The Return of Ellie Black

“The Return of Ellie Black is a page-turning suspense novel, a shrewd character study, and a captivating mystery, all at the same time. The last fifty pages are magnetic. I couldn’t put it down until I’d experienced every last twist and turn.” —STEPHEN KING

Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s life is turned upside down when she gets the call Ellie Black, a girl who disappeared years earlier, has resurfaced in the woods of Washington state���but Ellie’s 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 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 twisty page-turner that will shock and surprise you right up until the final page.


Genre: Mystery

"Dark, twisted, elegantly plotted, and beautifully written, Jean's debut kept me up late at night racing through chapter after thrilling chapter. But The Return of Ellie Black is so much more than just a page-turner; it's also a thoughtful exploration of trauma, female rage, the violence women face, and the roles we're allowed to play. I loved it." - Andrea Bartz

"Suspenseful and scary, The Return of Ellie Black is both a twisty, one-more-chapter-before-bed psychological thriller, and a haunting portrait of women fighting for justice, survival, and one another." - Flynn Berry

"An emotional gut punch of a thriller, Emiko Jean had me enthralled with her pitch-perfect pacing, elegant prose, and twists I never saw coming. I was glued to this book until the last page." - Samantha Downing

"Pulse-pounding and exquisitely written, The Return of Ellie Black delves deep into how the world treats, and sometimes discards, its girls and women. Emiko Jean investigates the aftermath of trauma and the long reach of the past with empathy and sensitivity, balancing a propulsive plot with the complex, multilayered inner lives of her characters. At once a powerful, nuanced social commentary and a jaw-dropping thriller with twists you won't see coming. This story, and the girls at its core, will stay with readers for a very long time." - Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

"The Return of Ellie Black is a page-turning suspense novel, a shrewd character study, and a captivating mystery, all at the same time. The last fifty pages are magnetic. I couldn't put it down until I'd experienced every last twist and turn." - Stephen King

"The Return of Ellie Black features one of my all-time favorite characters: an unreliable narrator who evokes both sympathy and suspicion as the mystery continues to deepen. I stayed up late into the night turning the pages until I learned the truth of what happened to Ellie on the day she went missing - and I audibly gasped when Jean delivered a truly jaw dropping twist" - Jessica Knoll

"Brooding and atmospheric with lifelike characters and a truly gripping plot, THE RETURN OF ELLIE BLACK is an immersive experience. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough; I had to know how it would end." - Mary Kubica

"Emiko Jean has penned an irresistibly suspenseful novel - one that also brims with heart and empathy. The Return of Ellie Black is an intelligent exploration of trauma and its devastating aftermath. It kept me hooked until the very end." - Clémence Michallon