Black Stiletto

Warning: 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.

The Black Stiletto returns to stalk the night It's 1959, and Judy Cooper, the Black Stiletto, sets out to confront a dangerous gangster known as the heroin king of Harlem when the teenage daughter of her beloved martial arts instructor ends up a prisoner in an uptown narcotics den. The Stiletto has troubles of her own: a shady filmmaker is threatening to reveal her identity to the world; a close friend of her landlord and substitute father may be in cahoots with the Harlem criminals; she's fighting for racial equality; and she has fallen in love again-this time with an FBI agent who has standing orders to arrest her. Meanwhile the Stiletto's son faces his own blackmail crisis when he finds out that there is a second copy of an 8 mm film he found in his mother's strongbox-showing the Black Stiletto unmasked in a film studio dressing room. As he tries to stop the filmmaker's son's extortion plot, he learns that his daughter, Gina, has been brutally assaulted in New York City. The past and the present meet as two shattering climaxes converge.

America's feisty vigilante returns It's 1960. The Black Stiletto, in her civilian persona as Judy Cooper, volunteers to work for John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign, only to become involved in a devious behind-the-scenes plot that could change the course of history. Is the mysterious Eastern European man she briefly dated associated with a Cuban/Soviet spy ring? Closer to home, the Stiletto must challenge dangerous Tongs in Chinatown after befriending a teenage boy whose father was killed by the gangs. She soon discovers what a different-and very deadly-world exists in lower Manhattan. 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 the new woman in his life. Meanwhile, his daughter, Gina, continues to bring trouble to herself, exhibiting behavior that suggests she is closer in spirit to her grandmother than Martin would like. Every major character, past and present, experiences a turning point in this third chapter of the Black Stiletto series.

For Better or Worse-A Move to L.A. It is 1961 in the fourth book of the Black Stiletto series. 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 soon Judy suspects that Leo is not the white knight she first thought. 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. In a novel bristling with mysteries, secrets, and lies, the Black Stiletto saga takes a dark left turn into even more treacherous territory.

Black Stiletto faces a showdown with destiny 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 hometown 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.

All five Black Stiletto books in one stunning saga This USA Today and New York Times best-selling five-book saga tells the entire amazing story of Judy Cooper, the famed Black Stiletto of vigilante fame. The story is told by Martin Talbot, the Stiletto's son, in the words of the Stiletto herself through her diaries. Martin does not discover these diaries until his mother, suffering from Alzheimer Disease, is confined to a nursing home. Imagine his utter shock when he realizes that his mother's diaries-and other revealing discoveries-bring the Black Stiletto's-his mother's-past into the present. This awe-inspiring five-book saga takes the reader through the parallel lives of Judy today and the young masked crime stopper from the 1950's and '60's. From New York to Los Angeles to Texas, Judy-the Stiletto-is a hero to the public, but a hunted enemy of law enforcement and criminals, including the Mafia. As she relentlessly fights for justice, her life is in constant danger. And that danger returns to the present to threaten Martin, his daughter, and Judy, herself. The Black Stiletto Saga covers the entire story. The old Judy, the young Judy, and the Black Stiletto.