Once again, author Zahradnik takes us back in time to the 1970s in New York City: sights, sounds, economics, politics, crime, race, society, etc. Reporter Coleridge Taylor refuses to be a lemming and report on the Son of Sam murders, choosing instead to investigate the death of a college-educated black woman working temporarily as a maid for a Park Avenue family after quitting her real job because of sexual harassment. Was it a case of mistaken identity or something she overheard in the apartment where she worked? As Taylor investigates, the wealthy family begins a rapid descent and he learns about the troubles of high society. Then the July 1977 blackout hits and NY City becomes a warzone, especially in Harlem. Things come to a head, but whose head rolls? This series ought to be especially appealing to those with an interest in news, newspapers, and news reporting. ( )