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 the Star Trek universe:

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1990)

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Season 3. Episode 10.

Episode entitled: The Defector.

Released January 1, 1990.

Directed by Robert Scheerer.

Written by Sam Rolfe, Richard Danus.

Created by Gene Roddenberry.

Music by Ron Jones.

Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, Gates McFadden, James Sloyan, Andreas Katsulas, John Hancock, Simon Templeman, Rachen Assapiomonwait, Majel Barrett, Jeremy Doyle, James McElroy, Oliver Theess, Natalie Wood.

On this day in music history:

Woodlands by Eric Tingstad, Nancy Rumbel & David Lanz (1987)

Mozart Requiem (1991)

Nightscenes by Michael Whalen (1996)

Cecilia Bartoli: Live in Italy (1998)

Cecilia Bartoli Sings Haydn (2001)

Wayfaring Stranger - A Spiritual Songbook by Kristin Asbjørnsen (2006)

Wildfire by Rachel Platten (2016)

Woodlands

Album by Eric Tingstad, Nancy Rumbel & David Lanz,

released January 1, 1987.

Track list: Willow; Magnolia; Oaks; Cypress; Cottonwood; Deodora; Sequoia; Woodlands; Bamboo; Madrona.

Mozart Requiem

Directed by Humphrey Burton, Michael Weinmann.

Cast: Georg Solti, Arleen Augér, Cecilia Bartoli, Vinson Cole, René Pape, Chor der Wiener Staatsoper / Konzertvereinigung Wiener, Wiener Philharmoniker.

Released January 1, 1991.

Nightscenes

Album by Michael Whalen,

released January 1, 1996.

Track list: Evening Blurs Into The Neon; Close Your Eyes, The Right Approaches; Acquainted With The Night; Part One: Light-Sky-Stars; Part Two: Passages; Part Three: Faces; Part Four: Love; Into The Darkness Part One: The Heart Of Midninght; Into The Darkness Part Two: Journey Towards The Sunrise; It Happened On A Sunday.

Cecilia Bartoli: Live in Italy

Directed by Brian Large.

Cast: Cecilia Bartoli, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca.

Released January 1, 1998.

Cecilia Bartoli Sings Haydn

Directed by Brian Large.

Cast: Cecilia Bartoli, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Concentus musicus Wien.

Released January 1, 2001.

Wayfaring Stranger - A Spiritual Songbook

Album by Kristin Asbjørnsen,

released January 1, 2006.

Track list: Trying To Get Home; I’m On My Way; Ride Up In The Chariot; Now We Take This Feeble Body; In That Morning; Come Go With Me; Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down; Going Up; Don’t Be Weary Traveller; I Am A Poor Wayfaring Stranger / Going Over Jordan; Oh Glory.

Wildfire

Album by Rachel Platten,

released January 1, 2016.

Track list: Stand by You; Hey Hey Hallelujah (feat. Andy Grammar); Speechless; Beating Me Up; Fight Song; Better Place; Lone Ranger; You Don't Know My Heart; Angels in Chelsea; Astronauts; Congratulations; Superman.

On this day in television history - M Squad (1960):

M Squad

Season 3. Episode 15.
Episode entitled: The Twisted Way.
Released January 1, 1960.
Directed by Marc Lawrence.
Written by Adam Williams.
Music by Benny Carter.

Cast:

Lee Marvin, Paul Newlan, Joanna Barnes, Charles Cooper, Walter Coy, Virginia Christine, Tetsu Komai, S. John Launer, Eddie Parker, Don Turner.

On this day in movie history - The Phantom Carriage (1921 movie & novel):

The Phantom Carriage

a.k.a. The Stroke of Midnight & Thy Soul Shall Bear Witness,

directed and written by Victor Sjöström,

based on the novel Thy Soul Shall Bear Witness, original Swedish title: Körkarlen,

by Selma Lagerlöf,

released in Sweden on January 1, 1921.

Music by Eric Westberg.

