I devoured this - great story and writing. This was my first Emiko Jean book but it will not be my last.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster, and Emiko Jean for allowing me to read the ARC of The Return of Ellie Black in exchange for an honest review.

Ellie is home! Where has she been? She’s not talking. Detective Chelsey Calhoun is more than anxious to hear her story. Ellie’s sister was missing twenty years ago. This book will keep you reading so you can figure out the mystery. Is the kidnapper her neighbor, someone in authority, or an old boyfriend? This book will keep you guessing up to the end.

Much thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC of 'The Return Of Ellie Black in exchange for an honest review.
Fully agree that wow' is the operative word for this book.
The kind of thriller that delivers everything you want and expect in a breathless page-turner.......and then gives you even more.
The evil at work here is overwhelmingly vile, cruel and terrifying - the serial abductions and murders of young girls. The baffling, horrific case falls to Washington State detective Cheney Calhoun. She's already haunted and tormented by death of her younger sister. Her sibling's body was never found but judged a murder victim of her boy-next-door boyfriend before he committed suicide.
This makes Cheney driven and determined to unlock the dark memories and secrets of Ellie Black, who's come back as a survivor of her abduction several years earlier. Exhausted, emotionally drained and suffering severe PTSD, Ellie's incapable of cooperating with Cheney who senses there's far more to the girl's terrible ordeal than anyone can yet perceive.....and she's right.
Be forewarned that the interspersed chapters of Ellie narrating her captivity are harrowing and heartbreaking, which makes Cheney's relentless hunt for whoever's responsible all the more urgent. And when those final chapters start racing to the conclusion, you'll abandon anything else that gets in the way of reading. The suspense and reveals are dialed up the max, along with one guaranteed eye-popping/mouth-wide-open twist.
So congratulations and lots of gratitude to author Emiko Jean for the very definition of a 5 star, up-all-night, couldn't-put-down read.

I read this author's YA romance series Tokyo Ever After and fell in love. When I saw she was dipping her toes into the adult thriller world I was so curious! I immediately requested this book, and I'm so glad I did.

Ellie Black has been missing for two years when she's found stumbling in the woods. The lead detective on the case, Chelsey, is thrilled to have her back, of course, but is desperate to take down the culprit who did this to Ellie. Chelsey has personal experience with men taking and killing girls, after her sister went missing and was later found dead 15 years ago. The only issue? Ellie will not cooperate with the police, for whatever reason. It's up to Chelsey to put together the pieces of puzzles herself.

A round of applause for Emiko Jean!!! This book was so good!!! I INHALED it, and I loved all the twists and turns along the way - on top of that, I didn't see ANY of the twists coming at all, which made my reading experience even more enjoyable! What an incredible debut thriller - I will be sure to read any and all books by Jean in the future!

Wow! I think this is the thriller book everyone will be talking about this spring and summer!

Dark, haunting, and tightly plotted. I couldn’t look away and absolutely had to know what happened to Ellie Black. Told between dual POVs of female detective Chelsey Calhoun and missing local girl Ellie Black, this thriller occurs in the atmospheric Pacific Northwest in the woods of Washington State.

Chelsey has followed her father’s steps into police work and is haunted by her own sister’s disappearance and death in her teens. She feels a glimmer of hope when 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.

All the stars! Be sure to pick this one up on pub day!

Detective Chelsey Calhoun has been searching for missing girls with the memory of her sister who disappeared twenty years ago. Then Ellie Black reappears after being lost for two years.

Wow, this one was very entertaining. It’s very exciting, especially during the kidnapped scenes, and very suspenseful; as you know the whole time there is much more to the story than what you are being given. It all unravels at the end and you find out all, including several twists that you will not expect. In any other book I may have called the twists unbelievable, but this one was so entertaining and done in a way to make even those twists unexpected and welcome surprises.

“I wish this wasn’t what it meant to be female - it’s not a matter of if something bad will happen, but when.”

The Return of Ellie Black comes out 5/7.

This was a great debut from this author! Chelsea is a cop in a small town dealing with the long ago murder of her sister when missing Ellie Black, who disappeared 2 years earlier, mysteriously walks back into the world. But she's not sharing much about what happened to her. As we get glimpses of Ellie's experience, Chelsea is also digging. The twisty plot is very Silence of the Lambs with the missing girls all kept together. It is slowly revealed the deeper mystery of this and it's a good twist! Well written, with flawed characters you still root for. Definitely recommend this one!

A dark thriller, THE RETURN OF ELLIE BLACK is the first book I’ve read by author Emiko Jean. She brings great passion and sensitivity to the storyline, the abduction and torture of young girls, especially those of lower socioeconomic status whose disappearances are often not thoroughly investigated.

“How the world let them down” reverberates through the tale told along two parallel lines: Chelsey Calhoun, detective, who lost her own sister, a murder-suicide, at a young age and the first person account of Ellie Black, a missing teen who turns up, dazed, unwilling to share the details of her ordeal.

Ellie’s story begins at the moment of abduction, over two years prior. Chelsey’s story is in the present as she tries desperately to understand Ellie’s strange reticence and dangerous decisions.

The subject matter is difficult, and often unpleasant to read. But ultimately Jean makes it worthwhile with the fast-paced, twisty end.

With thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

Intricate police procedural with the protagonist a second generation detective whose father did her no service. Some surprises at the end.

A gripping thriller that explores the tragedy of missing girls., and hope amidst the tragedy. The unexpected ending made this a standout crime novel.
Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this novel but it had been some time since my last mystery/thriller, so I was really excited to get this ARC. And it ended up being worthwhile. I loved this book! I really enjoyed getting multiple perspectives, especially from Ellie, and how these perspectives built up to becoming linear and I overall really enjoyed reading from Ellie’s POV. Sometimes the other main character, detective Chelsey Calhoun, was a bit much but it didn’t take me out of the story. I love a thriller with cult-like vibes and this definitely came through with that.

