If I Run, by Terri Blackstock (Zondervan, 2016)
What if you found your best friend murdered, but you couldn’t trust the police? The police force let Casey Cox down last time, so she flees. If they catch her, they’ll arrest her for her friend’s death – or worse.
If I Run is the story of Casey trying to stay out of sight long enough to find the courage (and a plan) to prove her innocence. And it’s the story of Dylan Roberts, a PTSD-suffering veteran who was a friend of the dead man and who’s now hired to find her.
To find her, he needs to learn how she thinks. Problem is, the more he learns, the more he doubts that Casey would commit a crime like this. Meanwhile, Casey’s caring heart draws her into fresh danger.
Told in the first person, present tense, chapters are clearly marked so we know if we’re going to be in Casey’s or Dylan’s point of view. If I Run is a refreshing suspense novel, and one of the best I’ve read in a while.
Casey’s not a person of faith, although the more trouble she’s in, the more she asks God for help and hopes He’s there. The evil she’s seen has left her unwilling to believe, and when she meets Christians who also carry pain, she’s intrigued by how they’ve let it deepen their faith.
The only warning I’ll give is that If I Run is book 1 in a series. Don’t expect everything to be wrapped up with a pretty bow at the end (this instalment’s plot does resolve). Do expect to want to read book 2.
Terri Blackstock is a multi-award-winning, NY Times bestselling author of Christian suspense fiction, and she knows how to craft a page-turner. For more about the author and her books, visit terriblackstock.com.
[Review copy from the public library.]