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The Black Stiletto #1-5
The Black Stiletto: The Complete Saga
This 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. All five books in one "The Black Stiletto, The Black Black&White, The Black Stiletto; Stars&Stripes, The Black Secrets&Lies, "and" The Black Endings&Beginnings.""
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. All five books in one "The Black Stiletto, The Black Black&White, The Black Stiletto; Stars&Stripes, The Black Secrets&Lies, "and" The Black Endings&Beginnings.""
1756 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 15, 2015
472 people are currently reading
184 people want to read
About the author
Raymond Benson
158 books306 followersRaymond 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
June 9, 2018
long, action packed series. I hated having to put it down. Kept wondering how Judy was going to get herself out of the messes she got into. Easy to read, lots of surprises.
June 2, 2016
Highly entertaining
What hijinxs will the Black Stiletto be up to next? Never a dull moment. Even though at times you wish you could shake her and tell her not to be so dumb, she is totally in character.
She put down some really bad guys, but at the expense of some good ones.
Enjoyable reading.
What hijinxs will the Black Stiletto be up to next? Never a dull moment. Even though at times you wish you could shake her and tell her not to be so dumb, she is totally in character.
She put down some really bad guys, but at the expense of some good ones.
Enjoyable reading.
May 30, 2016
Super Saga
This was a fun, entertaining story, although sometimes I thought I might be reading a comic book. Judy was a great character.
This was a fun, entertaining story, although sometimes I thought I might be reading a comic book. Judy was a great character.
January 23, 2017
The Black Stiletto
This set was recommended to me by my husband, who was more enthused about it than any book I can remember him reading. After reading it myself, I can understand. The story relates the life of a mid century vigilante, told through her diary as it is read by her grown son in modern time. Martin Talbot, accountant, is already struggling emotionally with the care of his mother in the final stages of Alzheimer's disease. He has no idea of her secret past until her attorney gives him a set of diaries, a disguise, and other objects. He begins to read and then he begins to question everything he thought he knew.
This set was recommended to me by my husband, who was more enthused about it than any book I can remember him reading. After reading it myself, I can understand. The story relates the life of a mid century vigilante, told through her diary as it is read by her grown son in modern time. Martin Talbot, accountant, is already struggling emotionally with the care of his mother in the final stages of Alzheimer's disease. He has no idea of her secret past until her attorney gives him a set of diaries, a disguise, and other objects. He begins to read and then he begins to question everything he thought he knew.
October 29, 2018
I rounded up to 4 stars from what I felt was a 3.5 star book series. The first three books were very, very good; but by the last two books, I was ready for the story to wrap up. It seemed to drag on as the main character took more risks and people she cared about were hurt or even killed. I also got tired of reading about the martial arts moves in such detail. The series didn’t seem to be true to a woman’s point of view, probably because it’s written by a man.
June 26, 2016
Absolutely wonderful!
I loved this series! I enjoyed every single minute. The characters were strong, the story had a good pace, and the twists and turns were superb. I stayed up past my bedtime more than once just to keep reading. Highly highly recommended!!
I loved this series! I enjoyed every single minute. The characters were strong, the story had a good pace, and the twists and turns were superb. I stayed up past my bedtime more than once just to keep reading. Highly highly recommended!!
May 29, 2020
This was an interesting exercise in escapist reading. There are five books here, each one focused on a diary written by the "Black Stiletto". The underlying idea of these books seems like something similar to a comic book character (Superman, for example, is referred to several times). The comic book character of the Black Stiletto is a little silly, but in this kind of genre, we're not supposed to take things terribly seriously. The author, Raymond Benson, is also the author of the James Bond novels from 1997 to 2003, so you can probably anticipate what to expect here. The characters are a little one-dimensional (either all good, or all bad; very competent, or not so -- there isn't too much middle ground). The dialog isn't great -- I often had trouble believing that people would actually say things like that under the circumstances.
What is more interesting is the plot, and how it's presented. The action takes place around a set of five diaries written by the Black Stiletto from 1958 through 1962. The Black Stiletto's son, Martin, discovers his mother's history when her lawyer gives Martin access to her keepsakes, including her costume (she calls it her 'disguise'). Martin has never heard about this history, and it's only disclosed because his mother has developed Altzheimer's, and is now living in a nursing home, deteriorating rapidly. The chapters initially alternate between Martin's actions during "the present", where he starts reading the diaries, and exploring the other keepsakes, but he's a notoriously slow reader, and in addition has anxiety attacks because he knows that if he discloses the information, his mother will be exposed to a lot of publicity, and, as it turns out, danger from her enemies of long ago. This further slows down his reading of the diaries. It's frustrating, but necessary for the books to progress at the proper pace.
