Jack Kost: 08/02/25

Saturday, August 2, 2025

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?

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 movie history - Signs (2002):

Signs

directed and written by M. Night Shyamalan,

was released in the United States on August 2, 2002.
Music by James Newton Howard.

Cast:

Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin, Cherry Jones, M. Night Shyamalan, Patricia Kalember, Ted Sutton, Merritt Wever, Lanny Flaherty, Marion McCorry, Michael Showalter, Kevin Pires, Clifford David, Rhonda Overby, Greg Wood, Paul L. Nolan, Ukee Washington, Babita Hariani, Adam Way, Angela Eckert, Jose L. Rodriguez, Paul Wilson, Thomas Griffin, Mark Falvo, Derek Mears, Chuck Pressler, Samantha Steffen.

On this day in music history - Diesel and Dust, by Midnight Oil (1987):

Diesel and Dust

Album by Midnight Oil,
released August 2, 1987.

Track list:

Beds Are Burning; Put Down That Weapon; Dreamworld; Arctic World; Warakurna; The Dead Heart; Whoah; Bullroarer; Sell My Soul; Sometimes; Gunbarrel Highway.

On this day in movie history - In the Heat of the Night (1967):

In the Heat of the Night

directed by Norman Jewison,

written by Stirling Silliphant,

based on the novel by John Ball,

was released in the United States on August 2, 1967.
Music by Quincy Jones.
Theme song In the Heat of the Night written by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman.
Sung by Ray Charles.

Cast:

Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Lee Grant, Larry Gates, James Patterson, William Schallert, Beah Richards, Peter Whitney, Kermit Murdock, Larry D. Mann, Matt Clark, Arthur Malet, Fred Stewart, Quentin Dean, Scott Wilson, Timothy Scott, William C. Watson, Eldon Quick, Stuart Nisbet, Khalil Bezaleel, Peter Masterson, Jester Hairston, Phil Adams, Nikita Knatz, Sam Reese, Anthony James, Clegg Hoyt, Alan Oppenheimer, Buzz Barton.

On this day in movie history - Black Angel (1946):

Black Angel

directed by Roy William Neill,

written by Roy Chanslor,

based on the novel The Black Angel by Cornell Woolrich,

was released in the United States on August 2, 1946.
Music by Frank Skinner.

Cast:

Dan Duryea, June Vincent, Peter Lorre, Broderick Crawford, Constance Dowling, Wallace Ford, Hobart Cavanaugh, Freddie Steele, John Phillips, Ben Bard, Junius Matthews, Marion Martin, Archie Twitchell, Maurice St. Clair, Vilova, Robert Williams.

Born on this day – Max Wright:

Max Wright

Actor

August 2, 1943 – June 26, 2019

Credits:

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999); A Minute with Stan Hooper (2003); A Mother's Gift (1995); Aaahh!!! Real Monsters (1996); AfterMASH (1984); ALF (1986–2004); ALF on ALF (2023); All That Jazz (1979); Back to Norm (2005); Benson (1985); Brilliant But Cancelled (2002); Buffalo Bill (1983–1984); Cheers (1986); Code Name: Foxfire (1985); Code Red (1982); Comedy Factory (1986); Dangerous Company (1982); Dead by Midnight (1997); Dudley (1993); E/R (1984); Early Edition (1996); Easter (2002); Faerie Tale Theatre (1987); Fan des années 80 (2010); For Ladies Only (1981); Fraternity Vacation (1985); Friends (1994–1995); From the Earth to the Moon (1998); Ghostwriter (1992); Going to the Chapel (1988); Great Performances (1971); Grumpier Old Men (1995); Hart to Hart (1982); High Incident (1996); I Gave at the Office (1984); Konrad (1985); Last Embrace (1979); Liberty (1986); Lincoln: Trial by Fire (1974); Mad About You (1998); Misfits of Science (1985–1986); Monty (1994); Murder, She Wrote (1991); Murphy Brown (1993); Norm (1999–2001); Open All Night (1982); Playing for Time (1980); Quantum Leap (1992); Red Alert (1977); Reds (1981); Roc (1993); Scandal Sheet (1985); Simon (1980); Snow Falling on Cedars (1999); Soul Man (1986); Tales from the Darkside (1983); Taxi (1982); The 52nd Annual Tony Awards (1998); The 53rd Annual Tony Awards (1999); The Boy Who Loved Trolls (1984); The Drew Carey Show (1999); The John Larroquette Show (1996); The Powers That Be (1992); The Shadow (1994); The Stand (1994); The Sting II (1983); Touch and Go (1986); Twelfth Night, or What You Will (1998); White Mile (1994); Who's the Boss? (1992); WKRP in Cincinnati (1982); You Are the Jury (1987).

Born on this day – Patrick Adiarte:

Patrick Adiarte

Actor

Dancer

August 2, 1943 – April 16, 2025

Credits:

A Classic Evolves: From Print to Stage to Screen (2006); American Masters (2009); Bonanza (1971); CBS Playhouse (1967); Faces of the East: Casting Flower Drum Song (2006); Flower Drum Song (1961); Hawaii Five-O (1972); High Time (1960); Hullabaloo (1965–1966); Hullabaloo Vol. 8 (1996); Ironside (1970); It Takes a Thief (1968); John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965); Kojak (1974); Look Up and Live (1967); M*A*S*H (1972–1973); Omnibus (1958); Step Out of Your Mind (1966); The Brady Bunch (1972); The Enchanted Nutcracker (1961); The King and I (1956); The New Temperatures Rising Show (1973); The Songs of 'Flower Drum Song' (2006); Welcome to Woop Woop (1997).

Born on this day – Wes Craven:

Wes Craven

Director

Writer

Producer

Actor

Editor

August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015

Born on this day – Peter O'Toole:

Peter O'Toole

Actor

August 2, 1932 – December 14, 2013

Born on this day – Charles Einstein:

Charles Einstein

Writer

August 2, 1926 – March 7, 2007

Born on this day – Carroll O'Connor:

Carroll O'Connor

Actor

Producer

Director

August 2, 1924 – June 21, 2001

Born on this day – Carlo Savina:

Carlo Savina

Composer

August 2, 1919 – June 23, 2002

Born on this day – Joseph Hayes:

Joseph Hayes

Writer

August 2, 1918 – September 11, 2006

Credits:

Books and plays:

Bon Voyage!; Calculated Risk; Come into my Parlor; Don't Go Away Mad; Impolite Comedy; Is Anyone Listening?; Island on Fire; Leaf and Bough; Like Any Other Fugitive; Missing and Presumed Dead; No Escape; Summer in Copenhagen; The Deep End; The Desperate Hours; The Happiest Millionaire; The Hours After Midnight; The Long Dark Night; The Midnight Sun; The Third Day; The Ways of Darkness; Winner's Circle.

Movies and television:

Bon Voyage! (1962); Desperate Hours (1990); Ich melde einen Selbstmord (1989); Lux Video Theatre (1953); Pour cent millions (1994); Starlight Theatre (1950); Stolen Hours (1963); Stunden der Angst (1964); Suspense (1949); Terror After Midnight (1962); The Bigelow Theatre (1951); The Desperate Hours (1955 / 1967); The Happiest Millionaire (1967); The Magical World of Disney (1970); The Third Day (1965); The Web (1951); The Young Doctors (1961).