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.

An SAT tutor shows up to work at her rich employers' mansion in LA just to find them brutally murdered, and ends up on the run across America with the woman she found tied up in their closet.

This is an absolutely wild premise that blossomed into a fun, unpredictable, fast-paced read. There is a love story angle to it that didn't quite work for me, though, and when that became the main focus of the book, it lost me a bit. It was also hard to suspend disbelief at times, especially when the tone veered away from camp and more towards self-serious.

*Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC*

This book was so easy to read and so compelling I finished it the same day I started it, which says a lot about the skill level of this author. The plot was well-paced and it was clear that the author really thought things through to every detail when plotting it. Additionally, I thought all the commentary on class, education, and society's black-and-white views on criminals as well as crime (and the mob mentality that comes with that) was very thoughtful and spot-on. Great balance of storytelling with execution of theme.

Debut author Hannah Deitch has crafted a thriller about continuous bad decisions. The paths of the book could have gone so many different (and better) ways if only the main character did not follow up one bad decision with another bad one.

Evie Gordon, recent graduate who has failed to find steady employment, is eeking out an existence by being an SAT tutor for Beverly Hills teens. This actually suits her since she’s into real estate porn. Her current Sunday afternoon clients, the Victors (mom Dinah, dad Peter, daughter Serena) live in an Old Hollywood 1920s estate, (built by an architect who promised mazes of secret passageways and hidden doors, designed for staff to remain out of sight). Evie stumbles upon dad dead in the pond and mom with a bashed-in head in the garden and Serena nowhere in sight. Instead of calling 911 immediately, Evie returns to the house and hears a cry for help. There’s a woman tied up with an electrical cord in a tiny, almost hidden, room under the staircase. Again, not calling for help, she unties the woman, Serena suddenly arrives, Serena screams, and Evie hits Serena with a vase (?!). Serena’s boyfriend also arrives so he can be the witness who says, “the teacher did it!”. So Evie takes off with the freed and very mute woman in her car, and goes to Walmart to empty out her bank account to head to Arizona. What was Evie thinking? Of course, there’s a nationwide manhunt for her and her non-talkative friend.

Once upon a time, Evie was always “talented and gifted,” and full of potential, which she is prone to reminding us in every chapter. But now she’s twenty-nine years old and in the middle of a Thelma and Louise style road trip of her own choosing. She actually relishes the spotlight of a “Most Wanted” list. Her relationship with her rescued and silent friend starts to grow (unbelievably), but not until many, many more bad decisions are made.

I so wanted to like this book more than I did. Evie just started to grated on my nerves after starting out with a wry sense of sarcasm and a sense of humor about her predicament. But the unbelievability of the plot wore me down. The long coming explanation of why the woman was in the wall resolves a lot, but too late. By then I just expected Evie to die in a Wild West shootout with the FBI. You’ll need patience to finish this and maybe you’ll like Evie more than I did. 3.5 stars.

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Only Serena’s blue eyes are mentioned.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): YES The dead body in the backyard koi pond was not surrounded by sea kelp. It was probably just an algae bloom.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

Killer Potential is a well-written, haunting novel that will leave you needing more. As my first novel by Deitch, I had no idea what I was getting into. The details within the story were absolutely on point and the storyline baited you and kept you holding on by a string throughout. Different that a lot of novels out today, Killer Potential takes you through the story in a traditional fashion, but the last 20% of the book follows the characters as they reflect on the first 80%. This helped tell the story of before the first page. I really enjoyed this method of writing and would enjoy reading more books by this author.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing for this ARC. This will absolutely be at the top of a lot of lists in the spring!!

A fantastically-paced Thelma & Louise debut thriller (I think everyone is going with this byline, but it’s so apt, I have to as well). This was unputdownable, and I finished it in about two days. The opening paragraph had me hooked.

I love a crime story, and this is… well, that, but told from the perspective of the perps on the run, instead of the police hunting for them. They’re complex, and I loved watching both of their stories unfold…

If you want a fast read in which you can root for the bad guy, this is your book. Thank you to William Morrow Publishing for the early copy of this one in exchange for a review — all of these opinions are my own!

