The Walls of Jericho

On a dark Mississippi night in 1960, a young black Civil Rights leader is murdered, ripped apart by a shotgun blast and left to die in a ditch beside a lonely country road. No arrest is ever made and the murder is never solved.

Decades later, the nearly forgotten slaying is resurrected, with deadly consequences. Jefferson Trannon, an Ole Miss law professor, and Ella Garrity, a New York Times reporter, stumble upon long-hidden documents and a shocking witness that, together, could unlock the explosive secrets of the brutal killing.

Following a trail of hatred and violence, the unlikely partners—Jeff, the son of a revered Civil Rights crusader, and Ella, the granddaughter of a leader of the KKK—are drawn into a deadly conspiracy that sends them hurtling through the dark history of racism in the Old South and into the frightening shadows of the politics of the New South. Along the way, they are confronted by murder, betrayal, a sensational trial, and, ultimately, the stunning truth behind the mystery.

Award-winning journalist and former prosecutor Jack Ford infuses The Walls of Jericho with grit and an insider'sview of the legal system, weaving together a tale rife with classic Southern charm and powerful Southern retribution — where nothing is truly as it seems, and secrecy trumps all.

Jack Ford is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning television journalist and former prominent trial lawyer. Since leaving the courtroom and entering the world of journalism, he has served as an Anchor/Correspondent for NBC News, ABC News, Court TV, and CBS News, and is recognized as one of the top legal journalists in the country. A graduate of Yale University and the Fordham University School of Law, his first novel, "The Osiris Alliance," was published in 2009.