Charlotte Marshall is an author and stuck for an idea for her third book. All she has on the page is a blinking cursor. Then she remembers a time twenty years before when her mom hurriedly shut off the radio as the news reported a young girl – the victim of rape and murder. She begins to search for archives of that story. The writer’s block was gone, but she needed more detail so she stumbles upon a website listing unsolved murders by state. She begins to find over twenty more young girls who over the twenty year period were similar in their looks and stature and all killed in similar circumstances. All but one.

She brings her research to the FBI. She speaks with Special Agent in Charge Jack Moore. He and another agent show an interest in what she’s found. Shortly after, she gets attacked. Did the FBI have a leak? How else would she now be the target of this monster? Now she needs to determine who she can trust. She can’t run forever.

Run is a quick read (160 pp) told in first person narrative by Charlotte Marshall. Just a tad slow at the beginning but it quickly picks up and continues to move at a fast pace. There is sort of a paranormal aspect. In Charlotte’s dreams, the girls come to her and give her clues as well as warnings. The character personalities are well defined, even that of Charlotte’s dog, Max, and her cat, Kitty. The book’s contents are listed in dates and times so the reader can quickly see that in total, the story goes from March 14, 2012 to April 9, 2012. The book is a complete story in itself, but leaves an opening into the book Stand which follows. Rating: 4 out of 5. ( )

Run by Becky Johnson is a pleasant, quick read. The prologue was short and hooked me in quickly. With a clever segue way to the past, Johnson introduces us to the narrator Charlotte Marshall.

Dyslexic author and pet owner, Charlotte is researching her next novel when she becomes obsessed with investigating the murder of a series of teenage girls. After going to the FBI with what she has found, Marshall, herself, becomes the target.

The story is interesting and, for the most part, believable. Charlotte’s reactions and journey as she tries to keep herself safe certainly rang true. While there were moments and details in the investigation that felt a little weak, this certainly wasn’t enough to get in the way of a good story. ( )