A wild ride of a thriller, with twists and turns throughout!

Ellie Black has been gone for years... until she is picked up on the side of a road.

The local detective, Chelsey Calhoun, that worked the case had almost given up... but her reappearance stirs up hope... and trauma.

But things aren't what they seem now that Ellie is back. Will digging into what happened to Ellie stir up the ghosts of Chelsey's past...

... or put them to rest?

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC: This kind of book is just not something I enjoy. Wrong book for me. I really enjoyed her previous book. She writes well, just not my genre.

Set in rural/coastal Washington, “The Return of Ellie Black” is a women-centric mystery about a teen who reappears in her small town two years after going missing. Who took her? Where has she been? Who has she been with? And does she know anything about other young women/girls who have disappeared? Those are the questions police detective Chelsey Calhoun sets about answering. She’s especially committed to the case since she experienced the disappearance/murder of her own sister many years ago.

This is a very well-written novel. Author Emiko Jean has drawn her characters deeply. Her settings are highly evocative. Her prose and dialogue are believable and move the story forward at a moderate pace.

I enjoyed the first one-half to two-thirds very much. However, I had some problems with the plotting towards the end. To me, it seemed too coincidental to be fully credible--tied up too neatly to be thoroughly believed.

The promotional materials bill this as “women’s fiction” and a “feminist tour de force,” which I found to be fair comment. Most of the women are heroic or victimized or both. Most of the men are victimizers and highly blameworthy.

Nevertheless, for the most part, "The Return of Ellie Black" is a compelling tale which I think many readers will enjoy.

My thanks to NetGalley, author Emiko Jean, and publisher Simon and Schuster for providing me with a complimentary ARC. The foregoing is my independent opinion.

I am in awe of Emiko Jean’s versatility as an author. Her thriller debut was dark, scary, captivating and filled with twists I did not see coming. As this book centers around a teenage kidnapping, I found it unique that this story focused on Ellie Black after she was found and not the process of finding her. This gave the reader a first hand account of the trauma she experienced during her captivity as well as the difficulty she now faces being back in society. The chapters detailing her therapy sessions were some of the most chilling parts. The detective on the case was probably my favorite character. She went the extra mile as an officer and was empathetic towards Ellie but as the same time determined to solve the case.

Read if you like:
-Missing persons cases
-Dark slow burn thrillers
-Washington State setting
-Jennifer Hillier

What a twist!

Detective Chelsey Calhoun investigated the disappearance of teenager Ellie Black until the trail ran cold. Two years later, Ellie re-emerges filthy and traumatized in a University of Washington sweatshirt. Chelsea, a little broken herself, because of the death of her sister, picks up the case again, determined to uncover who took Ellie.

If you've read other Emiko Jean books, don't expect this one to be anything like them. The Return of Ellie Black is a gritty page turner.. And the twist will hit you like a punch straight to the solar plexus.

Four strong stars for this character-driven thriller. It begins with exactly what the title suggests: the return of Ellie Black, who has been missing for years. Detective Chelsey Calhoun is assigned to the case and carries with her the weight of her own traumatic past.
The story unfolds like a puzzle and we hear alternating narratives from both Ellie and Chelsey. I found both perspectives compelling and the familiar theme of girls being hurt by men is unfortunately always timely. Trigger warnings for some dark subject matter including SA.
While the big reveal(s) could arguably be viewed as a bit too convenient, I thought the author did a great job tying things together and I found the ending satisfying. This was a mystery but it was also an exploration of grief and memory and sisterhood that went deeper than the average thriller. I will watch for more from this author.

Ellie Black is back! She's found safe, albeit malnourished and dissociated, after having gone missing for two years, two weeks, and one day. Ellie's not talking about what she endured during that time or where she's been, and she struggles with remembering who she was before it all happened. Those closest to her are wracked with guilt, wondering what they could have done better to protect Ellie from letting this happen in the first place.

But this story isn't just about Ellie's journey. Detective Chelsea Calhoun is the lead detective on the case and she carries her own guilt after she having lost her older sister Lydia fifteen years ago. Instead of begging sophomore Lydia to stay home one late night, young Chelsea pinkie-swears that she won't rat her out to their parents as Lydia slips out to a senior's party. Chelsea feels responsible and to this day she can't let go of their childhood home where she can still feel Lydia's presence. She takes on every case involving crimes against women as her act of penance.

As Chelsea digs deeper into Ellie's case, she finds it more complex and sinister than she ever could have imagined.

I was absolutely panic-stricken reading through Ellie's ordeal, fearful of what the next sentence would reveal about her captivity. And yet just like Ellie said about her own interest in stories about missing girls, I found this book to be completely irresistible and I couldn’t stop myself from reading more - not that I would want to stop.. It tapped directly into my dark love of true-crime/mystery-thrillers, and I found the ending to be very satisfying.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster, NetGalley and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Darn, I love a good thriller. And police. You bet. But I was unable to finish reading this book because the storyline was so far out of reality. Without giving away any spoilers in case this review is posted somewhere other than a private link between me and the publisher, I just didn't think the police character, Chelsea, was believable. How she handled the return of you know who was clearly not standard procedure. The hospital would not just let her leave, and the police would also do questioning. I work with a lot of law enforcement. Puzzling how this unfolded. So because I could not find credibility in one of the main characters, I did not finish the read. Disappointed.

I feel like Emiko Jean is such a treasure. I first read her YA books and loved them and when she moved to adult I was so excited! I love that she is trying different genres and really succeeding in them! I loved this one. It is super fast paced and there is a twist at the end where I literally said “omg what” out loud. Definitely recommend for thriller readers.