Another positive about the books is that the diaries talk a lot about the history of the time -- JFK's election, and debates with Nixon, the Bay of Pigs disaster, the Cuban nuclear confrontation, and so on -- and the movies, music, books, and singers of those times. The Black Stiletto's favorite singer is Elvis Presley, and the diaries talk a lot about his records, as he progresses, his enlistment in the army, and subsequent exit, plus a lot of references to other hits of the day, as we progress from 1958 to 1962. Also, there are references to car models of the day: Ford Galaxie Sunliner convertible, Ford Falcon Futura, Karmann Ghia, and even a couple of cameras of the day: Kodak Brownie Starmatic, and Kodak Pony IV. All of those extra touches add to the texture of the novels.
As the books progress, the chapters expand to alternating between the diaries, Martin's actions and love life with a doctor who's treating his mother, and his daughter, Gina who is attending college in New York City. As we progress further, other characters contribute towards chapters, and the suspense increases a lot, especially in the book about the fifth and last diary. I found the fifth book much the best.
This 'saga' is not going to be awarded a Pulitzer prize, nor even a comic book prize, but it is a fun read, if you don't mind suspending your credibility a little.
Interesting factoid: The Black Stiletto character comes from Odessa, TX. The author was born in Midland, TX, and went to high school in Odessa.
What is more interesting is the plot, and how it's presented. The action takes place around a set of five diaries written by the Black Stiletto from 1958 through 1962. The Black Stiletto's son, Martin, discovers his mother's history when her lawyer gives Martin access to her keepsakes, including her costume (she calls it her 'disguise'). Martin has never heard about this history, and it's only disclosed because his mother has developed Altzheimer's, and is now living in a nursing home, deteriorating rapidly. The chapters initially alternate between Martin's actions during "the present", where he starts reading the diaries, and exploring the other keepsakes, but he's a notoriously slow reader, and in addition has anxiety attacks because he knows that if he discloses the information, his mother will be exposed to a lot of publicity, and, as it turns out, danger from her enemies of long ago. This further slows down his reading of the diaries. It's frustrating, but necessary for the books to progress at the proper pace.
Another positive about the books is that the diaries talk a lot about the history of the time -- JFK's election, and debates with Nixon, the Bay of Pigs disaster, the Cuban nuclear confrontation, and so on -- and the movies, music, books, and singers of those times. The Black Stiletto's favorite singer is Elvis Presley, and the diaries talk a lot about his records, as he progresses, his enlistment in the army, and subsequent exit, plus a lot of references to other hits of the day, as we progress from 1958 to 1962. Also, there are references to car models of the day: Ford Galaxie Sunliner convertible, Ford Falcon Futura, Karmann Ghia, and even a couple of cameras of the day: Kodak Brownie Starmatic, and Kodak Pony IV. All of those extra touches add to the texture of the novels.
As the books progress, the chapters expand to alternating between the diaries, Martin's actions and love life with a doctor who's treating his mother, and his daughter, Gina who is attending college in New York City. As we progress further, other characters contribute towards chapters, and the suspense increases a lot, especially in the book about the fifth and last diary. I found the fifth book much the best.
This 'saga' is not going to be awarded a Pulitzer prize, nor even a comic book prize, but it is a fun read, if you don't mind suspending your credibility a little.
Interesting factoid: The Black Stiletto character comes from Odessa, TX. The author was born in Midland, TX, and went to high school in Odessa.
June 22, 2017
I LOVE The Black Stiletto!!!! Excellent!!!!
I kept thinking it was taking a LONG time to read it, however---It IS a five book set!!!
At first, I was having trouble keeping up with all the jumping around.........but once I got into it......I couldn't put it down!!! Following Judy Cooper's double life, and her aging and getting Alzheimmers, also her adventures as a real live "super-hero". I loved how she knew she had a thing for the adrenaline rush, and the "helping the cops". But somehow, things go terribly wrong and the Cops don't want her help.....they want her arrested and off the streets.
