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.

This was so freaking good! I loved to two perspectives so much! Ellie’s perspective was utterly terrifying but so well done! One of the best books of the year so far!

I couldn't wait to get my hands on The Return Of Ellie Black! With all the rave reviews, I saved the audiobook for my road trip from Chicago to Vermont. Let me tell you, what a road trip-worthy audiobook!

The book incorporates many tropes and themes that I enjoy, such as psychological thrillers, detective stories, missing girls, and victim trauma. The story is a mix of both character and plot. As with most character-driven stories, the plot builds slowly, but the dual timelines really develop both Ellie and Chelsey as women you want to root for. And a great thriller always needs a couple of unexpected twists; in this one, the twists are both surprising and believable.

I agree with the rave reviews regarding the audiobook—it feels like you're listening to a movie. The full cast really brings the story to life. It's completely immersive! I highly recommend this one for your next road trip!

3 stars
The Return of Ellie Black
Emiko Jean

This was my first time reading Emiko Jean and her first adult thriller debut. As far as the thriller genre, this trope has been used (overused) in many thrillers. I feel like an outlier in my opinion of this story, but I just didn't connect with it. The writing was juvenile and the plot was fairly basic. There was little backstory for the characters, except for Ellie and the Detective and I think transitions were difficult for the author. This novel should come with many trigger warnings. The trauma was real in this story and never seemed to have any resolution. I didn't mind the twist at the end, bur I found it very sad. I found the book to be disturbing and dark.

Thank you to #Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the eCopy of The Return of Ellie Black. My opinions are my own.

Ellie Black has been missing for 2-years when she's suddenly found by hikers in the woods of Washington State. She's distraught and disheveled, but where exactly has she been? Detective Chelsey Calhoun is shocked by Ellie's reappearance, but unfortunately, Ellie's not offering up a lot of answers. The mystery lingers.

For Chelsey, any missing person case hits close to home. Her sister, Lydia, went missing when they were just teens, and ever since, Chelsey has been searching for closure for herself, and any other missing girls out there. As Chelsey begins questioning Ellie, she's not able to get any real answers from her. It feels off, like Ellie is hiding something, but what? She's a victim here, right?

This novel is insta-compelling. We kick off with Ellie being discovered and from there, it's a ride. We get a lot of different perspectives, and even different points in time, as we begin to build out the truth behind this mystery. I was initially surprised by all the perspectives, but somehow, it just worked. I also loved the tone from the start, how mysterious it all was.

This definitely kept me guessing and I appreciated how Jean continually added to the mystery. What started out as the mystery of what had happened to Ellie, ultimately evolved into so much more. I thought Jean had some very clever reveals and I loved the thoughtful way she explored the topic of the exploitation and victimization of women.

Overall, I was impressed with this. The tone stood out for me. I'm not sure quite how to explain it, but it felt distinctive from other Missing Persons Thrillers. It's quite character-drive, but so well-executed.

Thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I'm looking forward to reading more from Emiko Jean!

The Return of Ellie Black is a phenomenal thriller that had me on the edge of my seat. It is fast paced, keeping the reader fully engaged throughout. I devoured this book in a matter of hours needing to know what happened, gasping out loud at the twist I didn’t see coming. It is rare that I am caught off guard by a book, the sign of a true thriller. Thank you to Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for the digital copy granted in exchange for my honest review

I love a good thriller and read them often, so it takes a lot to impress me. This one did just that. Told from the perspectives of a female detective and the young girl who returns after being abducted two years prior, their stories intertwine around each other to uncover deep rooted terror in the system.

It was so good, sharp and had great plot twists. The creep factor was there and I loved the strong female protagonist who grappled with her family history that played into how she handled the case. There are some trigger warnings as the basis of the story is a young girl who is kidnapped and held captive in deplorable conditions. The fact she was able to survive what she did is incredible and as the reader, you will feel very confused and conflicted about her and her lack of cooperation with the investigation, but hold tight because the ending brings everything together.

Dark and suspenseful, this story of a missing girl's return is unputdownable. I didn't see the final twist coming!

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the copy to review.

For me this was really a 4.25 -3.5 star read. The story follows one detective - Chelsey after a girl returns from being missing for 2 years - Ellie Black. Ellie returns but refuses to speak about where she was or what happened to her and the story takes off from there. I really liked the story being told from the detective’a point of view and the author took twists and turns I didn’t easily predict, which I enjoy.

I think the story does a great job of keeping the reader guessing but not being over the top or taking a crazy turn that was not really possible in the story. This story was a change from the authors typical genres and I enjoyed it a lot!

Ellie Black went missing from a party two years ago. She suddenly turns up confused, not knowing who she is or where she came from. Chelsey is in charge of the investigation and this hits home as 20 years prior her sister was murdered by her then boyfriend. Chelsey has no clue what she is getting into and things just unravel. You can't put this book down and the ending will definitely shock you.

Really enjoyed this suspenseful story! It didn't feel like the usual thriller where the female protagonist needs a knight in shining armor to save her. Jean gave us so many present day issues, like discrimination, racism, corruption with police, dysfunctional families, and toxic relationships. I liked the way Jean wrote the alternating perspectives, which can sometimes be confusing, and I also enjoyed the plot, which kept me turning pages and never wanting to put the book down. My jaw even dropped on a couple of the twists. Thanks to NetGalley for this advanced copy!

Great opening- starts with her being found, where she says i think i’m missing.

Of course we all love a story when a missing person returns home- but i rarely think about what happens when they get back. What if it’s not this picture perfect story.

I personally preferred the first 75%- chelsey is a smart and flawed character- the author somewhat kept her at arms length with us, but it starts to make sense the more we come to know about her.
The pacing was great for me- there were short chapters with sort of this omniscient pov- got to hear from all of the main players. Good clues along the way.

The synopsis calls this ‘a twisty page-turner that will shock and surprise you right up until the final page’- definitely agree

One element that didnt sit right for me- overall very strong thriller meets police procedural.

This book was a wild ride that I didnt want to end. Filled with tons of twists and turns I had no idea what was going on. Love a good thriller like this.

The pages were turning fast and furiously while reading this one! It started the intrigue with the first page and never stopped. I love strong female characters and this novel created two of them. This is the book you put in your beach bag. It clips along and kept me guessing. I thought the ending was a big rushed but I still enjoyed it as a whole. Get this one for a fun read.

Driven by the disappearance and death of her own sister, detective Chelsey Calhoun is a determined hunter of men who murder women, making her way as the only woman (and a Japanese American adoptee in a mostly white environment) when a disappeared woman from two years ago, Ellie Black, stumbles out of the woods. The investigation of Ellie’s disappearance quickly expands into the reopening of a cold case and then a deepening connection between multiple cases of female abduction and murder.

The novel, follows Chelsey into the increasingly complex case, interspersed with segments told from Ellie Black’s perspective. As the investigation widens, Chelsey–dealing with the echoes of her own sister’s disappearance–becomes increasingly drawn in, pushing herself emotionally and straining her own marriage. And, as we see deeper into Chelsey’s and Ellie’s stories, the echoing repercussions of the past–and the danger posed by the murderer, build.

This is thriller that is emotional and suspenseful, with characters who grapple with their traumas and twists that pull us forward, surprise us, and ultimately feel exactly right. It is also a story of female resilience, loyalty, agency, and love. A worthwhile read.