This story follows Ellie Black, who returns to her hometown after years away, confronting her past and the secrets she left behind. Jean’s writing is gripping and heartfelt, with Ellie’s character being particularly well-drawn and moving. The book explores themes of redemption, family, and self-discovery, which adds depth to what is ultimately a very dark story.

I have been trying to get back into mysteries and thrillers this year. The Return of Ellie Black was an excellent pick to boost my interest in the genre. It is incredibly fast-paced with never a dull moment.

It took me a few chapters to get into the rhythm of the writing. While one point of view is third-person present tense, another point of view is first-person past tense. This proved to fit the story quite well; it just took me a moment to get used to. Once I did, I really appreciated it.

I admit to not being a huge thriller and mystery reader, but I didn’t guess the ending, and parts left me completely shocked. I’m quite curious what more seasoned readers of this genre will say!

I appreciated the characters and their individual developments. If you enjoy reading about characters who go from unlikable to understandable, this is an excellent pick. Because the book is on the shorter side, these are not the most dynamic characters I’ve ever read. However, they were well-formed and promoted the narrative well.

If you want a quick, well-written and executed story that’s a bit twisty, I would absolutely recommend The Return of Ellie Black.

Thank you, Emiko Jean, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for my advanced review copy. My opinions are my own. The Return of Ellie Black is out now!

Plot - 5
Writing and Editing - 4
Character Development - 4
Personal Bias - 4
Final Score - 4.25

Loved this! Between Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s POV as she investigates the case, and sees parallels to her own sister’s disappearance, and Ellie’s POV as we learn what really happened during the two years she’s been missing, it was a page turner for sure. Couldn’t put it down!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuyler for an advanced copy!

Thank you Simon & Schuster for a copy of this ARC and Netgalley for a digital eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was SUCH a page turner and I couldn’t put it down. Twisty and shocking with a satisfying ending—loved every minute. So excited to read more thrillers by Emiko!!

After a two year disappearance, Ellie Black suddenly returns, a little beaten up, obviously distressed, but definitely not saying much about what happened to her. Despite her best efforts, the detective on the case is unable to persuade Ellie to assist with the investigation, even when it becomes almost certain that she is not the only victim of her abductor. The question becomes, what is Ellie hiding?
This was mostly engaging and enjoyable. It got a bit outlandish at the end, with a “twist” that was a little stupid and unnecessary. I’d still recommend it, though, for a fun, easy thriller.
Thanks to #netgalley and #simonandschuster for this #arc of #thereturnofellieblack in exchange for an honest review.

Two years after she has disappeared, Ellie Black is found alive in the middle of the woods in Washington state. She shows signs of abuse and something is not right with Ellie; she refuses to say where she was kept, what happened and will not cooperate with the police investigation. However, Detective Chelsey Calhoun is determined to find out what happened to Ellie, as her sister disappeared years ago & Chelsey feels like this is not only closure for Ellie, but herself as well and the other missing girls.
Chelsey continues her investigation even though Ellie refuses to answer any questions, because she is afraid another girl may be taken in Ellie's place.

This book definitely kept my attention. There were times it felt a bit redundant, and dragged but overall it was a good thriller.
I definitely enjoyed the plot twists because I couldn't put anything together until the very last ~50 pages of the book. I wish there was an epilogue just to really wrap things up; but I can see why this was chosen as a BOTM pick.

The Return Of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean

This is a page-turning suspense novel. The last 50 pages are. Magnetic.

Great plot. It kept changing with many twists and turns. Very interesting characters.
I recommend this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

“The Return of Ellie Black” is the thriller debut of Emiko Jean, who’s previously written YA and women’s fiction. I really hope she writes more thrillers! It is a fast-moving feminist crime novel with “Bright Young Women” vibes and wicked twists

🕵🏻‍♀️ Detective Chelsey Calhoun has been working on the case of missing teen girl Ellie Black for two years when Ellie suddenly returns. Chelsey is determined to figure out who took Ellie — and what Ellie is hiding.

