Red River Road, masterfully crafted by Anna Downes and impeccably narrated by Maddy Withington, absolutely captivated me. Tense, twisty, atmospheric, and utterly addictive—these are just a few of the superlatives I could use to describe this thrilling novel. I found myself holding my breath so often throughout the story, it’s a wonder I didn’t black out!

Upon starting the book, I admittedly thought, “Not another alcoholic, unreliable narrator!” But to my pleasant surprise, that’s not the direction the story takes at all.

The narrative unfolds from three perspectives: Katy, Beth, and Wyatt, a 15-year-old boy whose mother is also missing. Each of these central characters occasionally exhibits moments of unreliability, adding layers of complexity and intrigue. The tension is palpable from the very beginning and persists throughout, never truly letting up. If Anna Downes’s goal was to make me reconsider traveling alone, she’s certainly succeeded!

The plot is intricately layered, with numerous threads gradually woven together to reveal a conclusion that was both unexpected and far from what I had imagined. The novel delves into some heavy subject matter—sexual assault, mental health issues, and stalking, both physical and online—but does so with remarkable restraint, offering little graphic detail. There are plenty of clever red herrings, as well as lies, secrets, and twists that keep you guessing until the very end.

This was one that surprised me.

At first I was worried about the multiple POV's, but the distinction between the characters was fantastic, so I had no issues with that whatsoever.

I will say that the book starts off a little bit slow, but I highly recommend people stick with it because it picks up and the story is worth it.

Katy is looking for her sister, Phoebe, who went missing while camping in Australia in a van. She decides to travel Phoebe’s route to ask people if they have seen her. One night on a dark highway, a woman runs out into the road needing help. Katy picks her up and …..well, I am not going to give away the plot, but this one was really good. It slowed some in the middle but the last 1//4 picked up and great ending.

#vanlife! Phoebe wanted a career as a travel influencer when she set off on a road trip along the western coast of Australia. She illustrated her trip with photographs and diary entries. It is those that her sister Katy follows now, hoping to find a trace of her missing sister who disappeared a year ago. From her first day on the road, Katy seems to be a troubled young woman. Soon, after Beth hides in Katy’s van, there are two troubled young women on the road. Beth is fleeing from something and neither telling the truth about what happened nor where she is from. She and Katy bond to search for Phoebe and the story alternates between their narratives and Wyatt’s. Wyatt, a boy who lives in the area, may know what happened to Phoebe.

Red River Road is a suspenseful but slow moving mystery/thriller. I listened to the audiobook, read by Maddy Withington. She was an excellent reader but it was hard to add excitement to this unhurried plot. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Anna Downes and Maddy Withington for this ARC.

Wow!! What a story. It started out a bit slow for me, and I stopped listening for a bit, but then I read some of the reviews and decided to keep going. I am so glad I did. There were twists and turns that I really didn't see coming.

I listened to the audio and it was so well done. The narrator really captured the characters. The book follows Katy as she retraces the path her sister, Pheobe took on her solo van ride through Australia. Phoebe has vanished and Katy figures that the best way to figure out what happened, is to follow the exact steps Phoebe took. Phoebe has documented all of her travels on Instagram, which makes it easier to retrace. The destinations are so well described, I felt like I was there. I enjoyed the characters and learning more about them.

At times I didn't know who or what to believe and who was good, who was bad. It was an awesome read and I am so glad I stuck it out!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I found this to be rather slow which was unexpected. Going into it knowing that it was going to be a slow burn might have effected my rating. I do think it was well written with the clues, cliffhangers, etc.

I loved Anna Downes's thriller Red River Road . I’m
fascinated by stories that take place in rural parts of Australia. This was a terrifying tale of a woman who is searching for her missing sister who disappeared while on a solo road trip through the Australian outback. I found myself reading late into the night, eager to find out what happened as I felt myself falling deeper and deeper into the mystery unfolding for Katy. I highly recommend this book! I’m telling everyone about it. Bravo Anna! Can’t wait to read more of your books.

Just another read that didn't do it for me. I struggled to get through this one, and overall I just didn't enjoy it. There was just too much going on that I couldn't keep everything straight half the time. Unfortunately just not for me.

*Thank you partner @minotaur_books for the #gifted e-galley.*

With constant twists and a palpable sense of unease, Red River Road takes readers on a journey through isolation, deception, and the dangers of both the physical landscape and our own minds. It’s a compelling, multi-layered thriller that’s as thought-provoking as it is suspenseful—perfect for fans of atmospheric mysteries and emotionally driven suspense.

