Four strong stars for this character-driven thriller. It begins with exactly what the title suggests: the return of Ellie Black, who has been missing for years. Detective Chelsey Calhoun is assigned to the case and carries with her the weight of her own traumatic past.
The story unfolds like a puzzle and we hear alternating narratives from both Ellie and Chelsey. I found both perspectives compelling and the familiar theme of girls being hurt by men is unfortunately always timely. Trigger warnings for some dark subject matter including SA.
While the big reveal(s) could arguably be viewed as a bit too convenient, I thought the author did a great job tying things together and I found the ending satisfying. This was a mystery but it was also an exploration of grief and memory and sisterhood that went deeper than the average thriller. I will watch for more from this author.

Ellie Black is back! She's found safe, albeit malnourished and dissociated, after having gone missing for two years, two weeks, and one day. Ellie's not talking about what she endured during that time or where she's been, and she struggles with remembering who she was before it all happened. Those closest to her are wracked with guilt, wondering what they could have done better to protect Ellie from letting this happen in the first place.

But this story isn't just about Ellie's journey. Detective Chelsea Calhoun is the lead detective on the case and she carries her own guilt after she having lost her older sister Lydia fifteen years ago. Instead of begging sophomore Lydia to stay home one late night, young Chelsea pinkie-swears that she won't rat her out to their parents as Lydia slips out to a senior's party. Chelsea feels responsible and to this day she can't let go of their childhood home where she can still feel Lydia's presence. She takes on every case involving crimes against women as her act of penance.

As Chelsea digs deeper into Ellie's case, she finds it more complex and sinister than she ever could have imagined.

I was absolutely panic-stricken reading through Ellie's ordeal, fearful of what the next sentence would reveal about her captivity. And yet just like Ellie said about her own interest in stories about missing girls, I found this book to be completely irresistible and I couldn’t stop myself from reading more - not that I would want to stop.. It tapped directly into my dark love of true-crime/mystery-thrillers, and I found the ending to be very satisfying.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster, NetGalley and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Darn, I love a good thriller. And police. You bet. But I was unable to finish reading this book because the storyline was so far out of reality. Without giving away any spoilers in case this review is posted somewhere other than a private link between me and the publisher, I just didn't think the police character, Chelsea, was believable. How she handled the return of you know who was clearly not standard procedure. The hospital would not just let her leave, and the police would also do questioning. I work with a lot of law enforcement. Puzzling how this unfolded. So because I could not find credibility in one of the main characters, I did not finish the read. Disappointed.

I feel like Emiko Jean is such a treasure. I first read her YA books and loved them and when she moved to adult I was so excited! I love that she is trying different genres and really succeeding in them! I loved this one. It is super fast paced and there is a twist at the end where I literally said “omg what” out loud. Definitely recommend for thriller readers.

Ellie Black disappeared, over two years later she is back. Found in a state park, Ellie looks rough. She's lost weight, battered, and bruised. Chelsea Calhoun, a detective at the local police department is once again on the case. She still remembers the night Ellie went missing, it haunts her. This time Chelsey is hell bent on finding out what happened. As the case unfolds, links between another missing girl's case starts to rearrange the puzzle. Ellie is remaining quiet and vigilant in giving as little information to Chelsey as possible. The detective knows she's missing something but how deep will she go in order to find it?

Told through the active case as well as journal like entries, you get a sense into multiple perspectives. This was fast paced and had me on edge for much of the book. Chelsey is a haunted detective who you immediately root for. Well done. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

5 glowing stars for Ellie Black. Emiko Jean, without fail, writes incredible books. Even more impressive, all of the books I’ve read by her have been completely different genres: YA romance, contemporary fiction, and now a thriller!

Synopsis: Detective Chelsey Callhoun awakes to the phone call she never thought she’d get— Ellie Black, who disappeared two years ago, has returned. With her reappearance, though, comes a multitude of questions, the most important of which are who took her and where was she kept? Ellie seems to be holding back and seemingly protecting her captors. Told through a nonlinear timeline, you’ll be racing to the end to discover what actually happened.

Thoughts: I am not exaggerating when I say I could not put this one down. I am truly in awe of Jean’s talents. What a well-crafted and twisty story. This will definitely a go-to rec for fans of fast paced thrillers.

The Return of Ellie Black was very interesting. The story revolves around a girl who went missing two years ago that suddenly reappears a couple hours from her hometown. The main POVs of the story are Ellie’s and Chelsey, the detective who never gave up on finding her.

Chelsey is determined to find out what happened to Ellie while she had been kept captive for those two years. Having lost her own sister as a teen, the case is very personal to her.

The story jumps between the present timeline and when Ellie was kidnapped. It can be a bit harrowing to read about what she went through. I did enjoy the twists towards the end of the story.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley where do I begin Ellie was kidnapped and found two years later in the woods and refuses to talk. The detective lost her sister to a murder suicide. It narrates between the story and flashes to Ellie’s story. I don’t want to give anything away but there is a major twist to the plot. That I did not see coming. Would read more from the author

Small town Detective Chelsey Calhoun gets a call that Ellie Black, who went missing two years ago, has been found near a wooded area.. Chelsey, whose own sister was tragically killed when they were teenagers, was the original investigator when 17 year old Ellie disappeared. But Ellie is tight lipped and uncooperative about where she’s been, and Chelsey is left scrambling for answers. The Return Of Ellie Black is a captivating novel, and although it’s a familiar plot, the storytelling is top notch, and some turns will sneak up on you. Interestingly told in POV’s from both present day Chelsey and in captivity Ellie, the lead characters are endearing, and it’s easy to overlook some plot implausibilities as the story flows so smoothly with some crisp writing and emphasis on furthering the storyline, not dwelling on unnecessary details. Loved this one, well done! I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a rollercoaster and I could not put it down. It was instantly engaging, but parts of it were so hard for me to read -- which is the sign of a good writer to me. I had to take breaks while reading some particular sections that were just so graphic and disturbing to me.

Ellie Black has been missing for two years when she is found in the woods one day. Unable to talk much about where she's been, she tries to reconnect with the people in her life from before abduction. Chelsey is the detective who has been working on Ellie's case, and she has a traumatic past -- her sister was missing before being murdered when Chelsey was a teenager.

I am glad I went in to this book without knowing much about it. I really liked Chelsey's character -- I could feel the obsession and frenetic way she was trying to figure everything out.

Ellie's descriptions of her time while abducted were so hard for me to read -- they were well written and so descriptive, made my heart ache.

I really hope that Emiko Jean writes more thrillers, I will eagerly read them -- and anything she writes!

I would recommend this book to anyone who can handle reading some very hard stuff happening to young people. It is very compelling but also very stressful.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

This is my first Emoji Jean read and I was not disappointed! The slow build of this read kept me turning page after page dying to know how it would unfold!

Elizabeth Black disappeared over two years ago and has suddenly reappeared out in the woods. Chelsey Calhoun, a local detective, whose sister also disappeared years before, is called to help out in the investigation.

Emiko Jean is a talented writer but this book wasn’t for me. I am completely burned out on these types of mysteries with alternating POVs and shocking twists. However, I would recommend it to mystery lovers, because the level of writing is so much better than the average police procedural, and the characterizations are so well done.

First of all I want to say thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to review The Return of Elle Black. All comments are my own. I just knew I would like this book but loving it I did The twists and turns - the full story of Elle Black is just so good - the writing is excellent - the story fantastic - and you will not figure it out I am sure. A definite must read. Emiko Jean is a fantastic writer and I allready have another one of her books on my waiting list. I know you will not be sorry to read this - you will be amazed how good it is and you will not able to put it down. Enjoy!!

Wow... this one captured me by just the description and then once I started reading it really hooked me! I loved the writing and I thought the characters were fantastic. The author did a great job at keeping the storyline flowing and wrapped it all up in the end.

I really enjoyed Emiko Jean's Mika in Real Life, so was very curious to read The Return of Ellie Black. Ellie Black is a totally different genre, but also a wonderful read. It's a feminist take on the kidnapped young women and girls mystery. Chelsey Calhoun is a great, strong character, who grows stronger as the novel goes on. It is also a nice addition that she's a a woman of Japanese ancestry. There are plenty of tense moments and a big twist at the end of the book. Looking forward to Ms. Jean's next book and curious about what genre she'll tackle next.

The Return of Ellie Black is the fast paced thriller debut by Emiko Jean. Emiko Jean is well known for her Tokyo Ever After series and Mika in Real Life, so I decided to give her writing a try. I am beyond glad I did! This missing girl mystery sucked me right in and I couldn't put this book down until I finished it the next day.

Twenty years ago, Chelsey Calhoun's older sister disappeared. She is now a detective committed to justice for girls like her sister. The story begins when Ellie Black reappears on a trail in the woods after being missing for over two years. Chelsey is on the case and will not rest until she has answers about (and from) Ellie as well as a string of other missing girls in the rural Washington state area.

Full of reveals and enthralling turns, we learn that something is amiss with Ellie and it's not just the "typical" trauma of returning to the world after a harrowing experience. While I have a few small gripes about this story, I loved the characters and easy to fly through writing that was immersive without being bogged down. I'm not typically a fan of detective stories, and this one really worked for me. I would have liked more development of Chelsey's character and her relationship, and I also felt the storyline that so many white girls weren't being looked for doesn't add up with the reality in our society. They certainly do get looked for, much more so than girls who are not white.

Overall, this book is great for a super fast, mysterious read that I really think would launch you out of a reading slump or go down easy when you're in a busy season of life where a slow paced book is just not the right fit. And I'll definitely be reading more from Emiko Jean!

First book by this author which was recommended by a highly respected Goodread’er..

Perfect title
Great cover
The story gave me a few eh vibes at certain moments but do not give up on this one. I was so impressed by the end. I could nitpick on a few tweaks that would’ve really wow’d me but trust me, I was wow’d.

This one will be in the running for one of my favs of the year and I hope it gets the attention it deserves.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Such a great book. It feels so hard these days for a mystery/thriller to have a surprising ending where all the pieces fit together and doesn't feel like it came out of nowhere. Emiko Jean set up all the necessary details and let the story unfold in such unexpected ways that didn't feel like I was being manipulated as a writer. Loved that our main character is a woman of color and that the setting is one we don't get that often (Pacific Northwest). Great all around!

"From the moment I stumbled upon the synopsis of 'The Return of Ellie Black' by Emiko Jean, I felt an immediate pull towards its intriguing premise. Little did I know, those first few chapters would utterly captivate me, swiftly yanking me out of a reading slump I'd been struggling with. Jean's expertly crafted narrative hooks you from the get-go, weaving a web of mystery and suspense that is impossible to escape from. The dual point of view, alternating between Ellie and the detective assigned to her case, not only adds layers to the story but also intensifies the sense of urgency and intrigue.

As I delved deeper into the story, I found myself utterly engrossed, eagerly turning page after page to unravel the enigma surrounding Ellie's disappearance and sudden reappearance two years later. And just when I thought I had it all figured out, Jean blindsided me with a twist-filled ending that left me reeling. The unpredictability of the conclusion was both exhilarating and satisfying, proving Jean's prowess as a master storyteller.

'The Return of Ellie Black' isn't just a novel; it's an experience—one that I couldn't put down and one that I can't wait to discuss with fellow readers. Emiko Jean's novel has left an indelible mark on me, and I eagerly anticipate her future works. For anyone seeking a gripping mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page, I wholeheartedly recommend diving into the world of Ellie Black."

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC. Not a lot of books leave me astonished. This one did. A fantastic read dealing with a heavy plot, the author brought it all together for a five star read. A must read.