Sunday, August 17, 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:


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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:
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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:


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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 - Subway Stories: Tales from the Underground (1997):


Subway Stories: Tales from the Underground

aka SUBWAYstories,
was released in the United States on August 17, 1997.
Directed by Bob Balaban, Patricia Benoit, Julie Dash, Jonathan Demme, Ted Demme, Abel Ferrara, Alison Maclean, Craig McKay, Lucas Platt, Seth Zvi Rosenfeld.
Written by Adam Brooks, John Guare, Lynn Grossman, Angela Todd, Seth Zvi Rosenfeld, Albert Innaurato, Danny Hoch, Julie Dash, Marla Hanson, Joe Viola, Rosie Perez.
Music by Mecca Bodega.

Story segment titles:

Fern's Heart of Darkness
The 5: 24
Honey-Getter
The Listeners
Love on the A Train
Manhattan Miracle
The Red Shoes
Sax Cantor Riff
Subway Car from Hell
Underground

Cast:

Bill Irwin, KRS-One, Tina North, Paul Lazar, Andre B. Blake, Anthony S. Calypso, Robert W. Castle, Marlon Cherry, Carl J. Ferrazza, Daniel Freedman, Marc Mueller, Paul Mueller, Simon Seven, Joe Toutebon, Daniel Wolff, Mari Danzi, Lara McFarlane, Angie Utt, Audrey Meyers, Denis Leary, Christine Lahti, N'Bushe Wright, Kevin Corrigan, Marie Barrientos, O.L. Duke, Ellen Gould, John C. Vennema, Sixto Ramos, Erika Greene, Steve Zahn, Jerry Stiller, Bonnie Hunt, Richard Spore, Mekhi Phifer, José Ramón Rosario, Nancy Ticotin, John Ford Noonan, Lili Taylor, Michael Rapaport, Israel Horovitz, Mercedes Ruehl, Zachary Taylor, Peter Sarsgaard, Jeremy Jordan, Bruce Smolanoff, Rob Clasen, Jay Bailey, Sarita Choudhury, Nicole Ari Parker, Ajay Naidu, Danny Hoch, Steven Randazzo, Gi Shen, Kenny Garrett, Sam Rockwell, Sol Frieder, Tammi Cubilette, Kavi Ramachandran Ladnier, Bruklin Harris, Taral Hicks, Daniel Rous, Will Hare, Rosie Perez, Michael McGlone, Gretchen Mol, Gregory Hines, Anne Heche, George T. Odom, John D. Bair, John Bryant, Christopher Del Gaudio, Mark Robert Gordon, Stacie Johnsen, Adrian Lee, Bonnie Monaghan, Steve Nuke, Frank Turek, Chris White.

On this day in movie history - 12 Angry Men (1997):


12 Angry Men

directed by William Friedkin,
written by Reginald Rose,
based on the 1954 teleplay Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose,
was released in the United States on August 17, 1997.

Cast:

Courtney B. Vance, Ossie Davis, George C. Scott, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Dorian Harewood, James Gandolfini, Tony Danza, Jack Lemmon, Hume Cronyn, Mykelti Williamson, Edward James Olmos, William Petersen, Mary McDonnell, Tyrees Allen, Douglas Spain.

On this day in movie history - The Exorcist III (1990):


The Exorcist III

directed and written by William Peter Blatty,
based on novel Legion by William Peter Blatty,
was released in the United States on August 17, 1990.
Music by Barry De Vorzon.


Cast:

George C. Scott, Ed Flanders, Jason Miller, Scott Wilson, Brad Dourif, Grand L. Bush, Nicol Williamson, Nancy Fish, Tracy Thorne, Barbara Baxley, Harry Carey Jr., George DiCenzo, Tyra Ferrell, Lois Foraker, Don Gordon, Mary Jackson, Zohra Lampert, Ken Lerner, Viveca Lindfors, Lee Richardson, Kevin Corrigan, Demetrios Pappageorge, Jodi Long, Samuel L. Jackson, Amelia Campbell, C. Everett Koop, Larry King, Patrick Ewing, Teresa Wright, Fabio, Colleen Dewhurst, The Lennon Sisters.

On this day in movie history - Tightrope (1984):


Tightrope

directed and written by Richard Tuggle,
was released in the United States on August 17, 1984.
Music by Lennie Niehaus.


Cast:

Clint Eastwood, Geneviève Bujold, Dan Hedaya, Alison Eastwood, Jenny Beck, Marco St. John, Rebecca Perle, Regina Richardson, Randi Brooks, Jamie Rose, Margaret Howell, Rebecca Clemons, Janet MacLachlan, Graham Paul, Bill Holliday, John Wilmot, Margie O'Dair, Joy N. Houck Jr., Stuart Baker-Bergen, Donald Barber, Robert Harvey, Ron Gural, Layton Martens, Richard Charles Boyle, Becki Davis, Jonathan Sachar, Valerie Thibodeaux, Lionel Ferbos, Eliott Keener, Cary Wilmot Alden, David Valdes, James Borders, Fritz Manes, Jonathan Shaw, Don Lutenbacher, G. Wood, Kimberly Georgoulis, Glenda Byers, John Schluter, Nick Krieger, Lloyd Nelson, David Dahlgren, Rod Masterson, Glenn Wright, Angela Hill, Ted Saari, Tommy Gotti Coleman.

