In September of 1991, Michael Gross profiled Linda Stein, the punk-rock manager turned real-estate agent who was found murdered in her apartment building Tuesday evening, for this magazine. "Diminutive, brassy, and caustic, Stein has a face as expressive as a truck driver's mouth," Gross wrote. "Everything about her is too much, from her too-high Manolo Blahnik heels to her too-short Gianni Versace skirts. Yet somehow, it works for her. 'Her nerve is beyond anything,' one longtime social observer says, laughing. 'You can't help but admire her.'"

New York's portrait of Linda Stein is both a story about a woman and a story about the city itself. You can read it as a PDF here. We should also add that the photos of Linda, by Harry Benson, are completely awesome.

Gross, a contributing editor and columnist for New York Magazine from 1988 until 2000, is the author of the best-seller 740 Park: The Story of the World's Richest Apartment Building (Broadway Books). His blog, Gripebox, can be found at Mgross.com.

The Rap on Linda [NYM]