THE RETURN OF ELLIE BLACK

4 stars out of 5

The subject matter of this book - the capture and torture of young girls - isn't for the squeamish. I'm okay with that, actually, but on the other hand, no way will I call it fun to read, so forewarned is forearmed. It begins with what should be a joyous event: Ellie Black, who went missing and was declared dead several years earlier as a teenager, wanders out of a local Washington state woods. Her parents, of course, are ecstatic; but quickly, it becomes evident that she's not the same daughter they knew when she disappeared.

The local police are ecstatic as well - including Detective Chelsey Calhoun, for whom Ellie's sudden reappearance triggers unwelcome but always-there memories of her sister Lydia, who disappeared 20 years ago and later was declared dead. Eager to find the person or persons responsible for Ellie's abduction partly to assuage her guilt surrounding her sister's situation, Chelsey jumps into the investigation with both feet. She's so eager to solve the case, in fact, that she quickly alienates her teacher husband of less than two years, Noah, who wants her to ease up a little so they can behave like a "normal" couple.

Ellie herself, though, isn't much help; she refuses to cooperate or speak of where she's been and what she experienced during her absence - not even to a professional therapist. But while that leaves Chelsey grasping at straws much of the time, readers get the scoop: interspersed throughout are chapters from Ellie's viewpoint, telling us what really went on behind closed doors. Slowly and methodically, Chelsey begins to make headway into the investigation, leading up to a couple of in-your-face revelations at the end (one of which I'd correctly surmised but the other something of a gobsmacker).

All told, then, it's a winner in my book and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review it.

The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean (Simon & Schuster, May 2024); 316 pp.

LAST SEEN ALIVE

5 stars out of 5

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed another book by this author - but not in this series - I didn't hesitate when I got a chance to read a pre-release copy of this one (thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley). Now, the only thing that disappoints me is that I missed the first four, although this one stands on its own quite well. It was so good, in fact, that I put off making dinner for an hour and a half so I could get to the exciting finish.

She was the one who got away: Abigail Ellery Hathaway, now a Boston detective, managed to escape serial torturer and killer of women Frances Coben. He was caught and has been languishing in prison for a couple of decades; the man who found and saved her, FBI agent Reed Markham, later became her lover. Still traumatized by the horrific treatment she endured at Coven's hands, Ellery, as she now calls herself, recently called things off with Reed. But now, out of the blue, Coben claims he's remorseful and wants to come clean by revealing the location of some of his victims' bodies (minus the body parts he keeps as trophies) - but only if he can confess to his "Abby."

Reed objects, but a TV crew gets into the act as well and puts some pressure on the powers-that-be. Just because the confrontation might bring closure to families of the victims, Reed and Ellery agree to meet Coben in prison. It's arranged, but Coben does little more than confuse the issue. Confounding things even more, a new body turns up with a too-similar M.O. - but Coben couldn't possibly have done it from jail. Or could he?

Amid all this, the impossible happens (no, I won't say what) - and from that point on, I was on the edge of my seat even though some of the happenings were predictable. Besides that, I really liked Ellery and Reed (him in particular), so I had my fingers and toes crossed that they'd get back together again (no, I won't reveal that, either). All in all, a most engrossing novel very much recommended.

Last Seen Alive by Joanna Schaffhausen (Minotaur Books, January 2022); 320 pp.

TELL ME MY NAME

3 stars out of 5

This is a book that should have been great; to be sure, the

premise is enticing: A husband and wife are kidnapped by someone who claims not only to have known the wife years ago, but is her soulmate. The challenge? She has three tries to come up with his name - and with each incorrect guess, her husband will pay a heavy price (put another way, it's three strikes and he's out - permanently).

Needless to say, I was on the edge of my seat at that point - especially as the wife, Ellie Patterson, digs through her memories in an effort to come up with the correct ID. I can't reveal that outcome because it sets the stage for the rest of the book. What I can say is that from that point on, the writing started heading downhill - trite emotings from all the characters, not the least of which came from the female detective who's investigating. Besides that, character perspectives often switch in the middle of chapters (and at least twice, smack in the middle of a single paragraph). As a result, by midpoint, I almost called it quits.

But I've always vowed to finish the advance copies I get from publishers if at all possible (and only twice in literally hundreds of books have I pulled the plug before the end). So it was that I kept plugging away. I can't reveal details, but it's safe to say that no one - not Ellie, not her husband Neil and not the kidnapper - are who they seem to be. There is perhaps one exception in the kidnapper who was surgically altered to make him resemble George Clooney - which somehow makes him more acceptable to Ellie despite his evil acts. But he's not alone in his duplicity; each and every character has at least one secret that impinges on the life of one or more of the others. How their pasts are intertwined takes up the rest of the book, leading up to an ending that to me was neither satisfying nor even close to believability (if it were really true, for sure I'd want nothing to do with Ellie, her husband or the rest of her family).

Actually, despite my misgivings I'll call this a decent beach read. But as is, I'd be surprised if it makes it anywhere near the big leagues without a major overhaul. Truth is, I hope that happens; as I said at the beginning, the potential for greatness is in there. Somewhere.

Reviewer's note: Not that it matters all that much, but I'm not sure what the true release date is on this book. According to Amazon, it's Oct. 3; NetGalley says Oct. 27. Luckily, I started reading early and will make the Amazon release if, in fact, it's the accurate one.

Tell Me My Name by Erin Ruddy (Dundurn, October 2020); 344 pp.

USE OF FORCE

5 stars out of 5


Every time the author churns out a new Scot Harvath thriller, I have second thoughts about reading it. That's because settings in hot, dirty, far-off countries where war and strife are facts of daily life really don't have much appeal to me. Then too, I know I'll be subjected to a dose or two - sometimes hefty - of the author's opinions about what the United States ought to be doing about it (with which sometimes I agree but more often don't).

But every single time, all that fades into the background once I start reading - and I've been reading for quite some time (according to Amazon, this is the 17th book featuring Harvath, now a covert counter-terrorism operative who does a lot of work for a private company and its aging owner and Harvath's mentor, Reed Carleton). As this one starts, Harvath has left the love of his life in Boston and is chasing a suspected suicide bomber - which turns out to be three - at the Burning Man Festival.

It is also learned that a man thought to be up to his Bunsen burners in  weapons of mass destruction was on a boat that went down in the Mediterranean Sea. Too bad, so sad, on the surface - but his death raises the question of what he was doing there, where he was headed and what he was planning after he arrived. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency wants answers to those questions, but they don't have the reach (i.e., permission to run clandestine operations) to get the them. For that, they turn to Harvath; whether or not he's successful - and there's every reason to believe he will be - there won't be any blowback on the CIA.

As if that weren't enough, it seems someone once close to Carleton may now be his worst enemy - out to get the old man along with any or all of his team members. The ensuing pages are stacked with plenty of intrigue, torture, murder and razor-close calls, with all the story lines coming together for a satisfying ending (plus one that's sure to carry over to the next book in the series). For sure I'll be in line to get it!

Use of Force by Brad Thor (Atria/Emily Bestler Books, June 2017); 369 pp.