I enjoy reading author John Ball, even though this one is way back in 1977. John was a reserve police officer in California for many years, and knew his way around the cops and the crime scenes. He was the author of five Virgil Tibbs novels, especially the award-winning "In the Heat of the Night." In his other novels, he uses Asia for his backdrop and he was quite proficient in yoga and preparing Asian cuisine. In this book, his protagonist is Jack Tallon who is the new police chief of Whitewater, WA, Police Department. There are a series of major crimes,and Jack is soon suspected by the town as the perpetrator. Still a good book - find it and read it.