Five Pieces of Jade

Virgil Tibbs #4

by John Dudley Ball

Detective Tibbs of the Pasadena police force finds himself in a web of hard drugs and Red Chinese agents following the murder of a wealthy Chinese importer

Genres: Mystery Thriller, Police, Fiction, Mystery

277 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1972

About the author

John 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.

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 relationship between them is very well written.
Ball's novels are not fast paced, but he always creates a wonderful atmosphere. Virgil Tibbs is a fantastic creation, although it's often difficult to read his words without hearing the voice of legendary actor Sidney Poitier.
Although I only have three Tibbs novels left to read I have just discoveerd that John Ball wrote three short stories featuring the detective that I never knew about. Good news indeed.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 policeman's salary. Additionally, It's unclear whether Virgil is the lone 'real' fictional detective here, since Charlie Chan, Sherlock Holmes, and Nero Wolfe are all mentioned in passing and none is explicitly a reference to a literary figure - CC is even said to be alive and retired in Hawaii - which could be read as a joke, or a bit of cheeky world building. We'll see what future volumes bring.

Secondly this is the easily the longest volume, and the first with dueling storylines, each of which could have been built into its own tale.

Finally, while its nice to get VT a love interest, she is the least interesting of the new characters, which could be excused as the limits of a foreigner with limited English skills to connect wit han audience, but the other character with a similar background is three times as interesting while appearing in less than a third of the story.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: the body of a Chinese importer of jade lies on the carpet. Who murdered him? Yumeko? Johnny Wu? Tibbs coolly goes to work.

[Mathew Bonta · Rating 3 out of 5]

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, maybe I missed something along the way.

[Jeff Mayo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the fourth Virgil Tibbs novel. This is not quite as good as the first book, “In the Heat of the Night,” however it is as good as the first two sequels, “The Cool Cottontail,” and “Johnny Get Your Gun.” This is a decent mystery as Tibbs works the case of a jade importer who was murdered.

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Virgil Tibbs novel - once I have read the first one, I just had to read the rest!

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book just I was not as invested in this story

[David Frazier · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 against him I do not. I read this mainly for research into pop culture views of Taiwan, China and Chinese Americans in the 1960s-1970s, and there are a few interesting nuggets. As his prose is pretty plain, it's a quick read, and as it's well paced, well structured, and there's enough suspense, it's decently entertaining.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#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--a murder which may also have a narcotics angle to it.
We're introduced to Yumenko, Mr. Wang's half-black/half Japanese ward.

[Peter Jakobs · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather classical detective story located in Greater Los Angeles. Variations to the theme are a black detective, a Chinese victim of murder, a mixed Japanese/black beauty and some background drug activities of the communistic Chinese government. A bit too much "good will"...

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tibbs on trial for murder.

[Jenene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series. Can picture Sidney Poitier in all of them. Very sad that I only have three left to read in this series. Racial issues are not dwelt on a great deal and I really like that!

[Rita McDowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Read!

This read still stimulates the imagination but was somewhat more difficult to stay with. Still a very good read! Enjoy!