The Return of Ellie Black: A Novel

An addictively dark thriller, that I absolutely loved!

Seventeen year-old Ellie Black leaves a party in search of a restroom and without a trace, she never returns. Two years later she’s discovered wandering in the woods. A shell of her former self.

Her parents and boyfriend are thankful she’s alive and try and help her in any way they can. But when it comes time for Ellie to tell the police where she has been, she stays silent and refuses to help with the investigation. Chelsey Calhoun, the lead detective assigned to Ellies case needs to find out what really happened to Ellie, because Ellie may not be the only victim.

I enjoyed the multi POV’s of the victim and the detective assigned to her case. I thought the author did a great job of writing about a sensitive subject with respect and understanding. It was twisty, shocking and heartbreaking, this story captured me from the start and kept me riveted right to the end with some surprises I didn't see coming. I had the honor of reading this ARC thanks to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster, and the author, Emiko Jean.

I am truly torn about this review. The plot is fast paced and completely held my attention right until the end. The author really drew me into the setting especially what Ellie experienced in captivity- the bus, the compound, meeting the other girls. And then we get to the end. Several of the twists just didn’t add up including who did it. And the author felt the need to give us “the moral of the story” rather than letting us draw our own conclusions. So if I could I would give this 3.5 stars because the first part was really good and I would be willing to try another book by this author.

This book is intense. Before picking it up, I recommend checking trigger warnings because it deals with abuse, torture, psychological manipulation, and more. It is not an easy read, but it is gripping. I ended up giving it four stars. There is a piece of the ending (no spoilers) that felt out of place, almost like it was thrown in for no reason, and I also felt the villains’ motivations weren’t explained enough, which stood out because the book spends so much time exploring the psychology of the girls. That aside, I listened to it on audio and really enjoyed the narration. The tone fit perfectly, the different voices made each character distinct, and even with multiple POV it was easy to follow. I did find myself bumping the speed up to 1.5x, but that is pretty normal for me. Overall, what stood out most was how deeply the book explores the psychological toll the main character goes through. I did not find her especially relatable, but I was invested in finding out the truth and uncovering what happened. It kept me hooked from start to finish. This is a dark, chilling story that stuck with me. I will definitely be picking up more from Ms. Jean.

Bad people do bad things, but sometimes smart people outsmart them.

I had a difficult time reading this book. I joined a book group and I was determined to get through it. Initially I had bad dreams if I tried reading it before bed. The story is a mystery that includes abduction, starvation, rape, and misogyny. this is a makings of a dark horror novel for those that devour this genera. It was my first timid step into this genera and the author Emiko Jean is a great writer. You are there in the story. It is like you are standing in the background. You can see what the main character sees and you are with her through her trials and challenges as she works through this complex web of crime and hate. I could not put it down once she started putting pieces together, the parts started to fall into place, but you still do not know the story until the end and it hits you! Well written, storyline was sinister and pulled you in.