If I Run

After finding best friend Brent Pace stabbed to death in her apartment, Casey Cox knows she will be the prime suspect and needs to make a decision quickly. Armed with thousands in cash that her father gave her for emergencies, she hops on a bus out of Shreveport, La., and becomes Grace Newland after purchasing the identity illegally. Back in Shreveport, war-weary vet Dylan Roberts attends Brent's funeral and is hired by a family friend in the police department to bring Casey home for questioning. As Dylan tries to determine Casey's motive for murdering her friend, "Grace" is trying to establish a new life in Shady Grove, Ga., thanks to Miss Lucy, an elderly woman she met on the bus. Sleuthing online from afar, Casey uncovers evidence that Brent had information pertaining to her father's murder. Unsure who to trust as evidence begins to point to corrupt detectives, Casey digs into her family past to figure out what really happened to her father a decade before. Dylan, just a few steps behind Casey, is skeptical of her involvement in Brent's death. Will her questioning end up costing Casey her life, or will Dylan track her down in time to save them both? Blackstock (Intervention) is masterly in navigating the suspenseful fugitive plot, using the alternation of Casey's and Dylan's chapters to ratchet up the tension. Crisp dialogue and unexpected twists make this compulsive reading, and a final chapter cliffhanger leaves things poised for a sequel. (Dec.)