Lights Out Summer

by Rich Zahradnik Narrated by Donald Corren

Overview

In March 1977, ballistics link murders going back six months to the same Charter Arms Bulldog .44. A serial killer, Son of Sam, is on the loose. But Coleridge Taylor can't compete with the armies of reporters fighting New York's tabloid war-only rewrite what they get. Constantly on the lookout for victims who need their stories told, he uncovers other killings being ignored because of the media circus. He goes after one, the story of a young Black woman gunned down in her apartment building the same night Son of Sam struck elsewhere in Queens.

The story entangles Taylor with a wealthy Park Avenue family at war with itself. Just as he's closing in on the killer and his scoop, the July 13-14 blackout sends New York into a 24-hour orgy of looting and destruction. Taylor and his PI girlfriend Samantha Callahan head out into the darkness, where a steamy night of mob violence awaits them.

In the midst of the chaos, a suspect in Taylor's story goes missing. Desperate, he races to a confrontation that will either break the story-or Taylor.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Lights Out Summeris a gripping multiple-murder mystery overlaid with tremendous atmosphere and action. Here's hoping a fifth Coleridge Taylor adventure is in the works."

--Rachel Jagareski for ForeWord Clarion Reviews

"The perfect visual and suspenseful mystery led by a believable and easy-to-like character."

--Amy Lignor for Feathered Quill

"[Taylor's] fight for justice creates a gripping murder mystery chock full of action and brimming with social consciousness."

--Tribute Books Mama

"[Taylor's] zest for doing what's right while following such gory leads makes the reader root for him from end to finish. It's wonderful to see Rich broaden the world he's created around this determined character. [...] The author has painted the emotions and situations these characters find themselves in so vividly that you can imagine yourself standing beside them as they dive deeper into the world around them. If you have yet to experience this series, I truly recommend it. More, please!"

--Lissette Manning, Simplistik.org

"The beauty of the story is that the author makes the reader care. The characters are delineated well. They are real people. [....] You just may get hooked on the Coleridge Taylor mysteries."

--The One True Faith Blog

"Rich Zahradnik's gritty writing allows the reader to feel he is with Taylor going into rough territory in New York, digging to get his story. [....] Be ready to sit on the edge of the seat as the mystery unravels!"

--Belinda Wilson for InD'Tale Magazine

"Well-plotted [....] Zahradnik nails the period, with its pack journalism, racism overt and subtle, and the excess of the wealthy as places like Studio 54, as he shows how one dogged reporter can make a difference."

--Publishers Weekly

"Lights Out Summeris the fourth in this series by Rich Zahranik. I have not yet read the first three, but if they are as well-written as the fourth, they shall be high on my must-read book list [....] How all this is resolved would make your heart stop for a moment or two."

--Mary Ann Smyth for BookLoons.com

"A descriptive, fast-paced story that is very well researched. Readers will fly through the pages in order to reach the climactic conclusion."

--Keitha Hart for RT Reviews

"Taylor Coleridge is a protagonist who is well conceived and very, very well developed. Rich Zahradnik was himself a longtime and well-respected newsman and his knowledge, experience, and love of journalism pour through Taylor. It appears to me that this series is growing in focus and strength--the episodes are getting better and better. [....] Good reading."

--Diana Borse for Reviewing the Evidence

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169608366
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	10/01/2017
Series:	Coleridge Taylor Series , #4
Edition description:	Unabridged

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