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.