What do you think?
Rate this book
Blue Elephants
Something shifts in the otherwise ordinary life of a twenty-nine-year-old Ali Reed when she finds out that a young girl who looks awfully familiar was assaulted and left for dead.
Bizarre reoccurring dreams of her long-lost childhood best friend cause her mental state to start unraveling and for a first time in her life Ali asks the uncomfortable questions that always seem to lurk in the shadows of her mind she never thought of asking before: why does she remember so little of the years following her beloved father’s untimely death? Why did her estranged older brother leave town and never look back? How come her best friend disappeared without a trace and why on earth Ali’s own mother would lock her in her bedroom after her father’s funeral?…
As more girls fall victims to a dangerous predator, Ali’s fears grow larger—she may be connected to the horrific crimes in a way she may wish to forget.
Bizarre reoccurring dreams of her long-lost childhood best friend cause her mental state to start unraveling and for a first time in her life Ali asks the uncomfortable questions that always seem to lurk in the shadows of her mind she never thought of asking before: why does she remember so little of the years following her beloved father’s untimely death? Why did her estranged older brother leave town and never look back? How come her best friend disappeared without a trace and why on earth Ali’s own mother would lock her in her bedroom after her father’s funeral?…
As more girls fall victims to a dangerous predator, Ali’s fears grow larger—she may be connected to the horrific crimes in a way she may wish to forget.
223 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 20, 2026
About the author
E.E. Smith
2 books7 followersI never thought writing a bio (my bio!) would be so difficult. I can say so many things that should be good enough to define me—I have a degree in business information technology; I grew up in Europe; I’m bilingual; I live in Maine but unfortunately, still haven’t had the chance to hang out with Stephen King…
The truth is, the most profoundly important (and perhaps the only) truth you need to know about me is that writing has always been my most beloved priority. It’s my passion, my mission, my way of understanding life and the tool to carve out my own little place in this world.
I read and write about it all but predominantly human nature—often unpredictable, ever-changing, and always fascinating.
Instagram: @eesmithwrites
The truth is, the most profoundly important (and perhaps the only) truth you need to know about me is that writing has always been my most beloved priority. It’s my passion, my mission, my way of understanding life and the tool to carve out my own little place in this world.
I read and write about it all but predominantly human nature—often unpredictable, ever-changing, and always fascinating.
Instagram: @eesmithwrites
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 27, 2026
Excellent read. I started and finished last evening. Not much sleep but couldn't put it down. Just when you think you've figured it out, there's a twist.
July 7, 2026
Blue Elephants completely got in my head.
The entire time I was reading, I kept thinking, What the hell is going on? I had theory after theory, but none of them lasted very long because every chapter made me question everything I’d just convinced myself of.
This book didn’t just keep me guessing—it kept changing what I was guessing.
What I loved most is that the twists felt earned. E.E. Smith doesn’t rely on shock value. Instead, the story slowly weaves all of those possibilities together into an ending that made me want to immediately think back through everything I’d read.
It’s also a heavy book. It explores some deeply emotional and potentially triggering topics, so I’d recommend checking the content warnings.
If you love psychological thrillers that make your brain work overtime and stay with you long after you finish, this one is absolutely worth picking up.
The entire time I was reading, I kept thinking, What the hell is going on? I had theory after theory, but none of them lasted very long because every chapter made me question everything I’d just convinced myself of.
This book didn’t just keep me guessing—it kept changing what I was guessing.
What I loved most is that the twists felt earned. E.E. Smith doesn’t rely on shock value. Instead, the story slowly weaves all of those possibilities together into an ending that made me want to immediately think back through everything I’d read.
It’s also a heavy book. It explores some deeply emotional and potentially triggering topics, so I’d recommend checking the content warnings.
If you love psychological thrillers that make your brain work overtime and stay with you long after you finish, this one is absolutely worth picking up.
June 30, 2026
The story begins with Ali Reed watching the news over breakfast with her boyfriend Wesley, the one she privately thinks is out of her league. A news story has caught her eye and a hidden part of her subconscious mind that she can't quite access. The image of a girl named Katie who'd been beaten, assauled, killed and dumped in a restroom stall haunts her for reasons she can't understand. Something about it triggers uncomfortable thoughts and a succession of nightmares and dark memories, just below the surface.
Frightened of whatever is hiding inside her head, and her increasingly erratic behavior which is starting to threaten her nice, safe life, she agrees to see a therapist. His questions, especially as more women fall victim to the same perpetrator, lead her to search for a fragmented past no one wants her to remember.
