Twenty years ago Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s sister Lydia was missing then presumed dead when the girls were teenagers. Two years ago teenager Ellie Black vanished from Coldwell Beach, Washington and she has just been found alive in the woods but she won’t say where she’s been. What happened to Ellie?

A truth we all know, but I don’t know that I’ve seen so well stated is, there is “ a dollar figure attached to each case. A careful calculation multiplied by parents’ wealth, then divided by race and religion. The poorer and darker a girl the less funds and time the department allocated to her rescue.” Some chapters are told from Ellie’s point of view and the absolute despair there is dark and so very hard to look at. This was difficult to read, at times, but good, even allowing for the far-fetched ending.

First off- huge thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! I was literally invested from page one. It was gripping, dark, heartbreaking, and really difficult to read most of the time. There was no happily ever after. Lots of twists and turns, an unreliable narrator, a female detective who was so real. At times she was strong, at times so weak, other times she was truly devastated to the point of tears, and sometimes she was so bad ass, that it was the best! Lots of undertones in this one, including how society views and values women. Which ones are expendable, which ones won’t be missed? It’s deep and dark and there are probably a grand total of 5 pages of happy- and most of that happiness is wrapped up in memories that may or may not be reliable. It is also a deep investigation into trauma, its aftermath and female resiliency. I think author Samantha Downing may have summed it up best. This truly is “an emotional gut punch of a thriller.” Immersive, magnetic, amazingly written…

3.5 This is a very dark book but it starts with Ellie's return so it's different from the usual kidnapped teen plots. Ellie's POV was heartbreaking. The main character was obsessed to the point where it affected her marriage - seems like every fictional detective does this. I did hate the end but that's probably just me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Ellie Black disappeared in the middle of a late night party 2 years ago, at the opening of the book, she is discovered in the middle of a state park. Detective Chelsey Calhoun is the lead on her case from when she first disappeared and now is picking up the case again, determined to find out what happened to Ellie in the two years that she was missing. Chelsey is not without her own baggage, having lost her sister as a teenager in an apparent murder suicide, and working Ellie's case is bringing up old wounds for her as well, causing a rift in her own life with her new husband. Things get more complicated for Chelsey when Ellie refuses to assist in the investigation.
The book is told in alternating timelines, from the perspective of Chelsey and Ellie's therapist in the present, and then from Ellie's point of view in the past leading up to and after her disappearance, which helps the reader to understand her perspective, conveying the severe emotional, psychological, and physical abuse she suffered at the hands of her captor(s). I don't typically enjoy suspense or thrillers, but this book for me was particularly well done. The concept felt creative, and the author's writing style and pacing of the plot were all satisfying and enjoyable. The main criticism I had was that the main plot twist felt unrealistic, and the ending was wrapped up too quickly for my taste. Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and rate it a solid 4 stars and would certainly recommend it to others.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

As a debut thriller for this author, I enjoyed the read. Ellie Black goes missing after attending a party in high school, and then mysteriously shows up two years later. Detective Chelsey Calhoun is on the case, and she has some experience with a disappearance, as the same thing happened with her sister years earlier, though her sister was not so lucky to show up alive.

Ellie doesn't want to share much about what happened to her, which makes Chelsey's investigation more difficult to complete. The author weaves in current day with snippets from when Ellie disappeared to give the reader an understanding of Ellie's life when she was gone. From the horrible living conditions to the abuse, it's no wonder she was frightened to share what happened to her. You also learn that she was not the only girl held captive and she and the other girls developed a bond with each other over time.

Chelsey's also haunted by her past. Her sister's disappearance, and her father's subsequent parenting style challenged her. Her father was the police chief, and she followed into his footsteps in becoming a police officer. And she's having a hard time letting go of her past as she still has hope that her sister is out there.

The author does a great job of laying out the story and providing just enough twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. The ending surprised me which makes for a good thriller.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review.

Wow, what a good one! This is the type of book that I was thinking about while I wasn't reading it. Always excited to get back to it. Very nicely done! Definitely recommending!

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.