This was a fresh take on the "missing girl-found in woods" sort of trope that seems to permeate a lot of literature at this time. I enjoyed the mystery and puzzle of trying to figure out "whodunit". I would gladly read anything else this author puts out in the future as this was a really well done, atmospheric, spooky and reflective sort of read.

This was a fascinating story that kept me on the edge of my seat, and I read the whole thing in one day. When Chelsey's sister disappeared, her family was never the same. Fifteen years later, Chelsey is a police detective who feels especially connected to a case when another missing girl mysteriously reappears, but will not tell anyone what happened to her or where she's been. It's clever, fast-paced, and feminist, with plenty of tension and twists. The writing is solid and vivid, and I felt like the narrative threads were engaging and satisfyingly resolved by the story's end. It explores themes of misogyny and violence against women and girls, and while the villains of the story are absolutely toxic men, the story also includes supportive and kind men, and some who are kind of in between. But more than this, it's a story about determination, survival, complex relationships, and healing from trauma.

There were a few minor story details which seemed a little inconsistent or unlikely, most notably how quickly the hospital discharged an emaciated and malnourished Ellie instead of treating her for dehydration and monitoring her closely for signs of damage (heart telemetry, blood work, etc). Also, some logistics don't add up. How did a captive girl deal with periods? Two years on a single pair of underwear, no period products, but when it's taken into evidence it's clean aside from a few tiny holes from wear and tear. (Also, a period would be difficult to hide from a captor whose goal is pregnancy). And the timeline is wonky. We learn of an incident at a police picnic when Chelsey was a kid, where the son of the current police chief was being a racist little shit, which happened "thirty-plus years ago". Yet Chelsey was 14 when her sister Lydia disappeared fifteen years ago, making her only 29. Finally, as supportive as he was supposed to be, Chelsey's husband Noah struck me as an asshole from the start. When your detective wife's phone rings at midnight, what kind of petulant baby says "Make it stop," and worse, "Somebody better be dead." Chelsey smiles indulgently at his "wry humour" instead of rightfully asking him wtf is wrong with him. What a douchebag.

Overall, however, this was a thrilling and satisfying read which I mostly enjoyed. 3.5 stars rounded up.

I'm thankful to the author, the publisher, and to Netgalley for providing me with a free advance reader copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own

I really enjoyed this! The ending was unexpected and I liked the writing style. I was on the edge of my seat reading this wanting to know how it would end! I would recommend this if you enjoy thrillers! Special Thank You to Emiko Jean, Simon and Schuster And NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This novel blew me away and will definitely be a contender for one of my favorites this year! The writing is superb and I was hooked from the very beginning. I wasn't sure what to expect with this novel, didn't know much about it going in, and I think that actually worked in my favor. I am highly impressed with this author, this is the first of her work I've read, and I am so delighted to hear that she may pursue other novels based on Detective Chelsey Calhoun! I am not a huge police procedural fan and this one works uniquely well because there is so much tension and the mystery had me hanging on until the very end. Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed reading this and couldn't put it down, for the majority of the book. The writing was very good.
Until the last half - to end of the book. I think some people will absolutely love the whole story. I was disappointed with how it turned out.
Spoilers below........don't read anymore if you plan to read the book, which I still recommend!



The book was very interesting, and definitely kept me turning the pages. I liked the different point of views.
The ending fell very flat for me. Not every aspect of the book had to be tied back together in the end.
The twist about Chelsea's sister, Lydia....I was thinking....why? Just why? Such a cheesy ending and disappointing after such a gripping read earlier on. I felt it was unnecessary.
That twist with Lydia was the most disappointing. Up until then, I would have given this 4 stars.

Thank you to Penguin, NetGalley and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I wish I liked this more!!

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.