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

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The Return of Ellie Black was a fun thriller to end 2023 with. 

When Ellie is found in a forest two years after she went missing, Detective Chelsey Calhoun, who has a sister who was killed and is very empathetic, takes the case on. Unfortunately, Ellie doesn’t want to provide any details from her captivity making Chelsey’s job very difficult. Something doesn’t add up and this detective wants to ensure another girl isn’t taken. Twist after twist, this fast paced plot driven thriller will keep you guessing.

My reading life right now needed something fairly easy to take on and this one fit the bill. The writing is straightforward and the character development is strong enough to satisfy. I always enjoy a dual POV and this one has the added interest of the captive being one of them. 

I recently watched a tv show about cold cases of murders in State Parks in the US (Wild Crime on Disney+) and with this in the back of my mind as I read about Ellie showing up in the Olympic National Forest area, my hairs were up and my mind alert. Great setting!

My only criticism of this book is that it suffered a bit from a claustrophobic character pool. By that I mean, everyone is too well connected. Because of this, one of the final twists was a bit unbelievable. I think some readers will be irritated. If you can look beyond that to the message of why the author made this choice and the consequence then I believe it fits in to the messages about free will.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss for a DRC in exchange for my honest opinions. The Return of Ellie Black publishes May 7, 2024
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