Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

A clever, well-written mystery about a sister tracing the paths of her sibling (a social media presence who disappeared as she was in the process of traveling across Australia).

Certainly an unconventional climax, however, personally as a fan of missing persons mysteries the ending, although twisty, left me feeling slightly let down (cheated to a degree).

However, it is a solid mystery with numerous twists and turns - by the end, you have some mental knots to sort out, might be your cuppa more than it was mine.

Definitely worth a read!

What would I say to a friend about this book? Oh, My, you gotta read this! About a young woman looking for her sister, all I will tell you. Almost feels like you are on the trip with her, Fabulous author, gotta read more of her stuff. You won't soon forget this story..... Loved this book.

Thank you NetGalley for kindly giving me an ARC of Red River Road!

Red River Road follows two women, one who is trekking across Australia in her van trying to find her missing sister and another who is running from her past. The two woman collide and begin to look for Katy’s sister together.

I intentionally requested this book because I find van life (especially women living a van life) so interesting and scary. Add in that the setting is Australia and I’m in!

This was a very quick read and i found myself thinking about Red River Road when I wasn’t able to read. The ending was wild to say the least and was the furthest thing I was expecting. However, I didn’t find the ending that compelling/satisfying, although, it was terrifying to think something like that happening to someone is possible (ifykyk).

What a ride! I couldn’t put it down and read during every free second I could spare. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for a copy of "Red River Road" in exchange for my honest opinion.

Another wonderful and gripping read from Anna Downes. Katy Sweeny is searching for her missing sister Phoebe who disappeared in Australia a year ago while travelling solo in camper van.

The story is told from three points of view: Katy, Beth Randall and Wyatt Cleary. Katy finds Beth hiding in her camper van and while she's not sure she believes the story she tells her, she agrees to take her with her. Following Phoebe's social media posts, Katy retraces what she believes are her sisters steps before they lose contact with her. At times Katy feels that she is being followed or watched and wonders if that happened to her sister as well. It's obvious that Beth is hiding something but she might be the only person that can help Katy find Phoebe.

Red River Road
Anna Downes
TBR August 27, 2024 —your next fun mystery!
2024-22❤️❤️❤️❤️4.8
Mystery
📚📚📚 summary. Katy isn’t used to the vanlife, but it’s a necessity if she wants to find her sister, Phoebe, who has gone missing in the outback of Western Australia. Feeling exposed one evening, she flees only to find a woman hiding in her van. Beth has secrets she’s fleeing from herself, and decides to team up with Katy to help her find Phoebe. But Phoebe isn’t the only woman to go missing in the outback, and secrets aren’t the only things chasing the women. An addictive thrilling roadtrip makes for a can’t put down evening.
Review. Spectacular mystery. I didn’t figure it all out until the end and couldn’t stop reading until the last page. Unlike many twisty ending, I didn’t feel cheated and believed the book to have been fair in how it was presented. Adding Downs to my list of must read authors.
❤️❤️❤️JJ’s last words. I’ll think twice about a solo roadtrip!
Disclaimer: Thank you to Minotaur Books for providing me an electronic ARC to read in exchange for my honest review. #minotaurbooks #redriverroad #annadowneswriter

I loved the setting of an Australian van life trip. It was adventurous and thrilling. The plot for Red River Road is well executed and it was a great psychological thriller. The social media posts with comments added a variety to the reading. The multiple point of views continue to give us insight and red herrings while propelling the story forward at a fast pace. The big reveal and ending were so shocking and not one that I had anticipated. I have to admit the big reveal did seem like a cop out from a tangled mess, but nevertheless it was still very jaw dropping and unexpected. This is one not to miss!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

👏👏👏👏👏
Red River Road is a dynamic compelling unputdownable read that will blow your mind!!

You wont need your popcorn for this story , one because the author leaves us a lot of breadcrumbs along the way and second you will devour this read and wont have time to eat , because the book will be over before you know it !!

I was so captivated by this read , my senses were heightened and I felt like I was being watched the entire time I was reading and I was left gasping many times , at one point I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. I loved this book so much, it is my third read by Anna and this is her BEST work yet !

With out giving to much away, Red River Road is a well crafted psychological thriller that was so relatable on so many levels for me being a solo hiker .
We follow Katy, desperately trying to find her sister Phoebe who went missing while on a journey traveling solo in the "Vanlife" and was documenting her adventure on Instagram ...until she went ghost on social media.

Now a year later Katy is taking up the Vanlife with hopes of finding Phoebe following the same route she took. Katy one evening stops at rest stop and can't shake this feeling she is being followed . Katy stops for the night and goes outside to check on things and when she gets back in the Van and checks her rear view mirror , she notices a ripple in the bed sheets , as if someone is breathing !! Under her bedsheets lays Lily who is running from trouble .

Quickly the two become friends and use each other to find Phoebe and running from trouble , but boy oh boy you will be gaslit because you wont see what's coming !!

This story is told from multiple POV's that are very easy to follow, mystery , suspense , death, red herrings and a shocking ending !! Make sure to add this to your TBR now !!

Thank you Netgalley , St.Martin's Press and Anna Downes for the digital ARC.

I think with all the "vanlife" travel being so popular right now that this book is very timely and relevant. It definitely makes you want to go see Australia and I think I've seen pictures on social media of the pink lake. Without giving anything away, I knew something was up with Katy but I'm not sure I loved the twist. I think some people will really like this one though.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the copy of Red River Road by Anna Downes. This is usually my kind of book; a missing influencer and a woman on the run, so I’m not sure why it didn’t catch my interest until 30% through. There are three POVs, a lot of characters and stories, and Instagram posts. It was a lot to keep track of and sometimes I was confused about who was who and what was going on. The story itself was compelling and I loved how Katy was looking for Phoebe by following her ‘vanlife’ journey and how her impressions and actions differed from Phoebe’s Instagram posts. I didn’t love the big reveal, because it felt like the easy way out of a tangled tale, then the book went on and on, maybe trying to make social commentary that hadn’t been addressed earlier. Readers who love a huge surprise reveal will absolutely love this book! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I feel like I just read this book by another author. Katy road trips across Australia to find her missing sister, Phoebe. She encounters a stowaway in her van who ends up having connections to "shady characters" that she thinks her sister also encountered. While the ending was a little different that expected, this book just drug on for too long. I also really do feel like I just read a similar story not long ago and did not care for that one either.

I loved Anna Downes' "The Shadow House" so was thrilled to receive this ARC and it did not disappoint. It is a fast-paced missing person story with multiple layers of intrigue and complexity. The protagonist's "vanlife" existence adds elements of fascination as well. I could not put this one down! Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I really wanted to love this book, but it struggled to finish it. I can say that I didn’t see the end coming, but I also don’t quite know how I feel about the ending. So many questions seemed unanswered or just vaguely touched on. A good read, but not my favorite. I think plenty of others will enjoy it though!