The Breaker - series. Books 1 - 3:

 

The Breaker

ISBN: 9781656281517

Description:

How do you know the one you love won’t hurt you?

Or even try to kill you?
In many cases … you don’t.

How do we choose our path and purpose in life?

What makes us who we are?
When Seth Egan starts working as a private detective, he knows he’ll make enemies.
It goes with the territory.
As Seth works on a murder case and hunts down the killers, he becomes the target.
Some people have no conscience, shame, empathy, or remorse.
To get their own way, to get what they want, to take everything, they will do anything.
Even murder.
In the end, they will drag you down to hell with them.
Sometimes, our enemies are those closest to us.

Amazon link:

https://t.co/eKFZ03giKR?amp=1

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Bad Blood

ISBN: 9798682203192

Description:

No one is paying Seth Egan for his latest case.

He keeps this one unofficial.

Pro bono publico.

Off the books.

For him, this one is personal.

A matter of bad blood.

A woman with a grudge of her own leads Seth to a place where people vanish without trace.

Money is the motive.

Greed is the motivator.

Scores that can only be settled in blood.

A dark underworld of illegal gambling, prostitution, drugs, violence and murder.

Amazon link:

 

https://t.co/e0XiS8crAr?amp=1

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Mall Maze

ISBN: 9798729917235

Description:

Friday the 13th.

Unlucky for many.

What should have been a routine adultery case ends with Seth Egan fighting for his life.

Cut off from the world.

With no way to call for help.

Trapped in a place where the walls are coming down around him.

Seth is running out of places to hide.

As chaos reigns and the city burns … the hunters close in.

Amazon link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09244XVYW/

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Themes:

Abuse by proxy, Adultery, C-PTSD, crime, detective, domestic abuse, enabler, flying monkey, gaslighting, hardboiled, heist, infidelity, murder, narcissism, narcissist, narcissistic abuse, neo-noir, personality disorder, psychopath, sociopath, suspense, thriller, vigilante, violence.

Books available in hardcover, paperback and Kindle.

A percentage from sales of my books is donated to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research.

What’s On?

What’s On?

A Guide to Movies and TV Shows

Hardcover

ISBN-13: 9798342696098

Paperback

ISBN-13: 9798341177307

Kindle

ASIN: B0DJTZ8T58

Back cover description:

What’s On? … is the timeless question we have all asked ourselves almost every day of our lives, as we reach for the remote control and settle in front of the TV screen.

Jack Kost, a life-long movie buff and coffee addict, offers his choice of favorite movie and television masterpieces.

Providing possible answers to the question of What’s On? with over 1,900 titles, from golden oldies and timeless classics, to more recent releases, all meticulously logged and summarized.

An invaluable and collectable go-to source for discovering new favorites and revisiting old ones.

Perfect for film enthusiasts and casual viewers alike, this guide will spark conversations, bring back memories, and help you navigate the ever-evolving world of screen entertainment.

A wealth of recommendations and insights from a passionate movie buff to enrich your viewing experience, complete with personal reminiscences and nostalgic reflections, told with a world-wise critical eye, sardonic dry wit, a healthy dose of cynicism, biting observations, and a well-founded rant here and there.

Just don’t challenge or get him started on his personal favorites, like The Shining, Point Blank, Jaws, The Exorcist, The Duellists, Romeo Is Bleeding, or The Ninth Configuration. His opinions on these and other iconic titles are as intense and unyielding as the movies themselves.

All compiled by an author who not only watched the movies, but also read the books on which they were based, did his research, drank a lot of coffee in the process, and advocates for the importance and value of reading.

A glimpse into the over-caffeinated mind of a writer with a passion for great stories.

What’s On? is a celebration of the intersection between page and screen, and a reminder that great on-screen adaptations often start with a great book and a strong cup of coffee.

Kick back, grab your coffee, and enjoy the show!

As author Jack Kost says:

“Happy viewing … and do yourself a favor … read the books.”