The main thing that kept this from being a 5-star is I would’ve liked a little more flashbacks that tied into the bit reveal at the end. I felt it was slightly disjointed because the people involved with the reveal weren’t major players throughout the story/flashbacks. I predicted the major twist early on in the book, and while that’s not a deal breaker for me, I wish the flashbacks aided in this reveal so it didn’t feel so out of left field.

Overall really enjoyed this and I will be recommending for causal readers of thrillers!

This was hard to put down. You get sucked in right as the author jumps right in with Ellie Black, a teen who has been missing for two years, returns home to her small Washington coastal town. Chelsey Calhoun is the detective on the case, and she is finding Ellie a bit of a hostile witness. Is really too traumatized to tell her story, or is there something wrong going on here? We follow both Ellie and Chelsy's narratives, with Ellie slowly revealing what happened to her the last two years, and Chelsey almost burning her own life to the ground to find the truth. Loved it. The ending was wrapped up a little too neatly for me, but I know it worked for many readers.

A fast-paced mystery with several twists along the way. Detective Chelsey sets out to find what happened to Ellie Black only to uncover family secrets of her own and her boss's. As the past collides with the future Chelsey finds herself on a rollercoaster to find the truth. Emiko Jean creates great characters and a page-turning plot that keeps you up at night wanting to know the ending. An enjoyable detective story right up to the ending.

Another author that writes so well across genres! I ate this up! What a fun thriller.

Elizabeth Black has been missing for two years when she is found by some hikers. Where has she been? Who took her?

This was a wild ride and kept me on my toes for all of it.

Thanks to netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an eARC.

I don't read mysteries very often, but the cover and summary of this book really piqued my interest. I have never read a book by this author, but I recognized her other books and decided to dive right in. The story kept my interest in wanting to know what would happen next, but at times it was hard to follow because of the writing style. The story starts in 3rd person following the main lead character detective Chelsey Calhoun, and a few times following other characters, and then goes into first person flashbacks in Ellie's point of view. The story flowed more when it was in first person, but when it went into 3rd person the sentences felt choppy and short. Detective Calhoun's sister Lydia vanished years go when they were teens. Now she has made it her mission to help save other missing girls. Years after her sister has vanished a missing girl named Ellie reappears 2 years later walking in the woods. I wanted to see where the story would take me, which was entertaining and at times dark, but the ending felt very far fetched. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster @simonbooks @simonandschuster and Simon Audio @simon.audio and Netgalley @Netgalley for the e-arc. All thoughts are my own.



Twenty years ago, Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s sister vanished when she was a teenager. She’s been searching ever since. As much as she’d like to hope for a happy ending, they’re rare, and the chances grow slimer every day.

Then she gets a glimmer of hope when local teenager Ellie Black, who went missing two years prior has been found.

But as Detective Chelsey investigates, things aren’t adding up. Ellie’s story isn’t exactly what she says it is and she needs to get to the bottom of it. If not for her sister, then for the next girl who could be taken, and who might never return.


I picked this one up first and foremost because it takes place not far from where I live. I am just drawn to stories that take place in my State. Weird fascination maybe, but I have fun with them, and this book was no exception. This book is intense! And in the best possible way. While it dealt with some dark content, it was done in a delicate way and wasn’t off putting. This book was told through multi points of view and they were done great on audio. This was an exceptional listen, and I didn’t want to pause to put it down, but when I had to I picked up a print copy. The pacing was on the medium fast side, and I liked it because I didn’t have time to dwell on any of the tough topics that were discussed. While the final twist was a little out there, I thought it was fun and enjoyable.

This was my first book by this author and I’m excited to read more. I recommend this one on audio and print and I enjoyed going back and forth between the two versions.

Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s life is turned upside down when she gets a call that Ellie Black has mysteriously reappeared after being missing for over two years. Chelsey is determined to find the person responsible and in that time also comes to some realizations of her own.

This is a twisty mystery that I could not put down with surprising twists all the way to the end. Each of the main characters. Chelsey and Ellie, popped off the page providing opportunities for growth and insight. Emiko Jean uses a dual POV in a creative way and melding together seamlessly enhancing the overall reading experience. I loved the setting and sense of place Jean has achieved in the Pacific Northwest and the Olympic peninsula. Highly recommend this book if you like mystery or thrillers

I know we're going to be seeing The Return of Ellie Black everywhere this summer. It's just that good. Not only did I care about the characters, but the pacing is perfect and the twists are epic. This book is about more than Ellie, her disappearance, and her return. It's about how far we'll go for the ones we love and what we'll do to survive. Books like The Return of Ellie Black are exactly why thrillers are my favorite genre.

This thriller will leave you absolutely breathless. It is intense. A teen girl is abducted and taken to a compound littered with evil. She mysteriously re-emerges two years later having escaped. Her own story of what happened is told in her voice but not to the investigating officer. The officer searches through the measly clues to try and find the abductor, running into walls she must destroy.It will keep you at the edge of your seat.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 stars. Chelsea Calhoun is a detective assigned to work on a case involving Ellie Black, a young woman who suddenly disappeared two years ago and who just as suddenly has just reappeared. This case is more than interesting to Chelsea because her own sister also mysteriously vanished when they were teenagers. As the narration shifts between that of Chelsea and Ellie, the reader is able to learn much about these characters individually as well as clues leading up to discovering what actually might have happened to both girls. This book is beautifully written, and the plot line is well developed, making for a really good read. And, although there are some pretty dark moments involved, this is a real page turner with plenty of twists and turns. All in all, I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to reading more from this author.