Killer Potential" bursts onto the scene with an electrifying start that immediately drew me in. The unfolding plot grows increasingly tangled and complex, keeping me curious about how it would all play out. For a good stretch, the story felt like it could use a bit more momentum, as not a lot seemed to be happening. Still, there was just enough intrigue to keep me hooked. And the ending? Well, I really liked it—I’ll leave it at that. At times, I found myself questioning certain plot points, especially how a simple dose of honesty might have resolved much of the drama. However, I decided to set those thoughts aside and just immerse myself in the story—and I’m glad I did.

Evie was an excellent student - she was in the gifted and talented program, got a scholarship to a private school, got a scholarship to an elite college, and went on to get her Master's degree. She grew up expecting to be successful but now, as an adult, she finds herself in massive debt and working as an SAT tutor for LA's wealthy kids. When she shows up for her weekly lesson at the Victors' home, she finds the parents dead in the backyard and a woman tied up and asking for help in the closet. After she frees the woman and they are leaving the house, they run into the daughter and her boyfriend. When they leave the house, they are now on the run. Evie's face is plastered all over the news along with a sketch of the woman. Evie knows she's innocent and that the only way to prove it is for someone to stop pointing fingers at them and look into the Victors to figure out what they were hiding besides the woman. As she's refusing to speak and the country hasn't figured out who she is or her ties to the Victors, Evie is left trying to puzzle it out on her own.

It took me a little bit longer than I had expected to get into the story. Like a horror movie, you have to accept that people are making dumb mistakes in the moment (like, I'm not going into a home with the door wide open when it shouldn't be - I am just turning around). And am I willing to let a stinky stranger into my car? Also no. Doubly so when they are refusing to speak. But it's a story so I'm willing to accept that Evie does all of these things. Being gifted and talented does not make one street smart after all. While we're essentially just in Evie's head while she travels with a silent partner, getting hooked into the story was a bit difficult for me as not much seemed to be happening. Then Jae starts communicating with Evie and I became invested. How was this not going to end with them captured and stuck in jail with no way to prove their innocence? I was surprised by the twist and, even after we learned what happened, I was deeply invested in finishing the story. It is mainly told from Evie's POV with the first two parts being solely her perspective. The third part incorporates Jae's POV and I enjoyed being able to read her side.

I’m always leery of anything labeled a literary thriller, but this one really earned the title while embracing both the literary and thriller sides. It’s a very smart book but you can tell it was written by someone who loves thrillers, which is not always the case. This one hits a little too close to current reality a few times, but that just makes it even better..

A debut novel of the most addictive nature — hop in, babe. We’re going along for one hell of a ride.

With a smart and snarky voice, Evie Gordon had me hooked from the first few lines. Her strong character and relatable angst let me know I was going to be invested until the bittersweet end. I wouldn’t call this a typical thriller, but it is absolutely thrilling — a very different kind of joy ride, if you will. You might have to suspend belief just a bit, or you could, like myself, convince yourself that for every spectacular moment of bad luck, inevitably, comes good luck to recalculate the balance in this game of cat and mouse. Just go with it.

Provocative, measured, and surprisingly emotional, I can honestly say I haven’t quite read anything like it. The two women are relatable even in their most dramatic choices-- you can't help but root for them. It’s Bonnie and Clyde, Thelma and Louise — but thankfully, make it gay. It’s gritty, it’s edge of your seat while biting your nails, and I found it impossible to put down.

This has a lot for my students. I think they will enjoy the suspense aspect of it, the being on the run and the book brings up lots of issues , philosophical and political and emotional for lively class discussion. I found the book very interesting myself so overall a very good read

This book was fun. I mean that as the upmost compliment because books seem to struggle with genuine fun...even if its supposed to be disturbing. I adored the pace, wanted to be on the run. Evie is a compelling and unlikely lead. This was fantastic, and a debut... wild. Also. lets take a minute for that cover... she is pretty.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

Thank you #Netgalley and Hannah Deitch for this ARC of #killer potential. This book had me hooked from the beginning. The ride starts right away with this book and keeps you guessing about what really happened all the way to the end with a surprise twist. I love the inner dialogue/daydreaming of Evie. It makes her feel so real and multidimensional. We have all battled with the was this the right choice, why did I make this choice and how did I actually end up here. I will recommend this book to everyone this year.