Could not put this book down. Exciting and interesting.

I had never read this author. The basic story line was fairly interesting. A woman is suspected of killing her friend. She runs from dirty cops and assumes a new identity. A friend of the victim is hired his family to find her, wit grudging support from the dirty cops. I didn't realize Ms Blackstock was a devout Christian, but clearly she is. This was interspersed throughout the book, and was the focus on the author's notes at the end. This aspect did not interest me.

This author is an auto-read for me and many of my patrons.

If I Run is a story of mistaken identity, loss, running for your life, isolation, and trusting someone your not sure you should. Casey is being sought for what she knows about her fathers death and now about her boyfriends death as well, who just happens to be the police - so where do you run to when it is the police who are after you - who are the bad guys? The ones who are suppose to protect you and are out to kill you or charge you with your boyfriends murder. It is the ultimate betrayal.. Dylan was a criminal investigator in the army with PTSD - now he is hired as a PI to find Casey by her dead boyfriends family - he meets her and feels she is innocent 0 she gets away (not that he was keeping her). He starts to look into the murder himself while he hunts her down. Does he see what the police do? Is Casey safe? Who is helping Casey? Is it enough when you have the whole police department after you? What has Dylan learned to help her or did it?

This book was very suspenseful and kept me turning the pages as quickly as I could. If you like good suspense stories, look no further. However, if unresolved endings or "cliffhangers" are as frustrating for you as they are for me, then you will likely end the book with a sense of incompleteness. When I agreed to read this book for review, I didn't know it was the first in a series. Now I am anxious for the next books in the series!

Good Christian suspense that steers away from preachiness and feels realistic, relevant, and current.

Casey finds her best friend dead and knows she'll go down for it if she doesn't run. so we follow her and get a bird's eye view of the case from the PI trying to follow her as well. This book wasn't quite as twisty as I like, and I can honestly say I didn't think the son genre of Christian thriller existed, but Terry Blackstock proves me wrong. overall, compelling and well done.

So I was really torn on how I should rate this book. I think it was because of the ending, because there was no closure. So I sat here thinking between a three rating and a four, I talked to a friend who has the audio version and what changed my mind was when she said "hey they have book two." So because now I know that answers will be given and justice will be served that I can give this a four wineglass rating!

On to the review......Casey had something very traumatic happen to her when she was a child, it changed her whole family. She never believed what happened when she was a kid went down like that, though no one believed her. So when her friend ends up dead and she takes off it makes her look guilty. We follow how Casey seems to be one step ahead of the cops and the man who has been hired to bring her back. Though what he starts to uncover about Casey and the person she is well it doesn't seem to add up. While Casey is trying to stay under the radar she seems to find herself in the right place at the right time, because when she befriends a grandma she learns that her granddaughter is missing. Casey somehow is able to save the day but yet will she find herself caught or in another bad situation.
I really enjoyed how we got to get more information on Casey's past and how she along with her mother was handling it all. I thought that Casey's character was well developed and I loved how she didn't follow the crowd when we get to see how she acts around others. She does things for the good but not for recognition. Dylan was a good character and I liked how he was written in the sense of wanting to do something with his life but yet was still dealing with the PTSD that he suffered.
I do plan on reading book two because I need to find out if Casey will be able to clear her name with the help from Dylan. Will the justice be served that was not given so many years ago?

I received this a while ago from Net Galley (thank you for my copy!) and read it in two days. It was a thrilling and suspenseful read! I see it’s the beginning of a series with “If I’m Found” as Book Two. It is a bit reminiscent of the Fugitive (or whatever that show was when I was a kid with the man accused of killing his wife and he was innocent).

Here’s the overview:

Description

Casey Cox has blood on the bottom of her shoes, in her car, on her clothes. But there’s no point in trying to defend herself. She just has to run.

Casey didn’t kill her friend Brent. She discovered his body, but she’d never try to hurt him. He’s the only person she’s ever trusted enough to tell the truth about what happened to her father . . . and there’s no doubt in her mind that Brent was killed trying to help her prove it. She has to run before they get to her too.

Dylan Roberts was hired to find Casey and bring her back so that justice can be served. As a former Criminal Investigator for the Army, he can’t imagine that tracking down one girl will be that difficult.

But the more elusive Casey turns out to be, the more Dylan digs into her past to try to determine what she might be thinking. What he finds there doesn’t fit the profile of a killer at all. She’s unlike any other fugitive he’s ever seen.

