My Bookshelf: If I Run by Terri Blackstock

Casey knows the truth. But it won’t set her free.

        Casey Cox’s DNA is all over the crime scene. There’s no use talking to police; they have failed her abysmally before. She has to flee before she’s arrested…or worse. The truth doesn’t matter anymore.

        But what is the truth? That’s the question haunting Dylan Roberts, the war-weary veteran hired to find Casey. PTSD has marked him damaged goods, but bringing Casey back can redeem him. Though the crime scene seems to tell the whole story, details of the murder aren’t adding up. Casey Cox doesn’t fit the profile of a killer. But are Dylan’s skewed perceptions keeping him from being objective? If she isn’t guilty, why did she run?

        Unraveling her past and the evidence that condemns her will take more time than he has, but as Dylan’s damaged soul intersects with hers, he is faced with two choices. The girl who occupies his every thought is a psychopathic killer…or a selfless hero. And the truth could be the most deadly weapon yet.

        If I Run is the first book in Terri Blackstock’s If I Run series, and is also the first novel I have ever read by her. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect going in since I had no previous experience with any of her writing, but the synopsis absolutely captivated me in such a way that I had a feeling I would enjoy this story. Truth is, I enjoyed it so much that I stayed up late one night to finish it, only to want to yell and scream and throw the book at the wall because of the absolute cliff-hanger ending Terri closed the novel with.

        Casey Cox is so, so, so smart. I wish I could be nearly as brilliant as she is, but I wouldn’t want to have to go through all that she experiences in order to gain that knowledge. Honestly, I have no idea how she still had her head screwed on straight after all that she had to witness, so I have to say I really admire her. I’m not saying she isn’t broken or still hurting, but she knows what to do, how to get herself safe, and she still cares about people. A lot. So even if I wasn’t told that she most likely isn’t the killer, I would know it before I had made it very far into the story. She just doesn’t seem anything like someone who would kill anyone, much less her best friend.

        Dylan Roberts is a character I couldn’t help loving from the very beginning, despite the fact that he was searching for Casey, whom I never really wanted to be found. Even though he is basically on the bad side—maybe just for now—he is by far one of my favorite characters. He means well, really he does, and he isn’t afraid to question if Casey really was the murderer after all. I love that about him. And truthfully, he just gets better as the book goes on. I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I won’t tell you how, but I promise you’ll love him more and more the deeper you get into the story.

        This book really is one of the best suspense novels I have ever read (not that I’ve actually read very many but I’m sure I’d still say that if I had) and I am so glad I had the chance to read and review it. Terri did a fabulous job of weaving together all the elements of this suspenseful mystery, and I cannot wait to read more about Casey as Terri comes out with another book in this series (whenever that will be). I have to give this novel all five bookshelves because it has a spot on my all-time favorites list, and has from almost the very first chapter of this story, so I can’t imagine giving it anything else. I highly recommend you read it, because I’m sure you’re going to love it!

        Happy reading!

I received a copy of this novel from the Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for only my honest review.

To see where I’m linking up, check out my Where I Party page.

Photo credits go to my sister Allie, whose blog you can visit here.

All credit for the italicized synopsis goes to Terri Blackstock and Zondervan Publishing.