The Return of Ellie Black

By: Emiko Jean

Narrated by: Mizuo Peck, Tessa Albertson, Nicole Lewis, Rebecca Lowman, Joy Osmanski, Angel Pean, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Erin Ruth Walker, CJ Wilson

A USA TODAY Bestseller | An NPR Best Book of 2024 | A Goodreads Best Thriller of 2024

In this “page-turning suspense novel, shrewd character study, and captivating mystery” (Stephen King) Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s life is turned upside down when she gets the call that Ellie Black, a girl who disappeared years earlier, has resurfaced in the woods of Washington state—but her 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 “haunting and evocative” 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 “gripping psychological thriller” (The Seattle Times) that will shock you right up until the final page.

Critic reviews

"Following Ellie Black’s liberation from a harrowing two-year abduction, Detective Chelsey Calhoun must unravel a host of lingering mysteries in this gripping and satisfying audiobook...The narrative is particularly effective as an audiobook brought vividly to life by a stellar cast. Tessa Albertson offers a nuanced performance as Ellie, capturing the transition from the terror of captivity to the relief of liberation. Mizuo Peck skillfully portrays Detective Calhoun’s turmoil as she is torn between empathy for Ellie and stark confrontations with her own past. Each character and story element engages listeners as the captivating plot builds to a gratifying conclusion."

“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 50 pages are magnetic. I couldn’t put it down until I’d experienced every last twist and turn.”—STEPHEN KING

BUCKLE UP!

4.25 stars for The Return of Ellie Black - one of the best mystery/thrillers I've read this year. Let me start by saying, I do not read many abducted girl/captor/captive tropes. I find it too disturbing and even though I am a committed Dateline-aholic - I have my limits like anyone else. However, you know from page one that the abducted girl is returned, so I gave it a shot. I was excited about the Olympic Peninsula and PNW location because I live in Seattle and found that the setting of old growth forest as well as remote and rural homesteads worked perfectly for this story about a girl who goes to a party and then disappears for over two years. This is a gorgeously complex story with layers you rarely see in your average abducted girl trope. One of the layers is the disparity between what happens when a white girl goes missing versus a girl of color. The author's deft hand with themes of racism and white privilege really is subtle but pays off. The detective investigating the abduction is herself of Asian descent and little details like the cops she work with wearing tee shirts that say, "It's ok to be white" were infrequent but powerful. I found the quote, "Some daughters were worth less than others" to be profound. Another layer that I have not seen done before is what happens to the mind set of the victim when they are in captivity and afterwards. This story really examines that psychological shift which I guess would be something akin to Stockholm Syndrome. Obviously this book may be triggering but I did find it a very compulsive read and finished it in less than 24 hours. The mystery aspect of it has some substantially steep twists and turns, so buckle up! Highly recommend.

Very dark

I had a hard time with this one. It is extremely dark and even though I wanted to continue, about half way through I just couldn’t.

Didn’t see that coming!!

New author for me but I gotta say this was a Great story the best part was that ending! Love a good twist!!

Amazing storyline with unpredictable twists

The community and characters were exquisitely developed. There was an unpredictable element to everyone and yet, the story flowed. It was a well written digital page turner. Kudos to this author, Emiko Jean.

I love this book!

Y’all need to read this book. I’ll need to listen to this book. It is performed and written so incredibly well it’s beautiful. It’s sad. I feel like it was there so powerfully good.