I won this book from the author. Cassidy Christensen would never forget that night when some scary goon killed her dad as he told her to run, instead she called the police as she rushed to help he dad, but the goon had a gun but she had to do something! Now, with both parents gone, she was running from mercenaries that wanted her dead too and she had no clue why. Dead Running is a fast paced page turner and A MUST READ! ( )

First of all, I read this in a day. I love a book that pulls me in and keeps me to the end. There came a point when I had to put the book down and take my daughter to the dentist. No worries, right? All I had to do was drive and then I could read again in the waiting room. Her appointment took seven minutes. Seven stinking minutes!

The worst part was I had reached the point where all the players were in motion and I was just waiting to see how it fell into place. That was the LONGEST drive home ever.

This book had a nice mystery, loveable and believable characters with great voice. I loved how real Cassidy was. Her sense of humor and off the wall bluntness had me smiling the whole time. And the end of the 10K race? OMGosh I couldn't stop laughing. It was just a great story that let me slip out of my life and into someone elses. That's why I read.

Bonus points for the following:

Making me WANT to start running again. I loved how Checketts used Cassidy's training for the marathon to show us how strong and determined (stubborn) she could be. Cassidy grows stronger in more ways than one as she pushes herself harder than ever before.
Brilliant plot twist with Dr. Tattoo (totally dreamy dude). I don't want to spoil anything, but LOVED it. Early on I had a very definite idea of which side he would be on, but wow there was still a great surprise in store for me and Cassidy. Can you say CONFLICT baby?
All the great nicknames Cassidy had for the other characters. I'm so bad with names that I do this same thing! I only wish she had told Detective Shine what his name meant.
( )

First of all, I read this in a day. I love a book that pulls me in and keeps me to the end. There came a point when I had to put the book down and take my daughter to the dentist. No worries, right? All I had to do was drive and then I could read again in the waiting room. Her appointment took seven minutes. Seven stinking minutes!

The worst part was I had reached the point where all the players were in motion and I was just waiting to see how it fell into place. That was the LONGEST drive home ever.

This book had a nice mystery, loveable and believable characters with great voice. I loved how real Cassidy was. Her sense of humor and off the wall bluntness had me smiling the whole time. And the end of the 10K race? OMGosh I couldn't stop laughing. It was just a great story that let me slip out of my life and into someone elses. That's why I read.

Bonus points for the following:

Making me WANT to start running again. I loved how Checketts used Cassidy's training for the marathon to show us how strong and determined (stubborn) she could be. Cassidy grows stronger in more ways than one as she pushes herself harder than ever before.
Brilliant plot twist with Dr. Tattoo (totally dreamy dude). I don't want to spoil anything, but LOVED it. Early on I had a very definite idea of which side he would be on, but wow there was still a great surprise in store for me and Cassidy. Can you say CONFLICT baby?
All the great nicknames Cassidy had for the other characters. I'm so bad with names that I do this same thing! I only wish she had told Detective Shine what his name meant.
( )

13600649

Cami Checketts is a talented writer yet I am a little confused as to where she came up with this title. I have a couple of vague ideas but I feel she could have come up with a better title. Regardless, this was a delightful story of a woman in her mid-20′s living with her grandmother after the loss of her parents killed in an accident in Mexico.

After the Prequel, the story unfolds with grumbling by Cassie, and it is soon discovered this is because she is in a 5K marathon. She was persuaded by her pregnant sister-in-law, Raquel, to participate. She is a Physical Fitness Exercise Science major so how could she refuse?

She is bumped by a very large runner and stumbles. Her arms and legs were skinned on the pavement. He comes back to see if she is OK. A very fast 10K runner who had recently zoomed by also stopped and checked on her before continuing on. The big “Nasty Muscle Man” guy was scary. Soon another guy zoomed by was “hot”! Very blue eyes, slightly strawberry blond hair and tall.