The family drama in this book really made it work for me. Chelsey’s own sister went missing when they were teens; her dad was in law enforcement. I also love a strong female main character and Chelsey absolutely delivered. Not many thrillers have resonated with me this year, but I really loved this one.

Emiko Jean (https://emikojean.squarespace.com) is the author of nearly 10 novels. The Return of Ellie Black was published last May. It is the 42nd book I completed reading in 2024.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence and mature situations, I categorize this novel as R.

Detective Chelsey Calhoun of Caldwell Beach, Washington, is shocked when Elizabeth ‘Ellie’ Black is found alive in a local forest. Black was 17 when she disappeared two years earlier. As much as Calhoun and others try, Black will not reveal where she was or who she had been with. For Calhoun and others, there is something unsettling about Black.

Calhoun is particularly troubled by Black’s earlier disappearance. She is of Japanese heritage but was adopted into the Calhoun family. Calhoun had been close to her adoptive sister, Lydia. But then, 20 years ago, when they were both teens, Lydia had disappeared.

The discovery a few years earlier of the body of a 15-year-old girl had set Calhoun to thinking. She wondered if there was some connection between the missing girls and her sister. Those suspicions carry over to Black, whose story had never set well with Calhoun.

Calhoun has struggled for years with the disappearance of Lydia. She has tried to move on with her life. Calhoun has married but is struggling. She has a hard time separating her job from her home life. The reappearance of Black and Calhoun’s determination to find out the truth has further stressed her marriage.

Will she find the truth behind Black’s disappearance? Will her marriage survive?

I enjoyed the 7+ hours I spent reading this 316-page mystery. This novel is an outstanding mystery with good plot twists. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 4.6 (rounded to 5) out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

As soon as I read the description for this I knew I would like it! And I did! Ellie Black went missing two years ago and has just been found at the edge of a trail in the forest. Chelsey is the detective who worked her case and needs to know what happened and where’s she’s been. But Ellie isn’t talking. She’s traumatized; refusing to talk, sleeping in the crawl space, refusing to cut her hair, hating to be touched. She wants to just leave it alone, but Chelsey has to know before another girl gets taken.

This is on the darker side, but I just wanted to keep reading and find out what happened to Ellie! We get Chelsey’s story too and it’s a good one and adds some drama to the story because there are a lot of parallels between herself and Ellie. The twist toes the line of being a smidge over the top, but I was ultimately ok with it and the author made it all work. This is the first thriller by the author and I’m here for more!

The Return of Ellie Black is an enjoyable thriller. The story had many twists and turns, some I could figure out and some that I could not. Chelsey was a wonderful character and I was really invested in her story.

So I've finished the book and while it was a captivating story I think it was a little slow for me personally. Though I am realizing maybe it's more of psychological thrillers that I prefer rather than mystery. I think If you are big on mystery/case solving type of stories this would be great for you! I'm still an Emiko Jean fan, just not this book specifically.

This book. It’s shocking to me that this is a debut novel. I was drawn to Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s character from the beginning. She has a great backstory and there are so many questions about her past and her sister.

When a missing girl reappears after years, Chelsey is in charge of investigating where she’s been this whole time. Ellie is evasive and doesn’t answer Chelsey’s questions, and then she takes off again. Chelsey and her old boyfriend do everything they can to track her down. Ellie’s boyfriend is the perfect addition to what would be a more traditional crime novel. He makes it even more personal than what Chelsey’s past brings to the story.

Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for my ARC of this book.

I am a big Emiko Jean fan, so I was delighted to get the chance to read her adult thriller debut. And, it did not disappoint.

