"If I Run" is a dual-POV story in which Casey Cox discovers her best friend Brent, brutally murdered. Due to extenuating circumstances, she believes wholeheartedly that she will be framed for his murder, so rather than calling the authorities, she runs.

Dylan Roberts is a recently discharged veteran, suffering from PTSD. He's hired as a PI to track down Casey and bring her back to face charges for the murder of his best childhood friend, Brent. The problem is, as Dylan investigates Casey, he begins to believe she may not be as guilty as everyone else seems to think she is. And he finds proof that Brent has uncovered a dark secret that's likely what got him killed.

The interplay of these two characters, each dealing with their own traumatic past is engaging and made me look forward to the time when they finally meet. However, the ARC I was given abruptly ended. (No closing credits. No tantalizing hint at what comes next. Just a dead stop...) I'm still not convinced there isn't something defective with the ARC because it wasn't really a natural stopping point. It seemed to just end mid-scene...

I was invested enough in the story to get the next book in the series, but it picks up a few days after where the first book left off, and it's very confusing to discern what took place during that time, although it appears to have been significant. (For instance, we learn that Dylan and Casey did meet during that time, but we have no idea how Dylan found her or what their encounter was like.)

So I decided to do a little digging... According to Amazon, the Audible version of this book is 6 hours and 41 minutes long. However, the NetGalley ARL is 4 hours and 35 minutes. So, we're missing over 2 hours of content!

I have reported that to the publisher, and I hope they'll correct the ARL for us. But in the meantime, it's hard to rate to offer a higher rating for the book than I have since it's missing almost a third of its content.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy, though.

If I Run is an interesting story about a young woman, Casey, who runs after finding her best friend murdered. Is she running because she’s guilty, or is she running from the actual murderer?

Dylan, a veteran with PTSD has been hired to find Casey. The more he looks into Casey’s background, the more questions he has.

I enjoyed If I Run and look forward to reading the rest of this series. The narrator has a pleasant voice and was easy to listen to.

With thanks to NetGalley & Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audio extract in return for an honest review.

I read this series before and really liked it. This was my chance to revisit it. This is the first installment of the "If I Run" series. I ended up listening to the entire series again! 4 stars

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn't a bad thriller but it's not the best. There's a lot going on and we pop back and forth between Casey, the accused, and Dylan, the army vet turned PI with PTSD. Quite the pair. I wasn't aware going into this book that it was Christian fiction, which I have no problem with. It got a bit religious but it didn't really bother me, whereas other reviews I've read, people are in an uproar. I don't get it. I'm an atheist and I didn't find it to be a big deal or that it pulled away from the story. If you're running from the cops because you're a murder suspect, maybe you SHOULD be looking for God! lol. Aside from that, the story was okay. Casey seems to be a pretty broken character and so is Dylan so I can see something happening between them in the future. I got through it fairly quickly and I'll probably read the next book at some point. I did like the narrator.

A quick easy listen of a woman Casey on the run after her dna is found at the scene of a murder victim Brent. This is the first in the series. It’s relatively fast paced with various characters brought into the mix.

This felt very much like an introductory audiobook my main issue I had was the abrupt ending I had to look as I thought I had an issue with the audio due to how it ended but no it was just the end which sadly was extremely inconclusive. Whilst I appreciate this is a series it could have been tied up a little better in my opinion. It almost felt like I was just getting into the story and it stopped ☹️🤔

I’ve seen some reviews comment on the religion being at the forefront of this I didn’t sense that yes there is mention of course to some degree however it is most definitely not over the top it’s simply an occasional comment of prayer etc which clearly fits with the characters of the story.

Overall I think this could be a good series I’d just have enjoyed it a little more had it been a little longer but maybe this is the point maybe they are supposed to be just short reads in a longer series 🤷🏻‍♀️

With thanks to NetGalley & Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audio extract in return for an honest review. 📚🎧🙏🏽

Told through two points of view - Casey Cox and Dylan Roberts, this book is a chase and the pacing keeps up with the feeling of a chase to the end. Casey Cox finds herself at a murder scene and she knows that she will be suspected as the killer, so she runs and fast. Dylan Roberts is hired by the police to go and find her, he has recently left the military and is battling PTSD.

Between these two we get the full story of what really happened and who really murdered their mutual friend and how they can release the truth and have the real killer or killers get punished for their crimes. The thing I liked about the book was its pacing, I was able to read this book in one evening from start to finish because it kept moving along.

I really enjoyed "If I Run" by Terri Blackstock. It had me gripped from the beginning. I listened to the audiobook and I love how the narrator bought the characters to life with the added emotion.
One of the things I really appreciated was the added element of faith. It made the characters feel more relatable and grounded.
Told in a dual POV from Casey and Dylan, it starts out with Casey Cox on the run after stumbling upon the body of her best friend, Brent. As she navigates her new reality and identity, she befriends an older women who helps her settle into her new life.
Dylan Roberts is private investigators that was hired by Brent's family to track down Casey. As he follows the clues of Brent's death, he begins to unravel the truth. Starting with the suspicious suicide of Casey's father 13 year earlier.
A compelling subplot involving a missing girl adds to the suspense and overall appeal to the story. Though this book ends with a chiffhanger, yet it still offers a satisfying end that left me eager to start book 2.

Overall, I love how Terri Blackstock created such a fast-paced gripping story that weaved suspense, faith and emotion. I absolutely recommend this book and will continue reading this series!

I honestly think I liked this less the 2nd time around. All my thoughts stand except I wanted to add that I don't think I like Casey. She's too good to be true and she's the dumbest non criminal criminal. For being on the run and changing her identity, she sure talks A LOT and makes a lot of friends. UGH.

3.5 stars. Let me preface this review by saying I am in the middle of an epic slump, I don't love detective thrillers, and my expectations for this were HIGH. This book was good but not great for me. We follow our main characters Casey and Dylan. Casey is on he run after she discovered the body of her best friend, Brent. She did not kill him, but she knows the police would try to blame her due to the way they treated her after her father's death 13 years earlier. So she sheds her identity and goes on the run. Dylan has been released from the military due to terrible PTSD and now has been hired by Brent's family to try to find Casey because they're sure she did it. He realizes she may be innocent and they have more in common than he thought. This book is really short and I am wondering why the series needed to be 3 books. I haven't read the other 2, but this didn't really feel like a complete story to me. There's also a side storyline of a girl who has been missing for 2 years and I thought it seemed unnecessary and very convenient. It contributed to a slightly juvenile style to this book. I'm excited to read the rest, but unfortunately not as hyped as I wanted to be.