After seeing this one all over and the beautiful cover, i was excited to get a copy of this one! This wonderful thriller shows a woman wanting to discover what happened to her sister on a solo road trip in the Austrailian outback. The case has gone cold, but Katy refuses to give up.

This is a wonderful representation of what the current true-crime community is like, scouring social media looking for clues that the police may have missed.

Thanks so much for the gifted copy of this one!

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted e-copy.

Wow, this book was a wild ride, with three POVs and some very unreliable narrators! I started out pretty certain of what was going on, but the more I read, the more I didn't know where the plot was going or who to believe! I really enjoyed the twists and turns this book took, and by the end there were quite a few that I didn't see coming.

This book is a slow burn, though, and sometimes, it was too slow for me. The first half of the book kind of just plodded along, but then the last half picked up steam and it was full speed ahead. The twists came out of left field at times, and I had a hard time keeping everything straight by the end.

Anna Downes is an author I have enjoyed in the past, and I will continue to read her work!

3.5 stars

Red River Road was one of those stories that twists and turns and makes you think twice about everything. I was definitely hooked and a little bit freaked out about all that was happening within the story. I thought I had it figured out, but I was wrong. Definitely a good mystery!

Another book I read pretty much in one sitting (2-3 days). I didn’t even realize the 3 main POVs were written in different persons until chapter 5 or 6. Some readers might have issues with it, but I was so engrossed in the story itself that none of that bothered me. The author’s choice to start with the MC sleeping at the wheel was great, then adding that she had been drinking, all of it contributed to a good hook and making the stakes high from the get-go. The same with Beth/Lily’s POV, we know she’s lying and something terrible has happened, so it was the right dose of tension to start.
The hardest part was trying to connect Wyatt’s POV. Yes, it made sense at the end, but it was a gamble. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. Many times, the author threw in a red-herring to make us think HE was the killer. I knew it wasn’t Lucas because that was too easy. Then there were also Rory and Mrs. Creeping in my suspects list.
When it came to the resolution, I thought it was intriguing and tied those loose ends, but there were a few things that I might’ve missed or were not there:
1- HOW did Phoebe escape if any of the other women did?
2- Did Lucas know Rory’s secret about the women?
3- Was Wyatt really a sick kid or was his dad making him sick so he wouldn’t realize what was happening around him?
4- Did Lucas get up after Beth hit him and got in the Troopy then died OR someone put him there so the police wouldn’t find him right away? Maybe Jesse?
Now to the one thing that really didn’t work for me: Jesse. Yes, he added to the mystery and tension, but at the end his resolution/explanation felt too contrived. Dude went to all that trouble and creepiness just to walk away and end up helping a stranger? Really? Why? Like Beth said, “I didn’t get him at all.”
All in all, it was a great read. I’m curious to learn more about fugue.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This had a slow start but it definitely makes up for that as the story moves along. There were definitely some interesting twists!

I'm desperate to go camping and visit new areas... but it's winter and cold here... so what's a girl to do? Read Red River Road by Anna Downes, of course!

Let me set the scene: Australia. Missing van lifer. Unraveling plot that gets tighter and tighter as it goes.

Fact one: After reading this thriller, I'll be even more cautious with social media!

Fact two: This one took me a long time to figure out how all the pieces and characters fit together... and it was perfect!

Fact three: I absolutely yelled at both Katy and Beth/Lily for their stupidity and nativity... but I still loved them both!

What else?

I was delighted that the Aussie-isms didn't get edited out for a North American audience!

Maddy Withington does a fantastic job narrating this audiobook! Accents: check! Believable fear and excitement: check! Giving the story air to breath: check!

I'm a big fan of an audiobook with extras, and this one had them in spades: both an authors note and a conversation between Downes and Sally Hepworth!

I might just be sleeping with the lights on after finishing this one tonight! I can't wait to read more from Downes!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.

In Red River Road, Katy Sweeney is searching for her missing sister, Phoebe. Katy embarks on a solo van trip across Australia following in Phoebe’s footsteps. During her trip, Katy meets Beth and both women appear to have questionable pasts. They form an alliance to find Phoebe while traveling around Australia together.

Suspicious things begin to happen that make both women question their safety and the motives of those around them.

