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 movie history - Exhibition on Screen: Hopper - An American Love Story (2022):

Exhibition on Screen: Hopper - An American Love Story

documentary directed by Phil Grabsky,

was released in the United States on October 18, 2022.

On this day in the Star Trek universe:

Star Trek (1968)

Star Trek: Voyager (2000)

Star Trek

Season 3. Episode 5.

Episode entitled: Is There in Truth No Beauty?

Released October 18, 1968.

Directed by Ralph Senensky.

Written by Jean Lisette Aroeste, Arthur H. Singer.

Created by Gene Roddenberry.

Music by Alexander Courage.

Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Nichelle Nichols, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Majel Barrett, Walter Koenig, Diana Muldaur, David Frankham, Bill Blackburn, Bob Bralver, Frank da Vinci, Vince Deadrick Sr., Louie Elias, Dick Geary, Alan Gibbs, Roger Holloway, Jeannie Malone, Robert Metz, Eddie Paskey, Frieda Rentie.

Star Trek: Voyager

Season 7. Episode 3.

Episode entitled: Drive.

Released October 18, 2000.

Directed by Winrich Kolbe.

Created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor.

Written by Michael Taylor, Robert Doherty.

Based on Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry.

Music by Jay Chattaway.

Cast: Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Robert Duncan McNeill, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo, Tim Russ, Garrett Wang, Jeri Ryan, Cyia Batten, Brian George, Patrick Kilpatrick, Robert Tyler, Chris Covics, Majel Barrett, John Lee Ames, Michael Bailous, Faith Burton, Steve Chvany, Tarik Ergin, Michael N. Fujimoto, Bill Hacket, Matt Hanson, Peter Scott Harmyk, Grace Harrell, Susan Henley, Kerry Hoyt, Rubin Knight, Alicia Lewis, Brock Lumarque, Tom Miller, Stephen Pisani, Charles Poynter, Dominic Rambaran, Keith Rayve, Joey Sakata, Richard Sarstedt, Linnea Soohoo, Pablo Soriano, Phoenix Wong.

On this day in music history - The Blues Is Life, by Victoria Spivey (1962):

The Blues Is Life

Album by Victoria Spivey,

recorded October 18, 1962.

Track list:

By Yourself; Eagle and Hawk; You’re My Man; Don’t Worry About It; Low Friends; Kazoo Papa Blues; Don’t Care; My Head Is Bad; Six Foot Daddy; Can I Wash Your Clothes; Good Sissages; Big Black Belt.

On this day in television history - M Squad (1957):

M Squad

Season 1. Episode 5.

Episode entitled: Face of Evil.

Released October 18, 1957.

Directed by Don Weis.

Written by Bernard C. Schoenfeld.

Based on a story by David Alexander.

Music by Stanley Wilson.

Cast:

Lee Marvin, Werner Klemperer, Kevin Hagen, Morris Ankrum, Russell Thorson, Joseph Mell, Barbara Pepper, Barney Phillips, Vernon Rich, Madge Blake, Allen Emerson, Anthony Lawrence.

On this day in movie history - Joe MacBeth (movie & play):

Joe MacBeth

directed by Ken Hughes,

written by Philip Yordan and Ken Hughes,

based on the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare,

released in the United Kingdom on October 18, 1955.

Music by Trevor Duncan.

Cast:

Paul Douglas, Ruth Roman, Bonar Colleano, Grégoire Aslan, Sidney James, Harry Green, Walter Crisham, Kay Callard, Robert Arden, George Margo, Minerva Pious, Philip Vickers, Mark Baker, Bill Nagy, Al Mulock, Victor Baring, Jess Conrad, Shirley Douglas, Beresford Egan, Louise Grant, Launce Maraschal, Robert O'Neil, Johnny Ross, Nicholas Stuart, Teresa Thorne, Sheila Woods.

Recommended reading:

Macbeth

By William Shakespeare.

Edited by Barbara A. Mowat & Paul Werstine.

Folger Shakespeare Library.

Published by Simon & Schuster.

First published 1623.

ISBN-10: 0743477103

ISBN-13: 9780743477109

Description:

The authoritative edition of Macbeth from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers.

In 1603, James VI of Scotland ascended the English throne, becoming James I of England. London was alive with an interest in all things Scottish, and Shakespeare turned to Scottish history for material. He found a spectacle of violence and stories of traitors advised by witches and wizards, echoing James’s belief in a connection between treason and witchcraft.

In depicting a man who murders to become king, Macbeth teases us with huge questions. Is Macbeth tempted by fate, or by his or his wife’s ambition? Why does their success turn to ashes?

Like other plays, Macbeth speaks to each generation. Its story was once seen as that of a hero who commits an evil act and pays an enormous price. Recently, it has been applied to nations that overreach themselves and to modern alienation. The line is blurred between Macbeth’s evil and his opponents’ good, and there are new attitudes toward both witchcraft and gender.

This edition includes:

Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play.

Newly revised explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play.

Scene-by-scene plot summaries.

A key to the play’s famous lines and phrases.

An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language.

An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play.

Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books.

An up-to-date annotated guide to further reading.

Essay by Susan Snyder.

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs.

On this day in movie history - The Maltese Falcon (movie & novel):

The Maltese Falcon

directed and written by John Huston,

based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett,

was released in the United States on October 18, 1941.
Music by Adolph Deutsch.

Cast:

Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George, Peter Lorre, Barton MacLane, Lee Patrick, Sydney Greenstreet, Ward Bond, Jerome Cowan, Elisha Cook Jr., James Burke, Murray Alper, John Hamilton, Walter Huston.

Recommended reading:

The Maltese Falcon

By Dashiell Hammett.

Introduction by Richard Russo.

First published 1930.

Published by Vintage Crime / Black Lizard.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0679722645

ISBN-13: 978-0679722649

Description:

“Hammett … wrote scenes that seemed never to have been written before.” – Raymond Chandler.

Detective Sam Spade is a private eye with his own solitary code of ethics. When his partner is killed during a stakeout, he is drawn into the hunt for a fantastic treasure with a dubious provenance – a golden bird encrusted with jewels. Also on the trail are a perfumed grifter named Joel Cairo, an oversized adventurer named Gutman, and Spade’s new client Brigid O’Shaughnessy, a beautiful and treacherous woman whose loyalties shift at the drop of a dime.

These are the ingredients of Dashiell Hammett’s coolly glittering gem of detective fiction, a novel that has haunted generations of readers.

“Hammett’s prose [is] clean and entirely unique. His characters [are] as sharply and economically defined as any in American fiction.” – The New York Times.

On this day in movie history - The Doorway to Hell (1930):

The Doorway to Hell

directed by Archie Mayo,

written by George Rosener,

based on the story A Handful of Clouds by Rowland Brown,

was released in the United States on October 18, 1930.
Music by Erno Rapee and Louis Silvers.

Cast:

Lew Ayres, Charles Judels, Dorothy Mathews, Leon Janney, Robert Elliott, James Cagney, Kenneth Thomson, Jerry Mandy, Noel Madison, Eddie Kane, Tom Wilson, Dwight Frye.