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:

The Star Trek Reader IV / book (1978)

Star Trek: Discovery (2019 & 2024)

The Star Trek Reader IV

By James Blish.

Published by E P Dutton.

Published 1978.

First Edition.

Hardcover.

ISBN-10: 052520962X

ISBN-13: 978-0525209621

Description:

James Blish was a science fiction writer who wrote over 27 novels, most notably the Cities in Flight series, and A Case of Conscience, for which he won a Hugo Award. He also was a highly respected critic, and his criticism in collected in the books The Issue at Hand, and More Issues at Hand, (published under the pen name of William Atheling, Jr.). Using the original scripts, which sometimes differed from the final filmed episode, Blish turned each episode of the original Star Trek into a short story, which were collected into anthologies and published as paperback originals. The Star Trek Reader IV collects two of these anthologies: Star Trek 10, and Star Trek 11, and Blish's original Star Trek novel, Spock Must Die!. The episodes present include: The Alternative Factor; The Empath; The Galileo Seven; Is There in Truth No Beauty?; A Private Little War; The Omega Glory; What Are Little Girles Made Of?; The Squire of Gothos; Wink of an Eye; Bread and Circuses; Day of the Dove; and Plato's Stepchildren.

Star Trek: Discovery

Season 2. Episode 12.

Episode entitled: Through the Valley of Shadows.

Released April 4, 2019.

Directed by Doug Aarniokoski.

Created by Bryan Fuller, Alex Kurtzman.

Written by Bo Yeon Kim, Erika Lippoldt, Kirsten Beyer, Sean Cochran.

Based on Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry.

Music by Jeff Russo.

Cast: Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Wilson Cruz, Shazad Latif, Anson Mount, Mia Kirshner, Mary Chieffo, Ethan Peck, Tig Notaro, Kenneth Mitchell, Rachael Ancheril, Emily Coutts, Patrick Kwok-Choon, Oyin Oladejo, Ronnie Rowe, Sara Mitich, Ali Momen, Julianne Grossman, Ian James Corlett, David Benjamin Tomlinson, Byron Abalos, Olivia Croft, Nicole Dickinson, Pamela Mars, Shelley Owens, Ronald Tang.

Star Trek: Discovery

Season 5. Episode 1.

Episode entitled: Red Directive.

Released April 4, 2024.

Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi.

Created by Bryan Fuller, Alex Kurtzman.

Written by Michelle Paradise, Brandon Schultz, Lauren Wilkinson, Carlos Cisco, Eric J. Robbins.

Based on Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry.

Music by Jeff Russo.

Cast: Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Wilson Cruz, Blu del Barrio, Callum Keith Rennie, David Ajala, Oded Fehr, David Cronenberg, Annabelle Wallis, Tara Rosling, Eve Harlow, Elias Toufexis, Emily Coutts, Patrick Kwok-Choon, Oyin Oladejo, Orville Cummings, David Benjamin Tomlinson, Victoria Sawal, Natalie Liconti, J. Adam Brown, Gregory Ambrose Calderone, Mei Chung, Michael Copeman, Julianne Grossman, Addison Holley, Nicole Nwokolo, Flex Aleo.

Star Trek: Discovery

Season 5. Episode 2.

Episode entitled: Under the Twin Moons.

Released April 4, 2024.

Directed by Doug Aarniokoski.

Created by Bryan Fuller, Alex Kurtzman.

Written by Alan B. McElroy, Brandon Schultz, Lauren Wilkinson, Carlos Cisco, Eric J. Robbins.

Based on Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry.

Music by Jeff Russo.

Cast: Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Wilson Cruz, Blu del Barrio, Callum Keith Rennie, David Ajala, Oded Fehr, Chelah Horsdal, Annabelle Wallis, Eve Harlow, Elias Toufexis.

On this day in music history:

Slick Chick by Lee Aaron and the Swingin’ Barflies (2000)

Songs of Ned Rorem by Susan Graham (2000)

Slick Chick

Album by Lee Aaron and the Swingin’ Barflies,

released April 4, 2000.

European album cover:

Track list: He Ain't Got Rhythm; Evil Gal Blues; I'd Love To; Why Don't You Do Right?; Chaser for the Blues; Doodlin'; Slick Chick; TV Is the Thing This Year; In the Dark; Twisted; Teach Me Tonight; Samll Day Tomorrow; Tell Him I Said Hello.

Songs of Ned Rorem

Album by Susan Graham,

released April 4, 2000.