The problem is, she only remembers it in shards of nightmares, half-recalled images that lead her to half-closed doors and questions no one will answer, not her mother or her estranged brother. It isn't until a girl she meets on a night out is the next victim that Ali starts to put the puzzle pieces together. But here's the thing about puzzles; sometimes the pieces that seem to fit, are just a little bit off, a little wrong, and lead you to think you have the puzzle just about solved... until you don't. How the truth, and Ali's memories come back to her, and what happens then is a story you won't want to miss. Blue elephants is a dark and compelling journey into madness and murder. It reminded me how very much I enjoyed abnormal psychology, and thriller murder mysteries. Highly recommended.
Frightened of whatever is hiding inside her head, and her increasingly erratic behavior which is starting to threaten her nice, safe life, she agrees to see a therapist. His questions, especially as more women fall victim to the same perpetrator, lead her to search for a fragmented past no one wants her to remember.
The problem is, she only remembers it in shards of nightmares, half-recalled images that lead her to half-closed doors and questions no one will answer, not her mother or her estranged brother. It isn't until a girl she meets on a night out is the next victim that Ali starts to put the puzzle pieces together. But here's the thing about puzzles; sometimes the pieces that seem to fit, are just a little bit off, a little wrong, and lead you to think you have the puzzle just about solved... until you don't. How the truth, and Ali's memories come back to her, and what happens then is a story you won't want to miss. Blue elephants is a dark and compelling journey into madness and murder. It reminded me how very much I enjoyed abnormal psychology, and thriller murder mysteries. Highly recommended.
June 4, 2026
I am not exactly sure how I found this book. It was obviously recommended somewhere and I had previously downloaded it on my Kindle. No matter, I am so very glad that I did. 5 + stars. It's a heartbreakingly raw but believable story of family, trauma and the human mind's ability to cope. Please give this author a chance. From what I can tell, this is her first.
July 11, 2026
Gripping from page one!
This one had me on the edge of my seat from page one! The writing is stunning, the story keeps you needing "just one more chapter" and the characters are so well written. I absolutely recommend giving Blue Elephants a read.
This one had me on the edge of my seat from page one! The writing is stunning, the story keeps you needing "just one more chapter" and the characters are so well written. I absolutely recommend giving Blue Elephants a read.
June 11, 2026
engaging from the first page
This book was very enjoyable, and I was hooked from the first page . And, a fast read. Loved it!
This book was very enjoyable, and I was hooked from the first page . And, a fast read. Loved it!
June 5, 2026
Good book
Had some grammar errors and other things that should have been caught in editing. Other than that the book was very good and really made you think!
Had some grammar errors and other things that should have been caught in editing. Other than that the book was very good and really made you think!
July 9, 2026
This is one of my favourite books of the year. I love, love, love this story. It’s so easy to read and draws you in from the first page.
What’s cleverly perfect about this book isn’t so much that it’s a whodunnit (though it is) but that it’s more of a whywhatwhereandhowdunnit. We want to understand Ali, but we don’t—until the author wants us to—and that’s perfect.
It’s so beautifully constructed that we question the premise all the way through. We come to the same conclusion as Dr Cornwall. And then we change our minds five times only to circle back. It’s brilliant.
I read the author’s bio, and it says she grew up in Europe but doesn’t state where. I wondered if English is her first language. The conjunctions are odd, and I assume it’s a deliberate style because the writing is otherwise so sharp and competent. This author doesn’t strike me as somebody who misses edits. I think it’s quirky and it certainly didn’t detract from the story, or my reading pleasure in any way at all. It added to it. The book is just lovely. A cracking read.
Highly recommended.
What’s cleverly perfect about this book isn’t so much that it’s a whodunnit (though it is) but that it’s more of a whywhatwhereandhowdunnit. We want to understand Ali, but we don’t—until the author wants us to—and that’s perfect.
It’s so beautifully constructed that we question the premise all the way through. We come to the same conclusion as Dr Cornwall. And then we change our minds five times only to circle back. It’s brilliant.
I read the author’s bio, and it says she grew up in Europe but doesn’t state where. I wondered if English is her first language. The conjunctions are odd, and I assume it’s a deliberate style because the writing is otherwise so sharp and competent. This author doesn’t strike me as somebody who misses edits. I think it’s quirky and it certainly didn’t detract from the story, or my reading pleasure in any way at all. It added to it. The book is just lovely. A cracking read.
Highly recommended.
June 24, 2026
Not the best psychological thriller I've read, but a good debut novel, kept me entertained and had me wanting to keep reading.
July 26, 2026
SO MANY TYPOS AND MISUSE OF WORDS. DID NO ONE TAKE THE TIME TO PROOFREAD?
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews