If I Run by Terri Blackstock

If I Run by Terri Blackstock ISBN-13: 9780310332435 Trade Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Zondervan Released: Feb. 16, 2016

Source: Review copy from the publisher through BookLook.com.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
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 killed. The truth doesn’t matter anymore.

But what is the truth? That’s the question haunting Dylan Roberts, the veteran with severe PTSD who is hired to find Casey. The details of the murder aren’t adding up. But 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.


My Review:
If I Run is a Christian suspense novel. It's the first part of an ongoing story, and it ended with very little resolved. There was a side mystery that's left with many questions unanswered. The main story progressed, yet the good guys can't prove anything despite past efforts by several smart people.

Both the hero and heroine were written as first person, present tense. Sometimes I'd lose track of who "I" was and become confused. I also felt like I was listening to a movie with the main character narrating her/his every move. "I'm at Pedro's Place..." or "I ask him [God]..." The characters felt distant because the reader didn't resided inside their heads.

That said, the underlying story was interesting. It was suspenseful due to the physical danger. The heroine was kind, friendly, and generally smart. She struggled between staying safe and doing the right thing when it might expose her. Due to the influence of Christian friends, she started praying to God even though she isn't a believer.

Dylan's main struggle was with his severe PTSD, and he assumed that anyone experiencing trauma gets life-long, severe PTSD. (Which isn't true, BTW.) His shrink used a treatment method that sounds like one I've read can actually make PTSD worse as it simply reinforces the trauma. No wonder he's struggling with his PTSD. Anyway, I don't understand why he never asked when Casey left work for her lunch hour. It's potentially an alibi considering the time of death was 10 a.m. (see pages 74, 75, 114). He noticed other, more subtle problems, but missed this one.

There was no sex or bad language. I've enjoyed novels by this author in the past, but I didn't like the new style she tried in this one.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.