On this day in movie history - Westworld (1973):


Westworld

directed and written by Michael Crichton,
was released in the United States on August 17, 1973.
Music by Fred Karlin.


Cast:

Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, James Brolin, Alan Oppenheimer, Victoria Shaw, Dick Van Patten, Linda Gaye Scott, Steve Franken, Michael Mikler, Terry Wilson, Majel Barrett, Anne Randall, Nora Marlowe, Charles Seel, Robert Patten, Julie Marcus, Chris Holter.

On this day in movie history - Lady on a Train (1945):


Lady on a Train

directed by Charles David,
written by Edmund Beloin and Robert O’Brien,
based on a story by Leslie Charteris,
was released in the United States on August 17, 1945.
Music by Miklós Rózsa.


Cast:

Deanna Durbin, Ralph Bellamy, David Bruce, George Coulouris, Allen Jenkins, Dan Duryea, Edward Everett Horton, Jacqueline deWit, Patricia Morison, Elizabeth Patterson, Maria Palmer, Samuel S. Hinds, William Frawley, Thurston Hall, Kathleen O’Malley, Lash LaRue.

Born on this day – Anthony Valentine:


Anthony Valentine


Actor

August 17, 1939 – December 2, 2015

Credits:

A for Andromeda (1961); Adolf Eichmann - Begegnungen mit einem Mörder / documentary (2002); Adventure in the Hopfields (1954); After the War (1989); Age of Treason (1993); Aggie (1957); Airline (1982); Aladdin (1951); Alien Attack (1976); American Cuisine (1998); An Age of Kings (1960); Armchair Cinema (1975); Armchair Theatre (1966); Asian Connection: Midnight Orchid (1995); BBC Play of the Month (1982–1983); BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1958); Bergerac (1983); Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School (1955–1957); Biography (1995); Body & Soul (1993); Boon (1989); Born for Trouble (1955); Budgie (1971); Butterflies & Diamonds (2015); Call My Bluff (1974–1981); Callan (1967–1972); Captain Brassbound's Conversion (1953); Casualty (2009); Chuggington (2008–2010); Chuggington: Badge Quest (2011); Codename (1970); Colditz (1974); Coronation Street (2009–2010); Coronation Street at Christmas (2019); Covington Cross (1992); Dark Arts: Inside 'To the Devil a Daughter' (2018); Department S (1969); Diana: A Tribute to the People's Princess (1998); Dr. Finlay's Casebook (1969); Emergency-Ward 10 (1967); Emil and the Detectives (1952); Escape to Athena (1979); Escape to Athena: Cast and Crew Interviews (1978); A Father's Revenge (1988);Fun at St Fanny's (1955); Hammer House of Horror (1980); Hannay (1989); Heartbeat (2006); Inside the Tower (2015); Intrigue (1966); It's About Time (1979); ITV Play of the Week (1958); Jefferson in Paris (1995); Johnnie's Night Out (1954); Judge John Deed (2002); Justice (1971–1974); Killer Contract (1984); Lime Street (1985); Love Story (1966); Lovejoy (1986–1991); Masada (1981); Mencius Was a Bad Boy (1951); Minder (1979–1983); Monkey Business (1993); Moon and Son (1992); Murder Is Easy (1982); My Uncle Rollo (1954); New Tricks (2005); Night of One Hundred Stars (1980); No Way Back (1949); Noel's Telly Years (1997); Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial (2006); Pathfinders (1972); Performance (1970); Poirot (2006); Pop Culture Beast's Halloween Horror Picks (2015); Pulaski: The TV Detective (1987); Put Out More Flags (1970); Raffles (1975); Raffles (1975–1977); Rex Milligan (1956); Rheingold Theatre (1953); Riders (1993); Riviera Police (1965); Robin Hood (1984–1985); Saturday Playhouse (1961); Scobie in September (1969); Softly Softly (1969); Space: 1999 (1975); Spy Trap (1973); Stars on Sunday (1974); Stay Lucky (1991); Stranger in the House (1953); Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring (1961); Sunset Song (1971); Take Three Girls (1969); Tales of the Unexpected (1980–1982); The Attorney-General (1961); The Avengers (1967–1968); The Bill (1998); The Brain Machine (1955); The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1991); The Children of the New Forest (1955); The Commander: Abduction (2008); The Commander: Blackdog (2005); The Commander: Blacklight (2006); The Commander: Virus (2005); The Cornet Player (1959); The Damned (1962); The Dancing Years (1976); The Detectives (1994–1997); The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission (1988); The Donati Conspiracy (1973); The Expert (1969); The Fear (1988); The Fifth Corner (1992); The Flesh and the Fiends (1960); The Girl on the Pier (1953); The House of Angelo (1997); The House of Eliott (1991); The Knock (1994–1996); The Last Detective (2007); The Last Man Out (1962); The Madhouse on Castle Street / BBC Sunday-Night Play (1961); The Monster Club / Segment: Vampire Story (1981); The Plague Dogs (1982); The Scarf (1959); The Secret Way (1954); The True Mistery of the Passion (1960); The Way to Dusty Death (1995); The Wharf Road Mob (1957); The World About Us (1980–1982); Thirty-Minute Theatre (1967); This Is Your Life (1978–1995); This Man Craig (1967); Thriller (1975); To the Devil a Daughter (1976); To the Devil... The Death of Hammer (2002); Tower of Evil (1972); Two Men Went to War (2002); Van der Valk (1992); Vice Versa (1953); Waking the Dead (2001); West 11 (1963); When TV Goes to War (2011); Whodunnit? (1974); Z Cars (1972).