Slipped Masks:

Slipped Masks

ISBN: 9781719330640

Description:

I can’t call you because if he hears me talking on the phone he’ll hit me again. He scares me. I know sooner or later he’s going to kill me. I’ll text you again when I can. I love you, Casey. I’ll spend the rest of our lives proving to you how much I love you. Please come. Please save me …

With only text messages to guide him, Casey Byrne is on the hunt, racing across five states to save his ex-girlfriend, Madison.

Casey loves Madison deeply and wants desperately to save her life and rekindle their relationship.

But the closer he gets to her, the more surreal his journey becomes as the dead bodies pile up in his wake.

Clinical Lycanthropy: the delusion that a human can physically transform into a wolf.

If you were insane, would you know it?

How would you see the world if you were convinced you could transform into a wolf?

The hunter … and the hunted.

Slipped Masks is a dark neo-noir thriller about how the need for love and companionship becomes twisted into obsession, possession, jealousy, violence and murder.

A horrifying portrait of Clinical Lycanthropy.

Amazon link:

https://t.co/2Gwb135V3m

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Themes:

Sociopathy, narcissistic abuse, personality disorder, Clinical Lycanthropy, crime, murder.

Book available in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle.

A percentage from sales of this book is donated to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research.

Work in progress:

My next books are Triangulation and Stinger.

Books 4 and 5 in The Breaker series.

Set in the year 2001, the story continues from Mall Maze.

Themes:

Crime, detective, hardboiled, heist, murder, narcissism, narcissistic abuse, neo-noir, psychopath, sociopath, thriller, vigilante.

 

A percentage from book sales is donated to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research.

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The Breaker is an on-going series.

I’m outlining other stand-alone thriller novels.

Several coffee table books on my photography and my wife’s artwork.

A humorous book, based on the antics of our crazy pet Ragdoll cat, entitled: It’s That F****** Cat Again!

Here’s a GIF I made of our cat, settling down for another of his daily naps:

On this day in television history - Justified (2014):

Justified

Season 5. Episode 6.

Episode entitled: Kill the Messenger.

Released February 11, 2014.

Directed by Don Kurt.

Written by Graham Yost, Ingrid Escajeda, Leonard Chang.

Based on the short story Fire in the Hole by Elmore Leonard.

Music by Steve Porcaro.

Cast:

Timothy Olyphant, Nick Searcy, Jere Burns, Joelle Carter, Jacob Pitts, Erica Tazel, Walton Goggins, Michael Rapaport, A.J. Buckley, Damon Herriman, John Kapelos, Jesse Luken, Jacob Lofland, Don McManus, Danielle Panabaker, Amy Smart, Alicia Witt, Branton Box, Mickey Jones, James Kyson, Justin Welborn, Jocelyn Ayanna, Tom Beyer, Jeff Bowser, Nicole J. Butler, Kaitlin Ferrell, Justin Huen, Jonathan Kowalsky, Casey McCarthy, Pat McNeely, Howard S. Miller, Heather Olt, Jammie Patton, Reggie Watkins, Russell Bertolino, Lisa Pevc, Spice Williams-Crosby.

On this day in music history - Process Of Being, by Zero Ohms (2014):

Process Of Being

Album by Zero Ohms,

released on February 11, 2014.

Track list:

The Present Perfect Tense of Being; The Approach of Nothingness; Glimpsing the Eternal; The Dream Dreaming You; The Process of Being There; Nameless.

On this day in music history - Under the Stars, by Renée Fleming and Bryn Terfel (2003):

Under the Stars

Album by Renée Fleming and Bryn Terfel,

released February 11, 2003.

Track list:

"Not While I'm Around" (From Sweeney Todd By Stephen Sondheim); "Moonfall" (From the Mystery of Edwin Drood By R. Holmes); "I Don't Remember You the Happy Tim" and "Sometimes a Day Goes By" (From Woman of the Year By Kander & Ebb); "All the Love I Have" (from The Beautiful Game by Ben Elton & Andrew Lloyd Webber); "I Wish I Could Forget You / Loving You" (From Passion By Stephen Sondheim); "Stars" (From Les Misirables By Boublil & Schvnberg); "All I Ask of You" (From the Phantom of the Opera By Andrew Lloyd Webber); "Hello, Young Lovers" (From the King and I By Rodgers & Hammerstein); "Pretty Women" (From Sweeney Todd By Stephen Sondheim); "Aimer" (From Romio Et Juliette By Presgurvic); "All the Wasted Time" (From Parade By J. Brown); "Seventy-Six Trombones" (From the Music Man By Willson); "How Could I Ever Know" (From the Secret Garden By Simon and Norman); "So in Love" (From Kiss Me Kate By Cole Porter); "Wheels of a Dream" (From Ragtime By Ahrens & Flaherty).

On this day in movie history - The Getaway (1994):

The Getaway

directed by Roger Donaldson,

written by Walter Hill and Amy Holden Jones,

based on the novel by Jim Thompson,

was released in the United States on February 11, 1994.

Music by Mark Isham.

Cast:

Alec Baldwin, Kim Basinger, Michael Madsen, James Woods, David Morse, Jennifer Tilly, James Stephens, Richard Farnsworth, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Burton Gilliam, Royce D. Applegate, Daniel Villarreal, Scott McKenna, Alex Colon, Justin Williams, Peppi Sanders, Jo Ann Soto, Louis Martinez, Boots Southerland, George Dobbs, Kenny Endoso, Don Pulford, Rick Taylor, Phil Allen, Bill Mosley, Debbie Dedo, Gary Kirk, J.W. ‘Corkey’ Fornof, Peter Donaldson, Michele Hawk, Sammy Hernandez, Parker Anderson, William Bolander, Bill Cook, Kacee DeMasi, Maria Frisby, Lee Hollingsworth, Bob Huff, Elaine Huff, April Manchester-Miller, Elske McCain, Richard Meek, Brian Patterson, Ella Arlienne Scofield, Robert Sucato, Tracy Sucato, Oliver Theess, Rodd Wolff.

Born on this day – Burt Reynolds:

Burt Reynolds

Actor

February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018

Born on this day – Bob Yerkes:

Bob Yerkes

Stunt man

Actor

Producer

February 11, 1932 – October 2, 2024

Credits:

1000 Ways to Die (2010); 1941 (1979); A Case for Murder (1993); A Light in the Darkness: The Hollywood Cross Turns 100 (2024); Adaptation (2002); Airport (1970); Airport 1975 (1974); Along Came Polly (2004); Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009); Angels & Demons (2009); Assassin (1986); At Home with the Webbers (1993); Back to the Future (1985); Back to the Future Part III (1990); Batman & Robin (1997); Batman Forever (1995); Bearers of the Promise (2012); Bedazzled (2000); Behind the Action: Stuntmen in the Movies (2002); Big Top Pee-wee (1988); Breakout (1975); Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979–1981); C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud (1989); California's Gold (1999); Cheating Death (2005); Circus (1988); Circus of the Stars #10 (1985); Class Act (1992); Color of Night (1994); Commando (1985); Crazy as Hell (2002); Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975); Drum (1976); Earthquake (1974); Evilution (2008); Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986); Forced Vengeance (1982); Ghostbusters (1984); Going Ape! (1981); Gotcha! (1985); H.O.T.S. (1979); Hard Time: Hostage Hotel (1999); Her Alibi (1989); High School High (1996); Hollywood on Fire (2009); Hollywood Vice Squad (1986); Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989); Hook (1991); Hop (2011); House Party 2 (1991); I Believe (2006); In God We Trust (or Gimme That Prime Time Religion) (1980); Julia Misbehaves (1948); Killing Hasselhoff (2017); Larger Than Life (1996); Letter to My Killer (1995); Little House on the Prairie (1979); Liv (2009); Mad Mission (1982); Magnolia (1999); Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 (2001); Mirage (2007); Mitchell (1975); Mom and Dad Save the World (1992); Mr. Saturday Night (1992); My Favorite Martian (1999); Nightflyers (1987); No Brakes (2013); On Screen (2005); One from the Heart (1981); Out on a Limb (1992); P.U.N.K.S. (1998); Plimpton! The Man on the Flying Trapeze (1971); Poltergeist (1982); Poseidon (2006); Problem Child (1990); Psycho II (1983); Psycho III (1986); Pump Up the Volume (1990); Purple People Eater (1988); Rainy Day Friends (1985); Ratboy (1986); Red Carpet Report (2011); Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985); Retribution (1987); Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993); Short Circuit 2 (1988); Side Show (1981); Sonic Boom (1975); Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983); State of Play (2009); Strong Medicine (2006); Stuart Saves His Family (1995); The Amazing Dobermans (1976); The Back-up Plan (2010); The Big Circus (1959); The Butterfly Circus (2009); The Dukes of Hazzard (1979); The Guyver (1991); The Hunted (2015); The Key (2010); The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981); The Monster Squad (1987); The Odd Couple II (1998); The Omega Code (1999); The Sandlot (1993); The Sandra West Diaries (2017); The Silence of the Hams (1994); The Silver Chalice (1954); The Stand (1994); The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982); The Towering Inferno (1974); They Call Me Superseven (2016); Throw Me Away (2009); Trapeze (1956); Tuff Turf (1985); Twin Peaks (1990); Ultra Flesh (1980); Unbound (2008); Underground Aces (1981); Up in the Air (2009); Virtual Combat (1995); Water for Elephants (2011); What Dreams May Come (1998); When the Circus Came to Town (1981); Where the Red Fern Grows (2003); Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988); Zoom (2006).

Born on this day – Leslie Nielsen:

Leslie Nielsen

Actor

Comedian

February 11, 1926 – November 28, 2010

Born on this day – Kim Stanley:

Kim Stanley

Actress

February 11, 1925 – August 20, 2001

Credits:

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1984); The Right Stuff (1983); Quincy M.E. (1983); Frances (1982); It Takes Two (1982); Night Gallery (1971); Medical Center (1969–1971); The Name of the Game (1971); Dragon Country (1970); NET Playhouse (1970); Flesh and Blood (1968); The Three Sisters (1966); Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964); The Eleventh Hour (1964); Ben Casey (1963); To Kill a Mockingbird (1962); Westinghouse Presents: That's Where the Town Is Going (1962); Armchair Theatre (1958–1960); Playhouse 90 (1957–1960); The DuPont Show of the Month (1960); The Goddess (1958); Kraft Theatre (1954–1957); Studio One (1957); Goodyear Playhouse (1952–1956); Playwrights '56 (1955–1956); The Elgin Hour (1955); Armstrong Circle Theatre (1954); Kraft Theatre (1953–1954); Inner Sanctum (1954); Danger (1951–1954); Omnibus (1954); You Are There (1953); The Gulf Playhouse (1953); Out There (1951); The Hurricane at Pilgrim Hill (1950); Sure As Fate (1950); The Trap (1950); Escape (1950).

Born on this day – Sidney Sheldon:

Sidney Sheldon

Writer

Producer

Director

Actor

February 11, 1917 – January 30, 2007

Credits:

Books:

A Stranger in the Mirror (1976); After the Darkness (2010); Angel of the Dark (2012); Are You Afraid of the Dark? (2004); Bloodline (1977); Chasing Tomorrow (2014); If Tomorrow Comes (1985); Master of the Game (1982); Memories of Midnight (1990); Mistress of the Game (1988); Morning, Noon & Night (1995); Nothing Lasts Forever (1994); Rage of Angels (1980); Reckless (2015); Roman Candle (1960); Tell Me Your Dreams (1998); The Adventures of Drippy (1996); The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1961); The Best Laid Plans (1997); The Doomsday Conspiracy (1991); The Naked Face (1970); The Other Side of Me (2005); The Other Side of Midnight (1973); The Phoenix (2019); The Sands of Time (1988); The Secret Keepers (2024); The Silent Widow (2019); The Sky is Falling (2000); The Stars Shine Down (1992); The Tides of Memory (2013); Windmills of the Gods (1987).