Cast:

Victor Sjöström, Hilda Borgström, Tore Svennberg, Astrid Holm, Concordia Selander, Lisa Lundholm, Tor Weijden, Einar Axelsson, Olof Ås, Nils Aréhn, Simon Lindstrand, Nils Elffors, Algot Gunnarsson, Hildur Lithman, Josua Bengtson, Emmy Albiin, Helga Brofeldt, Mona Geijer-Falkner, Signe Wirff, Anna-Lisa Baude, Arthur Natorp, Carl Harald, Fridolf Rhudin, Elof Ahrle, Julia Cæsar, Edvin Adolphson, John Ekman.

Recommended reading:

Thy Soul Shall Bear Witness

By Selma Lagerlöf.

Translated by William Frederick Harvey.

Published by e-artnow.

First published 1912.

ISBN-10: 8027340209

ISBN-13: 9788027340200

Description:

Thy Soul Shall Bear Witness is a result of a collaboration between Selma Lagerlöf and the Swedish association. The novel was written as a means of public education about tuberculosis. It is set in a small town in Sweden at the beginning of the 20th century. Edith, a young "Slum Sister" (social worker) in the service of the Salvation Army is on her death bed dying of tuberculosis. She requests that before she dies, she would like to again see David Holm, one of her charges. It becomes apparent that the two have a special relationship.

On this day in television history - The Outlaw and His Wife (1918):

The Outlaw and His Wife

Swedish title: Berg-Ejvind och hans hustru,

directed by Victor Sjöström,

written by Victor Sjöström and Sam Ask,

based on the 1911 play by Jóhann Sigurjónsson.

Based on the true 1760 case of Eyvind of the Mountains.

Released in Sweden on January 1, 1918.

Orchestra music by Röda Kvarns Orkester and Rudolf Sahlberg.

Cast:

Victor Sjöström, Edith Erastoff, John Ekman, Nils Aréhn, Jenny Tschernichin-Larsson, William Larsson, Artur Rolén, Sigurd Wallén, Emil Fjellström, Hildur Carlberg, Edith Wallén, Harald Wehlnor, Thure Holm, Gucken Cederborg, Nils Elffors, Olof Ås, Herman Lantz, Walerie Alexandrow-Höök.

Born on this day – Kimble Rendall:

Kimble Rendall

Director

Writer

Musician

January 1, 1954 – April 20, 2025

Credits:

7 Guardians of the Tomb (2018); Bait (2012); Behind the Scenes of Cut (2000); Better Than Sex (2000); Boom Crash Opera: Hands Up in the Air (1986); Casanova (2005); Cold Chisel: Flame Trees (1984); Consolation Prize (1980); Counting the Beat (1997); Cut (2000); Cut: Cast and Crew Interviews (2000); Day Out of Days: The 'I, Robot' Production Diaries (2004); Enter the Matrix (2003); Garage Days (2002); Genre Summit (2016); Ghost Rider (2007); Gods of Egypt (2016); Hayride to Hell (1995); Hoodoo Gurus: Leilani (1982); I, Robot (2004); Johnny Diesel & The Injectors: Cry in Shame (1989); Killer Elite (2011); Knowing (2009); Mental As Anything: Live It Up (1985); Paul Kelly: Careless (1989); Popbot (2025); Shark's Paradise (1986); Spirit of Vengeance: The Making of 'Ghost Rider' (2007); Territory (2024); The Applicant (1982); The Burly Man Chronicles (2004); The Challenge (1986–1987); The Jesters (2009); The Making of 'Bait' (2013); The Matrix Reloaded (2003); The Matrix Revolutions (2003); The Matrix Revolutions: Crew (2004); The Tourist (2022); Three Chords and a Wardrobe (1998); Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009).

Born on this day – Sarah Andrews:

Sarah Andrews

Writer

January 1, 1949 – July 24, 2019

Credits:

A Fall in Denver (1995); An Eye for Gold (2000); Bone Hunter (1999); Dead Dry (2005); Deadly Allies (1992); Earth Colors (2004); Fault Line (2002); In Cold Pursuit (2007); Killer Dust (2003); Mother Nature (1997); Only Flesh and Bones (1998); Rock Bottom (2012); Tensleep (1994).