Ellie Black disappeared, over two years later she is back. Found in a state park, Ellie looks rough. She's lost weight, battered, and bruised. Chelsea Calhoun, a detective at the local police department is once again on the case. She still remembers the night Ellie went missing, it haunts her. This time Chelsey is hell bent on finding out what happened. As the case unfolds, links between another missing girl's case starts to rearrange the puzzle. Ellie is remaining quiet and vigilant in giving as little information to Chelsey as possible. The detective knows she's missing something but how deep will she go in order to find it?

Told through the active case as well as journal like entries, you get a sense into multiple perspectives. This was fast paced and had me on edge for much of the book. Chelsey is a haunted detective who you immediately root for. Well done. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

5 glowing stars for Ellie Black. Emiko Jean, without fail, writes incredible books. Even more impressive, all of the books I’ve read by her have been completely different genres: YA romance, contemporary fiction, and now a thriller!

Synopsis: Detective Chelsey Callhoun awakes to the phone call she never thought she’d get— Ellie Black, who disappeared two years ago, has returned. With her reappearance, though, comes a multitude of questions, the most important of which are who took her and where was she kept? Ellie seems to be holding back and seemingly protecting her captors. Told through a nonlinear timeline, you’ll be racing to the end to discover what actually happened.

Thoughts: I am not exaggerating when I say I could not put this one down. I am truly in awe of Jean’s talents. What a well-crafted and twisty story. This will definitely a go-to rec for fans of fast paced thrillers.

The Return of Ellie Black was very interesting. The story revolves around a girl who went missing two years ago that suddenly reappears a couple hours from her hometown. The main POVs of the story are Ellie’s and Chelsey, the detective who never gave up on finding her.

Chelsey is determined to find out what happened to Ellie while she had been kept captive for those two years. Having lost her own sister as a teen, the case is very personal to her.

The story jumps between the present timeline and when Ellie was kidnapped. It can be a bit harrowing to read about what she went through. I did enjoy the twists towards the end of the story.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley where do I begin Ellie was kidnapped and found two years later in the woods and refuses to talk. The detective lost her sister to a murder suicide. It narrates between the story and flashes to Ellie’s story. I don’t want to give anything away but there is a major twist to the plot. That I did not see coming. Would read more from the author

Small town Detective Chelsey Calhoun gets a call that Ellie Black, who went missing two years ago, has been found near a wooded area.. Chelsey, whose own sister was tragically killed when they were teenagers, was the original investigator when 17 year old Ellie disappeared. But Ellie is tight lipped and uncooperative about where she’s been, and Chelsey is left scrambling for answers. The Return Of Ellie Black is a captivating novel, and although it’s a familiar plot, the storytelling is top notch, and some turns will sneak up on you. Interestingly told in POV’s from both present day Chelsey and in captivity Ellie, the lead characters are endearing, and it’s easy to overlook some plot implausibilities as the story flows so smoothly with some crisp writing and emphasis on furthering the storyline, not dwelling on unnecessary details. Loved this one, well done! I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a rollercoaster and I could not put it down. It was instantly engaging, but parts of it were so hard for me to read -- which is the sign of a good writer to me. I had to take breaks while reading some particular sections that were just so graphic and disturbing to me.

Ellie Black has been missing for two years when she is found in the woods one day. Unable to talk much about where she's been, she tries to reconnect with the people in her life from before abduction. Chelsey is the detective who has been working on Ellie's case, and she has a traumatic past -- her sister was missing before being murdered when Chelsey was a teenager.

I am glad I went in to this book without knowing much about it. I really liked Chelsey's character -- I could feel the obsession and frenetic way she was trying to figure everything out.

Ellie's descriptions of her time while abducted were so hard for me to read -- they were well written and so descriptive, made my heart ache.

I really hope that Emiko Jean writes more thrillers, I will eagerly read them -- and anything she writes!

I would recommend this book to anyone who can handle reading some very hard stuff happening to young people. It is very compelling but also very stressful.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

This is my first Emoji Jean read and I was not disappointed! The slow build of this read kept me turning page after page dying to know how it would unfold!

Elizabeth Black disappeared over two years ago and has suddenly reappeared out in the woods. Chelsey Calhoun, a local detective, whose sister also disappeared years before, is called to help out in the investigation.

Emiko Jean is a talented writer but this book wasn’t for me. I am completely burned out on these types of mysteries with alternating POVs and shocking twists. However, I would recommend it to mystery lovers, because the level of writing is so much better than the average police procedural, and the characterizations are so well done.

First of all I want to say thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to review The Return of Elle Black. All comments are my own. I just knew I would like this book but loving it I did The twists and turns - the full story of Elle Black is just so good - the writing is excellent - the story fantastic - and you will not figure it out I am sure. A definite must read. Emiko Jean is a fantastic writer and I allready have another one of her books on my waiting list. I know you will not be sorry to read this - you will be amazed how good it is and you will not able to put it down. Enjoy!!

Wow... this one captured me by just the description and then once I started reading it really hooked me! I loved the writing and I thought the characters were fantastic. The author did a great job at keeping the storyline flowing and wrapped it all up in the end.

I really enjoyed Emiko Jean's Mika in Real Life, so was very curious to read The Return of Ellie Black. Ellie Black is a totally different genre, but also a wonderful read. It's a feminist take on the kidnapped young women and girls mystery. Chelsey Calhoun is a great, strong character, who grows stronger as the novel goes on. It is also a nice addition that she's a a woman of Japanese ancestry. There are plenty of tense moments and a big twist at the end of the book. Looking forward to Ms. Jean's next book and curious about what genre she'll tackle next.