The premise of this book was good, really good so I was excited to read it, gave some Gabby Petito vibes but I wasn't quite expecting what I read.

I expected this to be more dark and twisty, how did these two seemingly unrelated girls come to be in the same van and teaming up to find another missing vanlifer? I felt like the two POVs had a very similar voice and at times it was hard to tell them apart. I couldn't get attached to either of these girls perhaps because we didn't have enough back story of emotional material here.

This wasn't a hard story to get into but this was one that I had to get myself to pick back up instead of reading something else. I expected a bit more from this book but it wasn't a bad read. I have travelled the WA coastline so I already had in mind what the exterior backdrop looked like but I can see if you don't know what it looks like the story may have had less backdrop.

I also wasn't sure about the ending. The book foreshadows a serial killer but I couldn't wrap my brain around that last twist.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley.

Unfortunately I couldn't get into this one. Ive tried several times. But im very thankful for the opportunity to read it.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

I really enjoyed this van life mystery that this was. I appreciate that it was not a knock off of the missing van lifers or missing persons that occurred in 2021. I loved the twist it was so interesting and done so well!

This was a slow burn thriller that did keep my interest because of the obscure details so well placed in the plot well before any twist happens. The author was able to capture the vast setting beautifully in the plot, also setting up an eerie tone of things being “too perfect”- and ultimately gearing up for that one moment when the mystery is revealed and then all the previous details click into place. A young woman sets out on the same journey of her missing sister, hoping to find out what happened as she isn’t satisfied with the current police investigation. Along the way she meets another drifter whose story is too similar to her sister’s. The story is intriguing, and as mentioned above, slow burn.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows a woman who is looking for her sister that went missing. Her sister was traveling with a van through Australia when she disappeared.

This book was just ok. I liked the Australian setting and the different environment. I liked the switching POVs and all of the different characters.

However, I don’t feel like the twist made a lot of sense. I just had a hard time suspending my disbelief for this twist.

Overall, not a bad book but also not the best either.

This book was a pleasant surprise.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, as it was a quick read and a good time.

Twisty plot set on the beautiful coastline of Australia.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In Red River Road, Katy is on a mission to find her sister Phoebe, an Australian van lifer who suddenly went missing. Using Phoebe's social media posts to guide her travels and investigate what might have truly happened to her, Katy decides to set out on her own van life journey to follow the path along the Western Australian coast that Phoebe had set out for herself.

My goodness this story made me want to fly to Australia ASAP. If you love true crime and thrillers, this book is right up your alley.

This was the first thriller I've read in a long time that did not feel like a cut & paste from every other thriller out there. this was very unique. The suspense and the plot twists were great! i did not see them coming. i loved the setting of the book. everything was described well and executed perfectly.

I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Katy Sweeney is unwillingly living the van life on the west coast of Australia as she searches for her sister, Phoebe, who disappeared without any trace. The cops aren't looking for her and there are no clues about her fate, but Katy is determined to find her. In desperation, Katy uses Phoebe's past social media posts as a trail of breadcrumbs, following the same route her sister took before going dark. In one of the traveler campsites, she meets and accidentally rescues Beth, filthy and bruised and running from an abusive boyfriend. Beth lies to Katy about everything in her past: her boyfriend and abuser Lucas, her background, even her name: Katy thinks Beth is Lily, an American who hit hard times and lost all her documentation. Katy lets Beth/Lily stay and ride with her to the next stop, and Beth becomes vested in helping Katy find Phoebe. But someone is following them, and as they follow Phoebe's footsteps things get more and more complicated.

Anna Downes's Red River Road is a fast and interesting read. Each chapter is from a different character's point of view: Katy, Beth, and eventually Wyatt. Each character is missing the full picture, so the reader is also missing the full picture, and it becomes clear within the first few chapters that none of these people are reliable witnesses. They're all hiding something from each other and the reader. I was able to predict a couple things in the plotline, but nowhere near all of it, and the creepy factor that simmered in the background in the beginning escalated slowly until the tension kept me completely glued to finishing the book. From a mystery/thriller standpoint Red River Road absolutely killed it. Pun intended.

The psychological twists and turns within a multi-layered web of lies, missing information, and incorrect assumptions made Red River Road an engrossing story with an intense and unexpected ending. I enjoyed the exploration of both the freedom of living on the road and the inherent dangers, and rather loved the resolution in the epilogue. Red River Road by Anne Downes is an excellently twisty tale and enjoyable read.

Red River Road is currently available in all the usual book places and platforms.