Winner of the Edgar Award for Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of America It's the 1960s. A hot August night lies heavy over the Carolinas. The corpse - legs sprawled, stomach down on the concrete pavement, arms above the head - brings the patrol car to a halt. The local police pick up a black stranger named Virgil Tibbs, only to discover that their most likely suspect is a homicide detective from California - and the racially tense community's single hope in solving a brutal murder that turns up no witnesses, no motives, no clues. From an Edgar Award-winning author comes this international bestseller that was made into an Oscar-winning film starring Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier. The murder of a noted orchestra conductor at a local music festival pits black, big-city homicide expert Virgil Tibbs against the bigoted police department in a small Southern town, when they are forced to join forces to solve the crime. In the Heat of the Night is part of the Contemporary Scene series of books. It is a continuing series of acclaimed novels published by Fitzhenry and Whiteside, offering young readers adventure, fantasy, suspense, humour and powerful drama. These novels help young readers understand social issues and encourage discussion of their thematic concerns such as tolerance and freedom of speech. Helpfully augmented with introductory notes and questions for discussion.