Or would we never know the fortunes that we had 'til we grow old: THE RETURN OF ELLIE BLACK.

The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was surprisingly good. I was prepared for predictability with yet another plot centering around the daughter of a cop--now a detective herself--struggling with their history with their father, losing her murdered sister, and investigating a series of missing girls. But ELLIE BLACK is a sad and haunting tale that keeps you guessing and reading.

In the present-day we hear from Chelsey (detective), Ellie herself, Ellie's boyfriend, and Ellie's parents as they all narrate her return after being missing for over two years. The timeline in the past comes from Ellie, at 17, and explains the circumstances of her disappearance. Present-day Ellie has no desire to explain to Chesley what happened to her, frustrating the detective beyond words, and taking her back to her own youth, when her sister died.

Chelsey is a flawed character and comes across very real, even frustrating. As does Ellie--there's no "hero worship" of our victim here. Even Ellie herself will admit she wasn't the perfect daughter before her disappearance. This is a dark book, with plenty of damaged characters, and it dives deeply into violence toward women. I found it hard to put down, with a plethora of twists and surprises. 4.25 stars.


View all my reviews