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Cover of In The Heat of the Night by John Ball

Book · Adult

In The Heat of the Night

The Original Virgil Tibbs Novel

by John Ball

Part of the Penquin classics series

176 pages · 2015

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About the book

A small southern town in the 1960s. A musician found dead on the highway. It's no surprise when white detectives arrest a black man for the murder. What is a surprise is that the black man-Virgil Tibbs-is a skilled homicide detective, passing through racially tense Wells, South Carolina, on his way back to California. Even more surprising, Wells's new police chief recruits Tibbs to help with the investigation. But Tibbs's presence in town rubs some of the locals the wrong way, and it won't be long before the martial arts-trained detective has to fight not just for justice, but also for his own safety.

For parents

No age or grade range recorded.

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