I previously read and enjoyed The Safe Space, so requesting an ARC of Red River Road was a no brainer. Coupled with the book's description, I thought I was sure to love the newest work from Anna Downes -- and I was right. Downes has a way of weaving together a complex narrative without making it difficult to follow. Her plot, including the underlying family drama, made for an enjoyable, fast-paced read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Wow. What did I just read???
I finished this in one day. At the start I wasn’t too sure about it but then it got really good. And then the surprises started.
Nothing is as it seems in this book. Multiple POV’s and timelines. Everything comes together at the end with a lot of surprises!
The audiobook version was also phenomenal too!

This was a very interesting novel - and it certainly didn't go where I expected it to.

Kate Sweeney is living the 'vanlife' - traveling alone along Australia's coastline in a camper van - searching for her sister Phoebe who set out on a similar journey a few months previously, and then disappeared. Kate is trying to retrace Phoebe's steps. Several other young woman have disappeared under similar circumstances so the concern is whether there is a serial kidnapper, or worse a serial killer, on the loose.

When Kate meets up with Beth, they continue the trip together. But Beth is running from her own dark past and neither woman is being truthful.

Several twists and turns in the plot of this book certainly took this novel in different directions than I expected, but it was a really gripping story, I really didn't want to put the book down.

The author did a great job painting the location - the isolation and beauty of the rugged coastline - and the fear of the unknown that the women felt - especially when they were traveling alone. I loved the way the characters unfolded, and we realized how unreliable each of them had been.

Great novel.

Genre: Thriller

Synopsis:
Katy’s sister Phoebe went on a solo van trip around Australia & disappeared without a trace. A year later, Katy is determined to find what happened to her while retracing her steps. With the help of Phoebe’s social media accounts, she buys a van a takes the trek herself finding out the dangers of a woman on the road alone.

I went into this one completely blind and really enjoyed it!
It was one of those books that I couldn’t put down and had to find out what happened. Any book with serial killers targeting women and creepy suspenseful writing has me hooked! I loved the Australian setting and the description of life on the road alone. It is extremely twisty and you are not sure who entirely to believe. The two main characters, Beth and Katy each have dark secrets that you uncover piece by piece as the book goes on. By the end, their mysteries intertwine and come to a satisfying conclusion.

I will definitely be reading her other books!


What to expect:
Stalkers, serial killers, social media hacking, survival, free spirited women, women fighting abuse, Australian setting, missing women cold cases

Thank you Minotaur Books for the ARC! 🦘

"Red River Road" takes readers on a thrilling journey across Western Australia, following a woman's quest to unravel the mystery of her sister's disappearance.

The story is told from the perspective of a few characters, plus the missing sister's Instagram posts. Nothing -- and no one -- is what it seems here. The twists and turns kept me guessing right until the end. Unfortunately, the resolution to the mystery was far-fetched, and for me, not very satisfying.

Overall, this is a fun road trip thriller, especially for readers who are drawn to the Australian setting.

Thank you Minotaur Books for sending me a free copy for review consideration via NetGalley.

This book surprised me. I had loved the synopsis before starting it but then it felt a little slow to begin. As the story unfolded I was kept in suspense of guessing what happened to missing Phoebe but in the end did not guess that she was in fact Katy all along!

Red River Road by Anna Downes is an Australian set thriller that fans of an unreliable narrator are sure to enjoy. Katy is searching for her sister, who disappeared a year earlier just three weeks into a planned solo van trip around the coastline of Australia. She vanished without trace and the case has now gone cold, frustrated with the lack of police action Katy decides to follow in her sister's footsteps in the hope of finding something that the official investigation might have missed. Things take a turn for the unexpected when Katy rescues Beth, a young woman on the run from her abusive boyfriend. Beth may not be all that she seems but at least she is taking Katy's mission seriously and so an unlikely alliance is formed, but will it be enough to uncover the truth about what happened on a remote road a year ago.
I really enjoyed the setting of this novel, I felt like it captured van life very well and I liked that it highlighted the positives of solo travel as well as the dangers. It was easy to feel for Katy and to root for her in her quest to uncover the truth, I thought it was clever to give us a character like Beth who was more obviously complex, she is clearly a liar who will do and say whatever it takes, but as the book unfolds we learn the reasons behind that duplicity and I for one certainly found my attitude towards her softening, The author did a really good job of building the tension, particularly through a thread of social media comments which if the reader is paying attention become increasingly deranged and threatening. While things start slowly the pace certainly does pick up in the final third or so of the book, and if I am honest I think it went just a smidge too far, the ending felt unnecessarily convoluted and contrived, perhaps there was just one twist too far. That being said this is definitely a page turner and I could certainly imagine many readers enjoying it poolside or on the beach,
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own .

