Killer Potential

A 29-year-old SAT tutor turned murder suspect goes on the lam in Deitch’s stylish debut. When Evie Gordon reports to the Victor family’s mansion in L.A.’s Los Feliz neighborhood for a study session with 17-year-old Serena, she finds the door ajar. Nobody answers her shouts, so she proceeds to the garden, where she discovers the corpses of Serena’s parents. Evie then retreats to the foyer, where she hears a noise from under the stairs. Inside a compartment is a young woman bound with an electrical cord, whom Evie frees just as Serena arrives. Serena initially mistakes the duo for intruders, and in the resulting chaos, Evie knocks Serena unconscious, possibly killing her. Serena’s boyfriend then walks in, prompting the panicked pair to run, and a manhunt to start. Evie knows the truth likely resides with her fellow fugitive; unfortunately for her, however, the woman won’t speak. 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. Agent: Stephanie Delman, Trellis Literary. (Mar.)