Tuesday, October 7, 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 - Violent Night (2022):


Violent Night

directed by Tommy Wirkola,
written by Pat Casey and Josh Miller,
was released at the New York Comic Con in the United States on October 7, 2022.
Music by Dominic Lewis.


Cast:

David Harbour, John Leguizamo, Beverly D'Angelo, Alex Hassell, Alexis Louder, Edi Patterson, Cam Gigandet, Leah Brady, André Eriksen, Brendan Fletcher, Mike Dopud, Alexander Elliot, Mitra Suri, Can Aydin, Phong Giang, Finn McCager Higgins, Rawleigh Clements-Willis, Stephanie Sy, Cha-Lee Yoon, Marina Stephenson Kerr, John B. Lowe, Ray Strachan, Sean Skene, Thomas Lorber, Erik Athavale, Adam Hurtig, Robert Borges, Adrian Persad, Marc-Andre Brisebois, Dylan Rampulla, Maxime Laurin, Christopher Sean Nott, Jake Kennerd, Carson Nattrass, Lance Cartwright, Alan Castanaga, Jeff Strome, Shannon Guile, Anders Strome, Darren Ross, BJ Verot, Tristan Carlucci, James Durham, Brent Poplawski, Frederick Allen, DJ Brotherson, Vance Halldorson, Derek James Trapp.

On this day in movie history - Phantasm V: Ravager (movie & book):


Phantasm V: Ravager

aka Phantasm: RaVager and Phantasm: Ravager,
directed by David Hartman,
written by David Hartman and Don Coscarelli,
was released in the United States on October 7, 2016.
Music by Christopher L. Stone.


Cast:

A. Michael Baldwin, Reggie Bannister, Dawn Cody, Gloria Lynne Henry, Stephen Jutras, Kathy Lester, Bill Thornbury, Daniel Roebuck, Daniel Schweiger, Cean Okada, Joe Jefferson, Kenneth V. Jones, Cesare Gagliardoni, Kathleen Hartman, Tim Divar, Vinton Heuck, Tyler O. Super, Jonathan Sims, Kyle Shire, Jay Oliva, Angus Scrimm, James Brink.


Recommended reading:

Further Exhumed:
The Strange Case of Phantasm Ravager

By Dustin McNeill.

Published by Harker Press.
Published 2018.
ISBN-10: 069205703X
ISBN-13: 978-0692057032

Description:

IT'S A STORY OF BLOOD, SWEAT AND SPHERES!
The fifth and final PHANTASM took an incredible eight years to go from set to screen. The project began as an experimental short before becoming a thirteen-part web series and finally a feature length sequel. Shot in secret on a microbudget, RAVAGER reunites PHANTASM's core cast thirty-five years after the original cult classic. The new sequel filmed not in Hollywood soundstages but in the homes of cast and crew. Visual effects were handled mostly by the director. Decades-old props were taken out of storage and dusted off for reuse. They just don't make movies like this anymore. In fact, they never really did to begin with. Such is THE STRANGE CASE OF PHANTASM RAVAGER!

FURTHER EXHUMED includes:

A thorough chronicle of the journey from web series to feature film.
Analysis of unproduced scripts by Roger Avary and Stephen Romano.
Examination of RAVAGER’s story, themes and conclusion.
Info on deleted scenes and alternate dialogue.
Why the film was delayed years after announcement.
Details on filming locations and special effects.
A breakdown of the Red Credit sequence.
Phantasmic Drink Recipes and Trivia Questions from the Hollywood Premiere.
More tips and tricks for better embalming (still kidding!)

On this day in music history - Trail of Dreams, by 2002 (2014):


Trail of Dreams

Album by 2002,
released October 7, 2014.

Track list:

Into the Light; Sky; Wait for Me; Trail of Dreams; Ta MÉ ‘Mo Shuí; Navigatio; Follow Your Star; Far from Home; Deep Horizon; Ever Onward.

On this day in music history - Susan Graham at Carnegie Hall, by Susan Graham and Malcolm Martineau (2003):


Susan Graham at Carnegie Hall

Album by Susan Graham and Malcolm Martineau,
released October 7, 2003.

Track list:

Zigeunerlieder (8), for voice & piano (arranged from Op. 103); He, Zigeuner, greife in die Saiten ein! / Johannes Brahms; Hochgetürmte Rimaflut / Johannes Brahms; Wisst ihr, wann mein Kindchen am allerschönsten ist? / Johannes Brahms; Lieber Gott, du weißt / Johannes Brahms; Brauner Bursche führt zum Tanze / Johannes Brahms; Röslein dreie in der Reihe / Johannes Brahms; Kommt dir manchmal in den Sinn / Johannes Brahms; Rote Abendwolken ziehn am Firmament / Johannes Brahms; Proses lyriques (4), song collection for voice & piano, L. 84; De rêve / Claude Debussy; De grève / Claude Debussy; De fleurs / Claude Debussy; De soir / Claude Debussy; Early Songs (7), for voice & piano (or orchestra); Nacht / Alban Berg; Schilflied / Alban Berg; Die Nachtigall / Alban Berg; Traumgekrönt / Alban Berg; Im Zimmer / Alban Berg; Liebesode / Alban Berg; Sommertage / Alban Berg; Quatre poèmes de Guillaume Apollinaire, for voice & piano, FP 58; L’Anguille / Francis Poulenc; Carte postale / Francis Poulenc; Avant le ciméma / Francis Poulenc; 1904 / Francis Poulenc; Les P’tites Michu, operetta; Vois-tu, je m’en veux / André Messager; J’ai deux amants / André Messager; Toi c’est moi, operetta; C’est ça la vie, c’est ça l’amour / Moisés Simóns; A Chloris, for voice & piano (from “Melodies, Book II”) / Reynaldo Hahn; Fantoches (“Scaramouche et Pulcinella”), song for voice & piano, L. 21 / Claude Debussy; Liebst du um Schönheit, song for voice & piano in C major (Rückert Lieder No. 5) / Gustav Mahler; (I Can Be A) Sexy Lady, for voice & piano / Ben Moore.