Katy is retracting her missing sister, Phoebe’s steps, as she travels in her van. Phoebe posted her travel on her social media as a van life influencer. When she comes across Beth, who is on the run from a dark past, they team up.

This is a slow burn but if you’re interested in travel, that aspect, as well as the mystery, will keep you going. I found the van life traveling pretty fascinating, especially Phoebe’s old social media posts. The entire read there is a creepy feeling that something is not quite right. The ending suddenly spirals as twist after twist is revealed; all of which make sense and cleverly tie together.

“Yes, we’ve all heard the tall tales, we’ve all seen the movies, we know they’re all just stories. Or are they? Think about it. All those missing people….they’ve got to be somewhere.”

Red River Road comes out 8/27.

This book was so delightfully bizarre.

The vanlife setting in Western Australia made for the perfect backdrop to this story, and certainly sparked some wanderlust for me.

I liked both protagonists--Katy, who was searching for her sister Phoebe, and Beth, who was on the run from an abusive ex. Although I wasn't sure who I could trust, I found both of their perspectives compelling.

The reveal was one I didn't see coming, and the conclusion was very satisfying. This has been my favorite Anna Downes book so far, and it is definitely one I will recommend.

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

A woman living the van life is desperately searching for her missing sister. She encounters another young woman who is on the run from a bad situation. Neither woman is quite who she claims to be.

The setting and atmosphere in this book were wonderful. Plus, this book has an eerie and creepy vibe to it. It is unsettling in many ways. As Katy experienced many things along her search, she meets many people. Things get intense at times and having the POV of Katy, Wyatt, and Beth made the book interesting. I had an inkling around the 60% of the book about one aspect and was right; however, that did not affect my enjoyment of the book at all.

#RedRiverRoad #NetGalley
Mind blowing. 5 ⭐
Red River Road is a gripping and emotionally charged thriller that follows Katy Sweeney in her relentless search for her missing sister, Phoebe. A year earlier, Phoebe disappeared without a trace on the remote and stunning coastal highway of Western Australia during a solo vanlife trip. With no witnesses, no leads, and no DNA evidence, the case has gone cold, leaving the authorities at a standstill. However, Katy refuses to let her sister be forgotten.Determined to find answers, Katy retraces Phoebe’s steps using her sister’s social media accounts as a guide. As she dives deeper into Phoebe’s journey, she begins to uncover unsettling questions. Was Phoebe being followed? Who had she encountered during her travels, and were they dangerous? The beautiful but perilous landscape of Western Australia becomes a character in itself, as Katy’s search leads her into increasingly treacherous territory.Katy’s quest takes a surprising turn when she crosses paths with Beth, a woman on the run from her own troubled past. Recognizing that Beth might hold crucial information, Katy forms an uneasy alliance with her. Together, they embark on a twist-filled journey to uncover the truth about Phoebe’s disappearance, a journey that tests their limits and forces them to confront their own fears and secrets.
I loved it. I think everyone should read this one.
Thanks to NetGalley and Storm. Martin's Press Minotaur Books for giving me an advance copy.

In this traveling thriller, Katy is traveling around Australia to find her lost sister. Though no one seems to know what's happened, Katy picks up a new friend, Beth, that starts helping her with her investigation. It took me a bit to get into this one, but this did turn out to be an entertaining read. While the secrets start tumbling out through alternating points of view, you will have no idea who to trust or what is helping in the big scheme of things. This one was an ok read for me but I did enjoy the twist and turns along the way. A big thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced e-copy.

Since I really enjoyed the author's previous novel, I was excited to start reading her latest work. But what started out as a nail biter, soon devolved into a somewhat dull read.

The story unfolds through multiple points of view. And while I do enjoy this style of writing, I just couldn't connect with any of the characters. They all seemed so similar to each other. It got confusing and a little difficult to keep track of who's who.

So, at 26% I gave up trying. I may try to re-read this novel at a later date since after skipping and skimming several chapters, the pacing and the suspense appeared to gain steam after the 50% point. But for now it's a one star DNF.