The police refuse to discuss any other possibilities. There’s something more going on here. Something more to this fugitive who has captured his attention. Now he just has to figure out what it is . . . and Casey just has to stay one step ahead of everyone who’s after her.

Perfect for summer! This came out last year and the sequel this year (2017) and should be readily available at your favorite indie bookstore, online, or at your local library!

This book follows Casey, a woman running from the cops because all evidence points to her.
This book was a little slow pace for me in the beginning but overall I liked the characters and the storyline.

3.5 stars. The book was mostly good. The protagonist running away for fear of being blamed for a murder was adequately explained and I liked both Casey and Dylan. Some parts of the plot were a bit predictable and a couple of things were too unrealistic, but overall it was a gripping story. However, I didn't like the ending--it seemed like the author just deliberately tried to cut it off right before the wrap-up so as to be able to have a sequel. The author's note at the end was also a real turn-off for me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a free e-ARC of this book.

Starts with murder and just keeps getting better. Conspiracy and unexpected alliances. Seamlessly blends the past and future. Casey is unable to stop helping people even on the run from corrupt law enforcement. Her story blending with Dylan's is very well done. I read it in one sitting.

If I Run is a definite page turner. I loved the alternating points of view between Casey as she's on the run, and Dylan as he tries to find her. There's lots of suspense and turns that kept me thoroughly engrossed and wondering if Dylan could piece together what truly happened and if he could or would help Casey. I feel like the writing has a young adult tone to it. Considering the main character is in her mid twenties and I love young adult books, I think that's actually one of the reasons I really enjoyed this one, when I am not usually a big thriller suspense kind of reader. I am super glad that I already own book two because that cliffhanger has me so anxious! I highly recommend If I Run.

Awesome book!! This is the first thriller that made me have tears in my eyes at the end.
The characters are so well developed, I kept thinking about them during the day when I wasn't reading. I felt as if I knew these people. I just really felt for them.

The suspense is great - it starts out with a bang and never really lets up, and the end is so satisfying!

There are some coincidences and things that conveniently happen, but the story doesn't dissolve into predictability, as I was afraid it would.

I don't want to give anything away, but what a fast read! I am so glad this is book #1 of a series - would love to read more about the main characters.

I loved the fact that some of the characters had a strong faith in God - it wasn't preachy and rounded out the personality of each character nicely. If that offends you, you might not enjoy the book as much as I did.

One of the best books I've read this year. Followed up by getting more in series, and can't wait for the next book coming out later this year.

It took me some time to get used to the story being told in first person, and in the present tense. The plot was fast paced, and full of suspense. I found that I could not put it down, and while I am not a fan of huge cliffhangers, I am already looking forward to more!

A page turner . . . Did she really kill her friend? How does she hide from the law and the victim's hired detective? I couldn't put this book down. Well defined characters and a roller-coaster ride of a plot.

This is a really good start to a series! I found it to be very fast paced and engrossing. It had great characters and lots of action.

Casey's best friend has been murdered, and her DNA is all over the scene. The Shreveport Police Depeartment is after her and all she can do is run. Dylan is a veteran hired to track Casey down. As Dylan looks for her, some things just don't add up and he starts to question what really happened.

I loved Casey and Dylan, and the storyline. Having lived there several years, I thought it was very cool to have a Shreveport setting.

Casey is on the run and she has some secrets that could get those close to her killed. Can she uncover the truth before its to late? Dylan is home from the military and is suffering from PTSD. He is looking for a job and when he is approached to find his best friends killer. When he starts to uncover some secrets he wonders if there is more to all of this then meets the eye?
I will start off saying this is NOT a romance book. This book is told in a first person narrative by both people. This book is on the edge of your seat hard to put down kind of books. The author throws twist and turns in the story through out. The way the story was written was well however the way the story starts off leaves you confused at first until it starts to truly play out. The story does end in a cliff hanger which I hate because I so want to know what happens but in a good way that means there is more to the story and there is more to play out. I can't wait to read more about Casey and hopefully Dylan. This book is worth the read and if you have never read anything by Terri Blackstock grab some of her other books they are sooo good.

I had no idea this was a Christian book and I'm not opposed to that style of book but it didn't work for me. The story felt preachy and was a bit dull. Sorry, not a book for me.