A review by whenimreading
The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.0

The Return of Ellie Black was a dark and twisty mystery thriller. I was immediately hooked by the opening chapter when Ellie is discovered by two hikers. She disappeared nearly two years prior and was found miles from her home town. Detective Chelsey Calhoun lost her sister, Lydia, twenty years ago so she has a strong connection to Ellie, it was her first case after becoming detective and has stayed with her ever since. 

The mystery continues when Ellie is afraid to talk. Chelsey is compelled to bring Ellie justice, feeling guilty for not doing so for her sister. Chelsey uncovers multiple missing girls and clues connecting them to Ellie, were they taken by the same person? She knows their time is quickly running out when a nine year old girl is linked to DNA evidence and Ellie disappears again. 

Tense and suspenseful, the mood overall was very dark with small sparks of hope throughout. Quite psychological and showcasing the evil side of violence against women even from a young age. Most of the first half of the book dives into the procedurals of Chelsey’s job working this case but also her history and grief of losing her sister and most recently, father to cancer. I thought her drive was very admirable and it made the story that more important. There are multiple POVs including some from Ellie and her parents as they figure out how to bring her back to some normalcy.

The author did a fantastic job bringing the reader on the rollercoaster of emotions experienced by the characters. I was angry for and frustrated at Ellie, understanding she knew crucial details that would help the investigation, but has been broken down by her captor. Working with a therapist, Ellie’s recollections were disturbing at times, laying out the clues and hints as to where the plot was going, it was captivating but sometimes made me feel helpless and sad. A strong third act really sped up the plot with a few shocking twists that I think make this a very memorable book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance reading copy to review.