After a long, embarrassing run, her and her sister-in-law was ‘cooling down’ when the announcer was reading off winners of the run and other contests. Her name was called. She was so excited! When claiming her prize she discovered it was for an entry for the St. George 20K run. The “Hot Redhead” girl who was in the run with her tried to get her to sell her the ticket.

The announcer was very annoyed: First: That she did not want the placement in such a renowned race. Second: The prizes were not transferable and she had to reiterate this several times. “Hot Redhead” stated she had a big crush on the “Hot” guy, Damon, and he will be helping train for the St. George Marathon. He was beyond “hot”, he was gorgeous!

A Tattoo Man” came towards her to check on her scrapes from falling. He is actually a Dr. and very attractive if you can get pass his massive tattoos to view his face. He is also very well-built. After he gently doctored her abrasions, she left the facility and went towards the woods so she could be alone. What she found a short way in the trees and by the stream was shocking. She “lost it” and stared uncontrollably screaming. The strong arms of the Dr. encircled her and he spoke soothingly to her until she calmed down. His touch sent soothing electricity through her. He then called 911 and carried her up the hill. He took her home as soon as he could.

Cassie’s grandmother was not home…a good thing. She would probably go berserk over all the tattoos. Since the death of her parents over two years ago, Grandmother had been very protective in a strict manner. Her very protective brother and his family lived near by…near enough. She was relieved her grandmother didn’t see Dr. Tattoo. She would likely jump to wrong conclusions.

After Dr. Tattoo left, she resumed complaining about the 20K in St. George she would have to run. She would do it because she could not, would not fail at another thing. She had ventured after several things since her parents death but never finished them. She would not fail this time. It helped that gorgeous Damon stopped by to let her know he would be training with her.

The adventures continue to escalate. There are unexpected twists as the pace of the plot increases.

This is a great romantic mystery. One is never sure, until the very end, who the ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’ are.

Checketts adds a dry humor to the main character which is delightful. It causes the character to feel more real.

This is a clean, well-written novel. I highly recommend it to YA and adults. It will brighten your reading experience. ( )

Prior to the night Cassidy Christensen witnessed an attempt on her father's life, she was a woman with a plan. She lived on her on, was fiercely independent and was ready to set the world on fire. That plan went a little awry after that night and she moved in with her paternal grandmother, Nana Christensen. After the death of her parents in Mexico her plans all but died. She remained at her grandmother's house, her business failed due to the economy and she became an office worker. Cassidy has lost her self-confidence. But things are changing . . .

Raquel, Cassidy's sister-in-law, has talked her into training and then entering a 5K race. That simple race will change Cassidy's life in more ways than one. She meets not one but two interesting men as a result of the race, encounters two thugs that have begun to threaten her as a result of her father's former work, and meets a woman that borders on crazy with her stalker mentality (all because of a guy). After the race Cassidy decides she'll actually follow through on a promise she's made to herself, she will become a runner and she will compete in the upcoming marathon.

As Cassidy begins to train in earnest for the upcoming marathon, her life becomes a tragic comedy worthy of an I Love Lucy episode. One of her romantic interests is Damon, a fellow runner that had agreed to train with the marathon entrant from the 5K race. Another romantic interest is Jesse, another runner and the doctor that treated her road rash after the 5K race. The only family member that seems to support Cassidy's desire to train and run is her sister-in-law. Her brother Jared, her Nana and even her best friend Tasha all appear to suspect her motives for training and feel she'll back out of this as she has so many things in the past few years. Cassidy must also fend off thugs from her father's past and delve into the mystery surrounding her parents' deaths. Will she be able to uncover the truth without putting her life in danger?

I found Dead Running to be a quick read that kept my attention from beginning to end. I was drawn by the descriptions of running and training preparation partially because my nephew runs cross-country and because Ms. Checketts did such an amazing job of making it interesting reading. Dead Running provides mystery, suspense, a light-hearted romance and just a touch of humor. ( )