On this day in music history - This Moment Now, by 2002 (2003):


This Moment Now

Album by 2002,
released October 7, 2003.

Track list:

Suddenly Yours; Sunny Day; Morning of Light; Even Now; Life Is; Moment of Love; Romancing the Moon; A Gate of Dreams; Children in Time; Bliss; Dreaming of You.

On this day in the Star Trek universe:

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1989)


Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 3. Episode 3.
Episode entitled: The Survivors.
Released October 7, 1989.
Directed by Les Landau.
Written by Michael Wagner.
Created by Gene Roddenberry.
Music by Dennis McCarthy.
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, Gates McFadden, John Anderson, Anne Haney, Michael Braveheart, Mitchell R. Danton, Richard Sarstedt, Natalie Wood.

On this day in movie history - Alien Nation (1988):


Alien Nation

directed by Graham Baker,
written by Rockne S. O'Bannon,
was released in the United States on October 7, 1988.
Music by Curt Sobel.


Cast:

James Caan, Mandy Patinkin, Terence Stamp, Kevyn Major Howard, Leslie Bevis, Peter Jason, Conrad Dunn, Jeff Kober, Roger Aaron Brown, Tony Simotes, Michael David Simms, Ed Krieger, Tony Perez, Brian Thompson, Francis X. McCarthy, Keone Young, Don Hood, Earl Boen, William E. Dearth, Robert Starr, Bobby Sargent, Bebe Drake, Edgar Small, Thomas Wagner, Abraham Alvarez, Harri James, Frank Collison, Tom DeFranco, Angela O'Neill, Seth Marten, Kendall Conrad, Brian Lando, Tom Morga, Regis Parton, Jessica James, Tom Finnegan, Doug MacHugh, Lawrence Kopp, Alec Gillis, Shuko Akune, Stephanie Shroyer, Frank Wagner, Clarence Landry, Van Ling, Mark Murphey, Kirsten Graham, George Robotham, Debra Seitz, James De Closs, Douglas Cameron, Jasper Cole, Lorenzo Gaspar, Eric Kay, Dee Giffin Scott.

Never Cry Wolf (1983) - a REAL walk on the wild side:


Never Cry Wolf

This Disney production, directed by Carroll Ballard, released in the United States on October 7, 1983, is a somber and beautiful nature movie, set in the snow-bound Canadian wilderness.


Charles Martin Smith plays Tyler, a Government biologist, sent to the harsh and unforgiving region to ascertain whether wolves are responsible for the alarming decline of the Caribou herds.

On the outset of his mission, Tyler encounters Rosie (Brian Dennehy), who initially seems friendly – even though borderline psychotic, but later emerges as an astute fortune hunter.
Symbolizing the worst of mankind, Rosie is there only to destroy the habitat in a money-making enterprise.

Early in the story, Tyler is rescued and befriended by Ootek (Zachary Ittimangnaq), and learns about the lifestyle of the indigenous Inuit people.


Never Cry Wolf is a visual feast; the landscape scenery is breathtaking, and Mark Isham’s music score is haunting.

It’s based on the autobiographical book by Farley Mowat, presented here as the character, Tyler.

The slow and thoughtful pace of the movie is lightened with the comic scenes of Tyler drinking tea by the gallon, and urinating around his base camp, scent-marking it as the wolf establishes his territory.
It turns into a battle of the wills and bladders between man and wolf, until the wolf finally accepts the boundary of Tyler's territory.

Later, Tyler learns the wolf is not the culprit and vital to the balance of nature: culling only the injured and slowest Caribou – effectively keeping the herd strong.
The wolves’ main food is the multitudes of field mice – of which Tyler also chows on as an experiment, after the mice swarm his tent and his own food reserves are depleting.


I believe in conservation and I love the wolf in particular.
Never Cry Wolf is delicately compelling and melancholic.
I empathized with Tyler, and appreciate the necessity to conserve and protect this beautiful planet: our home.

One of my favorite scenes is near the end: Tyler, with the heavy snow and the brutal winter set in around him, sits at the edge of a lake and blows hard on a bassoon.
The sound is heard by a distant wolf pack, and they howl back, acknowledging the distance between them, a declaration that neither Tyler, nor the rest of mankind, belong there.


Never Cry Wolf moved me with two reflective and potent realities of the region: sadness and silence.

Everything there seems to be on an inexorable path towards extinction: the caribou, wolves, Inuit people, and even the habitat itself.

The illusion of a place where the only things to cut through the silence are the howl of a wolf, or the wind, is that time appears to stand still.


Charles Martin Smith and Brian Dennehy played great roles.

However, like the wilderness, this movie belongs to the wolves.


One particular line resonates with me, and I hope it never becomes prophetic of the wolves and the plight of the natural world:

I believe the wolves went off to a wild and distant place somewhere, although I don’t really know, because I turned away and didn’t watch them go.
– Charles Martin Smith, as Tyler.