Cover Image: If I Run

If I Run

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Great story, thrilling plot that I could not put down. Well worth a read, and would recommend to others. Terri Blackstock does not disappoint.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed book 1 of a 3 part series. Casey is on the run for a murder of her friend, Brent an investigative reporter, who was helping her and uncovering the truth of what Casey believed all along that her father, a cop was murdered and didn't commit suicide. Dylan an army criminal investigator is home after being honorably discharged and suffering from PTSD helps out the parents of his murdered childhood friend and the police department to bring in Casey for the murder. All isn't what is seems and as Casey is on the run and befriended an elderly woman named Lucy, who is a Christian and believes in God and prayer. Through interactions with Miss Lucy, Casey has found prayer and belief in God and also helped Lucy and her family with answers to a missing family member. Interesting thriller where bad things happen to good people as both good and evil are always present. Doubt I will look to read the other two books in the series.

Was this review helpful?

Absolutely riveting! I was hooked on this book from the first sentence and couldn't put it down until the end, which sadly did not give the resolution I wanted. I highly recommend you have the second book right next to you because you will want to start it the second you finish this one! I particularly loved how the author was able to weave in serious discussions of faith amidst the action without interrupting the flow of the story.

Was this review helpful?

Another great series, but a favorite Christian author, Terri Blackstock.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Was this review helpful?

Terri Blackstock has been a favourite author of mine since I was in middle school. So coming back to this new series of hers was an easy choice. Her writing is descriptive, entertaining, and creates a connection with the reader.

This series in particular is a crime mystery and you are sucked in from page one. I've already read the rest of the books and I highly recommend!

Was this review helpful?

Another knock out of the park mystery novel by Terri Blackstock. I don't typically read books that fall into a Christian category, but I love her writing style. I look forward to a sequel.

Was this review helpful?

Really interesting series with some great characters. The author did a great job of making you guess where the story was going next.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this for the most part; overall strong story, characters with depth, and plot that keeps you interested. The Christianity aspect was a bit unexpected, but it didn't take away the suspense and page turning aspect of this story. However, I usually like my books to have a neat, clean ending, but this one left me with many questions, otherwise it would've given a higher rating. Mystery and thriller readers will likely enjoy this one!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you Zondervan Fiction and NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book to be a great clean murder mystery, No unnecessary sex scenes or vulgarities, so refreshing!

I was glued to this story to find out the truth behind the murder that Casey appears to be the main suspect. She didn't do it but it sure looks like it! Slowly the story unravels and it gets more and more complicated as we continue on. Recommended for murder mystery fans and clean enough for teens and YA's.

Was this review helpful?

This book was so full of suspense, that I found it so hard to put down! The details added about ptsd and the struggle with living and suicide made this book so real. The book takes you on a ride with the twists and turns and reveals!

Was this review helpful?

Thrilling read that hits all the punches just right, I won't say much because I feel the blurb itself was purposefully kept vague so you go in blind and I think that's exactly what you need to do. I liked it a lot, the author has a way of stringing details together to paint a bigger picture I really enjoyed.

Was this review helpful?

Blackstock’s latest suffers from an extreme amount of telling due to the first-person point of view. This never allows the reader to fully engage in the action. In addition, there is a far-fetched side storyline involving a missing girl that is just too contrived. Casey is an intriguing character, and further novels in the series may deepen and develop her into someone more believable.
Casey Cox flees from the scene of her friend Brent’s murder. She is sure the police will think she is involved, so she leaves town quickly. On the run and with no idea how to truly disappear, Casey wants to figure out who really killed Brent and why. Dylan Roberts is suffering from PTSD after his military service. He is hired by Brent’s family to find Casey and bring her to justice. The more he uncovers, the less sure he is that she is guilty. Can they work together to clear her name?

Was this review helpful?

This was non-stop Suspense. I didn’t want to put this book down and was captured by the story. I can’t wait to continue in the series! I purchased a copy of the book and also received a copy from NetGalley. All opinions stated are my own.

Was this review helpful?

A good read.  Casey is scared.  She has walked into her apartment and found her best friend, Brent bloody and dead on the floor.  She panics, thinking the police will assume she did it.  So she runs.  

The police do think she did it and want to find her.  Brent's family also want to find her.  They hire Dylan, a recent Army cop who was discharged with PTSD to track her down.  As good as Dylan is, Casey may just be better.  She stays ahead of him.  

Most of the book is just following the chase.  It is well-done and interesting.  You need to pay attention.  It isn't a throw-away read.  Catch the details and it will please you quite  bit.

Was this review helpful?

How many ways can you roll your eyes? The narrator had no character voice change, it was very unrealistic and dare I say a bit saccharine (could have been the narrator). And, you are left with an open ending. This, of course, is because it's #1 of 3. Yikes! I will not be reading anymore in this trilogy, because it simply wasn't for me.

Was this review helpful?

This book took me a while to pick up due to a long list of "to read" books, but I read it in a day once I started it. It is tricky to write a good review of a book like this because I don't want to spoil anything.

Casey is accused of murder. We are very much led to believe she didn't do it, but the police will never believe her. The deceased family hires a private citizen to find Casey and bring her back. As he hunts for her, he is starting to see some holes in the police work. Is he still bound to bring her back when and if he finds her? What is the right thing to do?

Make sure you have some free time when you start this book. You won't want to put it down!

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this series and the individual books. It was a story that kept you wondering if she would get caught and how it would all turn out. It was hard for her to stay in the shadows and not do what she knew was right even knowing what it could cost her.

Was this review helpful?

Loved this book. Coujd mot put it down . Loved the nain character Casey. Strong heroine but she doesn’t realize her iwn value and strength. Loved the Dylan another strong character fighting his own issues but strives to do whats right. Cant wait to see where they and this story goes in the next book. If you love an edge of your seat cheering for the goid guys tons of twists thriller this is the book for you.

Was this review helpful?

This was a fast paced thriller for me and I kept turning the pages. It was well written and told from two points of view: Casey’ and Dylan’s. When I started the book, I did not realize it was the first of a series. I look forward to the second one! Thanks to Zondervan and NetGalley for providing me a galley of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Was this review helpful?

I am a huge, huge Terri Blackstock fan so was thrilled to be able to read her latest novel. It's really like nothing I've read before by her. It's written from the first-person point of view and switches between characters. I had a hard time getting used to this at first but then I became used to it.

Casey is running from the law after she knows her DNA is going to be found at the crime scene of the murder of her best friend, Brent. She does her best to keep her trail cold for anyone looking for her and I really liked her because of her kindness towards others.

Dylan is a former soldier suffering with PTSD who was friends with Brent. He also knew Brent's family growing up and they hire him to go after Casey and bring her back to justice. I really like him and love his strong faith in God.

I found the bad guy to be quite frightening because he wasn't someone you would imagine would be so evil. Others around him don't see it and that's adds to the suspense

I must be honest and say I had a really hard time getting into this book. It was slow in the beginning but finally it became intriguing and the pace quickened. I was majorly disappointed that the ending is not an ending but a cliffhanger. Terri Blackstock is known for her cliffhangers but this one was very unsatisfying. I felt really cheated. Obviously, one will have to read the following books in this series to find out what the final analysis is.

Although the story is interesting, I'm giving it 4 out of 5 stars because there were too many things that left me wanting in this book.

Was this review helpful?