Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Time to Run (Nick of Time #1)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Time to Run

(Nick Of Time #1)

John Gilstrap (Goodreads Author)

3.55 · Rating details · 233 ratings · 24 reviews

ON THE ROAD—AND ON THE RUN

In the first thrilling installment of John Gilstrap’s five-part novel, a young woman sets off on what could be her last joyride—with a man who is killing more than just time . . .

Nicki Janssen’s days are numbered, but the feisty seventeen-year-old is not going to face her future lying down. Instead of enduring another round of medical treatment ...more

Get A Copy

Kindle Edition, 97 pages

Published March 29th 2016 by Lyrical Underground

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Time to Run, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about Time to Run

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.55 ·

Rating details

· 233 ratings · 24 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Time to Run (Nick of Time #1)

Feb 10, 2016 Carrie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley

Time to Run is the first installment of a five part book series by author John Gilstrap. Seventeen year old Nicki Janssen had overcome an eating disorder only to then lose her mother to cancer. While grieving for her mother Nicki had resumed her obsession with weight loss and had turned to diet pills. The pills however had side effects ending up putting Nicki in the hospital herself and without a heart and lungs transplant she finds herself with only a year left to live.

Not wanting to live out ...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Feb 25, 2016 Lynn Mccarthy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed-for-netgalley

This is part 1 of 5 parts.
Nicholette is 17 and needs a heart and double lung transplant or she will die, she lost her mother to cancer a year ago and her father will try anything to prolong his daughters life so he wants her to have this experimental trial but Nicolette is tired of being prodded and pocked so she runs away with a man that used to live next door to her that is a wild child and has been in prison for killing that she recently meet again in a chat room.
Of course Nicolette doesn't k ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 28, 2016 Maggie61 rated it it was amazing

Shelves: net-galley, read-2016

I received this book free from the net galley and publisher in exchange for an honest review.
If you had a year to live, how would you live it? Do you want to spend it in a hospital waiting to die or would you want to be free to do your own thing, live your life and enjoy the time you have left ?
Nicolette is 17 and has something called PPH. Without a heart and double lung transplant she will be dead in a year. She and her father always seem to be butting heads and are not in agreement as to the ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 30, 2017 Dave Wine rated it liked it

Good start.

Good start let's see if it continues. Some good character development. But I want more, a full story. I k ...more

flag Like · see review

Dec 07, 2020 jessica mcdonough rated it really liked it

Time to run

John you are a pretty good writer but if you think I am paying $2.99 for 97 pages you obviously think too highly of your books they are not that good. Past reader.

flag Like · see review

Aug 04, 2020 James rated it really liked it

One of 5 continuing short stories.

flag Like · see review

Feb 19, 2016 HornFan2 rated it it was amazing

Shelves: action-adventure, mystery-thriller, suspense, thriller, favorite-author, fiction-literature, netgalley

Thanks to netgalley.com, John Gilstrap and Penguin Random House for the ARC copy for my honest review. Time to Run is part one of five parts, it's a serial single titled 'Nick of Time'.

It's an emotional read, one that any reader can relate to and it's oh so real.

Prosecutor Carter Janssen, his daughter Nicolette Janssen are at odds with each other. After losing Jenny Janssen his wife, her mom a year ago to cancer. The two find themselves in another crisis, when they learn that Nicki needs a hear ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 08, 2016 Ash rated it liked it

Shelves: 2016

I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley.

The idea behind this book is a little bit different to what I am used to. It’s not a novel or novella, but rather the first installment of a serialised story. Personally, I’m not a fan of the serial style. I like to have the whole thing in my hands and read it at my own pace rather than have to wait for the next instalment, but it had John Gilstrap’s name on it and I liked some of his previous stuff so I gave it a try anyway.

Time to Run is the I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley.

The idea behind this book is a little bit different to what I am used to. It’s not a novel or novella, but rather the first installment of a serialised story. Personally, I’m not a fan of the serial style. I like to have the whole thing in my hands and read it at my own pace rather than have to wait for the next instalment, but it had John Gilstrap’s name on it and I liked some of his previous stuff so I gave it a try anyway.

Time to Run is the beginning of John Gilstrap’s serialised story Nick of Time. It covers roughly the first twenty percent of the story that follows terminally ill teenager Nicki Janssen. Nicki, who has only twelve months left to live unless she can get a heart and double lung transplant, decides to enjoy what time she has left by running away from home with an old friend she has recently reconnected with online.

It’s a bit hard to review this book because it’s not a full story, but just a segment of it. The general idea of the plot is interesting and for some reason it reminds of the TV show Catfish and it reaffirms the notion that you don’t really know who you’re talking to online. However I also found it frustrating because it had just gotten me fully engaged and then it was over. In terms of characters, I liked Nicki and found her quite easy to relate with but I haven’t really seen enough to form an opinion of anyone else.

