Darktown vs In the Heat of the Night: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: African American police, African American, Race Relations, African Americans, Police Procedural, Mystery & Detective

Cover of Darktown

Darktown Thomas Mullen · 2016 ★★★★☆ 4.0 371 pages · ≈ 6 h 52 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

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Cover of In the Heat of the Night

In the Heat of the Night John Ball · 1981 ★★★★☆ 3.9 176 pages · ≈ 3 h 16 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 4.0 vs 3.9 — either is a safe pick by score.
In the Heat of the Night is the quicker read — about 3 hours vs 6 for Darktown.

Side by side