Then there's her anxious, uptight accountant son, Martin, who receives his mother's Diaries, and reads thru them all over the span of the books. Martin changes ALOT throughout this time. He even finds out about the father he believed was killed in the war. The mobsters and criminals and bad-guys in here are believable and real!!! I just cannot give this series ENOUGH praise!!!!!
I kept thinking it was taking a LONG time to read it, however---It IS a five book set!!!
At first, I was having trouble keeping up with all the jumping around.........but once I got into it......I couldn't put it down!!! Following Judy Cooper's double life, and her aging and getting Alzheimmers, also her adventures as a real live "super-hero". I loved how she knew she had a thing for the adrenaline rush, and the "helping the cops". But somehow, things go terribly wrong and the Cops don't want her help.....they want her arrested and off the streets.
Then there's her anxious, uptight accountant son, Martin, who receives his mother's Diaries, and reads thru them all over the span of the books. Martin changes ALOT throughout this time. He even finds out about the father he believed was killed in the war. The mobsters and criminals and bad-guys in here are believable and real!!! I just cannot give this series ENOUGH praise!!!!!
June 30, 2019
Juvenile but couldn't put it down
The story was intriguing and full of action. Timely historical nuggets that helped set the scene for the reader. Only reason I didn't give it a"5" is that some of the writing itself was annoying. ( frequent use of "ha ha" for example) Having mentioned that I should also mention that it would be incredibly difficult to sustain a reader's interest across the sheer number of pages involved in all the volumes - yet this writer managed to do so with great skill. Thank you for these volumes.
The story was intriguing and full of action. Timely historical nuggets that helped set the scene for the reader. Only reason I didn't give it a"5" is that some of the writing itself was annoying. ( frequent use of "ha ha" for example) Having mentioned that I should also mention that it would be incredibly difficult to sustain a reader's interest across the sheer number of pages involved in all the volumes - yet this writer managed to do so with great skill. Thank you for these volumes.
October 17, 2020
This is straight out of Marvel Comics. The saga consists of five books, taking us from the beginning of the tale of The Black Stiletto, through the various adventures, up to the time the Stiletto was "retired". Altogether I guess I spent about five months reading this as I found that one adventure at a time was sufficient, until the end when I read books 4 and 5 one after the other, not wanting to wait for the conclusion. Not my usual type of reading, but I enjoyed the adventures of The Black Stiletto.
December 5, 2020
Wow couldn't put it down
As a lady of a certain age, I really loved all the cultural references for the 50s and 60s from entertainment to current events. The characters were dynamic and engaging whether good guys or bad guys and everything in between. The action descriptions were spot on to keep you on the edge of your seat. Loved every minute of it even if it kept me from being as productive in the real world as I should have been. Has a hard time putting it down,
As a lady of a certain age, I really loved all the cultural references for the 50s and 60s from entertainment to current events. The characters were dynamic and engaging whether good guys or bad guys and everything in between. The action descriptions were spot on to keep you on the edge of your seat. Loved every minute of it even if it kept me from being as productive in the real world as I should have been. Has a hard time putting it down,
May 7, 2018
Loved this series!
Couldn’t wait to read the next book. Even though you know the end first, the story goes from present to past, and back & forth, what happens between was a thrilling story. Other reviews will tell you more about it, but you will not be sorry you read it. I am just so sad the heroine had Alzeheimers, what an awful way to go.
Couldn’t wait to read the next book. Even though you know the end first, the story goes from present to past, and back & forth, what happens between was a thrilling story. Other reviews will tell you more about it, but you will not be sorry you read it. I am just so sad the heroine had Alzeheimers, what an awful way to go.
June 3, 2019
What a great read
The story was really good. The pacing was a bit like a comic book but it did the trick of telling the story. All the characters were likable but some parts were really easy to figure out. The Stilletto is an intriguing character, a mutant somewhat. I would love to read more about Gina, those stories would be fascinating.
The story was really good. The pacing was a bit like a comic book but it did the trick of telling the story. All the characters were likable but some parts were really easy to figure out. The Stilletto is an intriguing character, a mutant somewhat. I would love to read more about Gina, those stories would be fascinating.
November 7, 2020
Super heroine
It has been a long time since I have been riveted to a book series.
I have been reading this pretty much nonstop for about a week.
The funny thing is I know a Judy Cook, which added to the fun.
