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The Black Stiletto
Series · 5 books · 2011-2014

Books in series

The Black Stiletto book cover
#1

The Black Stiletto

2011

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Do not cross the Black Stiletto! Could Martin Talbot's elderly, Alzheimer-stricken mother, Judy, really have been the Black Stiletto? When Martin discovers several volumes of her diaries hidden by his mother, he is stunned beyond all imagination. His mother, the underground heroine of yesteryear? The famed, still unidentified woman who battled Communist spies, took on the Mafia, and preyed on common crooks? The woman who exacted punishment on evildoers without mercy? But it is all described, in great detail, in the diaries. What caused her to begin her quest for justice. Her decision to act outside the law. Her feats as the famed and feared vigilante. How her reputation exploded. In short, how it all played out. Could it be true? Talbot is filled with doubt and disbelief. But the reappearance of one of the Stiletto's old enemies with a thirst for merciless revenge makes the story more than real and could imperil the life of not only the Stiletto, but her son and granddaughter as well.
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#2

Black & White

2012

The Black Stiletto is Back! The second book of the thrilling new series. It’s 1959 and Judy Cooper, the Black Stiletto, sets out to confront the heroin kingpin of Harlem when the teenage daughter of her beloved martial arts instructor becomes a prisoner in an uptown narcotics den… and she has fallen in love again, this time with an FBI agent who has standing orders to arrest her.
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#3

Stars & Stripes

2013

The Black Stiletto returns in the third book of the thrilling new series. It’s 1960 and the Black Stiletto, in her civilian persona as Judy Cooper, volunteers to work for JFK’s presidential campaign, only to become involved in a devious behind-the-scenes plot that could change the course of history. In the present, Martin, the Stiletto’s son, must deal with his mother’s worsening Alzheimer’s symptoms, his own mental health issues, and the dilemma of whether or not to reveal his family’s secrets to a new woman in his life. And then there’s Gina, the Stiletto’s granddaughter, who is exhibiting behavior that suggests she is closer in spirit to her grandmother than Martin would like.
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#4

Secrets & Lies

2014

The Black Stiletto is back in the fourth book of the thrilling five-book saga. It’s 1961, and Judy, the Stiletto, meets Leo, a charismatic man who convinces her to move to Los Angeles when she is “run out” of New York by increasingly hazardous police heat. But Leo, who has connections with the West Coast mobs, has plenty of skeletons in his closet. His mysterious sister, Christina, who once served time for armed robbery, could also be a threat to the Stiletto’s new life in California. Meanwhile, in the present, Alzheimer’s-stricken Judy takes a turn for the worse as Martin comes to grips with the imminent end of his mother’s life. And when elements from the Stiletto’s past once again appear to threaten Martin’s family, it is up to his daughter, Gina, to step up and take matters into her own hands.
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#5

Endings & Beginnings

2014

Raymond Benson's The Black Stiletto: Endings & Beginnings is the startling, climactic finale to the five-book, critically-acclaimed saga of The Black Stiletto. It's 1962. Judy Cooper, the Black Stiletto, is devastated at the betrayal by her nemesis and former lover, mobster Leo Kelly. Additionally, Leo and his psychotically dangerous sister, Christina, have set out to ruin the Stiletto's reputation in L.A. with a series of crimes that are made to appear as if the crime-fighter is responsible. The very pregnant Judy must fight back only with her wits and cunning-until disaster strikes and she is forced to flee to her old home town in Texas for the final showdown with destiny. Meanwhile, in the present, the Alzheimer's that afflicts elderly Judy is in its last stage, but her son and granddaughter, Martin and Gina, must continue to protect her from the past's last remaining assault, culminating in a cathartic and explosive conclusion.-

Author

Raymond Benson
Raymond Benson
Author · 28 books
Raymond Benson is the author of approximately 40 titles. Among his works are the critically-acclaimed and New York Times best-selling serial THE BLACK STILETTO, and he was also the third—and first American—continuation author of the official James Bond 007 novels. His latest novels are HOTEL DESTINY—A GHOST NOIR, BLUES IN THE DARK, IN THE HUSH OF THE NIGHT and THE SECRETS ON CHICORY LANE.
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