Anna Downes's extraordinary next thriller Red River Road follows a woman desperate to discover what happened to her sister on a solo road trip through the Australian outback.
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.
Anna Downes takes us on a twist-filled journey into the dark side of solo female travel, in this gripping novel that explores what drives us to keep searching for those we have lost, the family bonds that can make or break us, and the deception of memory.
Genre: Mystery
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.
Anna Downes takes us on a twist-filled journey into the dark side of solo female travel, in this gripping novel that explores what drives us to keep searching for those we have lost, the family bonds that can make or break us, and the deception of memory.
Genre: Mystery
Praise for this book
"Strap in and brace yourself for one hell of a road trip. Twisty, terrifying, this was a total thrill ride." - Sarah Bailey
"Anna Downes' gift for unsettling, troubling thrillers is taken to the next level in Red River Road--a story that brilliantly provokes all our fears about the remote and untamed places of Australia and what might be lurking within them. Packed with haunting mysteries and evocative visuals, this is hands down one of the best thrillers of 2024. Don't miss it." - Gabriel Bergmoser
"Dazzling, compulsive and head-spinningly twisty, Red River Road confirms Downes as one of the brightest stars in psychological suspense." - Candice Fox
"In Red River Road, the freedom of #vanlife meets the cold metal of keys between fingers--an unsettling, deeply atmospheric novel that asks: where are women safe? With sharp social commentary and her signature lush prose, Anna Downes reigns supreme at excavating the thorny roots beneath intriguing subcultures, where beauty bleeds into danger. An up-all-night read you'll think about every time you open Instagram." - Katie Gutierrez
"Utterly addictive and deliciously dark, this is Downes' best book yet." - Sally Hepworth
"Red River Road is an exhilarating, action-packed road trip thriller, set in the van-lifing scene on Australia's stunning West Coast. Creepy, atmospheric and packed with surprises, it cries out to be made into a movie!" - Allie Reynolds
"Red River Road is a pulse-pounding road trip thriller with a backdrop to die-for and a twist that will leave you with your jaw on the floor. I absolutely inhaled it!" - Hannah Richell
"Red River Road takes us beyond the shiny exterior of #vanlife and deep into the secrets we keep. Tension, suspense, and characters who get more than they bargained for--this is Downes at her absolute best." - Hayley Scrivenor
"An exquisitely tense, thrilling and enjoyable puzzle of a book." - Christian White
"A truly terrifying and topical tale about the potential perils of solo travel, Red River Road will take readers on the road trip of their lives. Anna Downes surprised me at every dark and winding turn--I loved this book." - Stacy Willingham
"Anna Downes' gift for unsettling, troubling thrillers is taken to the next level in Red River Road--a story that brilliantly provokes all our fears about the remote and untamed places of Australia and what might be lurking within them. Packed with haunting mysteries and evocative visuals, this is hands down one of the best thrillers of 2024. Don't miss it." - Gabriel Bergmoser
"Dazzling, compulsive and head-spinningly twisty, Red River Road confirms Downes as one of the brightest stars in psychological suspense." - Candice Fox
"In Red River Road, the freedom of #vanlife meets the cold metal of keys between fingers--an unsettling, deeply atmospheric novel that asks: where are women safe? With sharp social commentary and her signature lush prose, Anna Downes reigns supreme at excavating the thorny roots beneath intriguing subcultures, where beauty bleeds into danger. An up-all-night read you'll think about every time you open Instagram." - Katie Gutierrez
"Utterly addictive and deliciously dark, this is Downes' best book yet." - Sally Hepworth
"Red River Road is an exhilarating, action-packed road trip thriller, set in the van-lifing scene on Australia's stunning West Coast. Creepy, atmospheric and packed with surprises, it cries out to be made into a movie!" - Allie Reynolds
"Red River Road is a pulse-pounding road trip thriller with a backdrop to die-for and a twist that will leave you with your jaw on the floor. I absolutely inhaled it!" - Hannah Richell
"Red River Road takes us beyond the shiny exterior of #vanlife and deep into the secrets we keep. Tension, suspense, and characters who get more than they bargained for--this is Downes at her absolute best." - Hayley Scrivenor
"An exquisitely tense, thrilling and enjoyable puzzle of a book." - Christian White
"A truly terrifying and topical tale about the potential perils of solo travel, Red River Road will take readers on the road trip of their lives. Anna Downes surprised me at every dark and winding turn--I loved this book." - Stacy Willingham
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