The Black Stiletto: Endings & Beginnings: Volume 5
Description
New York Times and USA Today Best-Selling Author The past and the present meet as two shattering climaxes converge 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. Perfect for fans of vigilante justice While all of the novels in The Black Stiletto Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is: The Black StilettoThe Black Stiletto: Black & White
The Black Stiletto: Stars & Stripes
The Black Stiletto: Secrets & Lies
The Black Stiletto: Endings & Beginnings
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Reviews
"If the Black Stiletto series is under your radar, there's something wrong with your radar. This is a five-book sequence of the highest quality, full of thrills and suspense, and fun and humanity too." --Lee Child, New York Times best-selling author
"Benson wraps up this five-book series in grand style with a satisfying climax, but as the title and final pages suggest, this may not be the end of the Black Stiletto. Escapist entertainment tinged with melancholy." --Booklist
"Old grudges and fresh starts set the tone in Benson's engaging fifth and final Black Stiletto novel (after The Black Stiletto: Secrets & Lies) as Judy Cooper's son, Martin Talbot, reads her last diary from her hidden life as a masked crime fighter. His daughter, Gina, means to know more about her superhero grandmother before Alzheimer's and old age win out, but the two have opened doors into the past that lead to deadly consequences. The Black Stiletto spent years in the world of private eyes and mobsters; the latter are not going to let her die in peace while there are still scores to settle. Gangster Leo Kelly already betrayed her, but his sister, Christina Kelly, proves to be truly vicious in the relentless hunt for revenge and for a diamond stolen years ago. Multiple points of view help enliven this daring woman's tale, leaving readers wishing for more. " --Publishers Weekly
"In this final segment of The Black Stiletto series, we learn along with her son and granddaughter of the exploits Judy Cooper, alias The Black Stiletto, thought of as the ultimate crime fighter.
Judy, now bed-ridden in a nursing home with dementia, had kept very thorough diaries describing her dealings with organized crime. She detailed how she worked hand-in-hand with law enforcement until a party, impersonating her, committed several high-priority crimes, stealing diamonds and killing a mobster's daughter, which caused her to run not just from the mob but from the very same police officers she had been assisting.
Pregnant, and with the law hot on her heels, Judy finally confesses her real identity to a friend, only to have him and his brother killed as she runs from Los Angeles, CA to her hometown of Odessa, TX where she still has family, only to endanger their lives too.
We learn all the sordid details from the pages of her 1962 diary, as does her granddaughter, Gina, who also heads off to Odessa seeking answers that old age and disease can no longer provide. The relatives of her grandmother's former nemesis discover who Gina is and kidnap her in order to secure their own answers to the one question they all want to know. Where is the missing diamond that Judy allegedly stole thirty years ago?
Along with pulsating drama, high intrigue, and suspense I was taken with how well Benson captures the female voice and the historical period it was written. Definitely worth putting the five book series on your bookcase." --Suspense Magazine
"Raymond Benson's exhilarating Black Stiletto mystery series culminates with The Black Stiletto: Endings & Beginnings, the most thrilling story yet in this brilliant saga. The suspense is kept at an intense level throughout as the past and present collide, providing readers with a hugely satisfying conclusion." --Fresh Fiction