Movies and television:

A Stranger in the Mirror (1993); All in a Night's Work (1961); Annie Get Your Gun (1950); Anything Goes (1956); Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962); Bloodline (1979); Borrowed Hero (1941); Buster and Billie (1974); Colgate Theatre (1958); Dangerous Lady (1941); Dream Wife (1953); Easter Parade (1948); Ek Hasina Thi (2004); Fly-By-Night (1942); Gambling Daughters (1941); Hart to Hart (1979–1984); Hart to Hart Returns (1993); Hart to Hart: Crimes of the Hart (1994); Hart to Hart: Harts in High Season (1996); Hart to Hart: Home Is Where the Hart Is (1994); Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die (1994); Hart to Hart: Till Death Do Us Hart (1996); Hart to Hart: Two Harts in 3/4 Time (1995); Howie (1962); I Dream of Jeannie (1965–1970); I Dream of Jeannie... Fifteen Years Later (1985); I Still Dream of Jeannie (1991); If Tomorrow Comes (1986); Jeannie Aur Juju (2012–2014); Just This Once (1952); Master Dearest, from the Diaries of Jeannie (2020–2021); Master of the Game (1984); Mayonaka wa betsu no kao (2002); Memories of Midnight (1991); Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case (1941); Nancy (1970–1971); Nancy Goes to Rio (1950); No Questions Asked (1951); Nothing Lasts Forever (1995); Pardners (1956); Rage of Angels (1983); Rage of Angels: The Story Continues (1986); Remains to Be Seen (1953); Rich, Young and Pretty (1951); Shadow on the Land (1968); Sheriff's Star (1991); She's in the Army (1942); South of Panama (1941); Stage 7 (1955); The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947); The Barkleys of Broadway (1949); The Birds and the Bees (1956); The Buster Keaton Story (1957); The Comedy Spot (1960); The Naked Face (1984); The Other Side of Midnight (1977); The Patty Duke Show (1963–1966); The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights (1999); The Sands of Time (1992); The Twilight Zone (1986); Three Guys Named Mike (1951); Windmills of the Gods (1988); You're Never Too Young (1955).

Born on this day – Joseph L. Mankiewicz:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Director

Writer

Producer

Actor

February 11, 1909 – February 5, 1993

Credits:

5 Fingers (1952); A Christmas Carol (1938); A Letter to Three Wives (1949); A Letter to Three Wives (1985); After Office Hours (1935); Alice in Wonderland (1933); All About Eve (1950); Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935); Cairo (1942); Carol for Another Christmas (1964); Cleopatra (1963); Close Harmony (1929); Diplomaniacs (1933); Double Wedding (1937); Dragonwyck (1946); Dude Ranch (1931); Emergency Call (1933); Escape (1948); Fast Company (1929); Finn and Hattie (1931); Forsaking All Others (1934); Fury (1936); Guys and Dolls (1955); House of Strangers (1949); I Live My Life (1935); If I Had a Million (1932); I'll Never Forget You (1951); Julius Caesar (1953); June Moon (1931); King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (1969); Love on the Run (1936); Manhattan Melodrama (1934); Mannequin (1937); Meet the Baron (1933); Million Dollar Legs (1932); Newly Rich (1931); Night After Night (1932); No Way Out (1950); Only Saps Work (1930); Our Daily Bread (1934); Paramount on Parade (1930); People Will Talk (1951); Pleins feux (All About Eve) (1993); Pleins feux (All About Eve) (2017); Reckless (1935); Redheads on Parade (1935); Reunion in France (1942); Skippy (1931); Sky Bride (1932); Sleuth (1972); Slightly Scarlet (1930); Somewhere in the Night (1946); Sooky (1931); Strange Cargo (1940); Suddenly, Last Summer (1959); The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939); The Barefoot Contessa (1954); The Bride Wore Red (1937); The Dummy (1929); The Feminine Touch (1941); The Gang Buster (1931); The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947); The Gorgeous Hussy (1936); The Great Waltz (1938); The Honey Pot (1967); The Keys of the Kingdom (1944); The Late George Apley (1947); The Light of Western Stars (1930); The Man I Love (1929); The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu (1929); The Philadelphia Story (1940); The Pirate (1948); The Quiet American (1958); The River of Romance (1929); The Saturday Night Kid (1929); The Shining Hour (1938); The Shopworn Angel (1938); The Social Lion (1930); The Studio Murder Mystery (1929); The Virginian (1929); The Wild Man of Borneo (1941); There Was a Crooked Man... (1970); This Reckless Age (1932); Three Comrades (1938); Three Godfathers (1936); Thunderbolt (1929); Too Much Harmony (1933); Two Fisted (1935); Woman of the Year (1942); Woman Trap (1929).

Recommended reading – The Doomsday Conspiracy, by Sidney Sheldon (1991):

This is my favorite of all Sidney Sheldon’s books. Very different from his other glossy, more mainstream stories, this one surprised me; an entertaining and suspenseful science-fiction thriller. Fans of the movies Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), The Fugitive (1993), and the TV show The X-Files will see similar plot elements in The Doomsday Conspiracy.

– Jack Kost.

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The Doomsday Conspiracy

By Sidney Sheldon.

Paperback.

Published 1991.

Published by Warner Books.

ISBN 13: 9780006472087

ISBN 10: 0006472087

ASIN: 0006472087

Sample:

Prologue:

Uetendorf, Switzerland

Sunday, October 14, 1500 Hours

The witnesses standing at the edge of the field were staring in horrified silence, too stunned to speak. The scene that lay before them was grotesque, a primeval nightmare dredged up from some deep, dark depths of primitive man’s collective consciousness. Each witness had a different reaction. One fainted. A second one vomited. A woman was shaking uncontrollably. Another one thought: I’m going to have a heart attack! The elderly priest clutched his beads and crossed himself. Help me, Father. Help us all. Protect us against this evil incarnate. We have finally seen the face of Satan. It is the end of the world. Judgment Day has come.

Armageddon is here. … Armageddon … Armageddon …

Description from cover jacket:

‘The witnesses standing at the edge of the field were staring in horrified silence, too stunned to speak. The scene that lay before them was grotesque, a primeval nightmare…’

So begins The Doomsday Conspiracy, Sidney Sheldon’s eleventh novel and one that has been called his most ingenious and surprising. Navy Commander Robert Bellamy is assigned to investigate the crash of a weather balloon in the Swiss Alps. All witnesses to the accident must be found and questioned. However, for Bellamy it is the beginning of a journey of terror into the incomprehensible.

From Washington to London, Zurich, Rome, and Paris the story unfolds to reveal Bellamy’s past — why the woman he loves most cannot return his love, why his friends become his deadly enemies, and why the world must never learn an incredible secret shielded by an unknown lethal force.

Master of the unexpected. Master of the game. Best-selling author Sidney Sheldon has created The Doomsday Conspiracy, a tightly plotted, breathlessly paced thriller — and compelling love story — that confirms his best-selling status.

Chris Grabenstein, on reading:

Open a book and open your mind.

– Chris Grabenstein.

Simon Van Booy, on books and reading:

I read books because I love them,

not because I think I should read them.

- Simon Van Booy.