Born on this day – Rick Hurst:

Rick Hurst

Actor

January 1, 1946 – June 26, 2025

Credits:

227 (1989); All-Star Family Feud Special (1980); Amanda's (1983); Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill (1979); Anywhere But Here (1999); B My Guest (2016); Baretta (1977); Big Bob Johnson and His Fantastic Speed Circus (1978); Blue City (1986); Break the Bank (1976); Celebrity Bowling (1976); CHiPs (1979); Chopper One (1974); Donny and Marie (1976); Earth Girls Are Easy (1988); Evening Shade (1990); Executive Action (1973); Family Matters (1993); From Here to Eternity (1979); Get Christie Love! (1974); Going Ape! (1981); Good Grief (1990); Gunsmoke (1973); Happy Days (1974); Highway to Heaven (1985); In the Line of Fire (1993); It's Good to Be Alive (1974); Jackals (1986); Keep Off My Grass! (1975); Kojak (1973); Kung Fu (1973); Little House on the Prairie (1974); Little House Years (1979); Love, American Style / Segments Love and the Seven Year Wait / Love and the Family Hour (1973); M*A*S*H (1977 / 1978); Madam Sheriff (1979); Melrose Place (1993); Mothers, Daughters and Lovers (1989); Murder, She Wrote (1989); Night Games (1974); On the Rocks (1975–1976); Paper Moon (1974); Perfect Strangers (1990); Pistol Pete (1996); Return of the Killer Shrews (2012); Runaway Car (1997); Sanford and Son (1972); Shoot for the Stars (1977); Sidekicks (1987); Starman (1986); Steel Magnolias (1989); Stumpers! (1976); Suckers (1999); Supertrain (1979); The $10,000 Pyramid (1976–1982); The $25,000 Pyramid (1982); The Blue Knight (1975); The Bob Newhart Show (1973); The Cat from Outer Space (1978); The Client (1995); The Doris Day Show (1971–1972); The Dukes of Hazzard (1979–1982); The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood (2000); The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! (1997); The Girl with Something Extra (1973); The Guardian (2003); The Jeff Foxworthy Show (1995); The John Larroquette Show (1995); The Karate Kid Part III (1989); The Last Precinct (1986); The Legend of Frank Woods (1977); The Magical World of Disney (1982); The New Temperatures Rising Show (1972); The Partridge Family (1972); The Six Million Dollar Man (1974); The Unholy Rollers (1972); The Wonder Years (1990); To Hell You Preach (1972); To Say the Least (1978); Tunnel Vision (1976); Valentine Magic on Love Island (1980); Venomous (2001); W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975); Wildside (1985); Worth Winning (1989).

Born on this day – Brian G. Hutton:

Brian G. Hutton

Actor

Director

January 1, 1935 – August 19, 2014

Credits:

Archer (1975); Laramie (1959); The Interns (1962); Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955); Geronimo (1962); Shotgun Slade (1959); The Rifleman (1959–1961); Frontier Circus (1961); 87th Precinct (1961); Wagon Train (1957); Rawhide (1959); The Detectives (1959); The Best of the Post (1960); Have Gun - Will Travel (1957); Law of the Plainsman (1959); Black Saddle (1959); The Big Fisherman (1959); Last Train from Gun Hill (1959); The Eighty Yard Run (1959); Sugarfoot (1957); King Creole (1958); The Case Against Brooklyn (1958); The Walter Winchell File (1957); State Trooper (1956); Official Detective (1957); Perry Mason (1957); Carnival Rock (1957); The Sheriff of Cochise (1956); Climax! (1954); Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957); Fear Strikes Out (1957); West Point (1956); Gunsmoke (1955); Good Morning, Miss Dove (1955); Justice (1954); Robert Montgomery Presents (1954); High Road to China (1983); The First Deadly Sin (1980); Night Watch (1973); X, Y and Zee (1972); Kelly's Heroes (1970); Where Eagles Dare (1968); Sol Madrid (1968); The Pad (and How to Use It) (1966); Wild Seed (1965).

