Jordan Manning #2
By: Tamron Hall
Narrator: Susan Dalian
HarperAudio
ISBN: 9780063037083
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: 03/12/2024
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 4.5 Stars (ARC)
Following her powerhouse debut, As the Wicked Watch, Emmy Award winner Tamron Hall returns with another edge-of-your-seat Jordan Manning thriller. This time Jordan delves into the case of a missing mother of two and uncovers a dangerous and scandalous web of secrets that could lead right to the missing woman—or put Jordan in the crosshairs of her abductors.
“With Jordan Manning, Tamron Hall has given us a smart, empathetic heroine to cheer on for years to come.” — Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author
Marla Hancock, a stay-at-home mother, has left her verbally abusive marriage and temporarily moved in with her sister, Shelly. But after dropping off her eldest child at preschool, Marla disappears and isn’t seen again. Shelly can’t believe her sister would leave her children behind.
Due to their town’s under-resourced police department and limited media resources, Shelly fears Marla’s case won’t get the attention it deserves, or worse will never be solved. So, several weeks after filing a missing person’s report, she reaches out to TV journalist Jordan Manning for help.
Weeks after solving the Masey James and Tiana Mosley cases, Jordan Manning’s career has taken off. Jordan’s investigative and reporting skills in those murders have elevated her status in the newsroom, as well as her public persona, gaining her a reputation as more than your typical news reporter: a “fixer” with a vigilante edge, dogged and undeterred to seek the truth. But even with this new status, Jordan still feels pressure to prove herself as a young Black professional. When Shelly reaches out to her, she understands her concerns and feels compelled to do all she can to find Marla.
As Jordan goes to any lengths to track down Marla, she unravels a dark web of secrets and scandal that may lead right to Marla.
My Review
Emmy Award-winning TV Host and Journalist Tamron Hall returns following As the Wicked Watch with #2 in her popular Jordan Manning series with WATCH WHERE THEY HIDE —a crime investigative reporter follows a missing mother case while uncovering a complex multi-layered dangerous web of dark secrets and scandal in this gripping, twisty domestic suspense thriller.
2009, Marla Hancock, an Indiana mom, has been in an abusive marriage and has recently left her husband and moved in temporarily with her sister, Shelly. She drops off her eldest child at preschool and then disappears. She had a job interview and an appointment to see an apartment but did not attend either.
Shelly Biltmore cannot even imagine why her sister would leave her children behind, and she is concerned. She thinks something suspicious is going on.
However, the police department is understaffed with limited resources, so she feels like they will do little to help, as this matter is time-sensitive to find her sister after years of abuse, and she may be in danger.
After filing a missing person's report, she reaches out to Jordan Manning, a Chicago crime reporter (News Channel 8 in Chicago), for assistance. She is desperate to make contact to help find her sister.
Channel 8 News has just offered Jordan her own program, and the station switchboard is being bombarded with calls from viewers pleading to have their stories covered. After the James and Mosley cases, Jordan's career took off and gained recognition. She is a fixer with an edge, tenacious, and determined. As a young black professional, she still feels pressured to excel.
Shelly believes her sister has been murdered, possibly by her estranged husband. When Shelly appears in Chicago begging for assistance, Jordan returns to Indiana to interview a list of Marla's friends and suspects.
Jordan agrees to help find Marla and lands in the middle of a dark web scandal of sex—a complex manhunt with so many twists and turns in this complicated love triange that leads to murder with a cast of side characters to keep the pages turning.
From the dark internet world, which can be used for all kinds of evil. From financially strapped concocting a gaming system to trading sex for money, drugs, deception, solicitation, abuse, affairs, and more.
What happened to Marla? What goes on behind closed doors?
WATCH WHERE THEY HIDE is a riveting, twisty crime thriller with a protagonist you will root for. Engrossing, captivating, and satisfying! I enjoyed the mix of business and personal and learning more about Jordan's character.
