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 was one of my favorite novels by Terri Blackstock that I have read so far. The story pulled you in from the very beginning and held your attention until the cliffhanger at the end. I was drawn into Casey's dilemma and her race to stay safe from an unknown killer. The plot was filled with danger, suspense, mystery, but still a touch of hope, love, and trust in God. I liked both of the main characters, Casey and Dylan. I was very impressed by Casey's determination and street smarts as she attempted to stay off the police's radar. I was intrigued as I learned more about her character and her desire to both learn more about her father's death and still help the hurting people that she encountered while on the run. She did not start out as a believer, but it was inspiring to see how her views and thoughts changed as she met Miss Lucy and began to understand how even suffering and hurt might have a purpose. Dylan was also a complex character, though not as much of the book focused on him. He was a believer, but he was still struggling to understand suffering as well as the truth about Casey. I appreciated his open mind as he fought to uncover what really happened, despite the negative attitude of the officers he encountered. Overall, I highly enjoyed If I Run, and its lightning fast ending has me waiting in anticipation for the next novel. 

One of my favorite parts is actually in the afterword the author was talking about how discouraged she had been by all the suffering and pain in the world in the midst of God's beautiful creation.

And in her devotions she read Isaiah 42:1-4 [insert: which happened to be the chapter I was reading this week]: "Behold my servant in whom I uphold; my chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit in Him, He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not be disheartened or crushed until He has established justice in the earth.

She said, "Knowing that Jesus will not be disheartened or crushed, that He won't feel the need to shout in the streets or rail against anything, that He will bring forth justice in the twinkle of the eye, encourages me. Things look grim, but God is in control.
Sometimes terrible things happen in our culture. Logic seems upside down, and the masses march in step to the drumbeat of political correctness.
Out job is to stand up for our beliefs and cling to them no matter what, and wait for our redemption.
Jesus will not let us down."

I received this novel from Litfuse in exchange for an honest review.