Born on this day – Lewis John Carlino:

Lewis John Carlino

Director

Writer

January 1, 1932 – June 17, 2020

Credits:

Mechanic: Resurrection (2016); Snowangel (2013); The Mechanic (2011); Resurrection (1999); Haunted Summer (1988); Class (1983); Resurrection (1980); The Great Santini (1979); I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (1977); The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea (1976); Where Have All the People Gone (1974); Doc Elliot (1973); Crazy Joe (1974); Honor Thy Father (1973); The Mechanic (1972); A Reflection of Fear (1972); In Search of America (1971); The Brick and the Rose (1970); The Brotherhood (1968); The Fox (1967); Seconds (1966); Route 66 (1960); Johnny Midnight (1960); CBS Repertoire Workshop (1960).

Born on this day – Valentina Cortese:

Valentina Courtese

Actress

January 1, 1923 – July 10, 2019

Credits:

The End (Teleteatro) (1999); The Story of a Blackcap (1993); Buster's Bedroom (1991); The Betrothed (1989); The trap (1989); The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988); Young Toscanini (1988); Facciaffittasi (1987); Blue Tango (1987); Via Montenapoleone (1987); The Ferdinanda: Sonatas für eine Medici-Villa (1981); When Time Ran Out... (1980); Ring of Darkness (1979); Le troisième couteau (1979); Anyway the cat goes to the lard ... (1978); The Cherry Orchard (1978); The Grand Duchess and the Waiters (1977); Nest De viudas (1977); Jesus of Nazareth (1977); Le grand escogriffe (1976); Nick the Sting (1976); Rose Bloomed Again (1975); Kidnap Syndicate (1975); Dracula in the Provinces (1975); My Love Don't Hurt Me (1974); The Kiss of Death (1974); The Big Scare (1974); Appassionata (1974); Day for Night (1973); The Assassination of Trotsky (1972); Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972); Chronicle of Homicide (1972); The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire (1971); The Boat on the Grass (1971); The Buddenbrooks (1971); The Love Mates (1970); First Love (1970); Give Her the Moon (1970); The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969); Oh grandma is dead! (1969); The Killer (1969); Preliminary investigation (1968); Listen, Let's Make Love (1968); The Legend of Lylah Clare (1968); Soleil noir (1966); Juliet of the Spirits (1965); The Possessed (1965); The Great Chameleons (1964); The Visit (1964); The Evil Eye (1963); Story of San Michele (1962); Barabbas (1961); Square of Violence (1961); Béatrice ou la servante folle (1959); Love and Trouble (1958); Decision (1958); Love at First Sight (1958); Schlitz Playhouse (1951); Lux Video Theatre (1950); Kean: Genius or Scoundrel (1957); Forget My Past (1957); The Rocket from Calabuch (1956); Faccia da mascalzone (1956); Magic Fire (1955); Rheingold Theatre (1953); The Girlfriends (1955); Adriana Lecouvreur (1955); Count Aquila (1955); The Barefoot Countess (1954); Avanzi di galera (1954); The wedding (1954); Angels of Darkness (1954); The Walk (1953); Lulu (1953); Secret People (1952); The House on Telegraph Hill (1951); The Empress's Rival (1951); Shadow of the Eagle (1950); Women Without Names (1950); Malaya (1949); Thieves' Highway (1949); Black Magic (1949); The Glass Mountain (1949); Crossroads of Passion (1948); The Wandering Jew (1948); Storm over Paris (1948); Hunting to Man (1948); The King's Courier (1947); Bullet for Stefano (1947); A American on vacation (1946); Rome, Free City (1946); Who saw him? (1945); Ten Commandments (1945); Nobody Goes Back (1945); Charge of Heroes (1943); 4 Girls Dream (1943); Happy Days (1942); Fourth page (1942); Horizon of blood (1942); Only a Kiss (1942); Queen of Navarre (1942); One Lady of the West (1942); The Mocking Dinner (1942); First Love (1941); The bravo of Venice (1941); The Missing Actor (1941); Painted horizon (1941).