Reading more like a fast-paced, bingeworthy Netflix special than a novel, Emiko Jean’s The Return of Ellie Black (Simon & Schuster 2024) is a quick read that scratches an itch and serves as a good cleanser between reads. I never know what to say (or not say) about books like this because I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll try and toe that line. If you don’t want to risk it, just don’t read anymore.
Seriously.
Stop.
Chelsea Calhoun followed in her father’s footsteps in becoming a detective. Despite being adopted and not biologically related to her father, she is truly cut from the same cloth. (In some ways, to her detriment.) Twenty years ago, her sister disappeared. Chelsea was the last to see her alive, and she knew where she’d gone that night. The car was found. The boy was dead. They believed her sister washed out with the waves and declared it a murder suicide, with her sister the victim. There’s a guilt that lingers and licks and controls everything Chelsea does.
Two years ago, Ellie Black disappeared without a trace. She haunts Chelsea, and when she suddenly reappears, Chelsea is giddy with adrenaline; she’ll find whoever took Ellie and she’ll bring justice. Ellie’s case is all she can think about, and her sweet husband gets the short end of the stick again and again and again. But Ellie doesn’t seem very interested in bringing anyone to justice.
Alternating between Chelsea’s and Ellie’s POVs, the novel does a good job of slowly revealing what happened to Ellie over the past two years, while also showing what Chelsea does with the scant evidence and bits of info Ellie does give her as she forces the investigation forward. Despite the slow reveal and struggling investigation, it’s a fast-paced read.
Up until page 271, I was onboard with this novel. Then the “twist” became too twisty. It was unnecessary for solving the crime. It was unnecessary for the growth and significant epiphanies that Chelsea experiences. It was unnecessary for the theme of “sisterhood” and the different ways sisterhood can be defined. And it cheapened the last 30ish pages.
That said, it’s quick, easy read that you can finish in less time than it takes to binge a Netflix series.
A Girl Named Tommi 