I totally recommend this, especially since it’s the entire series in one book.
It has been a long time since I have been riveted to a book series.
I have been reading this pretty much nonstop for about a week.
The funny thing is I know a Judy Cook, which added to the fun.
I totally recommend this, especially since it’s the entire series in one book.
May 19, 2017
I have read books one and two of this saga, and really liked them. However, I have not been interested enough to resume reading volumes three through five, even though it is just sitting there available to me. I am now abandoning the series, and downgrading it slightly due to lack of (my) interest.
July 5, 2018
Fabulous
The story was so real that I just could not stop reading it. I thought who is going to read a 1550 page book? Well it seemed to pass so quickly. Such a great ending too. I'll look for more from Raymond Benson!
The story was so real that I just could not stop reading it. I thought who is going to read a 1550 page book? Well it seemed to pass so quickly. Such a great ending too. I'll look for more from Raymond Benson!
July 25, 2018
A good story
Good character development and enjoyable story but probably too long. However, the characters kind of become part of your life because of the length of time it took to read the books.
Good character development and enjoyable story but probably too long. However, the characters kind of become part of your life because of the length of time it took to read the books.
June 26, 2019
Best book ever in thrillers. Would give 10 stars
Wish I could govern stars. Will re-read again for sure. Could not stop reading ..
Treat yourself to this edge of your seat ride.
Wish I could govern stars. Will re-read again for sure. Could not stop reading ..
Treat yourself to this edge of your seat ride.
May 20, 2020
Amazing!
Fantastic story of the life story of a masked woman who targeted the gangsters and mobsters the law couldn't bring down. Wonderfully scripted, so fast-moving, realistic, heart warming at times. The ending brought tears to my eyes. Incredibly well done. Thank you.
Fantastic story of the life story of a masked woman who targeted the gangsters and mobsters the law couldn't bring down. Wonderfully scripted, so fast-moving, realistic, heart warming at times. The ending brought tears to my eyes. Incredibly well done. Thank you.
June 4, 2020
Zowie!
What a series! Often sequels can be a letdown, but not here. The author appears to have mapped out his strategy at the beginning and then published the 5 books over a few years. The final two kept me up late for several nights. Great story with much action.
What a series! Often sequels can be a letdown, but not here. The author appears to have mapped out his strategy at the beginning and then published the 5 books over a few years. The final two kept me up late for several nights. Great story with much action.
October 10, 2020
I enjoyed this action-packed series. It's about time we had a strong female super hero. I thought the arc throughout the series concerning the origin Stiletto was good. You can also tell the author cares very much about women's rights and other sociological issues.
November 8, 2017
Very fun read. Intriguing story line that kept you enthralled throughout the entire series
May 23, 2018
A wonderful story!
It was an interesting and thrilling read.It held my attention to the very end! I'm not sure why it was five books, it was really one, very good story.
It was an interesting and thrilling read.It held my attention to the very end! I'm not sure why it was five books, it was really one, very good story.
May 25, 2018
Top of my list
Incredible story! In my top ten favorite books! I was consumed by the story, enchanted by the characters and compelled to keep turning the pages.
Incredible story! In my top ten favorite books! I was consumed by the story, enchanted by the characters and compelled to keep turning the pages.
December 29, 2018
The Best Saga Ever
Four books in the saga and one of the best series I can remember reading in my lifetime. I recommend to everyone I know that enjoys thrillers. Robin Wells.
Four books in the saga and one of the best series I can remember reading in my lifetime. I recommend to everyone I know that enjoys thrillers. Robin Wells.
July 1, 2019
Good characters
Okay, the premise is a bit hookey but it hooks you and keeps you reading. The characters are fabulous and I didn’t want it to end.
Okay, the premise is a bit hookey but it hooks you and keeps you reading. The characters are fabulous and I didn’t want it to end.
Read
July 17, 2019I really enjoyed this series, and the strong independent lead female character.
October 3, 2019
Interesting read.
November 4, 2019
So fun to read and imagine! I actually looked up some of the references as to what was happening in that time period. It is one that I'll definitely read again!
November 28, 2019
WOW!
This series combines suspense, fun, and action with a bit of superhero thrown in...and does not stop until the last page! And I repeat...WOW!
This series combines suspense, fun, and action with a bit of superhero thrown in...and does not stop until the last page! And I repeat...WOW!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews