(See all my Book Reviews and Author Interviews) – Emiko Jean (https://emikojean.squarespace.com) is the author of nearly 10 novels. The Return of Ellie Black was published last May. It is the 42nd book I completed reading in 2024.
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of a fair and honest review. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence and mature situations, I categorize this novel as R.
Detective Chelsey Calhoun of Caldwell Beach, Washington, is shocked when Elizabeth ‘Ellie’ Black is found alive in a local forest. Black was 17 when she disappeared two years earlier. As much as Calhoun and others try, Black will not reveal where she was or who she had been with. For Calhoun and others, there is something unsettling about Black.
Calhoun is particularly troubled by Black’s earlier disappearance. She is of Japanese heritage but was adopted into the Calhoun family. Calhoun had been close to her adoptive sister, Lydia. But then, 20 years ago, when they were both teens, Lydia had disappeared.
The discovery a few years earlier of the body of a 15-year-old girl had set Calhoun to thinking. She wondered if there was some connection between the missing girls and her sister. Those suspicions carry over to Black, whose story had never set well with Calhoun.
Calhoun has struggled for years with the disappearance of Lydia. She has tried to move on with her life. Calhoun has married but is struggling. She has a hard time separating her job from her home life. The reappearance of Black and Calhoun’s determination to find out the truth has further stressed her marriage.
Will she find the truth behind Black’s disappearance? Will her marriage survive?
I enjoyed the 7+ hours I spent reading this 316-page mystery. This novel is an outstanding mystery with good plot twists. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 4.6 (rounded to 5) out of 5.
My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).
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