Born on this day – Luther Allison:


Luther Allison


Blues singer

Songwriter

Guitarist

August 17, 1939 – August 12, 1997

Credits:

Albums:

Bad News Is Coming (1972); Blue Streak (1995); Hand Me Down My Moonshine (1994); Here I Come (1985); I Owe It All To You (2024); Learn From The Past (2022); Let's Have A Natural Ball (1985); Let's Try It Again (1992); Life Is a Bitch (1984); Live '89: Let's Try It Again (2006); Live At Montreux 1986 (2006); Live in Chicago (1999); Live in Montreux 1976-1994 (2006); Live in Paris (1979); Love Me Mama (1969); Love Me Papa (1977); Luther Allison Live in Paris 1979 (2005); Luther's Blues (1974); Montreux 1976 (Live) (2017); More From Berlin (1990); My Time Ain't Long (2023); Night Life (1976); Pay It Forward (2002); Power Wire Blues (1979); Reckless (1997); Rich Man (1995); Serious (1987); Songs From The Road (2009); Soul Fixin' Man (1994); South Side Safari (1979); Standing at the Crossroad (1977); Sweet Home Chicago (2006); The Alligator Records Years (2013); The Motown Years 1972-1976 (1996); Time (1989); Underground (2007); When The Sun Goes Down (2024); Where Have You Been? Live In Montreux 1976-1994 (1996).

Movies and television:

Chorus (1978–1980); Cooley High (1975); Die Harald Schmidt Show (1996); Karussell (1985–1987); Lieder & Leute (1982); Little Fires Everywhere (2020); Lord Thing (1970); Mad Money (2008); Magnum P.I. (2020); Musical express (1979); Nobody (2021); Taratata (1997); The Big Easy (1997); The Breed (2006); The Good Life (2014).

Born on this day – Ted Hughes:


Ted Hughes


Writer

August 17, 1930 – October 28, 1998

Credits:

A March Calf (2019); A Ted Hughes Bestiary (2014); All Around the Year (1979); Animal Poems (1967); By Heart (2012); Cave Birds (1978); Crow (1970); Emily Dickinson (2011); Euripides' Alcestis (2011); Ffangs the Vampire Bat and the Kiss of Truth (1986); Gaudete (1977); How the Whale Became (1963); Letters of Ted Hughes (2010); Lupercal (1960); Meet My Folks (1973); Moon-Whales (1976); Moortown (1979); My Brother Bert (2009); Nessie the Mannerless Monster (1964); New and Selected Poems (2010); Remains of Elmet (2011); River (1983); Season Songs (2019); Selected Poems (1962); T. S. Eliot: A Tribute (1987); Tales of the Early World (1988); The Coming of the Kings (1970); The Dreamfighter (1995); The Earth Owl and Other Moon People (1963); The Hawk in the Rain (1957); The Iron Man aka The Iron Giant (1968); The Iron Wolf (2019); The Iron Woman (1993); The Love Pet (1985); The Thought Fox (2019); The Tiger's Bones (1974); Timmy the Tug (2009); What is the Truth? (1984); Wodwo (1967); Wolfwatching (1989).

Movies and television:

Beauty and the Beast (1982); Biography (2004); Crow (2014); Jackanory (1972–1995); Jackanory Playhouse (1972); MultiVersus (2024); Seven Crows a Secret (1994); Sylvia Plath: Inside the Bell Jar (2018); Ted Hughes: Stronger Than Death (2015); The Colossus (2010); The English Programme (1986–1998); The Iron Giant (1999); The Rain Horse (2008); The South Bank Show (1979–1981).

Born on this day – Jean Poiret:


Jean Poiret

Actor

Director

Writer

August 17, 1926 – March 14, 1992