The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean

 

Title: The Return of Ellie Black

Author:  Emiko Jean

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

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 11 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster Audio.  Thank you!

Do you prefer books with one POV or multiple POVs?  I like both.

Ellie Black disappeared two years ago.  The trail went cold until one day, she appeared alone on a trail.  Detective Chelsey Calhoun receives the call about Ellie’s return.  She tries to get more information from Ellie on what happened, but Ellie is a closed book.  Chelsey’s own sister met a violent end, and she becomes obsessed with the case of Ellie Black.  Where was Ellie Black at for two years and were other missing girls at the same location?

My thoughts on this book:

·       Wow!  I thought I was very smart and had this book figured out and then it took a hard left at the end.  I enjoyed the thrills!  There were many twists and turns in this story, and it was very engaging.

·       Even more impressive was that this was the debut novel of author Emiko Jean.

·       Detective Chelsey was an intriguing figure.  An adoptive daughter of a past police chief, she feels she is always trying to live up to impossible standards.  As an Asian female cop, she knows people underestimate her.  She is haunted by the tragic death of her sister, and it drives her to figure out the mystery of Ellie Black to potentially help other victims.

·       The novel had an interested discussion on how the disappearances of women of color are not treated the same as the disappearances of white women. Ellie Black is Native American.

·       The story was told through multiple points of view. There were different narrators in the audiobook for each point of view which worked great.

·       There were disturbing scenes of violence in this book.  It was creepy and scary at times.  It left me feeling unsettled.

·       I don’t want to give too much of the plot away as it is great to discover it on your own.

If you are looking for an engaging thriller that you can’t put down, I highly recommend The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean.