If I’m Found by Terri Blackstock
My Rating: 4/5 TARDISes
Series: If I Run #2
Date Published: March 21st 2017
Publisher: Zondervan
Pages: 352 pages
Source: Publisher
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository
Synopsis: Is Dylan hunting Casey to prosecute her or protect her?
Casey Cox is still on the run, fleeing prosecution for a murder she didn’t commit. Dylan Roberts—her most relentless pursuer—is still on her trail, but his secret emails insist that he knows the truth and wants to help her. He’s let her escape before when he had her in his grasp, but trust doesn’t come easily.
As Casey works to collect evidence about the real murderers, she stumbles on another unbearable injustice: an abused child and a suicidal man who’s also been falsely accused. Casey risks her own safety to right this wrong and protect the little girl from her tormenters. But doing so is risky and just may result in her capture—and if she’s captured, she has no doubt she’ll be murdered before she ever steps foot in a jail.
In this riveting sequel to the USA Today bestseller If I Run, evil lurks, drawing Casey out of the shadows . . . but there is light shining in the darkness. Is Dylan a provision from the God who loves her, or another heartache yet to happen?
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*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
This is a spoiler-free review, however, it may contain spoilers for the previous book, If I Run.
Once again, Terri Blackstock provides us with another fast-paced, gripping read—full of moments of action and unexpected twists equal to those of it’s predecessor. Blackstock skillfully creates a novel that is suspenseful, exciting, and completely addictive. The end of each chapter keeps you wanting more, making it an engrossing read that is extremely hard to put down. She continues to capture her readers with shocking—and some times infuriatingly unjust—developments, as well as characters that are easy to connect with and care about. And even as the book comes to a close, the final pages are enough to leave any reader craving more.
Casey and Dylan’s story continues as she runs for her life from the corrupt detectives who are bent on capturing her and as he works to save Casey from the dangers that lie back in Shreveport. Much like the first novel, this one is primarily a dual perspective narrative, split between Casey and Dylan. However, one notable difference is that we get a small glimpse into the mind of Detective Gordon Keegan, Casey’s most immoral and relentless pursuer.
Again, Blackstock does a wonderful job of giving each narrator a very distinctive voice, and I enjoyed being able to hear multiple sides of the story. Her writing and transitioning between perspective is very fluid, and she has a style that is easy to read and get swept away with. However, one thing I would have liked to have seen more of in terms of the narrative was Detective Keegan’s point of view. It made the story even more riveting to have a narrator speaking from such an opposing view to Casey’s and Dylan’s, but he ends up only narrating two chapters in the entire novel.
I loved getting to see more of Casey and Dylan, and really diving in to their personalities and what causes them to act in the ways that they do. There was a lot more detail about their individual struggles and how they are pushing on, trying to find ways to overcome these obstacles. It was also exciting to finally see their individual storylines truly—and literally—converge. These two kind and caring souls will do anything they can to make sure justice is served, and finally seeing them interact shows how well they compliment each other.
Casey is such an amazing heroine; she is so caring and puts everyone else’s needs above her own at all times. There were certain instances where I found myself a little frustrated by what she was doing. The obviously dangerous risks she was taking were much more prominent and a little bit more outlandish in this book. However, as I think back on these moments, they were very representative of her overall selflessness, and I applaud Blackstock for further demonstrating this as well as how she has both evolved and stuck with her natural instincts during her time as a fugitive.
I noted Blackstock’s ability to create very relatable and engaging characters in the first novel and that continues to be strong in this one as well. The subplots are definitely less developed than last time, however, this is indicative of Casey having a decreased ability to linger in one place for an extended amount of time. Despite this, I felt that the new side characters and their own storylines were fairly well-developed. She once again adds an equally intriguing subplot into the cat-and-mouse chase that is the main narrative.
This novel deals much more heavily with the subjects of faith and religion than the previous installment did—particularly on Christianity as a whole, and Casey’s gradual understanding of God. I find that it can be a rather difficult task to use these themes in a story without overpowering the reader, especially if they do not follow the same practices as described. Personally, I easily get very uncomfortable when reading about or discussing religion, simply because I believe it is a deeply personal and private thing. I am by no means against novels having elements of religion in them, in fact I applaud authors for using a subject like this, but only when it is done correctly.
Blackstock, in my opinion, went about addressing this topic in a good way. As I said, I find that I can be extremely sensitive to this subject being brought up—however, I did not feel completely overwhelmed by it at any point in time. While Blackstock does focus in on Christianity, the main message that she is sending is about having faith, both in ourselves and possibly in a power that is greater than any of us.
Casey is gradually building her own faith, her own view of God, of heaven, of prayer, and it is ever-changing as her journey continues. Her faith is woven into her struggle in a beautiful and poignant way, coming into her life when she needs it most. And Blackstock writes this all in a very accessible way, not one that would turn of the reader.
Casey’s journey into her own faith is something that most people go through and continue to go through for their entire lives. Faith and religion is something that is somewhat indefinable because we each experience it in a different way. It is constantly evolving, and it’s sole purpose is to provide us with what we need the most at any given time throughout our lives. This is the message that resonates in each detail of the experiences these characters go through in this novel—something that is unique to each one and fills them with the strength they need to carry on through the best and worst times.
The only real complaint I have with this novel is that I found some of the events to be a bit of a stretch when it came to believability. Like the previous book, Casey demonstrates her amazing intellect and self-preservation as she navigates the world under the radar of those searching for her. However, this time around, there were some moments that seemed just a little too perfect—a little too unlikely. Extreme situations that seemingly had no possible way to end well always managed to turn in her favor. And while I definitely enjoyed seeing her conquer each obstacle, some had a slight “deus ex machina” feel to them.
Even though I ended up not enjoying this book quite as much as the previous one, this was still an incredibly action-packed read that had me on the edge of my seat, wondering what would happen next. I flew through this book, cheering Casey and Dylan on, deeply feeling each moment of triumph and injustice. Blackstock knows how to grab a reader’s attention and not let go until the heart-pounding finale. I am really looking forward to reading more of this story and finding out the fates of these characters I have come to love.
The Quirky Book Nerd 