Thriller writers and baseball pitchers know a good curve ball can surprise the recipient and make them question what’s coming next.

Local author and national best seller Greg Iles threw a curve ball right off the bat Tuesday night as he addressed the Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce’s annual awards gala.

Iles’ curve involved a personal story of how he had to think on his feet at a business speaking engagement gone awry. With his homespun wit and flare for the dramatic, Iles had the audience laughing in no time.

Little did the audience know, however, that the first pitch was the curve. It looked straight enough.

Shortly after Iles’ first pitch, the fastballs, sliders and plot twists came screaming by, each one clipping a local “batter” along the way.

Iles’ pointed comments were well spoken and on-point. He said many things that we’ve said numerous times before and a few more that needed to be aired.

He fired the heat right at the heart of Natchez and Adams County, challenging all listeners to work together to get past the mostly trivial issues that continue to divide our community.

Iles words may have seemed revolutionary at first, but the fact is, most of us know what is wrong in our community. It’s easy to spot the problems.

The question: Is our community really ready to roll up our sleeves, step into the batter’s box and swing at Iles’ pitch?