"Fierce, fun, wild, and enraging." --Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark
"A real joy to read . . . Killer Potential earns Deitch a spot on the 'new novelists to watch' list." -- Associated Press
An electric debut novel following two young women after they flee a bloody murder scene in the Hollywood Hills and quickly become a runaway media sensation
Destined for greatness, wanted for murder. . .
A scholarship kid with straight As and big dreams, Evie Gordon always thought she was special, that she'd be someone. But after graduating from an elite university, she finds herself drowning in debt and working as an SAT tutor for the super-rich of Los Angeles.
Everything changes one Sunday, when she arrives for her weekly lesson at the Victors' Beverly Hills estate and, in lieu of a bored teenager, finds the bloody remains of the parents strewn through their beautiful back garden, and a woman crying for help within a closet. As Evie works to free her, the two are spotted--and within moments, they go from bystanders to suspects to fugitives.
Suddenly at the heart of a manhunt and accompanied by a mysterious woman who refuses to speak, Evie knows the only way to clear her name is to find the real killer. But first she'll have to break down the barriers of her companion, who is quickly becoming the most important person in Evie's upside-down life. Their breathless spree takes them across the U.S. as developments in the case shock the nation and the press runs wild with Evie's story: a gifted kid turned killer. She's now on the cover of every magazine and newspaper--anointed the new Charles Manson, a bloodthirsty ninety-nine percenter looking to start a class war. Evie is finally someone.
By turns cuttingly hilarious and deeply insightful, Killer Potential is a strikingly original debut. A literary novel with the page-turning intensity of a thriller that asks timely questions about our belief in the romance of social mobility, and how the stories we're sold about our potential can shape the course of our lives.
About the Author :
Hannah Deitch is a former SAT tutor with an M.A. in English from UC Irvine, where she studied Marxist theory and contemporary pop culture. She previously worked as an arts magazine editor and holds an M.A. in journalism from USC. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. She currently lives in Los Angeles. Killer Potential is her first novel.
Review :
"A Hitchcockian cocktail of romance, suspicion and suspense in which each woman may be a killer and liar and each may turn her lover in." - The Times (UK), Best Thrillers of the Year
"Part road movie, part psychodrama, this tense and pacy debut is a total page-turner." - The Guardian, Best Thrillers of the Year
"Entertaining . . . a steamy take on Thelma and Louise." - Booklist
"Hannah Deitch's Killer Potential is an impressive debut that shows its author has exactly that." - Gabino Iglesias, Crimereads
"A hot, twisty fever dream you'll never want to wake up from . . . Killer Potential throbs with deliciously cunning characters and a fierce intensity that will keep you turning every page quicker than the last." - Zakiya Dalila Harris, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Black Girl
"Fierce, fun, wild, and enraging. Killer Potential is by turns moving, thrilling, raucous and funny. A deeply accomplished debut." - Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark
"Deliriously fun, provocative, and gripping, it's almost too easy to give Killer Potential a perfect score. Hannah Deitch has a voice I would follow anywhere and this book has such a breathless, propulsive pace that I found myself turning to it whenever I had a spare moment. I kid you not, I propped my Kindle on top of the bathroom faucet so I could read it while I brushed my teeth. . . I know this word is overused when talking about books, but truly: unputdownable." - Katy Hays, New York Times bestselling author of The Cloisters
"Stylish . . . Deitch's twisty tale takes the form of an after-the-fact tell-all by Evie, and her wry narration adds texture and fizz to the action without skimping on character development. Neo-noir fans will get a kick out of this." - Publishers Weekly
"A bloody, class-conscious, suspenseful thriller starring two young women caught in a spiral of violence, blame, and bonding. This rocket-fueled debut is a deliciously dark, twisting, entertaining read, so beware the urge to stay up all night finishing it. . . . A taut psychological drama as backbone to a propulsive thriller of gruesome crime, exhilaration, and deception. Killer Potential is disturbing, fun, and unforgettable." - Shelf Awareness (starred review)
"Paula Hawkins doesn't blurb your book unless there's a well-earned twist, and Killer Potential delivers on that front. The final third or so of the novel is a real joy to read as Deitch fills in all the blanks using different narrative techniques. . . . Killer Potential earns Deitch a spot on the 'new novelists to watch' list." - Associated Press
"Razor-sharp writing, frenzied pace, twists and turns - prepare for impact!" - Bonnie Garmus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry
"Compelling and cool, Hannah Deitch has written a Thelma & Louise for our times." - Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Slow Fire Burning and The Girl on the Train
"Like encountering a strong electrical current: Killer Potential is bright, bracing, and surging with power. Deitch's writing style is fast-paced and undeniably bold. This is the kind of book that imprints itself on your brain; it's that wild of a ride. Killer Potential is one hell of a page turner and an honest to goddamn ton of twisted fun." - Kristen Arnett, New York Times bestselling author of Mostly Dead Things and With Teeth
"Thrilling, audacious, and laden with more booby traps than a survivalist's lair, Killer Potential heralds the arrival of a stunning new literary voice. A riotous, wholly singular debut." - Kirstin Chen, New York Times bestselling author of Counterfeit
