The Return of Ellie Black

'Magnetic. I couldn't put it down.' STEPHEN KING
'Immersive, gripping and wish a twist you won't see coming' ELLERY LLOYD
'The very definition of a page-turner' CLARE MACKINTOSH

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I guess you're probably wondering about the next girl. Because there's always another girl, right? A girl waiting to be taken. To be swept away. I'll tell you about her.

It's been twenty years since Detective Chelsey Calhoun lost her sister, and she's been searching ever since: for signs, for closure, for other missing girls. Happy endings are rare in Chelsey's line of work.

Until one day, local teenager Ellie Black is found in Washington State woods. Two years after her disappearance, she's an echo of herself, but alive.

But something's not right about this girl. Where has she been, and who is she protecting?

Chelsey has to find out. For herself, for her sister, and before the next girl is taken.

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'I stayed up late into the night turning the pages . . . a truly jaw-dropping twist.' JESSICA KNOLL
'An emotional gut-punch of a thriller' SAMANTHA DOWNING
'What a page-turner, with a truly shocking twist at the end. It’s an absolute winner for me.' SUSAN LEWIS
'Brooding and atmospheric' MARY KUBICA



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