In The Heat Of The Night

The 1965 novel by John Ball about about murder and racial prejudice in a small southern town which launched a film adaption that won Academy Awards for “Best Picture” and “Best Actor” in 1967.

Virgil Tibbs is a homicide detective visiting family in a small southern town when he is accused of murdering the guest maestro of an upcoming music festival. Virgil convinces Bill Gillespie, the town sheriff of his innocence but is reluctantly convinced to stay and assist in the investigation by his police superiors. Tibbs earns the respect of Sheriff Gillespie and overcomes the racial prejudice from the townspeople as they solve the crime together.