In the Heat of the Night (Penguin Modern Classics)

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