All in all, Gilstrap has a very nice writing style and while I am interested to see what happens next, the serial style is not something I particularly enjoy. Luckily the wait isn’t too long as there’s only a couple of weeks until the next installment Time to Hide is released.

Is it worth a read? If you like the serial style of storytelling and can keep yourself engaged in between the release of new installments, then Time to Run is worth a read. It’s an interesting story and Gilstrap has a pleasant writing style which would appeal to a lot of thriller readers.

This review was originally published at Worth a Read. ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 06, 2016 Kyle Robertson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kindle

Seventeen year old Nicki has at best one year left to live, unless she can receive a heart and lung transplant. She reconnects with a con artist who has a very checkered past that she had a crush on five years ago named Brad. And he promises that if she hits the road with him, he can take her away from the world of hospitals, tests, and experiments and make her dreams come true. Not wanting to spend her final months tied to machines and poked and prodded, Nicki decides to put her faith in Brad. ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 29, 2016 Petra rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, ya, suspense, short-stories, series

First part of a very promising five-part serial about seventeen-year-old Nicki who is terminally ill. Instead of spending her remaining time in the hospital, she decides to have the ultimate adventure and reconnects online with Brad, a childhood crush who used to live next door. But Brad turns out to be a bit of a con-artist. The two set off pursued by Nicki's father, a prosecutor.
Fast paced and very engaging, this had me hooked from page one. I've never read anything by John Gilstrap before. I ...more

flag Like · see review

Feb 25, 2016 Dottie Legatos rated it it was ok

Shelves: netgalley, read-in-2016

A very short serial single, #1 in John Gilstrap's Nick of Time series, was over before I had a chance to get to know the characters. Nicki, a seventeen year old with a terminal illness hooks up with Brad, an old acquaintance, in a chat room. She's tired of living by the rules and decides to throw caution to the wind and take off on an adventure with Brad. She only has a year to live, and she wants to live it her way, not her father's.
I was very excited to read this, since I loved Nathan's Run, ...more

flag Like · see review

Apr 03, 2016 Joe rated it it was amazing

John Gilstrap never lets me down...

I like this concept of reading in parts.. With only a little time to read, this finds the spots throughout my day when I would like to have a new story, but don't have the time for complete novel.
Each and every one of John Gilstraps books captivates me from the very first paragraph. This one is no different... It's a wonderful read that I highly recommend... ...more

flag Like · see review

Feb 17, 2016 Donna Maguire rated it really liked it

Shelves: crime-mystery-suspense, 2016-books-read, kindle-read, net-galley-books-read

I am really enjoying John Gilstrap's writing style in this series (Nick of Time), the pace of the book is brilliant and you can feel the tory building in this instalment as the books moves through towards the end - I am really looking forward to reading part 2. The characters are good and you can see the relationships starting to form and you already know that the path of the main characters is not going to run smoothly. Looking forward to see where the book takes me. ...more

flag Like · see review

Oct 28, 2016 Riquette rated it liked it

Shelves: novel

Part one

Was interesting. Hope to read the second part becase it let me in suspence. I really want to know about Nicki. What will be her decision. Will she escape and run to her father. Will she get the treatment? So young and so ill. I hope for her to be reasonable, healthy and alive!!!

flag Like · see review

Mar 28, 2016 Peggy rated it it was amazing

**SPOILER FREE**

WOW!!! WOW!!! WOW!!! WOW!!! AMAZING! Want a book that will keep you one edge but have you question yourself? This would be the one! What is behind this cover is much deeper than one might think! The thrill is more than expression! The plot of this book as well as the characters have been very well thought out!

*Received for an honest review*

flag Like · see review

Feb 06, 2017 Colleen rated it it was amazing

Excellent, exciting read.

flag Like · see review

Jul 08, 2016 Kathy Govreau rated it really liked it

I knew this was the first in a series: you can pretty much figure that out by the title.... I liked it a lot and will download the rest of them to my kindle. Maybe not as good as his stand alone books but still a great read!

flag Like · see review

Apr 26, 2016 Linda rated it liked it

Gilstrap seems to specialize in kid-in-peril stories. This hasn't started out as one of his best, but it's interesting enough for me to seek out the next installment. ...more

flag Like · see review

Jun 08, 2016 Cyndy rated it really liked it

A good start. I see the 5 individual shorts are all available or the complete novel will be out later this year. I haven't decided which route I will take, but they will be read. ...more

flag Like · see review

Apr 09, 2016 Carolyn Dewalt rated it it was amazing

Good but......

