If I Run

In the opening scene Casey Cox discovers the lifeless body of her good friend, Brent. Given her mistrust of the local police department, Casey fears that she will be accused of her friend’s murder. So, she immediately hightails it out of town, changes her appearance, and adopts a new identity. While on the run, as she tries to remain hidden from law enforcement, Casey attempts to clandestinely piece together information and clues that could clear her name. Unbeknownst to her, Brent’s parents have hired his friend, Dylan Roberts, as a private investigator to track her down. I was looking for another mystery to read, when I stumbled onto this book. At the outset I didn’t know, but about a quarter of the way in, I realized that this is a work of Christian fiction. Since I have never read anything in this genre, I was pleasantly surprised. I’ve always assumed that in this genre the quality of the storytelling would be compromised by attempts to intentionally, yet awkwardly interject religious themes into a story. However, this isn’t the case with “If I Run.” Questions of faith and belief are naturally interwoven throughout the story. The only drawback is that author’s note at the very end, which is a little bit preachy. Despite this, I really enjoyed the book and I’m looking forward to reading more in the series and the Christian fiction genre.