The Return of Ellie Black
written By Emiko Jean
Published By Simon and Schuster
Release Date May 7, 2024

Trigger warning for rape



Emiko Jean is one of my top 5 favorite authors. There are so many reasons why but you will see for yourself when you read this one. Let me say ahead of time that this is a gripping, very dark and very heartbreaking novel that contains certain trigger warnings but will still keep you on the edge of your seat biting your nails with all of the twists and turns.

Ellie Black was found in the woods alive in Washington State 2 years after she went missing by 2 hikers. It was a was certainly a great moment for everyone in Ellie’s life. but for the detective that gets the case it brought back memories of when her and her sister were teenagers and her sister went missing. That was 20 years ago. Detective Chelsey Calhoun has her work cut out for her. But when they ring Ellie, she won’t talk. If they cannot find out what happened or who the kidnapper was, someone else might be taken.

This book has a couple different protagonists that allow the reader to get all of the pertinent information that is needed to understand everything that happened to Ellie. It will bring out every emotion that you have after learning the dark and cruel things that Ellie endured. Yet, you also see that Ellie has not allowed what happens to her change her inner self.
The ending is not predictable at all and will grab your soul and allow you to to feel the twists and turns while also feeling the emotional value that the author wants you to experience. This is an amazing book that is very well written and the characters are so well developed and the banter between them feel so real. Jean has written other amazingly written novels and I cannot wait until he writes more.

5+++ stars

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for my unbiased and honest review .

I was hooked by this novel from the beginning to the end. The story is told from the point of view of the two main protagonists: Detective Chelsey Calhoun and Ellie Black, a girl who disappeared two years ago and is found in the woods of Washington State.

The fact that Detective Chelsey Calhoun is a full-blooded Japanese and was adopted by a white family as a child is mentioned early on in the book. I identified with her since I am also Asian and a woman. The attitudes towards her of Detective Calhoun's fellow police officers who were mostly white males did not make her job easier.

What happened to Ellie Black during those two years she was missing is revealed in short segments told from her pov interspersed within the novel.

I really dislike any book written in the present tense. They read like a play script to me. As well as the story line was just depressing and sad enough that quit reading about half way. That is just my unique view.

This book was a whirlwind. I’ve read several Emiko Jean novels and enjoyed them all. I could not put this book down. But gosh, it’s a tough read. Trigger warning for just about everything.

Ellie Black has been missing for about two years. Detective Chelsey Calhoun was assigned her case. The missing girls Chelsey seeks haunt her. Chelsey has her own history of trauma, too.

Ellie is found wandering in the woods by hikers. She is returned to her parents’ home, but the transition is rocky. Ellie sleeps in a crawl space, won’t discuss what happened to her, and is constantly on edge.

Chelsey makes some wild connections between Ellie’s case and other missing girls. She becomes determined to crack the case, especially when she realizes there might be hope of saving at least one girl’s life.

The story is mostly told from a third person narrator telling Chelsey’s side, but Ellie’s first person perspective is woven throughout. The writing is strong. The story hooked me in immediately. I was horrified, but also so eager to know what happened. It’s twisty to the end.

Highly recommended. If you’re looking for a psychological thriller and don’t mind sexual abuse, mind control, kidnapping, etc, this is such a good read. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't plan to read this in one sitting but I couldn't stop. Here are the reasons why. NO SPOILERS
Starts with the victim of a kidnap, Ellie Black, who has suffered horrible things returning from the forest on her own. We follow her process of healing, reconnecting with her family and friends, and talking to her doctor and the police.
The book will make you feel a lot of things, especially rage for injustice. The author mentions and points out how being a woman is hard in a men's world, how the lack of resources for institutions can cost a life, how women's suffering can be dismissed by society, and how men can torture and abuse women to feel powerful.
I like that we have multiple POVs and that Ellie reveals to us (readers) more than she reveals to other characters. Unlike other books, this makes us feel one step ahead. At the same time, the policewoman in charge of her case is not dumb at all and I wish many were as invested as her. There are a few major twists closer to the end. One is what made me like Ellie more.

The book was intense and made me feel the same as when I watched the show True Detective.
It is recommended for adults but after the approval of their parents, I think that mature female teens would understand the YA aspect of it: the message of danger, fear, courage, and friendship between sisters.

