Red River Road by Anna DownesSynopsis: “Anna Downes’ 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 van life 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 DNA evidence, 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.”

My Review

This was a very clever, twisty, Australian crime novel, that I thoroughly enjoyed.

It’s definitely best to go into this book without knowing anything at all. So all I’m going to tell you is that it’s told from Katy and Beth’s points of view, as well as a boy called Wyatt.

I did find it a bit slow to begin with, but once I was hooked I couldn’t stop listening, I wanted to know what was going on. There was a lot more to the mystery than I was expecting, which made it a lot more exciting.

I’d read a book years ago with a very similar synopsis, and so I was expecting the same sort of story, but this was even better! It was quite dark in places and would definitely put me off solo travel in Australia!

This is my first book by Anna Downes, but definitely won’t be the last, especially after listening to author’s note at the end of the book.

Maddy Withington a new-to-me narrator was superb! Her voice talents were excellent, I’d definitely listen to more books with her narrating.

Recommended on audio especially if you enjoy crime novels set in Australia.

Thanks to NetGalley and wavesound from W. F. Howes Ltd for my digital copy via the NetGalley app.