John Dudley Ball Jr. was born on July 8, 1911 in Schenectady, NY. He was a journalist,
reserve police deputy, magician, and writer of mystery novels. He wrote more than
twenty books and numerous articles and short-stories.
In the Heat of the Night was published in 1965. It was the first in a series of crime
stories featuring the black police detective Virgil Tibbs. The book won the Edgar Award
for Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. The book was adapted into
an Oscar-winning 1967 film of the same name staring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger
in 1967. John Ridley wrote in the Forward to the 50th Anniversary edition of the book
that it was "a landmark among expressions of racial justice that retains its power
today . . . A resonant take on southern justice . . . that has had more lasting impact
than works many times its size."