Thank you, publisher and Netgalley for the e-arc.

This was a fantastic story that honestly surprised me. I never saw the twists coming, and was so shook by all of them! She is a masterful author, and brought characters and scenes alive. Can’t wait to read more from her, she has such a wonderful grasp on writing!

The Return of Ellie Black gripped me from the start. I had such a hard time putting it down, I just wanted to keep reading so I could figure out what had happened to Ellie and how she would come to terms with everything. I can’t really say too much because I don’t want to give anything away.

This was a tough book to read. It’s very dark so I highly recommend checking trigger warnings before picking it up.

Wow! What a twisted read. Very suspenseful. Ellie (Destiny) Black disappears during a teenage party and is abducted. Storyline twists and turns, involving multiple people. Takes you up to the end to get the true picture of what really happened and why. Very well written. Recommend. I was given an advanced reader copy by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

Hard for me to rate this one, good pushing on great?

What I liked? Femme-centered! Thank you!

But—-also a bit-rape centered but given the subject matter, that’s its territory.

What didn’t work for me—I believe this may be this author’s first non-YA novel? The character’s ages didn’t much hold for me—your main character Chelsey seemed outclassed as a detective—younger than she should. Ellie—more mature than likely to be at 19.

The big “twist”? I personally saw it coming but then again I’m a power-reader—I can tell given what’s be said & what’s not where your “twist” is going to be.

Frankly I’m over the “big twist” trope that seems ubiquitous in thrillers that last few years. If you publish Riley Sager—good on you; you made some cash! But he’s the person I’m talking about—all about the big twist, like M. Night Shyamalan—big twist of boring.

I am recommending this title to true crime & thriller fans though.

Thanks for the read!

Twenty years ago Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s sister Lydia was missing then presumed dead when the girls were teenagers. Two years ago teenager Ellie Black vanished from Coldwell Beach, Washington and she has just been found alive in the woods but she won’t say where she’s been. What happened to Ellie?

A truth we all know, but I don’t know that I’ve seen so well stated is, there is “ a dollar figure attached to each case. A careful calculation multiplied by parents’ wealth, then divided by race and religion. The poorer and darker a girl the less funds and time the department allocated to her rescue.” Some chapters are told from Ellie’s point of view and the absolute despair there is dark and so very hard to look at. This was difficult to read, at times, but good, even allowing for the far-fetched ending.

First off- huge thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! I was literally invested from page one. It was gripping, dark, heartbreaking, and really difficult to read most of the time. There was no happily ever after. Lots of twists and turns, an unreliable narrator, a female detective who was so real. At times she was strong, at times so weak, other times she was truly devastated to the point of tears, and sometimes she was so bad ass, that it was the best! Lots of undertones in this one, including how society views and values women. Which ones are expendable, which ones won’t be missed? It’s deep and dark and there are probably a grand total of 5 pages of happy- and most of that happiness is wrapped up in memories that may or may not be reliable. It is also a deep investigation into trauma, its aftermath and female resiliency. I think author Samantha Downing may have summed it up best. This truly is “an emotional gut punch of a thriller.” Immersive, magnetic, amazingly written…

3.5 This is a very dark book but it starts with Ellie's return so it's different from the usual kidnapped teen plots. Ellie's POV was heartbreaking. The main character was obsessed to the point where it affected her marriage - seems like every fictional detective does this. I did hate the end but that's probably just me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Ellie Black disappeared in the middle of a late night party 2 years ago, at the opening of the book, she is discovered in the middle of a state park. Detective Chelsey Calhoun is the lead on her case from when she first disappeared and now is picking up the case again, determined to find out what happened to Ellie in the two years that she was missing. Chelsey is not without her own baggage, having lost her sister as a teenager in an apparent murder suicide, and working Ellie's case is bringing up old wounds for her as well, causing a rift in her own life with her new husband. Things get more complicated for Chelsey when Ellie refuses to assist in the investigation.
The book is told in alternating timelines, from the perspective of Chelsey and Ellie's therapist in the present, and then from Ellie's point of view in the past leading up to and after her disappearance, which helps the reader to understand her perspective, conveying the severe emotional, psychological, and physical abuse she suffered at the hands of her captor(s). I don't typically enjoy suspense or thrillers, but this book for me was particularly well done. The concept felt creative, and the author's writing style and pacing of the plot were all satisfying and enjoyable. The main criticism I had was that the main plot twist felt unrealistic, and the ending was wrapped up too quickly for my taste. Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and rate it a solid 4 stars and would certainly recommend it to others.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

As a debut thriller for this author, I enjoyed the read. Ellie Black goes missing after attending a party in high school, and then mysteriously shows up two years later. Detective Chelsey Calhoun is on the case, and she has some experience with a disappearance, as the same thing happened with her sister years earlier, though her sister was not so lucky to show up alive.

Ellie doesn't want to share much about what happened to her, which makes Chelsey's investigation more difficult to complete. The author weaves in current day with snippets from when Ellie disappeared to give the reader an understanding of Ellie's life when she was gone. From the horrible living conditions to the abuse, it's no wonder she was frightened to share what happened to her. You also learn that she was not the only girl held captive and she and the other girls developed a bond with each other over time.

Chelsey's also haunted by her past. Her sister's disappearance, and her father's subsequent parenting style challenged her. Her father was the police chief, and she followed into his footsteps in becoming a police officer. And she's having a hard time letting go of her past as she still has hope that her sister is out there.

The author does a great job of laying out the story and providing just enough twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. The ending surprised me which makes for a good thriller.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review.

Wow, what a good one! This is the type of book that I was thinking about while I wasn't reading it. Always excited to get back to it. Very nicely done! Definitely recommending!

A wild ride of a thriller, with twists and turns throughout!

Ellie Black has been gone for years... until she is picked up on the side of a road.

The local detective, Chelsey Calhoun, that worked the case had almost given up... but her reappearance stirs up hope... and trauma.

But things aren't what they seem now that Ellie is back. Will digging into what happened to Ellie stir up the ghosts of Chelsey's past...

... or put them to rest?

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC: This kind of book is just not something I enjoy. Wrong book for me. I really enjoyed her previous book. She writes well, just not my genre.

Set in rural/coastal Washington, “The Return of Ellie Black” is a women-centric mystery about a teen who reappears in her small town two years after going missing. Who took her? Where has she been? Who has she been with? And does she know anything about other young women/girls who have disappeared? Those are the questions police detective Chelsey Calhoun sets about answering. She’s especially committed to the case since she experienced the disappearance/murder of her own sister many years ago.

This is a very well-written novel. Author Emiko Jean has drawn her characters deeply. Her settings are highly evocative. Her prose and dialogue are believable and move the story forward at a moderate pace.

I enjoyed the first one-half to two-thirds very much. However, I had some problems with the plotting towards the end. To me, it seemed too coincidental to be fully credible--tied up too neatly to be thoroughly believed.

The promotional materials bill this as “women’s fiction” and a “feminist tour de force,” which I found to be fair comment. Most of the women are heroic or victimized or both. Most of the men are victimizers and highly blameworthy.

Nevertheless, for the most part, "The Return of Ellie Black" is a compelling tale which I think many readers will enjoy.

My thanks to NetGalley, author Emiko Jean, and publisher Simon and Schuster for providing me with a complimentary ARC. The foregoing is my independent opinion.

I am in awe of Emiko Jean’s versatility as an author. Her thriller debut was dark, scary, captivating and filled with twists I did not see coming. As this book centers around a teenage kidnapping, I found it unique that this story focused on Ellie Black after she was found and not the process of finding her. This gave the reader a first hand account of the trauma she experienced during her captivity as well as the difficulty she now faces being back in society. The chapters detailing her therapy sessions were some of the most chilling parts. The detective on the case was probably my favorite character. She went the extra mile as an officer and was empathetic towards Ellie but as the same time determined to solve the case.

Read if you like:
-Missing persons cases
-Dark slow burn thrillers
-Washington State setting
-Jennifer Hillier

What a twist!

Detective Chelsey Calhoun investigated the disappearance of teenager Ellie Black until the trail ran cold. Two years later, Ellie re-emerges filthy and traumatized in a University of Washington sweatshirt. Chelsea, a little broken herself, because of the death of her sister, picks up the case again, determined to uncover who took Ellie.

If you've read other Emiko Jean books, don't expect this one to be anything like them. The Return of Ellie Black is a gritty page turner.. And the twist will hit you like a punch straight to the solar plexus.