In the Heat of the Night (Penguin Modern Classics) - Softcover

Ball, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0241238625 ISBN 13: 9780241238622

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 2016

Synopsis

A small southern town in the 1960s A musician found dead on the highway Its no surprise when white detectives arrest a black man for the murder What is a surprise is that the black man Virgil Tibbs is himself a skilled homicide detective from California whom inexperienced Chief Gillespie reluctantly recruits to help with the case Faced with mounting local hostility and a police force that seems determined to see him fail it isnt long before Tibbs trained in karate and aikido will have to fight not just for justice but also for his own safety The inspiration for the Academy Awardwinning film starring Sidney Poitier this iconic crime novel is a psychologically astute examination of racial prejudice an atmospheric depiction of the American South in the sixties and a brilliant suspensefilled read set in the sultry heat of the night

About this title

Review:

Penguin has picked the perfect time to re-issue John Ball's brilliant debut story ... This is a psychologically astute examination of racial prejudice, an atmospheric depiction of the times and a brilliant, suspense-filled read ... If you haven't read it, do so (Crime Review)

Compelling (The Times Literary Supplement)

About the Author:

John Ball (1911-1988) was born in Schenectady, New York, and grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A part-time police officer in Los Angeles for a time, he wrote more than thirty novels including mysteries, war novels, and adventure stories; his Virgil Tibbs series remains his best-known work. Despite considerable pressure from his editor, Ball insisted on making Tibbs a black man, garnering him praise for progressive thinking and a keen understanding of racial prejudice.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0241238625
• ISBN 13: 9780241238622
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176