I picked up If I Live, the third and final book in the If I Run series, expecting to only read a few chapters before putting it down for the night. I knew I shouldn't have started this book so close to bedtimes. Several hours passed and as I put my Kindle down all I could utter was, "Wow, now THAT is the way to end a series."

In March 2017 I read and reviewed the first book in the If I Run series. I was blown away and knew this series was going to be an incredible ride. Terri Blackstock has an amazing gift of pulling her readers in from the very beginning and If I Live is no exception. I fought to tear my eyes away from the pages, but I was instantly hooked, hungering to see how everything would turn out.

Casey Cox is on the run for her life, having been indicted for the murder of her best friend, Brent Pace, whom she found dead at the beginning of the series. Though she is innocent she continues to flee from the men who actually murdered Brent, and who now have their sights set on her. The twist is that the murderers are Louisiana detectives, making it easy for them to cover their tracks and commit the perfect murder, if they can only silence Casey for good.

Dylan Roberts is the detective that was hired by Brent's parents to find the fugitive. Dylan knows of Casey's innocence, and is working to not only keep them both safe, but to also help unveil the truth about the real killers.

You see the drama unfold through the eyes of both Casey and Dylan, and you also get to see part of the story through the eyes of the killer. Don't let the "clean and wholesome" tag fool you either. There is a lot of action and suspense, and quite a few times I was growling out loud in frustration at the direction of the story. I personally appreciated how the author included Casey's journey to discovering her faith throughout the action in the book and did not think that it took anything away from the story as a whole. I also enjoyed the little bit of a love story that was sprinkled in there as well.

If you like action-packed, page-turning goodness If I Live is the book for you! I would strongly urge you to read the first two books so that you can get a better feel for the back story, though the author does do a decent job of catching the reader up if you were to read this as a stand-alone book. If I could give more than five stars I would! The writing is exemplary and I promise if you pick up this book you will not be disappointed. ( )

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Decided to wait in the hope of getting to read in order - glad I did. Although it's not necessary, I prefer to read series books in order. Another wonderful book from Terri Blackstock. Another wonderful job of narration by Kate Rudd.

FROM BARNES & NOBLE: The hunt has turned deadly.

In the thrilling conclusion to the If I Run Series, Casey and Dylan must expose the real killer before they both end up dead.

Casey is still on the run for a murder she didn’t commit, and she’s running out of places to hide, and her face is all over the news. It’s only a matter of time.

Dylan Roberts, the investigator who once sought her arrest, is now her only hope. As they work together will one life have to be sacrificed to protect the other? ( )

Can’t. Catch. My. Breath! Wow! This book is non-stop action and breath-taking suspense. I literally had to put the book down a few times just to walk around, regroup, and rest my tight muscles. My only regret is that I didn’t read all three books consecutively. Although, I don’t know if I could have stood it...too much “fight or flight” suspense!
Finally, we are at the end of the long tunnel for Casey Cox who has been literally running for her life from two bad cops. Thankfully, she has Dylan, a PI, in her corner now. As she runs and hides from place to place, Dylan is busy trying to get the rest of the evidence she needs to prove her innocence. Along the way, many things happen that I won’t even begin to say because I don’t want to let any spoilers slip out.
If you’ve read the first two books, then I know you’ll want to read this book NOW! If you haven’t read this series, now’s the time to buy all three and read one after the other. You won’t be disappointed.
After you finish, make sure you read A Note From The Author. It is so good. She speaks truth and wraps all the feelings up and brings it home by helping us see that God holds all the answers to all our problems. ( )

Wow. This gave me goosebumps, which I can't say for the rest of the (pretty large) stack of suspense I've read recently. A big part of that was the realistic basis for Casey's actions. She did what she had to do to survive, and she got the respect and empathy of readers because of that. I especially appreciate the fact that I didn't have to read through pages of a character overtly admiring someone else's physical attributes, which is becoming more and more prevalent in this type of fiction, sadly.
Keegan's POV, although it came from a ruthless character, wasn't what really got me. The scene, about halfway through dealing with child abuse? That choked me up. ( )