Track list: The Santa Fe Songs, song cycle of 12 poems of Witter Bynner for medium voice, violin, viola, cello & piano: Santa Fe Songs: No. 4, S; Clouds, for voice & piano (from 'Poems of Paul Goodman'); Early in the Morning, for voice & piano; The Serpent, for voice & piano (from 'Three Poems of Theodore Roethke'); Now sleeps the crimson petal, for voice & piano (from 'Poems of Tennyson'); The Santa Fe Songs, song cycle of 12 poems of Witter Bynner for medium voice, violin, viola, cello & piano: Santa Fe Songs: No. 2, O; I Strolled Across an Open Field, for voice & piano; To a Young Girl, for voice & piano; Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair, for voice & piano; Poèms pour la paix, for medium voice & strings: Ode; For Poulenc, for voice & piano; Little Elegy, for voice & piano; Alleluia, song for voice & piano; Look Down Fair Moon, for voice & piano; O you whom I often and silently come, for voice & piano (from 'Poems of Walt Whitman'); I will always love you, for voice, string trio & piano; The Tulip Tree, for voice & piano; The Santa Fe Songs, song cycle of 12 poems of Witter Bynner for medium voice, violin, viola, cello & piano: Santa Fe Songs: No. 8, T; The Lordly Hudson, for voice & piano (from 'Poems of Paul Goodman'); O Do Not Love Too Long, for voice & piano; Far-Far-Away, for voice & piano (from 'Poems of Tennyson'); For Susan, for voice & piano (from 'Poems of Paul Goodman'); A Journey, for voice & piano; Sometimes with One I Love, for voice & piano (from 'Poems of Walt Whitman'); Love, for voice & piano; Orchids, for voice & piano; Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, for voice & piano; Poems of Love and the Rain, song cycle for mezzo-soprano & piano: Do I love you more than a day?; Nantucket Songs, song cycle for voice & piano: Ferry Me Across the Water; The Santa Fe Songs, song cycle of 12 poems of Witter Bynner for medium voice, violin, viola, cello & piano: The Sowers (Santa Fe Song); Whitman Cantata, for men's chorus, 12 brass & timpani: The Shadow, My Likeness.

On this day in movie history - The Black Cat (1981):

The Black Cat

directed by Lucio Fulci,

written by Biagio Proietti, Lucio Fulci and Biagio Proietti,

based on the short story by Edgar Allan Poe,

was released in Italy on April 4, 1981.
Music by Pino Donaggio.

Cast:

Patrick Magee, Mimsy Farmer, David Warbeck, Al Cliver, Dagmar Lassander, Bruno Corazzari, Geoffrey Copleston, Daniela Doria, Lucio Fulci, Vito Passeri.

On this day in television history - M Squad (1958):

M Squad

Season 1. Episode 28.

Episode entitled: Shot in the Dark.

Released April 4, 1958.

Directed by James Neilson.

Written by Merwin Gerard and Leonard Lee.

Music by Stanley Wilson.

Cast:

Lee Marvin, Karin Booth, Raymond Greenleaf, Clarke Gordon, Paul Newlan, John Beradino, Bartlett Robinson, Jeanne Baird, Ken Lynch, John Zaremba, David McMahon.

On this day in movie history - The Woman Condemned (1934):

The Woman Condemned

directed by Dorothy Davenport,

written by Willis Kent,

was released in the United States on April 4, 1934.
Music by Lee Zahler.

Cast:

Claudia Dell, Lola Lane, Richard Hemingway, Jason Robards Sr., Paul Ellis, Douglas Cosgrove, Mischa Auer, Sheila Bromley, Louise Beavers, Tom O'Brien, Neal Pratt, Charles Doherty, Mary Gordon, Julia Griffith, Lindsay McHarrie, Eva McKenzie, Fletcher Norton, Hal Price, Charles Sullivan.

Born on this day - Heath Ledger:

Heath Ledger

Actor

Music video director

Photographer

April 4, 1979 – January 22, 2008

Credits:

10 Things I Hate About You (1999); 10 Things I Hate About You: Outtakes (1999); 10th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2004); 12th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2006); 2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (2000); 2000 MTV Movie Awards (2000); 2002 MTV Video Music Awards (2002); 2006 Independent Spirit Awards (2006); A Knight's Tale (2001); A.J. After Hours (2001); ABC TGIF (1999); Ben Harper: Morning Yearning (2006); Blackrock (1997); Brokeback Mountain (2005); Candy (2006); Candy: Behind the Scenes (2006); Candy: Deleted Scenes (2006); Candy: Interview Featurette with Director and Writer (2006); Candy: The Path to Wild Abandon (2006); Cartaz Cultural (2003); Casanova (2005); Charlie Rose (2005); Clowning Around (1992); Corazón de... (2005–2006); Enough Rope with Andrew Denton (2003); Entertainment Tonight (2007); Film '72 (2005); Film Independent's 2007 Spirit Awards (2007); Grace Woodroofe: Quicksand (2009); HBO First Look (2000–2001); Heath Ledger Profile (2001); Home and Away (1997); I'm Not There (2007); Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2004); Late Night with Conan O'Brien (2005); Late Show with David Letterman (2000–2001); Live with Kelly and Mark (2005); Logo Movie Special: 'Brokeback Mountain' (2005); Lords of Dogtown (2005); Los Angeles (2004); Magacine (2005); Modest Mouse: King Rat (2009); Monster's Ball (2001); Ned Kelly (2003); Ned Kelly in Popular Culture (2003); N'fa: Cause an Effect (2009); N'fa: Seduction Is Evil (She's Hot) (2005); Nick Drake: Black Eyed Dog (2007); On Being a Cowboy (2005); Paws (1997); Roar (1997); Roar: The Making of (1997); Rove Live (2001); Sexy Armor and a Rock Band on Tour (2001); Ship to Shore (1993–1994); Sweat (1996); Terryho dotocná (2004); The 2006 Australian Film Institute Awards (2006); The 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2003); The 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards 2006 (2006); The 76th Annual Academy Awards (2004); The 78th Annual Academy Awards (2006); The Art of War (2000); The Brothers Grimm (2005); The Daily Show (2001); The Dark Knight (2008); The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2004–2006); The Four Feathers (2002); The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009); The Insider (2007); The Making of 'A Knight's Tale' (2001); The Making of 'Lords of Dogtown' (2005); The Marquee Event (2001); The Oprah Winfrey Show (2006); The Orange British Academy Film Awards (2006); The Order (2003); The Panel (1999–2001); The Patriot (2000); The Ray Martin Show (2001); The Reichen Show (2006); The Rock Music Scene in 1370 (2001); The Rules of Love (2001); The Teen Choice Awards 1999 (1999); The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (2000–2006); The View (2005); Today (2005); Two Hands (1999); Up Close with Carrie Keagan (2007); V Graham Norton (2002); Venecia 2005: Crónica de Carlos Boyero (2005).

