If I Run series by Terri Blackstock Book Review

As I’ve stated previously, I am an avid reader, and back in the day – a long, long, long time ago – in the irresponsible days of adolescence, all I did was spend hours reading, flying through books and series. But the responsibilities at last caught up with me, and the books read per year dwindled to a measly, shameful number that embarrass me to list on Goodreads.

I know, I know! Everyone says that to be a good writer, you have to read voraciously. And I agree because I believe the reading I did at that young age taught me more than a textbook could. But when faced with the dilemma of squeezing in tasks in my time-deficient schedule, I am going to choose writing over reading, especially as I have chosen writing as my profession, and you cannot earn a living just reading books. Well, there are specific jobs that consist of that, but that’s not what I mean here.

Secondly, I love writing just as much as reading. I draw pleasure from fleshing out my characters in the same way I like reading about other writers’ characters in their books. Part of the fun is developing them, working on the little intricacies of their personalities until they feel real as the ones in your favorite novel.

However, now that I have moved into the realm of getting Safecracker published, my recent aim has been to spend time reading as much as possible, and more specifically, to read contemporary thrillers and mysteries. I am told you need to have a thorough knowledge of the market you are entering, plus it's necessary in finding comparative titles to the book you’re trying to publish so the literary agents know exactly where yours fits in.

My journey to find suitable novels was a little rocky as I went through numerous synopses but with little success in finding ones similar to my interest. I wanted a good dose of thrill or mystery with a natural-feeling romance on the side. I discovered there is not a lot in that category nowadays, with the market being flooded with romantic suspense focusing on the girl-guy relationship over an original, tight-knit plot. But the books I did find were from established best-selling authors who have been writing for decades.

That was when I came across the If I Run series by Terri Blackstock. I hadn’t read anything from her, but she came as a recommended author from my family, so I gave the series a try.

Best decision I made.

She writes with the concept that there is more involved in the individual characters’ lives than just finding a romantic relationship. The heroine and hero have realistic issues that need to be dealt with, and on their own. No relationship can fix their problem, though they can be a support for the other.

The series reminded me in some ways of the Bourne movies, (The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum), because, yeah, he is always on the run, trying to survive, as the heroine Casey Cox is in Blackstock’s series. And there isn’t a dragging-on effect to the story, but her constant movement and the clever methods she uses in covering her tracks are exciting with the sense that she’s making progress, and not just monotonous running as you might think.

The first book had me intrigued, and then the culmination of the second ramped up in such a thrilling way that I was hooked.

Quick give me the final book – I have to know what happens!

The third as you can expect, was the long-sought-for resolution. And I found myself not wanting it to end because the characters were now so real and endearing! Surprisingly, something I’ve not desired in a book for a very long time. And I guess it only goes to show what I like because I found some similarities to my Safecracker as well.

The writing style was new to me, being in the first-person present tense, (I walk up to the counter, I say to the person, etc…), only finding out later that this has been a trending method in Young Adult fiction. Whoops, I guess I was too busy reading Dicken’s Great Expectations instead of the latest YA in my teens. I would not suggest it for all genres, but the present tense in If I Run keeps with the fast-paced momentum of the story and is not at all bothersome as I primarily thought it might be.

The drawing in of the element of faith, an important aspect in fiction for me, was realistic, threading in the message of salvation, and giving the hope you would not otherwise find in such a grim situation without God. It emphasized His faithfulness and guidance, and at the same time, teaching the reader a lesson they can apply to their own lives.

All in all, I give it five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐! And since then, I badger everyone around me to read it too! Have you read the If I Run series? If not, I heartily recommend you do!

What are some of your favorite mystery/thriller novels? Tell me about it in the comments below. I welcome reading suggestions!