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A Novel
by Emiko Jean
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.
"The Return of Ellie Black is a gripping, psychological thriller illustrating the all too common violence women face and the perseverance required to carry on when all odds are stacked against them." —The Seattle Times
"The Return of Ellie Black is well-written, full of convincing characterizations and sharp insights. Ms. Jean's novel is at its exciting best when forensics and other police techniques are at the fore." —The Washington Street Journal
"Like Jessica Knoll, whose crime novels also revolve around missing girls, Jean focuses less on sensationalizing predators and more on the tragedy of a 'frenzy of missing girls. They do not give answers. They do not speak of what has come to pass. They whisper: Find us. Please.' Jean has written an impressive crime novel here…. An unexpected ending and a cadre of heroic female characters make Jean a crime writer to watch." —Kirkus Reviews
"The complex plot and well-drawn characters will keep readers engaged until they arrive at the surprising conclusion. Jean successfully pivots from romantic-relationship fiction (Mika in Real Life, 2022) to crime thriller here." —Booklist
"YA bestseller Jean makes a smooth transition to adult fiction with this atmospheric and surprise-packed thriller…Jean deftly alternates Chelsey and Ellie's perspectives from one cliffhanger to the next, keeping the pages flying. With shocking twists and style to spare, this confirms Jean as a writer worth seeking out." —Publishers Weekly
"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, New York Times bestselling author of Luckiest Girl Alive and Bright Young Women
"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, New York Times bestselling author of Local Woman Missing and Just the Nicest Couple
This information about The Return of Ellie Black was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Emiko Jean is a New York Times bestselling author of young adult and adult fiction. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages. She lives in Washington with her family.
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