While the first book was suspenseful, the sophomore novel is more of a complex, intense procedural crime thriller that infuses some behind-the-scenes into the world of broadcasting and racial issues surrounding a black woman—the balance between her busy, hectic work as an investigative reporter, and her personal life.
WATCH WHERE THEY HIDE can be read as a standalone, but you will want to read the first book. I hope we see more books in the Jordan Manning series —can't wait to see what comes next!
Tamron Hall is a successful crime writer and the incredible host of The Tamron Hall Show. The show continues to be one of television’s highest-rated daytime shows, consistently delivering standout moments that become central to the cultural conversation.
Fans of Hank Phillippi Ryan and BA Paris will enjoy this one! I adored Tamron's segment interviewing Hank episode titled “Love, Revenge & Betrayal." (another favorite author).
Highly recommend!
Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for a gifted ARC, for my honest opinion. Out March 12th!
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars rounded to 5
Pub Date: March 12, 2024
Praise
“With Jordan Manning, Tamron Hall has given us a smart, empathetic heroine to cheer on for years to come.”
—Alafair Burke,New York Times bestselling author
“Tamron Hall's Watch Where They Hide is a captivating, authentic novel that combines thoughtful storytelling with perceptive insights into race, class and the challenges of being a successful, ambitious woman of color. I fell in love with Hall's powerful, wryly funny heroine Jordan Manning and can't wait to follow her wherever she may go.”
— Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of Searching for Sylvie Lee and The Leftover Woman
“In this tense, sophomore novel Tamron Hall manages to skillfully and relentlessly build a suspenseful story, while remaining sensitive to the difficult subject of domestic violence and the very real trap many women find themselves in.”
— Chevy Stevens, New York Times bestselling author of Still Missing and Dark Roads
“Cleverly plotted with the perfect amount of behind the scenes tidbits about working in broadcast news, Watch Where They Hide is a must read for fellow mystery lovers. Chicago crime reporter Jordan Manning is back and better than ever – you’ll want her on both your tv screens and bookshelves.”
— Kellye Garrett,award winning author of Missing White Woman
"This is a fast-paced and propulsive mystery with plenty of background information about what it’s like to be a journalist, clearly informed by Hall's career as an Emmy-winning TV journalist. Readers in the Chicagoland area especially will appreciate the author's nods to the Windy City." — Booklist
“Tamron Hall’s debut novel As the Wicked Watch is a singular thriller that brings the vulnerability and systemic neglect of Black girls as victims of violent crime into vivid relief...The cohesiveness and sheer scope of the narrative Hall has woven together is impressive...Readers interested in the gritty details of crime reporting and investigation will be intrigued...Ultimately, As the Wicked Watch is an impressive debut—a moving take on familiar but urgent problems and society’s indifference.”
— NPR
“Hall’s first novel blends true crime with illuminating reflections on media representation and the obstacles faced by a Black woman in journalism.”
— Oprah Daily on As the Wicked Watch
“As the Wicked Watch—the first in a three-book series from Hall—is a thoughtful, captivating novel that highlights that, to some, tragedy is just a news story, but to passionate journalists like Jordan, the real people behind these tragedies are where the true heartbreak lies.”
— Shondaland
About the Author
Two-time Emmy® Award-winning journalist and author Tamron Hall is Executive Producer and host of the nationally syndicated talk show “Tamron Hall.” “Tamron Hall” is currently the second longest-running Disney-produced syndicated talk show and continues to be one of television’s highest-rated daytime shows. Tamron’s extensive resume also includes hosting “Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall” on Investigation Discovery, “TODAY” and “MSNBC Live with Tamron Hall.”
She received the 2015 Edward R. Murrow Award for her segment on domestic violence as part of “TODAY’s Shine A Light” series. An outspoken advocate for shedding light on domestic abuse, Hall has partnered with Safe Horizon to launch The Tamron❤Renate Fund in honor of her sister to help victims and families affected by domestic violence. WEBSITE
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