Five Pieces of Jade

There are only seven novels featuring detective Virgil Tibbs, & as I enjoy them so much I'm trying to read only one a year. This 1972 story starts with the murder of an old Chinese man who deals in rare jade. Tibbs narrows down the suspects, including a beautiful half-black, half-Chinese girl & the r......more

Fourth in the series and a departure from precedent in a few ways. Book Virgil now inhabits a world where Movie Virgil exists - and he recognizes and jokes about such - but no even minor wealth has accrued to him because of it, which feels odd when Tibbs discusses on a few occasions the limits of a......more

It wasn't bad. I enjoy a good mystery myself. This one was an average procedural. Wasn't overwhelmingly suspenseful, didn't necessarily keep me on the edge of my seat, but it did pique my interest. I'm in Virgil Tibbs so I'll go along for the ride with him. The end was kind of vague and cryptic, may......more

Ball is a competent detective writer but not a great one, also a moralist who believes in the System, who throws in lots of good-citizen stuff, like a hero who conscientiously wears his seatbelt. Though his views on race now feel dated they were progressive in his time, and while some hold it agains......more

#4 in the Virgil Tibbs series. Author exhibits his interest in things Oriental through the eyes of Pasadena, CA homicide detective Virgil Tibbs. Interesting look at the world of jade carvings - netsuke figures. Virgil Tibbs investigates the murder of Wang Fu-sen, a respected jade collecter and seller......more