Born on this day – Gary Moore:

Gary Moore

Musician

Songwriter

April 4, 1952 – February 6, 2011

Born on this day – Dan Simmons:

Dan Simmons

Writer

April 4, 1948 – February 21, 2026

Credits:

Books:

A Winter Haunting (2002); Adventures of the Batman (1995); Angels of Darkness (1995); Banished Dreams (1990); Between Time and Terror (1990); Black Hills (2010); Blood Is Not Enough (1989); Bloodsuckers (2010); Carrion Comfort (1989); Children of the Night (1992); Dark Visions (1989); Darker Masques (2002); Darkness (2010); Darwin's Blade (2000); Drood (2009); Endymion (1996); Entropy's Bed at Midnight (1990); Far Horizons (1999); Fires of Eden (1994); Flashback (2011); Flesh Creepers (1990); Flight or Fright (2018); Freak Show (1992); Going After The Rubber Chicken (1991); Hard as Nails (2003); Hard Freeze (2002); Hardcase (2001); High Fantastic (1987); Horrorscape 2 (2005); Hyperion (1989); Ilium (2003); LoveDeath (1993); Masques III (1989); Masques IV (1991); Midnight Graffiti (1992); Muse of Fire (2008); Night Visions 5 (1988); Obsessions (1991); Olympos (2005); Omni Visions Two (1994); Phases of Gravity (1989); Prayers to Broken Stones (1990); Redshift (2001); Rivals of Dracula (1996); Science Fiction: The Best of 2001 (2002); Song of Kali (1985); Songs of the Dying Earth (2009); Southern Blood (1997); Speaking of the Fantastic (2005); Still Dead (1992); Summer of Night (1991); Summer Sketches (1992); The Abominable (2013); The Crook Factory (1999); The Earth Strikes Back (1994); The Fall of Hyperion (1990); The Fifth Heart (2015); The Further Adventures of the Joker (1990); The Guiding Nose of Ulfant Banderoz (2013); The Hollow Man (1992); The Living Dead (2008); The New Space Opera (2007); The Orbit Science Fiction Yearbook 1 (1989); The Rise of Endymion (1997); The Second Omni Book of Science Fiction (1984); The Space Opera Renaissance (2006); The Terror (2007); The Ultimate Dracula (1991); The Vampire Archives (2009); The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror Seventh Annual Collection (1994); The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror Third Annual Collection (1990); The Year's Best Fantasy Second Annual Collection (1989); The Year's Best Science Fiction Eleventh Annual Collection (1993); The Year's Best Science Fiction First Annual Collection (1984); The Year's Best Science Fiction Nineteenth Annual Collection (2002); The Year's Best Science Fiction Thirteenth Annual Collection (1996); This Year's Class Picture (1992); Vampires: The Greatest Stories (1991); Worlds Enough and Time (2002); Year's Best SF 6 (2001).

Television & video game:

Dreams with Sharp Teeth (2008); Monsters (1990); Prisoners of Gravity (1991–1994); Star Control / Video Game (1990); The Terror (2018).

Born on this day – Paulette Jiles:

Paulette Jiles

Writer

Actress

April 4, 1943 – July 9, 2025

Credits:

Books:

Blackwater (1988); Celestial Navigation / poems (1984); Chenneville (2023); Cousins (1992); Enemy Women (2002); Flying Lesson / poems 1995); Lighthouse Island (2013); News of the World (2016); North Spirit (1995); Simon the Fiddler (2020); Sitting in the Club Car Drinking Rum and Karma Kola (1986); Song to the Rising Sun (1989); Stormy Weather (2007); The Color of Lightning (2009); The Golden Hawks (1978); The Jesse James poems / poems (1988); The Late Great Human Road Show (1986); Waterloo Express / poems (1973).

Movies and television:

News of the World (2020); Rose's House (1977).