With July 4 just a day away, I guess it’s official — it’s summertime, even if it doesn’t quite feel like it. My husband and I (this is Eve, writing) were talking about how this summer, with a fatal virus lurking in the wings, feels a lot like two summers we distinctly remember, both of which were overshadowed by crime.

For me it was the summer of 1977 — as a six-year-old kid in a New Jersey town just a short drive from the city, I recall every headline and TV news report as a warning about David Berkowitz (here’s a great NYT piece that looks back on that year.)

For Tim, it was the Night Stalker. San Francisco’s summer of 1985 was one of fearful rumor, as Ramirez had shot two people as they slept in a quiet, residential neighborhood in the city. Then-mayor Dianne Feinstein confirmed those rumors in a press conference (that some say tipped the killer off and delayed the investigation). Curfews and the elevation of Ramirez to full-on bogeyman resulted.

What about you? When the mercury rises and days grow longer, what crimes come to mind? What criminal yarns do you associate with the doggiest days? Let’s hear ‘em.