If I Run
Terri Blackstock
Zondervan 2016
320 pages
If I Run is a well-written and engaging thriller by best selling Christian fiction writer Terri Blackstock.
Casey Cox is on the run. There are no ifs ands or buts about it. She is in serious trouble. Her best friend Brent is the victim of a bloody murder which nobody has even remotely attempted to conceal. All immediate and obvious crime scene evidence points to Casey. Her prints and DNA are everywhere. If I Run (If I Run Series Book 1) on Kindle
Maybe she just snapped. No stranger to the law, Casey’s credibility is threatened, and possibly her life.
Hired by Brent’s parents to find Casey, is the victim’s former classmate Dylan Roberts; a former member of the Criminal Investigations Division of the U.S. Army who is struggling with PTSD. Dylan is aware that the local police are not thrilled by his involvement, but since Casey has likely left their jurisdiction, they cannot stop him. Although they can make it difficult, and attempt to keep him in line, apprehending her may place the feather in Dylan’s cap that would secure him a permanent position with the department.
The plot is nicely split between Casey’s flight, and Dylan’s hunt, and what each experience in order to survive. The two have more in common than anyone would imagine.
All is definitely not what it seems. A complex and interesting history emerges. Dylan begins to doubt Casey’s guilt, but he is not sure who to believe, or trust.
A secondary plot emerges when Casey strives to find the long missing granddaughter of a kind but heartbroken woman who has befriended her.
In this engaging and hard to put down thriller by Terry Blackstock, questions of good and evil are illustrated, as are those of personal choice, strength, maintaining faith in the midst of adversity, and standing up for what is right.
The build up towards the ending is full of excitement, twists and turns. The finale itself does not quite wrap everything up, and leaves the reader wondering what will happen next, and if there is a sequel in the works.
Following the book’s conclusion is a commentary Note From the Author in which Blackstock discusses her steadfast belief in God from her Creationist’s perspective, with the intention of supporting and encouraging her readers to stand strong in their convictions in the face of evil, and in spite of the persecution of Christians. She quotes Bible verses and prophesies for easy reference.
Readers are free to interpret that from their own perspectives.
With the exception of the weaker ending, If I Run by Terri Blackstock is a very good book. I would not hesitate to pursue another novel by this author.