Anna Downes delivers what will likely be the runaway hit of the summer and one of the top mystery/thrillers of the year. She has become a new auto buy author for me!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book.

Katy Sweeney’s sister went missing a year ago, just three weeks into her “vanlife” solo trip around Australia. Pheobe had been documenting her travels on social media, and now Katy is using that to try to track her down. Along the way, Katy runs into Beth, who has a complicated past and a dangerous present. Both women aren’t being fully honest with each other. At times, it seems they are being stalked, with strange clues (warnings?) hindering their ability to find Phoebe.

There are definitely a lot of twists and turns, and it took me a while to figure out how Wyatt was connected to the other two points of view (it alternates between young Wyatt, Katy, and Beth).

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES AUGUST 27, 2024.

Red River Road is a novel that follows Katy Sweeney, who is traveling in the footsteps of her vlogger sister who went missing as she traveled along Red River Road in Australia. Along the way she runs into Beth, another female traveling alone, and they team up on the investigation.

I found the descriptions of the Australian setting and people very interesting. It tapped into the romanticism of the "vanlife" movement, while highlighting cautions of traveling on the road as a single woman.

I enjoyed the majority of the story. It was compelling and kept me interested and reading for long stretches. However, I struggled with the ending a bit. Everything was pulled together, but I found parts confusing and difficult to follow.

I do think this would a great atmospheric late Summer read and I rate the book 3.5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was addicted from the very beginning. Anna's style of writing, being in my home country. I never seen the ending coming and I must say, I was excited the entire time!

This book had just the right amount of creepiness and what Wyatt discovered about his family. Despite being so diverse, all the characters end up nicely connected, and when all is revealed, I really liked this book and read it quickly.
The story is told from the viewpoint of three characters, Katy, Beth, and Wyatt, and posts from a solo female traveler named Phoebe are interspersed amongst them. Phoebe was definitely a palpable presence, and while not physically interacting with the three main characters, she was definitely a presence. I felt on edge the entire time I read and was definitely kept guessing until the very end.

thank you to st. martin's press for the book in exchange for an honest review

you know how they test delayed gratification on small children by placing a marshmallow in front of them, asking them to wait to eat it, and then leaving the room, with the promise of a second marshmallow if and only if they wait?

this book is the marshmallow. it's a slow burn with a big reward.

I'm not typically a mystery/thriller girlie, but I enjoyed myself with this one. to note, it leans more psychological thriller, which is my preference, but I won't be saying any more about that. I also really loved the descriptions of Australian scenery. I was googling pictures of the locations throughout the reading experience, and it made for a delightful summer mystery read.

✧ 4 stars

katy is determined to find out what happened to her sister phoebe after she goes missing in Australia's outback. katy does everything in her power to retrace phoebe's steps and solve the mystery. so many different twists and turns. hard to put this book down!!!

I liked the atmosphere and the general eeriness of the story. My favorite thrillers are typically ones where I can't get a good sense of what's going on and this story definitely did that. I think seasoned thriller readers will pick up on some hints to the big reveals fairly quickly. While I enjoyed the book, the ending quickly became convoluted and an instance of an author trying to do too much,

This is the third book by Anna Downes that I have read, and boy she can write a great thriller! In Red River Road, we are introduced to Katy, who is new to the "van life." Katy's trip is different thought - she is retracing the steps of her sister, who went missing a year a go. Katy quickly runs into Beth, a fellow traveller, and the two realize that they may be better off together than alone. Twists and turns follow Katy and Beth, as we learn what really happened to Katy's sister.

The plot of Red River Road is intriguing and adventurous, a mystery about missing women who travel solo. The story is told from 3 different POVs that slowly reveal the plot. This book starts out extremely slow, I found it difficult to get into until a little over halfway when the pace picks up. I enjoyed the descriptions of the scenery and the inclusion of the Instagram posts as Katy retraces Phoebe’s steps was fun. The connection between all the characters was a satisfying resolution, but I felt like it could’ve been done in fewer chapters. (3.75/5)

**This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC!!

I absolutely DID NOT see the turn of events that happened 3/4 of the way through this book. It was written super well, but slightly slow progressing in the first half. Overall a really good and twisty read.

