Red River Road
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Anna Downes

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: 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 DNAevidence, 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.

My Thoughts: Katie’s sister vanished on Western Australia’s coral coast a year ago. Katy does not have many clues, only the feeling inside that something has happened to her sister and her motivation to find answers. Phoebe vanished without a trace, no witnesses, no DNA, no leads as to what might of happened. She will use her sister’s social media posting as a guide to her last location. During her search for her sister, she runs across a woman on the run, Beth. The creepiness and eerie setting of this story was perfect and created a unified tension. This is a slow burn story.

The story is narrated by Katy, Wyatt and Beth, in their respective perspectives. Katy is the older sister on the search for her younger sister, Phoebe who disappeared. Beth is someone that ran across Phoebe when Beth was escaping her abusive boyfriend and later unites with Katy on the search. Wyatt is a young sick boy whose mother also disappeared after leaving the house one day. At times, our narrators are unreliable. The characters were well developed with depth, tension, were mysterious, and engaging. The author’s writing style was complex, multifaceted, twisty, suspenseful, mysterious, and written very well. I love the mixed media format that the author uses for this story, it really gives another layer of creepiness.

There are several plot lines that are developed that merge together in the end for an unpredictable twist. The characters were built during the plot lines. Then the ending was not only satisfying but explosive and a perfect conclusion. The secrets, lies, myths, town folklore, palpable tension, all creates this masterpiece.

The audiobook is narrated by Maddy Withington, who does an amazing job with voice variation and character distinction across the three main characters. She had the perfect pitch and flow where i could listen at 2x speed. This story had an unsettling feeling for the duration. You did not know who to believe, what characters were unreliable, who was reliable, who had secrets, and who was being honest. This thriller was creepy, atmospheric, gripping, captivating, and unsettling, the perfect mix for a thriller. I would recommend for other readers.

I love a good missing person cold case thriller and this one set in Australian involving a woman determined to find her sister was excellent and hard to put down. There was twists I didn't see coming, it was great on audio and I would highly recommend it for fans of books like Nothing ever happens here by Seraphina Nova Glass. Especially fun was the conversation between the author and Sally Hepworth included at the end! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Take a journey in WA (Western Australia)! Katy is not there for fun; she is there to look for her sister Phoebe who disappeared while traveling in this area. I’ve never been to Australia so I loved seeing it through this book. I listened to the audiobook and the Australian accent added a lot to the story. My favorite part was the twist! I didn’t see it coming and wow!!!

This intense thriller I had me second guessing everyone, which is one of the best things for me when it comes to this genre! It was twisty, with multiple POVs and a storyline full of missing girls.

🎧I listened to the audio format which was performed by Maddy Withington.

*many thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

The cover 1000% attracted me first to this book and thankfully the content held within delivered ! It was an emotional ride following the protagonists journey to figure out what happened to her sister. This book stayed in my mind for a while after finishing. Would highly recommend.

Red River Road is a brilliantly written twisty thriller. The setting is a character in itself, blending seamlessly with the four POVs in this story.

I could not stop this book once I started, because the need to know what on earth was happening was incredibly powerful.

If you are looking for a thriller set in warm weather, adventure, and puzzling complexity, this book is for you! I highly recommend it!

I listened to the audiobook version of this story, which was well done by a single narrator who brought the characters and the story to life. While I normally like different narrators for different POVs, I would NOT change this one at all. It was perfect with one narrator. I listened at 1.5x speed (my normal audiobook listening speed is 1.75x).

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to review this audiobook.

This book was every bit as tangled as I thought it would be. Missing girls, people who refuse to talk, and an unforgiving setting make it the trifecta. I loved the twists that were gradually uncovered and can't wait to recommend it to some like-minded readers!

A taut thriller about Katy Sweeney searching for her sister Phoebe, who vanished during a solo vanlife trip in Western Australia. She teams up with Beth, a woman running from her own dark past.

𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4⭐️
RED RIVER ROAD
🤍𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: thriller/mystery
📖 384 pages
𝗘𝗺𝗼𝗷𝗶𝘀: 🇦🇺🚐⛺️🐥🔎🦗🤒🗺️🥾

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
◽️ multiple POV
◽️ camping & exploring
◽️ unreliable narrators
◽️ blackouts & losing time

❤️𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲❤️

Thank you @netgalley @macmillan.audio @stmartinspress for the #gifted copy!

This book was an intense & twisty journey, told through multiple POV, that kept me guessing. More than half the time, I found myself wondering how the seemingly unrelated threads would tie together. The narrative raises countless questions, & I couldn’t predict where the story was heading.

The plot centers on Katy, who is searching for her missing sister, Phoebe. Phoebe, a travel Instagrammer, left behind a trail of posts filled with detailed tips & her agenda (the book even provides photo descriptions as if you’re looking at them), that Katy uses as clues. Along the way, Katy crosses paths with Lily, though we know her true identity is Beth. Trust becomes elusive, with plenty of red herrings to throw you off. Interspersed are the thoughts of Wyatt, a young boy whose connection to the story remains a mystery for much of the book. These shifting perspectives, paired with the tension between Katy & Phoebe, create a gripping sense of unease & layered motives.

The vivid descriptions of Red River Road & its surroundings add to the immersive atmosphere, & the story’s pace picks up significantly in the final chapters, around 75%, delivering answers to lingering questions, so don’t fret! While the frequent timeline shifts were occasionally disorienting, the payoff was worth it. This was my first book by AD, & it left me eager to explore her backlist. Be sure to read the author’s note at the end—it’s a perfect conclusion to this complex & intriguing novel. I loved chatting with @alwaysreadingrach when I finished & along the way to clarify lots of theories!

𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁: Katy Sweeney is determined to find her sister, Phoebe, who vanished during a solo vanlife trip in Western Australia a year ago. With no leads or evidence, the police have abandoned the case, but Katy refuses to give up. Using Phoebe’s social media as a guide, she retraces her sister’s steps, uncovering unsettling questions about Phoebe’s journey. Along the way, Katy meets Beth, a woman fleeing her own troubled past, & they form an uneasy alliance. Together, they confront the dangers of this remote landscape in a race to uncover the truth about Phoebe’s disappearance.

Red River Road by Anna Downes is a twisted tale of travel in the Australian outback with multiple mental illnesses mixed in. The story twists and turns to reach a satisfying yet surprising end.

This was a super wild ride and I was totally here for it! I loved all the twists and turns that I didn't see coming. This was my 1st book by Anna Downes but will definitely not be my last. I am adding all of her books to my TBR!

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.

I recently read and listened to 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 ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the exact kind of book I would enjoy. However, for some reason, I did not. This felt slow and I just didn't care.

Thank you netgalley for the advanced preview audio book. I just love getting advance copies! This one lives up to the hype!

This book takes place in Australia on a road trip in a camper van. It follows two women - Katie, who is looking for her sister (Phoebe) who went missing on this same road trip trail, and Beth, who has gotten herself into some trouble and is trying to figure out her next move in life. Katie takes Beth in and together they try to retrace Phoebe’s steps in a hope to find her or at least what happened to her.

I love that this book was written in multiple POVs. For a long time the reader has no clue why the third POV is a young boy named Wyatt.

The author really led me around to where she wanted me to go in this mystery. Sure, I had theories. I always do. But I never saw the ending coming. The book was well done, had great character development, and a good mystery to solve. And it was set in Australia which is a place I’ve never been so that was a lot of fun!

If you’re looking for an adventure and some mystery, with female friendship mixed in, pick this one up!

This story just wasn’t for me. It wasn’t bad, but it was hard for me to get into it. In fact I did initially DNF this and restarted it. I really wanted to find out how it ended so I stuck it out.

I really loved the concept and storyline of this book. I was so excited to give this one a listen but it was hard to relate to the characters.

The writing and scenes ready description were really well done and if Australia didn’t have human sized spiders I would be on my way there

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

Adventure and female solo vanlife traveler, Phoebe, disappeared over a year ago. She had been posting videos to her social media of her stops as she circled Australia but one day in early June they just stopped and she and her van were never seen again. Her sister, Katy, has been desperately searching for her, so as a last ditch effort she decides to recreate Phoebe's journey piece by piece looking for clues or someone who may have seen her. As her travels begins she runs into a stranded woman, Beth, who has been ditched by her abusive boyfriend. The two form an uneasy partnership as they set out on the road in hopes of finding answers. However there would be twists that neither woman ever saw coming.

This is a twisty multi POV mystery that left me questioning every character and at times wondering what was going on. I liked the beginning of this story because we are introduced to Phoebe through her previous social media posts and the remaining characters in present time. The social media posts was a nice addition to the portrait. The story is a very slow burn and does drag in the middle, with more description than real action. Since there are a lot of characters and names and screen names the story gets a bit muddled and causes some confusion. There is a big plot twist near the end that clarifies some of the early confusion and explains character choices. I think there was too much jammed into the ending. That being said overall it was a pretty good mystery and I did enjoy Downes style and would like to read more of her work. Her notes at the end of the story were very interesting and helped with a lot of context.

I had the audio version read by Maddy Withington who I thought did an excellent job. She was enjoyable to listen to. She does a very good job of handling at least 3 POV characters but I think the audio book really could have used at least one other narrator.

This was my first book by Anna Downes and it was a solid thriller! I will definitely be adding her to my list of authors to read again.

I'll admit that the book was a bit slow in the beginning and I wasn't sure where it was going, but that mimicked the road trip setting of rural Australia featured in this story. It focuses on a female main character who is determined to retrace the steps her missing sister, a free spirit who disappeared while living #vanlife. I recommend this one for anyone who enjoys multiple POV thrillers with strong female protagonists and psychological plot twists. Lastly, I appreciated the author narrating her note at the end, explaining what inspired her to write this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook in exchange for honest review!

It’s clear from the very first moments that Anna Downes’ RED RIVER ROAD has all of the ingredients for a page-turner: a secluded, unknowable landscape, a missing woman, and secrets abound. Told through alternating perspectives, the plot is centered on a woman’s desperate search for sister who disappeared during her solo exploration of Western Australia. When Katie finds Beth, bewildered and confuses, along the way, the search for her sister becomes more complicated. It becomes clear along the way that everyone we meet has something they’re searching for - and something they’re keeping buried. That includes teenaged Wyatt, one of the narrators, who seems inconsequential but has an important role to play.

It was a bit slow for me at first but once the threads of the plot began to unravel, I was very much in. Some parts didn’t quite resolve in a way that made sense for me but that’s okay.

Content warnings for intimate partner violence.

If you’re tempted by wanderlust and the call of #vanlife, this will be a perfect read for you. If you like your suspense with a hint of feminism, this is also for you.

I deeply appreciated the author’s note at the conclusion of the book and it’s worth the read/listen. The audiobook is well narrated with excellent pacing.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC/ALC. All opinions are entirely my own.