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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.

Domestic abuse, abortion (off-page).

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 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.

Don't just take our word for it...

“Downes builds suspense by deftly unpacking one layer of deception after another, never forgetting that her two travelers face danger not only from each other but from every man who catches sight of them. The Australian Tourist Board will never endorse this road-trip nightmare. But readers are likely to recommend it highly.”
– Kirkus Reviews

“Readers will enjoy the suspense and many plot twists along with the accounts of multiple unreliable narrators as the characters navigate the beautiful, winding roads. They will also think twice about solo van travel in isolated areas. The author provides a good mix of psychological terror and social commentary about women’s issues, with a surprise ending.”
– Booklist

“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, New York Times bestselling author of Only If You’re Lucky

Taste the very first page

I’ve made a mistake.

I know it as soon as I catch my head lolling, my eyelids drifting shut.

With a sharp inhale, I sit up straight and tighten my grip on the wheel. I blink and the road swims back into focus. Dusty asphalt passes beneath me like fast-running water, the broken white line shining in the twin beams of my headlights. On both sides, red dirt fades to black.

My heart starts to race. Did I just fall asleep? I check the speedometer: I’m almost twenty over the limit. Goddamn. Swiping a hand across my clammy brow, my foot finds the brake and the van slows down.

The evening is quiet, no other vehicles but mine, but it feels like a close call. I could easily have veered off the road and hit a tree, or collided with a passing kangaroo; I could’ve smashed into an actual person. I can just imagine what Phoebe would say if she were here. Are you in- sane, babe? Tap into your wisdom and pull over. Don’t you know anything about how to keep yourself safe? Oh, the irony.

The horizon to the west is striped with gold. Night has fallen so fast. Surely the sky was still bright just minutes ago?

I keep going. It might not be safe to drive after dark, but stopping overnight on the side of the road isn’t an option either. And I can’t turn back. I had a good reason for leaving in a hurry . . . didn’t I?

September 2024