Dear Bookworms,
True to her reputation as a gifted writer of suspenseful series, Terri Blackstock has just released another thrilling start in her latest book If I Run. 
The story follows Casey Cox, a young woman alone and desperate, running from the consequences of a crime she didn’t commit. I will leave you to discover the circumstances and nuances surrounding her decision to flee despite her innocence, but include here my strong approbation for the plausible situation. The conflict that propels this story applies reasonable conditions to explain the characters’ actions and does credit to Blackstock’s thorough research on her topic. In addition, Blackstock is consistent with the personalities and perspectives of her other characters, realistically showing how and why their own motivations place them at odds with each other and with Casey.
The dramatic intensity of this story grabs you immediately on page one as you are presented with the story’s main conflict already in progress. On this note, Blackstock does a great job of balancing the details she provides with the details that she allows you to extrapolate, building your curiosity about the plot but yet satisfying the basic questions before frustration engenders apathy.
If I Run is a fast-paced adventure that keeps your interest and attention beyond the last page. It is driven by the struggle of sorting out the appropriate way to process and handle high stakes injustice, which is so engrossing that I didn’t even notice the lack of a romantic element until I’d finished, although there is potential for this in the continuing books. Tackling such heavy subject matter is a difficult undertaking, but Blackstock manages to address even the most serious elements with tact and reverence for the real struggle with evil and injustice, capping them off with answers of hope.
Keep reading! (And get your copy here.)
Live, Love, Learn
Elise and The Write Teacher(s)