Published by Minotaur Books Genres: Contempory, Fiction, Mystery, thriller
Format: ARC, eBook
This was a book that I had to think about for some time. It’s very trippy in that I was never sure about what was going on, who was being honest, who to believe, was everything real, who is being reliable, who is unreliable, etc. I just didn’t know what to think, and that is the beauty of this book. Anna Downes created the sensation in me that I believe that her main character was feeling.
Katy Sweeney is searching for her sister, Phoebe, who vanished a year ago on Western Australia’s coral coast. Katy doesn’t have much to go on except her determination and drive to find her sister. She will rely on Phoebe’s social media posts as a guide. Along her search, Katy meets Beth, a woman on the run.
The setting and atmosphere in this book were wonderful. Plus, this book has an eerie and creepy vibe to it. It is unsettling in many ways. As Katy experienced many things along her search, she meets many people. Things get intense at times and having the POV of Katy, Wyatt, and Beth made the book interesting. I had an inkling around the 60% of the book about one aspect and was right; however, that did not affect my enjoyment of the book at all.
One downside of this book for me was it is a bit of a slow burn. I don’t do well with slow burns. I don’t care for them, but I found I was able to overlook this to a small degree in this book.
While I guessed one major reveal at the end of the book, I think many will be shocked. Even when I had that element figured out, I still had some aha moments when I learned even more.
Red River Road kept me on my toes and turning the pages. As I mentioned, it has an unsettling feeling to it. I can see this being made into a movie.
Atmospheric, creepy, unsettling, well written, and well thought out.
Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
