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 television history - Tron: Uprising (2012):

Tron: Uprising

developed by Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz,

directed by Charlie Bean, Robert Valley,

written by Adam Horowitz, Adam Nussdorf, Adam Prince, Akela Cooper, André Bormanis, Bill Wolkoff, Bonnie MacBird, Donna Thorland, Edward Kitsis, Kamran Pasha, Mark Litton, Ryan Mottesheard, Scott Nimerfro, Steven Lisberger,

based on Tron by Steven Lisberger, Bonnie MacBird,

released in the United States on May 20, 2012.

Music by Joseph Trapanese.

Cast: Elijah Wood, Tricia Helfer, Charlie Bean, Elizabeth Ho, Sam Riegel, Bruce Boxleitner, Paul Reubens, Lance Henriksen, Meeghan Holaway, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Keith Silverstein, Mandy Moore, Nate Corddry, Reginald VelJohnson, David Arquette, Donald Faison, Paul Scheer, Kim Talon, John Glover, Fred Tatasciore, Aaron Paul, Lance Reddick, Matt Jones, Chris Klein, Kate Mara, John Eric Bentley, Marcia Gay Harden, Kathryn Hunter, Paul Rust, Adam Richmond, Eden Miller, Jamie Hector, Jack Huston, Parminder Nagra, Olivia Wilde, Greg Ellis, Ben Schwartz, Adam Devine, Zachary Rosencrantz, Mark Stephan Kondracki, Lake Bell, Kevin Michael Richardson, Mark Boone Junior, Ben Montgomery, Yaya DaCosta, Keone Young, Ron Yuan.

On this day in movie history - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008):

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

directed by Steven Spielberg,

written by David Koepp,

based on a story by George Lucas and Jeff Nathanson,

was released in the United States on May 20, 2008.
Music by John Williams.

Cast:

Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Shia LaBeouf, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent, Igor Jijikine, Dimitri Diatchenko, Emmanuel Todorov, Ilia Volok, Pasha D. Lychnikoff, Andrew Divoff, Venya Manzyuk, Alan Dale, Joel Stoffer, Neil Flynn, Chet Hanks, Brian Knutson, Dean Grimes, Sasha Spielberg, Nicole Luther, Sophia Stewart, Chris Todd, Dennis Nusbaum, T. Ryan Mooney, Audi Resendez, Helena Barrett, Carlos Linares, Gustavo Hernandez, Maria Luisa Minelli, Nito Larioza, Ernie Reyes Jr., Jon Valera, Kevin Collins, Robert Baker.

On this day in television history - Anne Frank: The Whole Story (2001 miniseries & books):

Anne Frank: The Whole Story

a two-part TV miniseries directed by Robert Dornhelm,

written by Kirk Ellis,

based on the book Anne Frank: The Biography by Melissa Müller,

was released in the United States on May 20, 2001.

Music by Graeme Revell.

Cast:

Ben Kingsley, Hannah Taylor Gordon, Brenda Blethyn, Lili Taylor, Jessica Manley, Carly Wijs, Tatjana Blacher, Jean-Luc Julien, Joachim Król, Nicholas Audsley, Jan Niklas, Peter Bolhuis, Victoria Anne Brown, Jeff Caster, Rob Das, Cees Geel, Holger Daemgen, Michaela Horáková, Johannes Silberschneider, Jade Williams, Branka Katic, Klára Issová, Karel Dobrý, Veronika Nowag-Jones, Nancy Bishop, Dominique Horwitz, Suzanne Friedline, Pavel Kríz, Petra Lustigová, Joel Kirby, Robert Russell, David O’Kelly, Petr Meissel, Yanna Fabian, Zdenka Volencová, Howard Lotker, Michael E. Perry, Phil Jones, Nicky Kantor, Jaroslava Siktancova, Jelena Juklová, Jan Klíma, Lisa-Marie Gravell, Ela Lehotská, Olga Schmidtová, Kristina Beranova, Talya Gordon, Alec Gordon.

Recommended reading:

Anne Frank: The Biography:

Updated and Expanded with New Material

By Melissa Müller.

Published by Metropolitan Books.

Published 2013.

