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Virgil Tibbs #6
Then Came Violence
Virgil Tibbs returns home from vacation to a plum assignment as bodyguard to a beautiful African first lady who has been sent to California for safekeeping and who is quickly taken hostage
- GenresMysteryMystery Thriller
208 pages
First published January 1, 1980
7 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
John Dudley Ball
87 books38 followersJohn Dudley Ball writing as John Ball, was an American writer best known for mystery novels involving the African-American police detective Virgil Tibbs. He was introduced in the 1965 In the Heat of the Night where he solves a murder in a racist Southern small town. It won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of America and was made into an Oscar-winning film of the same name starring Sidney Poitier; the film had two sequels, and spawned a television series several decades later, none of which were based on Ball's later Tibbs stories. He also wrote under the name John Ball Jr..
Ball was born in Schenectady, New York, grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and attended Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He wrote for a number of magazines and newspapers, including the Brooklyn Eagle. For a time he worked part-time as a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy, was trained in martial arts, and was a nudist. In the mid 1980s, he was the book review columnist for Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine. Ball lived in Encino, California, and died there in 1988.
Ball was born in Schenectady, New York, grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and attended Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He wrote for a number of magazines and newspapers, including the Brooklyn Eagle. For a time he worked part-time as a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy, was trained in martial arts, and was a nudist. In the mid 1980s, he was the book review columnist for Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine. Ball lived in Encino, California, and died there in 1988.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 28, 2023
Pasadena detective Virgil Tibbs returns early from a holiday to discover everything in his home has been removed & only the head of the police department knows what's going on.
Author John Ball puts together another great novel where Tibbs becomes involved in three cases at once & despite the pressure he's under Tibbs remians his usual cool & calculating self.
Then Came Violence, like all of John Ball's Virgil Tibbs novels, is a well plotted crime story peopled with characters you can really belive in. I'm already looking forward to reading Singapore, his final novel featuring the legendary Virgil Tibbs.
Author John Ball puts together another great novel where Tibbs becomes involved in three cases at once & despite the pressure he's under Tibbs remians his usual cool & calculating self.
Then Came Violence, like all of John Ball's Virgil Tibbs novels, is a well plotted crime story peopled with characters you can really belive in. I'm already looking forward to reading Singapore, his final novel featuring the legendary Virgil Tibbs.
July 7, 2019
Time doesn't stand still in Virgil Tibbs' world, so we find out protagonist dealing with the changing political landscape of the late 70's - including the export of urban violence to the suburbs and an unstable geopolitical landscape - two unlikely storylines that meld well together. .
August 7, 2012
#6 in Virgil Tibbs series. Virgil is surprised by the request to shelter Miriam Motamboru, wife of a besieged African leader, and her children while the family is given temporary political asylum in the U.S. There is an attempt to rationalize having a Pasadena, CA homicide detective handle this diplomatic assignment. Quick, enjoyable read.
Virgil Tibbs returns to his apartment to find that it has been expertly stripped. A note from Police Chief McGowan sends him to an address in the better section of Pasedena. When he arrives, he finds his possessions installed. But that't not all. The door is opened by a woman who informs him that she is Mrs. Virgil Tibbs. Meanwhile, a brutal holdup is followed by an execution-type hanging of one of the bandits. More violence follows, and Pasedena's ace homicide investigator is tested to the limits by a double assignment calling for every bit of his tact, skill, and discipline.
Virgil Tibbs returns to his apartment to find that it has been expertly stripped. A note from Police Chief McGowan sends him to an address in the better section of Pasedena. When he arrives, he finds his possessions installed. But that't not all. The door is opened by a woman who informs him that she is Mrs. Virgil Tibbs. Meanwhile, a brutal holdup is followed by an execution-type hanging of one of the bandits. More violence follows, and Pasedena's ace homicide investigator is tested to the limits by a double assignment calling for every bit of his tact, skill, and discipline.
July 23, 2009
Tibbs goes undercover,posing as husband to a woman someone is after
May 4, 2024
I remember watching this series when my children were much younger, and I enjoyed it. But this is my first exposure to one of the books.
Virgil Tibbs finds his apartment empty and clean one night when he returns to it. His boss directs him to a house, and the woman who opens the door announces herself as Mrs. Virgil Tibbs. The two children refer to him as “Daddy.” But there is no Mrs. Tibbs, and he has no children. It turns out his boss selected him to guard an African leader’s wife and children at night. To make it work, they play the part of a married couple. This is a tender and heartwarming story that would be strong on its own. But Tibbs has two other cases, both of which need solving.
Someone raped a 19-year-old plus-sized girl while she walked home one night late. Hers is a sad story indeed. The case will move you. Emily never thought she was pretty, never dated, and at 19, was a virgin. She planned to hold out for the right guy. Horrifically enough, the four black men who saw her as a crime of opportunity had other ideas.
Tibbs must deal with a series of armed robberies in his district, and one of those gets incredibly close to home.
This was an excellent reading experience I can unhesitatingly recommend. Clearly, you don’t need to have read previous books in the series to enjoy this one.
Virgil Tibbs finds his apartment empty and clean one night when he returns to it. His boss directs him to a house, and the woman who opens the door announces herself as Mrs. Virgil Tibbs. The two children refer to him as “Daddy.” But there is no Mrs. Tibbs, and he has no children. It turns out his boss selected him to guard an African leader’s wife and children at night. To make it work, they play the part of a married couple. This is a tender and heartwarming story that would be strong on its own. But Tibbs has two other cases, both of which need solving.
Someone raped a 19-year-old plus-sized girl while she walked home one night late. Hers is a sad story indeed. The case will move you. Emily never thought she was pretty, never dated, and at 19, was a virgin. She planned to hold out for the right guy. Horrifically enough, the four black men who saw her as a crime of opportunity had other ideas.
Tibbs must deal with a series of armed robberies in his district, and one of those gets incredibly close to home.
This was an excellent reading experience I can unhesitatingly recommend. Clearly, you don’t need to have read previous books in the series to enjoy this one.
September 24, 2025
The sixth Virgil Tibbs novel is average, which is a disappointment after the previous book, “The Eyes of Buddha.” Where the movie version of “In the Heat of the Night” went a different direction with sequels, and the TV series an even different direction, Tibbs is always a detective from Pasadena in the books.
May 30, 2016
Not my favorite selection from the series, but it was still enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews