Finding Alice – by Melody Carlson (2003)

Alice is a brilliant student who is in her last year of college. She’s always been a little different than the other young adults around her, but most folks just chalk it up to a quirky personality. Then her boyfriend dumps her, and something inside Alice snaps.

Someone who she calls Amelia starts appearing to Alice, giving her advice. Alice thinks she is a guardian angel. Amelia warns her that everyone is out to get her, and prompts her to do some irrational things. Alice stops eating, and barricades herself inside her little apartment, until her mother forces her way in.

Her mother knows immediately what is the matter with Alice – she has schizophrenia, just as her grandmother did. But the mom, being part of a church that sees mental illness as a result of sin, gathers people from church to help her cast out the demon. As you might guess, Alice does not react well to this, and bolts from the house.

If I’m Found/If I Live – by Terri Blackstock (2017, 2018)

Do you remember the movie “The Fugitive” starring Harrison Ford? Dr. Richard Kimble is charged with the brutal murder of his wife, but is innocent of the crime. Unfortunately, the authorities don’t believe his story, and soon he is on his way to prison. But Dr. Kimble manages to escape and live under an assumed name. A dedicated FBI agent pursues him relentlessly.

Terri Blackstock’s “If I Run” trilogy has the same flavor as “The Fugitive”. The main character, Casey, finds her friend Brent dead in a pool of blood. Unbeknownst to her, she is being set up to take the fall for the murder. With the police about to arrest her, she flees with a stash of cash. Dylan, a private detective with PTSD from his time in Afghanistan, is hired by Brent’s family to find her.

(review of book #1 in the trilogy:) https://alwaysreading1.wordpress.com/2020/11/25/if-i-run-by-terri-blackstock-2016/

“If I’m Found” and “If I Live” are the second and third books of the trilogy.