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In the Heat of the Night

Virgil Tibbs, Book 1

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In the Heat of the Night

Written by: John Ball
Narrated by: Dion Graham
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About this listen

The pioneering novel featuring African American police detective Virgil Tibbs

“They call me Mr. Tibbs” was the line immortalized by Sidney Poitier in the 1967 Oscar-winning movie adaptation of In the Heat of the Night, which won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel and the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger Award and was named one of the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the 20th Century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. Now fans of classic crime can rediscover this suspense-filled novel whose hero paved the way for James Patterson’s Alex Cross, George Pelecanos’s Derek Strange, and other African American detectives.

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 not the killer but 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.

©1965 John Ball (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.
Classics Crime Fiction Fiction Police Procedural Suspense Thriller Mystery Detective
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What listeners say about In the Heat of the Night

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Timeless book

I read this book the first time probably thirty years ago. I read just recently and just loved the way it was writteen again. These days with all the talk of racism in the nes, this book is a moment in time when in the southern united sites racism was a way of life. The movie also is well done. If you have never seen it you might want to. Over all a great read.

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Excellent story and amazing performance

This is an excellent mystery story with the added layer of providing some insight into a prejudiced time in history. The reading performance is amazing and adds so much richness to the story.

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Classic

Thia has been one of my fave books for such a long time and really enjoyed this. The narration was excellent and you will certainly enjoy this

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loved it.

if you enjoyed the movie or have read the book as an adult or as a kid. give this title a try even if you know the plot beginning to end. you won't be disappointed!

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my favorite novel

this book was amazing I dont usually read books but this was a amazing one!

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Wow!

As a privileged white old Canadian man, I must refrain from giving a 5 star review because of the colour of my skin. Thank you John Ball for writing a novel that seems ( unfortunately) very contemporary 70 years later.

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Great book

I read this book when I was in high school and then watched the movie. 30 years later, it still has the same impact. Before Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, and Frederick Douglass, this was my first introduction to racial relations and discrimination. A great snapshot of the South in the US in the 1960s.

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I think this is become one of my new favorites

I think this here book is become one of my new favorites. I think I remember reading this book long time ago when I was a teenager and I always felt to was well written and exactly the way things were down in States that that time. I would highly recommend this book

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excellent book.

enjoyed this book as too watching the tv shows kept me interested to know what was happening.

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A great story

Brought back memories of the movie but also of the state of the times ! Hard listening to the racist comments and attitudes. Wonderful Virgil Tibbs, a brilliant black man trying to make his way and do his job in the Deep South of the 60’s. Well worth the listen.

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