The Return of Ellie Black

Title: The Return of Ellie Black

Author: Emiko Jean

Genre: fiction thriller

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The first book I read to kick off the new year was the thriller The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean.

I really liked that this book is mainly told through the lens of Ellie Black, a teenager who was abducted and then reappears two years later, and Detective Chelsey Calhoun, who is passionate about solving cases involving violent crimes against girls. Chelsey’s passion comes from the disappearance and alleged murder of her older sister at a young age, and from the fact that she has been on Ellie’s case from the very beginning.

I don’t read a ton of thrillers, so maybe I need more practice spotting the Easter eggs of who-done-it, but I wish I would’ve caught on sooner to the sergeant/Abbott family connection to the abductors. I also wish the story went more into Lydia’s character. I didn’t catch any evidence that would hint at who she would become in the end, but maybe that’s the point—some things can hide in plain sight. Still, I never would have thought that Lydia would end up being “Serenity,” the brainwashed woman who became the mother hen of the abducted girls.

One thing that really stood out to me was Chelsey’s relationship with her father, who passed away after Lydia disappeared. Chelsey is Japanese American and was adopted into the Calhoun family. Her father was a cop, and when her sister was allegedly murdered, instead of letting Chelsey grieve, he taught her how to hunt and fight. This is ultimately how Chelsey, as an adult, approaches her cases. Throughout the book, you can see how the pressure of that loss, along with her father’s influence, fueled her. Even though I hate that her father took such a tough approach with her, it’s also what shaped her into the detective she became. At the end of the day, her father’s voice and teachings pushed Chelsey not only to protect herself, but to protect young girls. It drove her to take as many shots as needed to hit the target and close the case.

This story isn’t just about solving a case. It’s about how trauma shapes identity and how survival can take many different forms.

- Maya & The Spine Down