with good use of language and plot. Hannah Deitch is an author to watch. Thank you to NetGalley the author and the publisher for this arc.

A murderous protagonist with a cutting sense of humor. Most authors take their murder/mystery/thrillers very seriously but Hannah Deitch throws some spice into her debut with Evie Gordon. This makes for not only an exciting page turner but a darkly humorous book. These bold characters and fast paced plot have the makings of a Netflix Thelma and Louise.
An intelligent SAT tutor, life has not turned out the way Evie envisioned it. Stepping into the homes of the wealthy, she tutors their privileged children and gets to take a peak at a world she imagined for herself. Serena Victor is one of her students and Evie has gotten to know her family well. She comes in one afternoon for an appointment and discovers both the girls parents dead and a strange woman tied up in a hidden closet. After Evie frees this terrified woman Serena walks in and discovers both Evie and the woman covered in blood and assumes the worst. She attacks them and in self defense is knocked unconscious by Evie. Serena and this victim from the closet, Jae, are now the assumed murderers and a National wide manhunt begins.
The story circles around their unique relationship and the unknowns that surround Jae. The ending had a twist that was nicely done however no spoilers here. Killer Potential is not just a thriller as it puts the subject of privilege under the microscope.
Ann unexpected find I found it unique and thoroughly enjoyed it. A fabulous debut, I look forward to Deitch’s next book. 5 stars.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Williams Morrow for this advance copy. These opinions are my own.

I mostly enjoyed Hannah Deitch's debut novel. Evie's character is fascinating in its multiplicity, both exciting and tragic. To say much about the plot would ruin the reading experience for others. I recommend it 100%!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book, which will be published on March 18, 2025.

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow books for this ARC for review. This is a fun debut thriller! Evie Gordon is smart, a scholarship kid with straight A’s. Definitely not who you would expect to get mixed up in all this. Evie is an SAT tutor who shows up at her rich family’s house for a tutoring session and finds blood everywhere and hears a women calling for help. She finds a women her own age tied up in a closet. Evie unties her and tries to figure out what happened here, but they are spotted and they go on the run. This book is fun and twisty as secrets are revealed about every single person until the very end. Definitely keeping this author on my radar.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC of Killer Potential by Hannah Deitch. I had high expectations for this book and unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me. Overall, the storyline was good, there was plenty of mystery and suspense, and the book was well written. However, I found myself struggling through overly complex or very wordy explanations for events. I did like the twist with Jae and found that it was tied in nicely. For a debut novel, this author shows a lot of potential and I will be looking forward to reading more of her work.

4 stars

This is SUCH a great debut, and I found it extremely readable.

Evie is giving Gen Z realness in her devotion to her own specialness along with a simultaneous justification of how it's fine that she's a tutor for (often) wealthy folks, though this is not how she originally envisioned the use of her fancy (read EXPENSIVE) degree. It's a regular day when she heads over to tutor one of these clients and instead finds a house full of murdered individuals and one person who appears to be on the brink of that. What can Evie and this survivor do but flee? So quickly, Evie's manifesting about her specialness starts to work in an unexpected way. She's now "special" because she's a murderer on the run (in the public discourse).

The general premise, pacing, and relationship between Evie and her fellow survivor make this an incredibly engaging experience. As a native Southern Californian, I also truly appreciated the regional references and at times hilarious interjections about the area and general mentality here. Deitch is...never wrong on any of these points.

This is a quirky book that won't necessarily resonate with the lay reader but will really hit home for the right audience. I can't wait to read more from this author.

From the first chapter, this book grabbed me. An excellent page-turner that twists and turns. I loved this first novel by Hannah Deitch and look forward to her second.

A SAT tutor gets mixed up in a murder and goes on the run. This book was entertaining and kept me in the edge of my seat. There were things I didn’t see coming and I really enjoyed that!

Hannah Deitch’s Killer Potential is a darkly captivating debut that blends the razor-sharp commentary of a literary novel with the pulse-pounding intensity of a thriller. Evie Gordon, a scholarship student with a string of straight A’s and big dreams, finds herself stuck in the grind of life as an SAT tutor for the privileged elite of Los Angeles. Her seemingly unremarkable existence takes a dramatic turn when she discovers the brutal murders of her wealthy clients, the Victors, and becomes embroiled in a web of crime and suspicion.

Caught between being a suspect and a fugitive, Evie is forced to join forces with a mysterious, silent woman whom she rescues from the Victors' estate. Together, they embark on a cross-country chase to uncover the real killer and clear Evie’s name. As Evie’s story dominates the media, she is cast as a bloodthirsty symbol of class war—a far cry from the hopeful student she once was, and perhaps even a reflection of how society shapes the narratives we tell ourselves about success and identity.

Deitch’s prose is biting and incisive, offering both a gripping narrative and a sharp critique of the American dream and social mobility. The novel delves deep into themes of privilege, the myth of self-made success, and the stories we construct to make sense of our lives. Evie’s journey is as much internal as it is external—her quest for the truth mirrors her own confrontation with the disillusionment of her former dreams.

With its cutting humor, suspenseful pace, and thought-provoking exploration of class and ambition, Killer Potential is a stellar debut that will resonate with readers who enjoy thrillers with a literary edge. Deitch’s first novel promises a lot, and it delivers—keeping readers on the edge of their seats while offering a keen reflection on the price of success and the stories we tell ourselves along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced copy to honestly review.

What is painted as a "mysterious killers on the run" book, is actually a stoning commentary on class consciousness and wealth inequality. In what is eerily similar to recent events (Luigi), from the onset, author Hannah Deitch sets up a narrative that explores how far someone might be pushed when they have lost everything.

SAT tutor Evie shows up for a weekly Sunday session with a student, only to find the student's parents murdered in their LA garden. After a misunderstanding, Evie is on the run, desperately trying to survive and figure out who the murderer is.

Throughout the book, Evie shares details of her upbringing, her incessant chase of wealth and status, and the realization that upward mobility is near impossible. Given the current class climate in the United States, I found this particularly interesting. As we've seen from social media, politicians, and talk shows, the reactions vary: how responsible are the vastly wealthy for the poor?

Overall, I liked the pacing, writing and character development. Halfway through, I had an idea of how the book might end, which is what happened. With the way it ended, there were some plot holes and the expectation that readers would believe ultra-wealthy people would not have in-home cameras. But, I really liked the commentary brought up in this book!

I really really enjoyed this! Two girls on the run for crimes they did not commit. Fantastic story line, many different settings as they ran. Loved it!

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC. **Spoiler:** The premise was promising, but the story felt implausible and forced. It’s hard to believe a smart adult would tamper with evidence at a murder scene and flee, starting the book’s downfall. Evie’s rambling thoughts and Jae’s silence were grating, and their love story felt unnatural. Their ability to evade law enforcement without cash or cards was unbelievable, and Jae’s convenient problem-solving strained credibility. The secret tunnels were unrealistic unless magic was involved. I prefer my endings neat and tidy, but the writing has promise with tighter editing and better continuity.

Wow! What a debut!

This is the tale of Evie, an SAT tutor, living in Los Angeles. When she shows up to tutor one day and finds her student’s parents murdered in their home, she goes on the run.

This book has it all…a fast pace, murder, mystery, action and romance. I was hooked immediately.

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own.

The prose here is sharp and clever and really hit me in some places--especially as a former SAT tutor (to pay the bills) while I did a PhD program. Anything that stung was because it was too close to home. Deitch's debut is nuanced and sharp.

If I'm being honest, it took me a little bit to get into the story. But once the story really got going then I found myself glue to the pages. This has Thelma & Louise vibes. If you like a good murder mystery with a cat and mouse chase game then you will devour this!

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.