This is the third novel by Anna Downes I’ve had the opportunity to read. The pacing of this novel was a little bit slow for my taste and the ending was a bit far fetched. I also struggled to keep track of which character was narrating and whether it was past or present time. I enjoyed the descriptions of all the destinations in Australia.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

This book has some great twists and had me reading way too late into the night! It’s atmospheric, creepy, disturbing and ultimately heartbreaking. The three different POVs were a bit much in the beginning, but as the story unfolds, I began to see the connections. While I did suspect some characters, I also did not see the major twist coming. Absolutely love the setting.

A solid, twisty, and fast paced thriller that kept me on the edge and turning pages.
The first I read by this author won't surely be the last
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I recently read Red River Road by Anna Downes, and it was an exhilarating journey from start to finish. The novel masterfully combines suspense, mystery, and richly drawn characters, all set against the evocative backdrop of Western Australia’s Coral Coast.

The story follows Katy Sweeney, who embarks on a solo road trip to retrace the steps of her sister, Phoebe, who vanished a year earlier during her own journey along the same route. Katy’s determination to uncover the truth leads her into a labyrinth of secrets and unexpected alliances, particularly with Beth, a fellow traveler harboring her own hidden past. As they delve deeper into the mystery, the line between reality and deception blurs, culminating in revelations that are both shocking and thought-provoking.

Downes’s writing is both atmospheric and gripping, capturing the vastness and isolation of the Australian outback while maintaining a taut narrative that keeps readers on edge. The characters are complex and relatable, each grappling with their own fears and motivations, which adds depth to the unfolding drama.

Red River Road is a compelling read that I highly recommend to fans of psychological thrillers and mysteries.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Katy is on the road looking for her missing sister, Phoebe, when she finds a stowaway sleeping in a bunk of her motorhome. Instead of kicking her out, Katy accepts her as a traveling companion.

Lily/Beth is also on the run. She'd taken up with a charismatic vanlifer named Lucas, with a dark side. After one too many violent outbursts, Lucas forces Beth out. Beth, using Lily as her new name, agrees to help Katy in her search for Phoebe.

Anna Downes is one of my go-to authors for un-putdownable suspense, but I struggled with this book. I had a hard time getting into it, and honestly couldn't keep the two protagonists straight. However, I did put down the book for a few months before picking it up to finish it. I still look forward to the next Anna Downes book even if this one was disappointing. #RedRiverRoad #NetGalley

First book by this author and it will not be the last.

This book had me hooked from page 1 i absolutely was engaged with the characters and loved the writing.

The end i was not expecting but that is the best in a book when you think you have everything figured out and then you don't.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

Katy sets out on a road trip in Western Australia to find clues about her missing sister's disappearance. The story gets twisty and interesting from there full of beautiful descriptions of breathtaking scenery across Australia. There's SA, mental health, and murder. Lesson: trust no one, not even yourself!
Thank you, Netgalley, publisher, and author for the ARC.

This book was really compelling. I was hooked in completely. I even googled the locations they mentioned because the descriptions sounded so incredible. The ending kind of threw me for a loop but I’d still recommend this.

Thank you Minotaur and NetGalley for the eARC of Red River Road! All opinions in this review are my own.

I enjoyed Anna Downes' The Safe Place so I was excited to read another thriller by the same author! It took me a little bit to get into Red River Road, but once I did, it was so intense! You are never quite sure who is telling the truth and what is going on until it is all revealed at the end!

This was a good book. Throughout the story I was kept guessing and did not expect things to go as they did. They are a few story lines and the reader has to figure out how they are connected.
3.5 stars

Katy is searching for her sister who disappeared a year ago while on a solo trip in her van . Katy retraces her trip along the coastal highway in Western Australia. On the way she meets Beth who is dealing with her own problems. Together they continue the journey. Lots of twists, turns and suspense. Did not see the twist at the end coming. Look forward to reading more from this author.

Really liked this. Thought I knew some of the twists but guessed wrong. Couldn't put it down. Would read more by this author.

I really enjoyed this road trip thriller! It kept me Guess and now I want to do an Australian van trip ..only without the creeps and murder

This is not a poorly written story however I am finding it to be really slow. I'm not connecting with the characters or the storyline. There are plenty of positive reviews so check those out if the synopsis interests you. DNF 60%