ISBN-10: 0805087311

ISBN-13: 978-0805087314

Description:

Praised as "remarkable," "meticulous," and "long overdue," Anne Frank: The Biography, originally published in 1998, still stands as the definitive account of the girl who has become "the human face of the Holocaust." For this nuanced portrait of her famous subject, biographer Melissa Müller drew on exclusive interviews with family and friends as well as on previously unavailable correspondence, even, in the process, discovering five missing diary pages. Full of revelations, Müller's richly textured narrative returned Anne Frank to history, portraying the flesh-and-blood girl unsentimentalized and so all the more affecting. Now, fifteen years after the book first appeared, much new information has come to light: letters sent by Otto Frank to relatives in America as he sought to emigrate with his family, the identity of other suspects involved in the betrayal of the Franks, and important details about the family's arrest and subsequent fate. Revised and updated with more than thirty percent new material, this is an indispensable volume for all those who seek a deeper understanding of Anne Frank and the brutal times in which she lived and died.

The Diary

By Anne Frank.

Published by Turtleback Books.

First published 1948.

ISBN-10: 1417643099

ISBN-13: 9781417643097

Description:

Anne Frank’s extraordinary diary, written in the Amsterdam attic where she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years, has become a world classic and a timeless testament to the human spirit. Now, in a new edition enriched by many passages originally withheld by her father, we meet an Anne more real, more human, and more vital than ever. Here she is first and foremost a teenage girl – stubbornly honest, touchingly vulnerable, in love with life. She imparts her deeply secret world of soul-searching and hungering for affection, rebellious clashes with her mother, romance and newly discovered sexuality, and wry, candid observations of her companions. Facing hunger, fear of discovery and death, and the petty frustrations of such confined quarters, Anne writes with adult wisdom and views beyond her years. Her story is that of every teenager, lived out in conditions few teenagers have ever known.

On this day in the Star Trek universe:

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1989)

Star Trek: Voyager (1996 & 1998)

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Season 2. Episode 18.

Episode entitled: Up the Long Ladder.

Released May 20, 1989.

Directed by Winrich Kolbe.

Written by Melinda M. Snodgrass.

Created by Gene Roddenberry.

Music by Ron Jones.

Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, Diana Muldaur, Majel Barrett, Barrie Ingham, Jon DeVries, Rosalyn Landor, Colm Meaney, Dexter Clay, Fred Janos, Tim McCormack, Richard Sarstedt, Lainie Sims, Michael Stanhope, Floyd Weaver, Lloyd Weaver, Troy Weaver.

Star Trek: Voyager

Season 2. Episode 26.

Episode entitled: Basics, Part I.

Released May 20, 1996.

Directed by Winrich Kolbe.

Created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor.

Written by Michael Piller, Lisa Klink.

Based on Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry.

Music by Dennis McCarthy.

Cast: Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Biggs-Dawson, Jennifer Lien, Robert Duncan McNeill, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo, Tim Russ, Garrett Wang, Brad Dourif, Anthony De Longis, John Gegenhuber, Martha Hackett, Henry Darrow, Scott Haven, Majel Barrett, Tarik Ergin, Heather Ferguson, Holiday Freeman, Jennifer Gundy, Susan Henley, Kerry Hoyt, Donald R. Jankiewicz, Pat Jankiewicz, Ken Lesco, Susan Lewis, Dennis Madalone, Mark Major, Lorin McCraley, Louis Ortiz, Spiro Razatos, Shepard Ross, Scott Strozier, Patricia Tallman, John Alex Tampoya.

Star Trek: Voyager

Season 4. Episode 26.

Episode entitled: Hope and Fear.

Released May 20, 1998.

Directed by Winrich Kolbe.

Created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor.

Written by Brannon Braga, Joe Menosky, Rick Berman, Bryan Fuller, Lisa Klink.

Based on Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry.

Music by Dennis McCarthy.

Cast: Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Biggs-Dawson, Robert Duncan McNeill, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo, Tim Russ, Garrett Wang, Jeri Ryan, Ray Wise, Jack Shearer, Majel Barrett, Elle Alexander, John Austin, Terrence Beasor, Tarik Ergin, Ransom Gates, Kerry Hoyt, Diane Lee, Alicia Lewis, Joey Sakata.

On this day in movie history - Once Upon a Time in America (1984):

Once Upon a Time in America

directed by Sergio Leone,

written by Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero De Bernardi, Enrico Medioli, Franco Arcalli,

Franco Ferrini, Sergio Leone, Stuart Kaminsky and Ernesto Gastaldi,

based on the novel The Hoods by Harry Grey,

was released at the Cannes Film Festival in France on May 20, 1984.
Music by Ennio Morricone.