Red River Road is a mystery set in Australia. It had a creep factor which is usually fine but this one was almost confusing, with the changing points of view and no likable characters. It's did keep me guessing until the end but with no relatable characters it's just 3 stars for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my review copy of this book.

Red River Road is a haunting and atmospheric novel that skillfully incorporates the Australian landscape to create a sense of isolation and beauty. The breathtaking views contrast with the endless roads and loneliness of the van life, adding depth to the story. The narrative shifts between Katy, Beth, and Wyatt, all somewhat unreliable narrators, adding complexity to the plot.

Anna Downes' writing in Red River Road is exceptional, masterfully keeping readers on edge and evoking a sense of internal anxiety that mirrors the characters' experiences. The vivid imagery she employs adds to the suspense, making the story all the more compelling.

While Red River Road touches on sensitive topics like gender violence, the author handles them with care, and nothing is too explicit. Overall, it is a gripping and atmospheric thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats from beginning to end.

This is a fun book and an easy read. It is a mystery thriller, and I can see being a great quick easy beach read. I would recommend this book.

US pub date: 8/27/24
Genre: thriller
Quick summary: Katy is on a mission to locate her spirited sister Phoebe, a #vanlife enthusiast who vanished in Western Australia. As Katy retraces her steps, she meets the mysterious Beth and realizes that this rural setting may be even more dangerous than she thought.

As #vanlife gets more popular, so too are thrillers of #vanlife gone wrong. I enjoyed getting the chance to visit Australia from my couch - it sounded so beautiful! The book started off fast-paced as Katy retraced her sister's steps, but I think it would have been stronger if it had been closer to 300 pages rather than 400. I also didn't love the big twist - it felt a little too unrealistic to me. It seems like a lot of reviewers liked this one more than I did, and if you like travel thrillers, you might too!

Thank you to Minotaur Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and it was entertaining. This wasn’t my favorite book of the year, but it’s a great beach read. I enjoyed the atmospheric writing which made the setting really great in this story and I liked the pacing of the book and twists and turns. Overall, I’d recommend to others!

Red River road by Anna downes
Is a new psychological thriller with unreliable narrators. Katy is following Instagram posts of her missing sister, Phoebe, the magnetic camper-van-life influencer who has been missing for the past year. Along the way, she meets Beth, (or is it Lily?), who has just escaped an (tw: domestic violence) abusive on-road relationship by climbing into Katy’s van. Luckily for Beth, Katy takes her in, and the two continue the search for Phoebe. The search takes them along the coast of beautiful Western Australia, the picturesque intertwined with confusion and intrigue. There’s something wrong with Katy, but will Beth figure it out before the end of the road?

I really enjoyed this book. I think the pacing was fantastic, which is just what I want with a thriller. I could not put it down in the last 75% as everything was coming to a head. I also like how difficult it was to guess what was going on and how everything was connected. I feel like I guessed a couple of the twists, but was completely floored when the entire picture was revealed.

The characters were great! Beth and Katy were both deeply flawed, and by only sharing parts of the truth with each other and the reader, created tension that you could cut with a knife. I enjoyed them both as a team and separately. I also think the amount of other characters was great as it created a question about who all was involved in the actual crimes.

Overall I give this a 4/5 because I really enjoyed the story.

I always enjoy Anna Downes’ novels and this one was also good! I was a bit disappointed with how the twist unfolded and I can’t say much more because I don’t want to give it away but I always am on the edge of my seat when she writes a story and there’s always an adventure to take!

t seems as if I am an outlier with my opinion of this book. This is a vanlife mystery.

Phoebe takes a vanlife trip out in the remote coastal area of Australia. A year later, her sister Katy sets out looking for her. I will say the setting was my favorite part of the book. It was so eerie and perfectly described. Along the way in her search, Katy meets 2 different wayward souls who may be able to provide answers. But can they be trusted? The book is told in 2 timelines plus social media posts made by Phoebe.

This was a very very slow burn. I found it interesting and as I said, I loved the location. However, I didn't find it to be very thrilling. The ending felt rushed to me, after all of that slow burn. However, it is a good mystery if you are interested in vanlife.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it. I do recommend this book as it was well written and many will enjoy this.

This was a fun mystery thriller. I loved the setting and the cover just really drew me in. I'd classify this as a popcorn thriller, fun and entertaining but nothing that was groundbreaking. Recommend for a beach day!