I have read other books by this author. Anna Downes is very talented with the way that she juggles the multi-viewpoint mystery. I loved the descriptive narrative of the Australian landscape as Katy travels in her van. I found the ending quite surprising, I appreciated how it tied all three viewpoints together
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I don’t take much encouragement to try a new to me author. I was sure I had seen this recommended by an author who I follow, I can’t find the recommendation now so I’m not sure. Anyway…

It’s an unusual road trip / quest thriller. Katy is searching for her sister Phoebe. Phoebe disappeared during a ‘vanlife’ ‘big lap’ of Australia, her blog entries lay down the clues for Katy’s search. Along the way she meets Beth, Beth is running from something and is grateful for the companionship and anonymity of travelling with Katy on her quest.

It’s original and well put together, the searcher and the escapee ticking off Katy’s blog spots and searching for clues. Not the fastest book, but I enjoyed learning about the vanlife culture and googled some of the beauty spots they visit along the way.

I liked the setup more than the resolution but it kept me entertained. On-the-run Beth was my favourite character.

Worth a look if you are looking for something different or have an interest in thrillers involving travel and exploration.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press

Thank you for the ARC!
This book was so good I could not put it down. It gets your attention from the beginning for sure ! Lots of twists that I did not see coming and when I thought I had it all figured out , things changed ! Definitely recommend this book!

Deep in the Australien , none no one has ever truly who they claim to be. Compelling story of memory, family and distance, with twists you don’t see coming. Four stars.

I'm blown away. This was an absolutely fantastic mystery. I was on the edge of my seat and truly did not know where the story was going. It was fast paced enough that I could not put it down but not too quickly that the story suffered. I loved the incorporation of the Instagram comments, it felt like a fun incorporation of media culture.

The use of multiple perspectives and timelines was also a really cool way to tell the story that also managed to not spoil the experience. That's the one gripe I have with multiple POVs or timelines, unnecessarily spoiling aspects of the plot but this story managed to avoid that.

I loved the descriptions of the world around them. I truly felt like I was on that journey with them in Australia, the level of description made it feel like a movie. I was so immersed in this world.

As someone with a sister I am close to I also really empathized with Katy making this decision to get out of her comfort zone and travel across the same path her sister took to try to find out what happened to her. That love and dedication was amazing. I also loved the mystery that was Beth and watching her story unravel as well.

Overall, great storytelling and a truly gripping read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This novel had a clever concept. It was interesting and different but there were many narrative defects I feel can be corrected, The main character suffers an unusual trauma and as a result the facts are skewered from her point of view. It adds suspense but also confuses. At the conclusion, too many details are left unexplained. Frankly, it is unbelievable the police never find and identify Beth? What happened to Wyatt’s father? Also, gas cannot be aesthetic.. that is an incorrect term used several time. Editing would help.

I love this twisty book about a solo traveler and the Outback . I loved the setting so much and also the plot . It was a good book worthy of your time

Katy’s sister Phoebe has disappeared while on a van trip in Australia. Since she was a “vanlifer” who shared her itinerary on Instagram, Katy is hoping that by following her journey, she can find clues as to what happened to her. Beth is a lost soul she meets along the way, struggling with a mysterious past. Wyatt, a teenager, is also somehow a part of all this. What happened to Phoebe? What secrets are haunting Beth and Wyatt? Is there some sort of connection between these three?

This tale is told via two timelines and these three characters. This has become a predictable and overly-used plot device in modern thrillers and mysteries, but it was well done in this novel. Having Instagram posts as one timeline felt unique. The characterization was deftly done, and this is one of Anna Downes’ strengths: creating unique characters with complicated pasts. She is a very talented writer.

The sense of place was excellent: I really felt like I was on the road in Australia. The mystery was intriguing and there was an underlying suspense that kept me reading. But unfortunately, I just lost interest after a while. The pace was too slow for me and having Katy’s chapters in first-person present tense was probably a factor in this. I can guess the reasons why the author chose to do this but it becomes very repetitive and it was just not that interesting to spend time in her mind after a while.
I do think many people will enjoy this and I definitely did not predict the twists!

This book was a psychological thriller masterpiece! The amount of times I was shook… I knew all the characters would fit together in the end somehow, but it wasn’t apparent from the start. I truly enjoyed unraveling all the tangles in this one to make it make sense. I was gripped from the start and the suspense did not wrap up until the end. I did think it could have been wrapped up a little quicker at the end, but I can appreciate no lingering questions at the end of a book.

First off, I love the way this title rolls off my tongue. It is very fun to say. That being said, I also really liked the story about a couple of women traveling by van, one in search of her missing sister, the other on the run from a most awful guy. Both have secrets they have not revealed to each other which kept the thrilling mystery going, and they may or may not have someone following them on every leg of the journey. While there is much danger I found it interesting to catch a glimpse into the #vanlife that people go on in Australia. It made me want to go see all the sites and attractions that Katy and Beth traveled to. Though not with the creepy notes left and stones that mysteriously showed up around their van at night.

This book had just the right amount of creepiness (especially the messages that were left on Phoebe's Instagram) and the things that Wyatt discovered about his family. Despite being so diverse, all the characters end up nicely connected and when all is revealed I had a very satisfying what the heck moment. So, I really liked this book and gobbled it down happily. I do enjoy the books that Anna Downes writes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book to read and review.

To say I was hooked from the beginning seems like such an understatement. I was deeply invested in the mystery and secrets surrounding the three main characters and I loved how the author differentiated the chapters for them. A lot of twists and turns that could get confusing at times but it all came together in the shocking end. Looking forward to checking out other works from this author!

If you’re looking for a roadtrip thriller, this is for you! Set on the coast of Western Australia and truly soooo twisty! My guesses for how it would end changed at least three times and still left me stumped until the very end! I really loved it! So many red herrings but they all worked SO well with the plot and the character arcs. Still shocked by the ending!

This was an awesome book. I was hooked from the start. A definite recommend.

Thanks publisher and netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and isn't influenced by anyone else

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.