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ABOUT HER BOOK AS THE WICKED WATCH

Emmy® Award-winning talk show host and television journalist Tamron Hall launches a new series of crime thrillers, featuring a main character modeled on herself, with AS THE WICKED WATCH: The First Jordan Manning Novel (William Morrow; October 26, 2021; $27.99). A small-town girl from Texas who has broken gender and racial barriers to land a job with a major Chicago television station, Jordan has leveraged her brains, looks, and grit to carve out a niche as a highly respected crime reporter, aided by her master's degree in forensic science. The brutal murder of a beautiful and promising Black teenager named Masey James could be the case that propels her to national stardom. But first, Jordan-who herself has lost a close family member to murder-must overcome the justice system's indifference and incompetence to track down the evil killer who is preying on Black children, and call out the many forces that leave them vulnerable.

When twenty-nine-year-old Jordan arrives in her trademark designer stilettos at the abandoned playground where Masey's body has been discovered, it's a deeply distressing scene. A striking fifteen year-old with a loving mother and a stable home, Masey had recently been admitted to a coveted STEM school. In fact, she reminds Jordan of herself at that age-a golden girl with an unlimited future. Now, her remains have been found wrapped in a plastic sheet, her body showing signs of having been sexually assaulted, abused, and burned. What makes the situation even worse is that Masey's murder is the seventh unsolved killing of a Black woman in Chicago in the past two years. Jordan is appalled by the conduct of the police, who seem to be ignoring obvious leads that she quickly begins to uncover with her own investigative reporting. Disturbed by the tendency of both the police and the media to stereotype Black victims as somehow deserving of their fate, she reaches out to Masey's stunned mother. With memories of her own family tragedy still fresh, Jordan is genuinely compassionate, but she has to maintain professional boundaries in order to do her job. She must also be on guard against backstabbing by rival colleagues who resent her success and don't think the crime beat is appropriate for a young, Black, female reporter.

With the help of her diverse, multiracial work family and her longtime friend Dr. Marvin Chan, a renowned forensic pathologist, Jordan begins to follow the twisting trail that she hopes will ultimately lead to Masey's killer. A veteran activist in the Black community, Louise Robinson, at first offers some tantalizing tips, but then suddenly shuts down. Jordan's secret contact inside the Chicago PD, Detective Joe Samuels, gives her vital assistance, but sometimes seems to be more interested in romance than in crime-solving.

Meanwhile, Jordan's on-again, off-again sexual relationship with Thomas, a personal trainer, leaves her satisfied physically but otherwise not. But if one more person asks her about motherhood and settling down, she's going to scream. Masey's case takes a drastic turn when the DA announces out of the blue that three young Black boys, the oldest just thirteen, will be charged with her murder. Outraged by such an obvious miscarriage of justice, Jordan revs her investigation up even further as protests break out and threaten to plunge the city into violence. Soon after, the murder of another young Black girl in a manner frighteningly similar to Masey's raises the question of whether a serial killer is on the loose. Devoting herself completely to Masey's case, Jordan begins to take risks that place her and those close to her in stark danger. With her nerves rubbed raw and her body pushed to its limits, Jordan begins to question everything about this case and her involvement in it. What if Masey wasn't the innocent girl her mother thought she was? What if there was a dark side to her life that Jordan would have to reveal to her family and the viewers at home? Was Louise Robinson a community heroine or an opportunistic fraud, and maybe even an accomplice? Why has this case gripped Jordan so? Is this even the kind of work she wants to keep doing? She's getting worried about her habit of allowing other people's grief to enshroud her, then trying to drown it in a bottle.

But in the end, Jordan summons every ounce of her ingenuity and courage to put into play a dangerous strategy that will utilize her instincts and allow her to swerve around the lies that threaten to throw her off the trail of a killer. As Jordan knows from the many crime stories she's covered, the wicked watch and strike when they think no one's looking. But this time, the scent is just too strong to back away, and so is her determination to arrive at the naked truth.

With more than two decades of journalism experience, including six years as the host of the "Deadline: Crime" series on Investigation Discovery, Tamron Hall has a unique wealth of knowledge about the world of crime reporting. Furthermore, sadly, her own personal experience of losing a sister to murder has painfully heightened her understanding of the impact of violent crime. Tamron Hall draws on all of this and more to deliver the dazzling debut volume of her new crime thriller series starring Jordan Manning. A taut, tough, and timely mystery, AS THE WICKED WATCH is a compelling and surprising page turner that gives readers an authentic behind-the-scenes view of the life of a top television crime reporter. At the same time, it offers sharp insights into the racial inequities and other glaring, unacceptable flaws of our criminal justice system.

ABOUT TAMRON HALL

From the deeply moving to the purely fun, "Tamron Hall" is a daily destination for all things topical and a platform for viewers to connect with the people who are shaping our world through meaningful, engaging, and entertaining conversations. As a new mom, a newlywed, and a survivor who is proving you can accomplish anything at any age, Tamron Hall brings a refreshing, relatable, unpredictable, and unstoppable voice to television.

Broadcast from New York City featuring a dynamic mix of live and taped shows, "Tamron Hall" airs across the country in national syndication.

Emmy® Award-winning talk show host Tamron Hall is the host and executive producer of the show. Formerly of The Today Show," she has also hosted six seasons of Deadline: Crime on Investigation Discovery. While at NBC, she was a recipient of the Edward R. Murrow Award for her report on domestic abuse. Tamron currently serves as an advocate for domestic violence awareness. A native of Luling, Texas, she lives in New York City.

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