Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s sister vanished when they were teenagers, and ever since, she’s been searching for missing girls. Her first case on the job was the disappearance of Ellie Black. Two long years later, she resurfaces in the woods of Washington state. But with her return only comes more questions. She won’t say where she’s been or who she’s been with, or more importantly, who she’s protecting. It’s up to Chelsey to find the answers before time runs out - to save the next girl who, unlike Ellie, might not ever return. Ugh this just didn’t work for me. And I know other people are loving this but it really just didn’t sit right. I’m usually a fan of dark but this really gave me the ick, maybe bc one of the MCs is a teenager? (Check your trigger warnings.)

This felt too long and drawn out for not a lot to be happening. I couldn’t connect with Ellie or Chelsey. This is not the feminist thriller it’s billed as. And the end, the big reveal? It honestly didn’t add up for me.

2.75⭐️

You’re taken from a parking lot and 2 years later wander out of the woods. You don’t want to talk about it and understandably so. Everyone around you treads lightly but you have a secret and you have something you need to do. Nobody would understand so you can’t let anyone in.

The Return of Ellie Black was an astonishing suspenseful page turner with a brutal twist.

Thanks to netgalley, Simon and Schuster, and of course Emiko Jean for this arc in exchange for my
honest review

Emiko Jean is a fabulous story teller, and her newest book is powerful. Chelsey Calhoun is the adopted (Japanese) daughter of a white family, whose other (bio) daughter went missing and was presumably killed by her boyfriend in a murder suicide. This turn of events left Chelsey bitter and distraught, leading to her decision to become a cop like her father.

When Elizabeth (Ellie) Black reemerges after two years missing, Chelsey vows to find out what happened to her. She becomes obsessed with the case, even defying orders to leave it alone. She distances herself from her husband in an effort to get to the bottom of whatever it was that had happened to Ellie and other girls who had gone missing.

As Chelsey gets closer and closer to solving the case, we know that she will undoubtedly put all of the pieces together. The ending gives the reader a real page turner, leading to a huge twist. A fast read that will keep you glued to it until the end.

#netgalley

This feels like an “it’s not you, it’s me kind of review.” While I enjoyed the story and the twists (totally unexpected), I just felt like the character development was lacking for me. I couldn’t connect with either of the women and I found myself putting the book down more than I wanted to pick it up. The saving grace for me was the ending but even that wasn’t as big of a shock to me as I would have thought. Overall, a decent read that fell a bit short.

This was fantastic. Twists and turns. I couldn't put it down. I loved the story devlopment and didnt see that ending coming at all.. Thank you netgalley.

I really enjoyed the way this book was written through the POV of detective Chelsey and Ellie Black’s journal.
This is a full out thriller. I burned pages dying to know the ending.
The story itself is tragic, disturbing, and mysterious. I didn’t guess the ending, but it didn’t really have whodunnit vibes. I was satisfied with the ending and really enjoyed the book.
Thank you netgalley for the ARC.

Title: The Return of Ellie Black
Author: Emiko Jean
Genre: Fiction, thriller
Rating: 4 out of 5

Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s life is turned upside down when she gets the call Ellie Black, a girl who disappeared years earlier, has resurfaced in the woods of Washington state—but Ellie’s reappearance leaves Chelsey with more questions than answers.

It’s been twenty years since Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s sister vanished when they were teenagers, and ever since she’s been searching: for signs, for closure, for other missing girls. But happy endings are rare in Chelsey’s line of work.

Then a glimmer: local teenager Ellie Black, who disappeared without a trace two years earlier, has been found alive in the woods of Washington State.

But something is not right with Ellie. She won’t say where she’s been, or who she’s protecting, and it’s up to Chelsey to find the answers. She needs to get to the bottom of what happened to Ellie: for herself, and for the memory of her sister, but mostly for the next girl who could be taken—and who, unlike Ellie, might never return.

Honestly, I almost put this down about 15% of the way through, but I stuck it out a little bit longer and it picked up. I didn’t really feel a connection with any of the characters, so it was a struggle for me to get into the story. Ellie…well, I didn’t really care for her. And Chelsey just felt chaotic and cold, frankly. This was a solid read, I just didn’t have much invested in the characters.

Emiko Jean is a bestselling author. The Return of Ellie Black is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review.)

Thank you to @SimonBooks and @netgalley for the e-arc!

Chelsey’s sister Lydia went missing back in high school, and the guilt Chelsey feels drives her passion as a detective. Ellie Black went missing two years ago, and Chelsey was the detective. Now she’s back, but there are so many questions unanswered. Who took her? How’d she escape? Did he let her go? Was she the only one? Why isn’t she cooperating with the investigation?

This was not a fast paced thriller- but a slow look into the manipulation and horror of a monster. It turned dark quickly and I really felt the characters despair and depression. I really enjoyed the many POVs that allowed us to learn particular details as the story evolved. The plot held me until the end, when it was exciting, but the twists felt a little too far. I didn’t see it coming because of how unbelievable it was.

In summary- it entertained me for a bit, but it’s not something I’ll be thinking about for very long.

It wasn’t until I finished the book that I realized the author also wrote Mika in Real Life, a book I enjoyed for completely different reasons as that was contemporary fiction while this is a modern mystery.

The differing perspectives of Detective Chelsey and Ellie Black are what made the story for me. Had we only had one or the other, it would not have worked nearly as well.

Also, this reminded me of the early books of Mary Kubica and Karin Slaughter as far as pacing but not quite as much graphic violence. The lead-up to the capture wasn’t as haunting as the psychological aftermath of what happened once Ellie was found after being held captive for two years.

THE RETURN OF ELLIE BLACK made my tbr by virtue of having been written by Emiko Jean - I remember liking her last book, Mika in Real Life.

These two books are definitely different, genre-wise - Ellie is more of a thriller, whereas Mika was contemporary fiction. I've seen Ellie called "dark," and Mika described as "utterly heartwarming."

But what they have in common is that they're both really engaging and readable. THE RETURN OF ELLIE BLACK was exactly what I wanted to sink into after a long week.

Detective Calhoun gets a call that Ellie Black, who went missing a few years earlier, has emerged from the woods of Washington state. Missing girls cases are personal for Calhoun, but Ellie doesn't want to participate in the investigation.

What ensues is a page-turner for sure. This one's out now - love to hear your thoughts if you pick it up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I was incredibly impressed with this slow burn thriller about the return of a missing person. Detective Chelsey Calhoun, still trying to come to grips with her own missing sister and the recent death of her father, is in shock when Ellie Black, a local girl missing for two years, suddenly returns. For most of the story, Chelsea deals with her grief, the misogyny of her work, a crumbling marriage, all while knowing something isn't right about Ellie Black's return.

This was such an outstanding thriller, written in a very original, fresh voice. I absolutely loved the character of Chelsey Calhoun, her indomitable spirit in the face of one tragedy after another, and her refusal to give up on Ellie Black. I never saw the big reveal at the end coming..love that. Highly recommend.

I loved Emiko Jean's Tokyo Ever After so was really intrigued to see she had ventured into the thriller genre. A girl that disappeared two years ago mysteriously emerges from the dense forest of the Pacific Northwest with no memories of how she got there. Strong female characters, page turning momentum, and some twists you'll never see coming.

This was a great mystery with some surprises on the way. Once I started, I couldn’t put it down. If you like strong female leads, this is a book for you!

"The Return of Ellie Black" by Emiko Jean is so good I stayed up late into the night turning the pages. I couldn't put it down. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, I was blown away by another jaw-dropping twist. Both Ellie, the teenager who disappeared from a party without a trace for two years, and Chelsey, the police detective investigating the disappearance, are compelling characters with interesting and developed stories that weave together into one coherent narrative. The pace of this book is a bit on the slow side, but this creates the tension that only a slow-burn thriller can give. I was thoroughly entertained from the first page to the last; this is a perfect beach read and/or book club pick. I also liked the girl-power feel of this novel.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy of this fabulous book. It was also my Book of the Month Club choice for May because it definitely earned a permanent place on my shelf.

I really enjoyed this one! I read this on the tail end of a reading slump and it snapped me out of it. The characters were all very well developed and the plot was propulsive with a final twist that shocked me to my core. This was going to be a 4-4.5 until the final twist was revealed. I also really enjoyed the writing style and the themes explored. The psychological aspect is really what made this a 5 star book for me.

No spoilers but this book really put me in mind of a well known true crime case that I’m fascinated with.

Read if you like: jaw dropping twists, female heroines, stories that explore the trauma response, police procedurals, psychological thrillers

This was an excellent read! Fast paced and kept me guessing! This definitely won't be my last read from Emiko Jean!

A gorgeous, tense story that had me on the edge of my proverbial seat. Lovely writing--my heart was in my chest!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC.

Multi POV is the best way to go. This book was so fantastic. I loved the story, I loved the characters, I loved it all. No notes.

The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean is an intriguing suspense novel that begins where most crime novels end. A young woman is found wandering in the woods, and her family and local law enforcement are surprised and relieved it's Ellie Black who suddenly disappeared two years ago. But she's completely traumatized - she won't share anything about her experience, she's can't sleep in her childhood bedroom, and she's constantly looking over her shoulder. Through flashbacks, readers learn about her captors and their abuse of her.

Police Detective Chelsey Calhoun is heavily invested in Ellie's case because her own sister vanished 20 years ago. This haunt her and impacts her personal and professional life. She's compelled to continue her investigation beyond protocol when Ellie's reappearance raises more questions than answers.

I appreciated that this story addresses the challenges of a crime victim's re-entry to reality, both for the person and their family members. This plot is compelling, well-written, and full of surprises. At the big twist, I gasped out loud.

Known for writing YA and adult romance, this is Emiko Jean's first suspense novel and the first of her books I've read. I hope she continues writing suspense and writes a sequel featuring Detective Calhoun.

Special thanks to the Thoughts From a Page podcast for allowing me to read this novel pre-publication and participate in an author interview as a patron perk.

Ugh. After reading two dark books in a row, I'm ready for something light.
Poor Ellie. Typical teen mistake. Rented a motel room to have a party, goes outside to pee, and thats the end of it. Creepy story of girls held captive and survival.
Well written and full of characters just trying to live with the cards they've been delt.
Thank you NG for the ARC.