Cast:

Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams, Tuesday Weld, Burt Young, Joe Pesci, Danny Aiello, William Forsythe, James Hayden, Darlanne Fluegel, Larry Rapp, Dutch Miller, Robert Harper, Richard Bright, Gerard Murphy, Amy Ryder, Olga Karlatos, Mario Brega, Ray Dittrich, Frank Gio, Karen Shallo, Angelo Florio, Scott Tiler, Rusty Jacobs, Brian Bloom, Adrian Curran, Mike Monetti, Noah Moazezi, James Russo, Frankie Caserta, Joey Marzella, Clem Caserta, Frank Sisto, Jerry Strivelli, Julie Cohen, Marvin Scott, Mike Gendel, Paul Herman, Ann Neville, Joey Faye, Linda Ipanema, Tandy Cronyn, Richard Zobel, Baxter Harris, Arnon Milchan, Bruno Iannone, Marty Licata, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Estelle Harris, Richard Foronjy, Gerritt Debeer, Jennifer Connelly, Alexander Godfrey, Cliff Cudney, Paul Farentino, Bruce Bahrenburg, Mort Freeman, Sandra Solberg, Jay Zeely, Massimo Liti, Louise Fletcher, Terry Angus, Greg Anthony, Salvatore Billa, Bruno Bilotta, Matteo Cafiso, Nelson Camp, Rossana Canghiari, Scott Coffey, Doug Davis, Mark Frazer, Nunzio Giuliani, Dario Iori, Ole Jorgensen, Francesca Leone, Chuck Low, Claudio Mancini, Giuseppe Marrocco, Maria Pia Monicelli, Ron Nummi, Ryan Paris, Harry Peerce, Filippo Perego, Nicola Roberto, Gianni Sanjust, Alex Serra, Susan Spafford, Marco Stefanelli.

On this day in music history:

Private Audition by Heart (1982)

Bellini: Norma by Cecilia Bartoli (2013)

The Modern Romantic by Laura Sullivan (2016)

Celtic Fairy Dream by 2002 (2020)

Private Audition

Album by Heart,

released May 20, 1982.

Track list: City’s Burning; Bright Light Girl; Perfect Stranger; Private Audition; Angels; This Man Is Mine; The Situation; Hey Darlin Darlin; One Word; Fast Times; America.

Bellini: Norma

Album by Cecilia Bartoli,

released May 20, 2013.

Track list: Bellini: Norma: Sinfonia (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 1 Scene 1: Introduzione - “Ite sul colle, o Druidi” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 1 Scene 1: “Svanir le voci!” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 1 Scene 1: “Meco all’altar di Venere” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 1 Scene 1: “Me protegge, me difende” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 1 Scene 1: “Norma viene” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 1 Scene 1: “Sediziose voci, voci di guerra” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 1 Scene 1: “Casta Diva” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 1 Scene 1: “Fine al rito” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 1 Scene 1: “Ah! bello a me ritorna” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 1 Scene 1: “Sgombra è la sacra selva, compiuto il rito” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 1 Scene 1: “Deh! proteggimi, o Dio!” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 1 Scene 1: “Eccola! va, mi lascia, ragion non odo” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 1 Scene 1: “Va, crudele, al Dio spietato” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 1 Scene 2: “Vanne, e li cela entrambi” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 1 Scene 2: “Adalgisa!” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 1 Scene 2: “Oh! rimembranza!” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 1 Scene 2: “Ah! sì, fa core, e abbracciami” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 1 Scene 2: “Ma di’... l’amato giovane quale fra noi si noma?”...”Oh non tremare “ (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 1 Scene 2: “Oh! di qual sei tu vittima “..”Oh! qual traspare orribile”..”Norma! de’ tuoi rimproveri” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 1 Scene 2: “Perfido! - Or basti...Vanne, sì: mi lascia, indegno” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 2 Scene 1: Scena – Introduzione - “Dormono entrambi” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 2 Scene 1: “Mi chiami, o Norma!” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 2 Scene 1: “Deh! con te, con te li prendi” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 2 Scene 1: “Mira, O Norma” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 2 Scene 1: “Si, fino all’ore estreme” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 2 Scene 2: “Non parti?” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 2 Scene 2: “Guerrieri! a voi venirne” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 2 Scene 2: “Ah! del Tebro al giogo indegno fremo io pure” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 2 Scene 3: “Ei tornerà” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 2 Scene 3: “Squilla il bronzo del Dio!” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 2 Scene 3: “Guerra, guerra!” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 2 Scene 3: “Né compi il rito, o Norma?” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 2 Scene 3: “In mia man alfin tu sei”..”Già mi pasco ne’ tuoi sguardi” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 2 Scene 3: “Dammi quel ferro” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 2 Scene 3: “Qual cor tradisti, qual cor perdesti” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 2 Scene 3: “Norma! deh! Norma, scolpati!” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi); Bellini: Norma / Act 2 Scene 3: “Deh non volerli vittime” (Critical Ed. Maurizio Biondi and Riccardo Minasi).

The Modern Romantic

Album by Laura Sullivan,

released May 20, 2016.

Track list: WInds of Magic; Moonlight Romance; Timeless; Come Home; The Most Beautiful Girl in the World; Finding You Finding Me; The Princess Dance; A Tender Obsession; Fairytale Waltz; I Will Remember.

Celtic Fairy Dream

Album by 2002,

released May 20, 2020.

Track list: Castle of Dromore; The Green Fields of Autumn (Coinleach Glas An Fhomhair); Lullaby (Suantrai); South Wind; David of the White Rock (Dafydd y Garreg Wen); Close Your Eyes (Dun Do Shuil); She Moved Through the Fair; Genevieve’s Waltz; Little Bird (Einini); Across the Waves (Trasna Na D’tonnta).

On this day in movie history - The Killing (1956 movie & novel):

The Killing

directed and written by Stanley Kubrick,

dialogue written by Jim Thompson,

based on the novel Clean Break, by Lionel White,

was released in the United States on May 20, 1956.
Music by Gerald Fried.

Cast:

Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Vince Edwards, Jay C. Flippen, Ted de Corsia, Marie Windsor, Elisha Cook Jr., Joe Sawyer, James Edwards, Timothy Carey, Kola Kwariani, Jay Adler, Tito Vuolo, Dorothy Adams, Herbert Ellis, James Griffith, Cecil Elliott, Joe Turkel, Steve Mitchell, Mary Carroll, William Benedict, Charles Cane, Robert B. Williams, Tom Coleman, Rodney Dangerfield, Franklyn Farnum, John George, Art Gilmore, Sol Gorss, Harry Hines, Kenner G. Kemp, Carl M. Leviness, Hal J. Moore, Harvey Parry, Richard Reeves, Frank Richards, Arthur Tovey.

Recommended reading:

Clean Break

By Lionel White.

Filmed as The Killing (1956), directed by Stanley Kubrick.

Published by Chosho Publishing.

First published 1955.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 1958425516

ISBN-13: 978-1958425510

Description:

Johnny Clay, an ex-con determined to strike it rich, has worked out a fool-proof scheme to knock off a racetrack payroll. The two million bucks should be enough to last him a lifetime or two. But a two-faced dame has another idea: Let Johnny do the work, then she'll grab the swag for herself and her boyfriend.

Johnny Clay’s plan to rob the Long Island race track was daring and highly original. Johnny, an ex-convict, had spent his prison years thinking through every possible hitch to his scheme until he was sure it could go off like clockwork.

His four confederates were not known to the police for they were not professional criminals. They had been picked because they were ordinary nondescript men, all with money problems and a touch of larceny in their hearts. Mike Henty was a bartender at the track and George Peatty a cashier, both essential inside men. Martin Unger, a court stenographer, had put up the initial cash and Randy Kennan, a cop, was to get the money away from the track after Johnny had done the actual robbing.

There were in addition three others who were to do a specific jobs for a cash payment. To one of these men fell the assignment of shooting the favorite in the famous Canarsie Stakes. Once this was accomplished, the robbery was set into motion.

The crime in this story is a grand coup, fantastic yet completely possible if everything clicked. So too has Lionel White achieved a grand coup in the telling of the story as he concentrates first on one character then on another, picking up the individual threads and building them into a brilliantly integrated climax. Clean Break is a masterpiece of originality, a highly plotted and ingeniously executed story of suspense.