So good!! I loved this book! By chapter 3, I was sure I knew who did it, but Downes masterful writing kept me in suspense until the end and I was so wrong about everything! Downes left plenty of bread crumbs to figure it out, but it was never blatantly obvious. I really appreciated seeing the story unfold from 3 different points of view.

"Anna Downes's extraordinary next thriller Red River Road follows a woman desperate to discover what happened to her sister on a solo road trip through the Australian outback.

Katy Sweeney is looking for her sister. A year earlier, just three weeks into a solo vanlife trip, her free-spirited younger sister, Phoebe, vanished without a trace on the remote, achingly beautiful coastal highway in Western Australia. With no witnesses, no leads, and no DNA evidence, the case has gone cold. But Katy refuses to give up on her.

Using Phoebe's social media accounts as a map, Katy retraces her sister's steps, searching for any clues the police may have missed. Was Phoebe being followed? Who had she met along the way, and how dangerous were they?

And then Katy's path collides with that of Beth, who is on the run from her own dark past. Katy realizes that Beth might be her best - and only - chance of finding the truth, and the two women form an uneasy alliance to find out what really happened to Phoebe in this wild, beautiful, and perilous place.

Anna Downes takes us on a twist-filled journey into the dark side of solo female travel, in this gripping novel that explores what drives us to keep searching for those we have lost, the family bonds that can make or break us, and the deception of memory."

One, I'm Australia obsessed, and two, solo female travel could be it's own subgenre of crime.

This story is told from three POVs, though two are more prominent than the third. I liked all POVs and what they added to the story, but I did have a bit of an issue. Two of them are women, and one of the women goes by multiple names and her chapters include flashbacks. I had a bit of a hard time with keeping track of who was who at the beginning, but that may just be a “me” issue (still bad with names). That being said, the characters were written well, and I was drawn into their stories completely. There are also blog posts interspersed throughout the chapters from Phoebe’s travel blog and some comments included, which add to the rising tension of the story.

Something the author does really well was incorporating the setting. From descriptions to hazards the characters had to face, the setting was included in meaningful and vivid ways that kept me immersed in the story. The story is a little convoluted and it does take a bit to become situated in the plot and draw some connections, but it was certainly worth it by the end of the book and the author did a great job with building tension throughout the read.

If you’re looking for a mystery/suspense set in Australia with an emphasis on solo travelling, then you’ll probably enjoy this one. My thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for allowing me to read this work, which will be published August 27, 2024. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Australian crime fiction, road trip novel about a young woman on a solo vanlife trip who meets up with another young woman who is in trouble. One is searching for her missing sister, the other escaping from an abusive relationship, but they are both hiding something. The descriptions of the settings were lovely and really added to the story, but there were some plot threads that got lost - there was a lot going on. I normally don't mind multiple points of view, especially in thriller novels, but something was off with the tense in this book that kept throwing me off and made some of the story hard to follow.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for a complimentary copy of this novel!
This is another awesome thriller to be released by Anna Downes. I’ve enjoyed two of her previously released novels, so when I saw she has a new one coming out, I was thrilled...no pun intended... 😉 to have a chance at reviewing it!!!

Katy Sweeney’s sister, Phoebe, goes missing a year earlier while she is on a solo van life Instagram trip in Australia. Now it is up to Katy to try and find her. But with absolutely no trace of Phoebe or her van, it is proving a bit difficult. So, using Phoebe’s Instagram posts, Katy uses them as a map to hopefully be able to find out what happened to her sister. However, all is not as it seems in this novel! Along the way, Katy meets people who may or may not be friendly. One such person is Beth. She’s trying to escape her sordid past. As Beth and Katy travel together, Beth begins to realize things are not quite adding up. With strange messages and possible stalkers popping up near where they stop to rest, the journey begins to get nerve-racking and frightening!! Will Beth’s past catch up to her? Will Katy get the answers she is looking for regarding her sister?
Look for this edge-of-your seat thriller AVAILABLE August 27, 2024!

The way I started out thinking this was going to be a 5 star read, but this story slowly lost its mystique as the events unfolded. While I do respect a good plot twist, and applaud the use of unreliable narrators, I just can't get over how disappointed I was by the end of this book. I felt that there were just too many elements thrown at the reader that caused the end to feel like a letdown rather than a "wow that was insane" moment.