The Return of Ellie Black
Books | Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
4.2
Emiko Jean
A USA TODAY Bestseller | An NPR Best Book of 2024 | A Goodreads Best Thriller of 2024 In this “page-turning suspense novel, shrewd character study, and captivating mystery” (Stephen King) Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s life is turned upside down when she gets the call that Ellie Black, a girl who disappeared years earlier, has resurfaced in the woods of Washington state—but her 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. The “haunting and evocative” debut thriller from New York Times bestselling author Emiko Jean, The Return of Ellie Black is both a feminist tour de force about the embers of hope that burn in the aftermath of tragedy and a “gripping psychological thriller” (The Seattle Times) that will shock you right up until the final page.
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Author
Emiko Jean
Pages
320
Publisher
Simon and Schuster
Published Date
2024-05-07
ISBN
1668023938 9781668023938
Community ReviewsSee all
"Really good and well written. Kept my interest the entire time."
Skye Edelson-Bennett
"Overall I enjoyed and would recommend. Very much enjoyed one of the big twists at the end. It was an interesting book but it wasn’t that shocking."
Courtney W
"Disclaimer: I won this book during a Goodreads giveaway, and this is my honest review.
"The Return of Ellie Black" by Emiko Jean is an utterly fascinating and gripping novel!!! I loved listening to the audiobook since each of the different perspectives had their own unique voice actor to narrate their respective chapters!!! It was incredible to see the story play out through the multiple different perspectives of all the main characters, which were interwoven together to paint the bigger picture. Being able to slip into the shoes of the different characters helped to paint an even deeper connection to the plot and made the story even more engaging. All in all, I could barely put this book down!!! It was awe-inspiring and kept me hooked from page one!!! This story will forever live in my heart now, and I will treasure it!!! It was like watching a heart-racing thriller movie, but it is way more intense and expansive. All in all, if you love thriller and mystery books focused around crime and survival, then this is a must-read for you!!! "
Cherry Lover 🍒
"This was my May BOTM pick and there was a lot that I really liked about this story. I loved that we were given two perspectives throughout- one from the detective and one from the victim- but one main timeline of events. BOTM marketed this as a mystery instead of a thriller which I think might have been part of the reason I enjoyed it more than some other readers. If I went into it expecting a thriller, I think I would have been more disappointed by the ending. I love a good police procedural mystery, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea which is why I think we get the second POV from Ellie. Overall I enjoyed this novel, 4.5⭐️ rounded up to 5."
Lianna
"The kidnapping tropes that are strung through this tale had me thinking I knew what was coming next. The horrific familiarity from true crime events used as plot points was striking. The sense that "I've seen this before" set expectations for equally recognizable resolutions (or lack there of) but whiplash turns had this reader stuck to the page. Loved it!"
Margie Hunter
"This was a well-written fiction book about girls being abducted and groomed to serve cult-like leaders/survivalists. Ellie Black was the central character who experienced this life for 2 years, and the other main character was the female police detective who looked into her case. A few twists at the end were startling and made everything come together. Good read but horrible topic."
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Pamela Inskeep
"I was engaged in this story from beginning to end. I will say in the middle I started worrying what direction this was going to take, and I can see why some people had issues with the twists at the end, but personally I was so sucked in, I went with it. <spoiler> I definitely felt something was up with Lydia's death--I didn't buy the murder-suicide aspect, but I didn't guess she would be one of the women at the compound. It was also weirdly satisfying that she ended up being a disappointment to Chelsey. Before she was the dead, but dearly beloved sister, but now she's alive, but how complicit is she in these crimes? </spoiler> I enjoyed the exploration of grief, memory and different points of view, and found the ending for Ellie satisfying."
Liesl Prentice
"This book had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. Excellent plot and shocking ending. Written in such an intriguing style it kept me interested through and through. Definitely recommend!"
Lizette Diaz
"Loved this one!! Was slow to start, so I ended up reading a couple of books in between, but when it grabbed me I didn’t put it down!!"
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Lisa Haycraft
"Trigger warning: SA. Overall a really good book — maybe I’ve been reading too many creepy books, so this completely resolved ending was out of the norm for me, but it had good character development and a good pace!"
Thea Petrigac