The Return of Ellie Black kept me on the edge of my seat with twists and turns. The only downside is that I want to make sure Jean keeps writing romance books for us.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Happy endings are rare in Chelsey Calhoun's line of work as a police detective and the case of Ellie Black has haunted her for the last two years since Ellie disappeared with few leads. That changes when, seemingly out of the woods, Ellie appears. Quiet, dirty and with obvious signs of abuse Ellie refuses to help Chelsey with the investigation. Ellie's parents are thrilled to have her back but returning home is proving far more complicated than expected. Chelsey is frustrated with Ellie and her parents and starts to realize something is not quite right. Chelsey's husband has urged her to not become so involved in her cases, knowing Chelsey feels an obligation due to her older sister's disappearance and death. Police work is the family business and when Chelsey starts digging into Ellie's case again she begins to uncover a terrifying truth about Ellie's disappearance that has far more dangerous consequences than imagined. With twists and turns, Ellie's story becomes darker and darker and Chelsey finds herself in a race against time. Emiko Jean's debut thriller is impossible to put down!

Thank you to the NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I was so excited to receive an ARC of this book based on the description, and I wasn't disappointed! Chelsey and Ellie were both frustrating and hard to root for at times, but I thought the alternating POVs really worked, as I wanted to hear from both of them. It's pretty dark, and there were definitely some parts I had to skim because they were tough to read. It was also pretty slow moving for such a short book, but the twists were good and I absolutely did not see the final one coming! All in all, I'd recommend this book and can't wait to see what the author comes out with next. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy!

This is the story of missing girls - the ones who come home, and the ones who don't.

I loved this book and thought it was a wild ride that kept me guessing the entire time. I loved the alternating perspectives and timelines and how the details are just spooled out every so slowly to keep you turning the pages late into the night.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

What a hot mess. This has a great premise, but I don’t know what happened during the execution.

Nothing made sense. It all felt so rushed. This was a major disappointment.

Thank you Simon Books for my gifted copy of this incredible read and Simon & Schuster audio for my ALC.

After missing for two years, Ellie Black suddenly reappears, bringing with her more questions than answers. She’s not talking. As Detective Chelsea Calhoun is determined to find out where Ellie has been, but as the days pass by and more clues are uncovered, no one is prepared for they will find!

Holy smokes, I devoured this book! From the opening prologue to the last page, I couldn’t get through it fast enough! The Return of Ellie Black is a twisty, physiological thriller that lives up to all the hype! A debut thriller that will leave you breathless and saying “no f’ing way!”

Told in alternating timelines and multiple POVs, this is intelligently written, fast paced, and totally bingeable. This one packs a punch as it examines the psyche of someone being held captive and what it takes to persevere. The jaw dropping twists as the finale neared had me holding my breath as the characters raced against time.

🎧 The audio had a dynamite full cast and played out like a movie in my head. So incredibly well done! It takes a lot for me to rave about a mystery, but this one had my full attention!

(rounded up from 2.5 stars)

This may be a situation of “it’s not you, it’s me” but for me this book didn’t live up to the blurb contributed by author Stephen King. Especially not the last 50 pages, which he calls “magnetic.”

Basically, we have a “last girl” story when Ellie Black, who had been missing for just over two years, returns. She is found in forested parkland somewhere in western Washington state, near Olympia, its capital, a few hours from her home in a small town near Astoria, Oregon. The lead detective on her case is Chelsey Calhoun, who despite her name is of Japanese descent, having been adopted. This info isn’t particularly important to the story, but the author emphasized it, so I’m mentioning it. Calhoun is haunted by the death of her teenage older sister, Lydia, which is one of the reasons she became a police officer - to make sure no other young girls are victimized, a tall order, unfortunately.

There are a lot of supposed twists and turns, and some very improbable coincidences along the way. The writing was okay but the audiobook saved the day, with a full cast of narrators. I didn’t care for the whole subtext of the book, which basically was “men ore horrible and women/girls are vulnerable and are going to be victimized.” Boring.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book. The audiobook was borrowed from my public library. All opinions are my own.