Gilstrap can write, no doubt. And this story was good. However paying for each little part is going to add up and I am not sure I want to get wicked in.

flag Like · see review

Jul 31, 2016 Sandra Scheff rated it liked it

Too short

Story was just getting interesting and then it left you hanging. Since I paid .99 cents I guess I had it coming. This was a tease to buy more books in the series.

flag Like · see review

Sep 30, 2016 Jack Hardy rated it liked it

Just a dangler, well written

Tune in for the next chapter? Soap opera structure has hit novel writing. Not my cup of tea. Is it yours?

flag Like · see review

May 21, 2016 Sherry Lipp rated it did not like it

Slow

Not usual exciting Gilstrap book. I Will not continue reading this series. Not recommended to anyone that I know. Yeech

flag Like · see review

Jun 21, 2016 Whtyac rated it really liked it

Nice intro to some very complex characters. It ask the question " what would we do if we only had months, days or hours to live?" ...more

flag Like · see review

Randy rated it really liked it
Aug 17, 2019

Irene Thouin rated it it was amazing
Feb 05, 2016

Debra D. Wells rated it it was amazing
Apr 01, 2016

Neville Townsend rated it really liked it
Jun 08, 2016

David rated it it was ok
Dec 08, 2016

Roxanne rated it really liked it
Jun 28, 2017

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Suspense

2 users

See top shelves…

About John Gilstrap

John Gilstrap

678 followers

A little bit about my background... I've always been a closet-writer. As a kid, I lived for the opportunity to write short stories. I was the editor of my high school newspaper for a while (the Valor Dictus, Robinson High School, class of 1975), until I quit ("You can't fire me! I quit!") over a lofty First Amendment issue that seemed very important at the time. My goal, in fact, was to become a j A little bit about my background... I've always been a closet-writer. As a kid, I lived for the opportunity to write short stories. I was the editor of my high school newspaper for a while (the Valor Dictus, Robinson High School, class of 1975), until I quit ("You can't fire me! I quit!") over a lofty First Amendment issue that seemed very important at the time. My goal, in fact, was to become a journalist in the vein of Woodward or Bernstein. Okay, I confess, I wanted to be Woodward; Robert Redford played him in the movie, and chicks really dug Robert Redford.

I graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1979, and armed with a degree in American history, I couldn't find a job. I ended up settling for a position with a little-noticed trade journal serving the construction industry. They called me the managing editor and they paid me food stamp wages. I hated it. About this time, I joined the Burke Volunteer Fire Department in Fairfax County, Virginia, if only to find relief from the boredom of my job. Running about a thousand calls my first year with the department, I was hooked, and the volunteer fire service became an important part of my life for the next 15 years. In the early eighties, hating my job, I went the way of all frustrated liberal arts undergrads—back to graduate school. Earning a Master of Science degree in safety engineering from the University of Southern California, I started down a whole new road. For the next decade and a half, I became an expert (don't you hate that word?) on explosives safety and hazardous waste. Meanwhile, I kept writing. I didn't tell anyone, of course, because, well, you just don't share artistic dreams with fellow engineers. They look at you funny.

My first novel, Nathan's Run, was in fact my fourth novel, and when it sold, it sold big. At a time in my life when things were going well—I was president of my own consulting firm—things were suddenly going very well. Warner Bros. bought the movie rights to Nathan's Run two days after the first book rights were sold, and as of this date, the novel has been translated and published in one form or another in over 20 countries. With Nathan's Run in the can, as it were, I thought I might finally be on to something, but I didn't quit my "day job" until after I sold the book and movie rights to my second novel, At All Costs. I figured that while one-in-a-row might be luck, two-in-a-row was a trend. So, I started writing full-time.

More novels followed, and then a few screenplays. I was living the dream.

But I really didn't like it much. I learned pretty quickly that when you're born a Type-A personality, those extrovert tendencies don't go away just because you're practicing a craft you love. In fact, after just a couple of years of dream fulfillment, I was pretty friggin' bored with the company of my imaginary friends, so I did something that I've never heard a full-time artist do before: I went back to a day job. At first, it was just a matter of reactivating my consulting business, but then, in 2004, I was handed my ideal Big-Boy Job (that's what my wife calls it) working as the director of safety for a trade association in Washington, DC.

And I continue to write. In 2006, Six Minutes to Freedom was published to considerable acclaim. My first (and probably last) foray into book-length non-fiction, SixMin tells the story of Kurt Muse, the only civilian of record ever rescued by the super-secret Delta Force. Thanks to Kurt's cooperation (he is co-author), I gained access to people and places that lifelong civilians like me should never see. The heroic warriors I met during that research turned out to be nothing like their movie stereotypes. These were not only gentlemen, but gentle men, who remained free of the kind of boasting and self-aggrandizement that I was expecting. They were supreme professionals, and very nice guys.

And through them I got the idea for my new series character, Jonathan Grave. He's fo ...more