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 music history:

Winter & Christmas by Amy Lauren (2008)

Medicine Melodies: Songs the Healers Hear by Silvia Nakkach & Christopher Eickmann (2012)

Soul Espanol by Sherry Finzer & Chris B. Jàcome (2020)

Winter & Christmas

Album by Amy Lauren,

released July 31, 2008.

Track list: Ice Dance; The Holly and the Ivy; Everything Magical; Eve of Winter; November; Greensleeves; December Song; I Saw Three Ships; Midnight Snow; Away in a Manger; Silent Night; God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen; Northern Sunrise; We Three Kings; There is Peace; Jolly Old St. Nicholas.

Medicine Melodies: Songs the Healers Hear

Album by Silvia Nakkach & Christopher Eickmann,

released on July 31, 2012.

Track list: Firefly Call; Icaro del Silbido (Whistling Icaro); Icaro Madresita (Dear Mother Icaro); Shaman Journey; Canto da Mulher (Woman Song); Spirit Clamors; Tudo Bem Bem (All is Good, Good); Wind Chant; Monk Invocation; Reza (Prayer); Oxum Dream; Yemanja for Two; Nana Maia (Lullaby to Illusion); Morning Melody; Twameva Mata; Sri Narayani Amma; Hymn to Saraswati; Val Song; Sound Forest.

Soul Espanol

Album by Sherry Finzer & Chris B. Jàcome,

released July 31, 2020.

Track list: Mediterranean Meditations; Ondas; Sea of Tranquility; Reflections.

Born on this day – Kara Hamilton:

Kara Hamilton

Actress

July 31, 1975 – July 3, 2017

Credits:

The Awakened (2012); Secret Millionaires (2011); The Last Request (2006); Just Like Heaven (2005); Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (2003); Late Show with David Letterman (2003); Fighting Irish (2003); Smoking Herb (2002); So, What Do You Think? (2000); Forces of Nature (1999).

Born on this day – Pat Finn:

Pat Finn

Actor

July 31, 1965 – December 22, 2025

Credits:

2 Broke Girls (2016); 25 Years of Improv Comedy (2005); 3rd Rock from the Sun (1998–2001); A.D.D. Comedy with Dave Razowsky (2012); According to Jim (2002); Bella and the Bulldogs (2016); Biography (2002); Biography: Chris Farley - Anything for a Laugh (2019); Boys & Girls (1996); Brother's Keeper (1999); Caroline in the City (1996); Celebrity Family Feud (2021); Chiaspora (2020); Cloud 9 (2006); Comics Come Home 6 (2000); Committed (2005); Complete Savages (2005); Creating America's Next Hit Show (2013); Curb Your Enthusiasm (2005); Dads in Parks (2017); Dealin' with Idiots (2013); Detention: The Siege at Johnson High (1997); Diamond in the Rough (2022); Dude, Where's My Car? (2000); Ed (2001–2002); Factory (2008); Family Ornaments (2023); Fast Facts Live (2020); Friends (2000); Funky Monkey (2004); Funny Money (2006); Funny Thing About Love (2021); Gorditx (2022); Grown-Ups (1998); Hollywood Museum Squares (2021); Hollywood Vice (2005); Home & Family (1996); House (2010); How High (2001); Humor Me (2004); I Am Chris Farley (2015); I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009); It's Complicated (2009); Jazz Freddy (1992–1993); Kickin' It (2014); Las Vegas (2003); Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1995); Less Than Perfect (2002); Lost on Earth (1997); Love & Support (2001); M.Y.O.B. (2000); Marvin Marvin (2012–2013); Murphy Brown (1995–1997); My Boys (2006–2007); Nobody Knows Anything! (2003); Oliver Beene (2003); Out of Jimmy's Head (2007); Pee Shy (2004); Prairie Dogs (2001); Red Carpet Report (2019); Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups (2012); Seinfeld (1998); Selfie Dad (2020); Space Buddies (2009); Spooky Buddies (2011); Tampa Bay Podcast Archive (2025); Tanat736: The Benis Kingdom (2024); Tangles (2026); That '70s Show (1999); The Bachelor (1999); The Bernie Mac Show (2006); The Drew Carey Show (1998–2003); The George Lucas Talk Show (2021); The George Wendt Show (1995); The Goldbergs (2019); The King of Queens (2000); The Middle (2011–2018); The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show (2007); The Real O'Neals (2016); The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2007); The Sweet Spot (2002); The Thundermans (2018); Three Sisters (2001); Unconditional Love (2002); Unexpected (2023); Unhitched (2008); With You in Spirit (2003); Wizards of Waverly Place (2009); Yes, Dear (2005).

Born on this day – Stanley R. Jaffe:

Stanley R. Jaffe

Director

Producer

July 31, 1940 – March 10, 2025

Credits:

Bad Company (1972); Black Rain (1989); Black Rain: Making the Film - Part 2 (2006); Black Rain: Post-Production (2006); Black Rain: The Script, the Cast (2006); Bravo Profiles (2002); Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003); Fatal Attraction (2023); Fatal Attraction: Visual Attraction (2002); Finding the Truth: The Making of 'Kramer vs. Kramer' (2001); Firstborn (1984); Forever Fatal: Remembering 'Fatal Attraction' (2002); Goodbye, Columbus (1969); HBO First Look (2000); I Dreamed of Africa (2000); I Start Counting (1970); Kramer vs. Kramer (1979); Madeline (1998); Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood (2010); Racing with the Moon (1984); Racing with the Moon: The Story - The People (2004); Racing with the Moon: The Story Goes On (2004); School Ties (1992); Taps (1981); The 52nd Annual Academy Awards (1980); The 60th Annual Academy Awards (1988); The Accused (1988); The Bad News Bears (1976); The Four Feathers (2002); The Making of 'Racing with the Moon' (2004); Without a Trace (1983).

Born on this day – Geoffrey Lewis:

Geoffrey Lewis

Actor

July 31, 1935 – April 7, 2015

Credits:

10 to Midnight (1983); 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2016); 30 Days in Hell: The Making of 'The Devil's Rejects' (2005); A Light in the Darkness (2002); A Man Called Sloane (1979); A Painted House (2003); A Woman's Guide to Firearms (1987); AfterMASH (1983); Alias Smith and Jones (1971–1972); Alice (1976); Amazing Stories (1986); American Masters (2000); American Perfekt (1997); An Occasional Hell (1996); Annihilator (1986); Any Which Way You Can (1980); Arena (2000); Ark II (1976); At My Place (1990); Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan (1975); B.J. and the Bear (1980); Bad Company (1972); Barnaby Jones (1973–1980); Belle Starr (1980); Bert D'Angelo/Superstar (1976); Better Angels (2011); Biography (2003); Blue Thunder (1984); Bonanza (1970); Brazilian Brawl (2003); Bret Maverick (1982); Bronco Billy (1980); Brothers Broken: The Story That Stopped the Music (2023); Cade's County (1971); Cannon (1972); Catch Me If You Can (1989); CBS Summer Playhouse (1988); Centennial (1979); Cinemassacre's Monster Madness (2009–2019); City of Angels (1976); Cold Case (2004); Cold Ones (2007); Criminal Minds (2006); Dallas: The Early Years (1986); Dan August (1970); Dawson's Creek (2003); Day of Reckoning (1994); Desert Rats (1988); Designing Women (1987); Desperado: The Outlaw Wars (1989); Dillinger (1973); Disturbed (1990); Double Impact (1991); Down in the Valley (2005); Easy Street (1987); Every Which Way But Loose (1978); Falcon Crest (1984); Fat Actress (2005); Fingerprints (2006); Fingerprints: Scariest Moments Interviews (2008); Five Aces (1999); Fletch Lives (1989); Flo (1980–1981); Freedom (1970); Gambler V: Playing for Keeps (1994); Greatest Hits on Ice (1994); Gun Shy (1983); Gunsmoke (1972); Gunsmoke: The Last Apache (1990); Harry O (1975); Hawaii Five-O (1977); Heaven's Gate (1980); High & Outside: A Baseball Noir (2017); High Plains Drifter (1973); Highway 395 (2000); Highway to Heaven (1984); Hizzonner (1979); Honky Tonk (1974); Hot Pursuit (1984); House (2007); Human Experiments (1979); Hunter (1977); I, the Jury (1982); In the Heat of the Night (1990); J.J. Starbuck (1987); Joshua Tree (1993); Kansas (1995); Kung Fu (1973); Land's End (1995–1996); Las Vegas (2004); Last Resort (1994); Laverne & Shirley (1977); Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2004); Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice (1982); Little House on the Prairie (1976–1983); Longstreet (1971); Lou Grant (1977–1980); Lucky Lady (1975); Lust in the Dust (1984); MacGyver (1986); Macon County Line (1974); Macon County Line: 25 Years Down the Road (2000); Magnum, P.I. (1984–1986); Mama's Family (1983); Mannix (1971–1972); Mathnet (1988); Matlock (1988); Matters of the Heart (1990); Maverick (1994); Maximum Security (1984–1985); May Day (2003); McCloud (1976); Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997); Mind Games (2003); Miss Nobody (2010); Mission: Impossible (1972); Mod Squad (1973); Mommy's Little Monster (2012); Monster Squad (1976); Moon of the Wolf (1972); Mork & Mindy (1978); Moving McAllister (2007); Murder, She Wrote (1987–1996); My Life with Men (2003); My Name Is Earl (2006); My Name Is Nobody (1973); NFL Films Presents / American Film Institute Comedy Special / Segment: Blue Suits (1987); Night of the Comet (1984); Nip/Tuck (2003); Odyssey 5 (2002–2003); Old Man Music (2005); Only the Strong (1993); Out of the Dark (1988); Pancho Barnes (1988); Paradise (1989); Patients (2004); Paura: Lucio Fulci Remembered - Volume 1 (2008); Pensacola: Wings of Gold (2000); Pickin' & Grinnin' (2010); Pink Cadillac (1989); Plainsong (2004); Point of No Return (1993); Police Woman (1975–1976); Quark (1978); Renegade (2004); Retreat! (2016); Rough Riders (1997); S.W.A.T. (1975); Salem's Lot (1979); Samurai (1979); Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1985); September Gun (1983); Seven Stories (2003); Shades of LA (1991); Shadow Chasers (1985); Shoot the Sun Down (1978); Sidekicks (1986); Silver Saddle (1978); Skyward Christmas (1981); Smile (1975); Social Guidance (2005); Song of the Vampire (2003); Spenser: For Hire (1985); Spot Marks the X (1986); Square One Television (1988); Starsky and Hutch (1975); Stitches (1985); Stormin' Home (1985); Sunstorm (2001); Tango & Cash (1989); TCM Remembers 2015 (2015); The Amazing Spider-Man (1979); The A-Team (1984–1985); The Baggs (1973); The Butcher (2009); The Culpepper Cattle Co. (1972); The Deadly Triangle (1977); The Defenders (1963); The Devil's Rejects (2005); The Directors (1997–2008); The Dragon Gate (1994); The Fall Guy (1985); The Fat Black Pussycat (1963); The Golden Girls (1987); The Great Houdini (1976); The Great Ice Rip-Off (1974); The Great Waldo Pepper (1975); The Guardian (2003); The Gun and the Pulpit (1974); The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2009); The High Chaparral (1970); The Hunted Lady (1977); The Huntress (2001); The Janitor (1995); The Jericho Mile (1979); The Last Doorway Show with Miss Misery (2009); The Lawnmower Man (1992); The Man Without a Face (1993); The Mountain (2004); The Name of the Game (1971); The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1976); The New Guy (2002); The Oldest Rookie (1987); The Prophet's Game (2000); The Return of a Man Called Horse (1976); The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Fifteen Years Later Affair (1983); The Rookies (1976); The Shadow Riders (1982); The Six Million Dollar Man (1977); The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1988–1989); The Story of Book One (1987); The Streets of San Francisco (1975); The Terror Has Awakened. (2005); The Todd Killings (1971); The Underworld (1997); The Waltons (1974); The Way of the Gun (2000); The Wind and the Lion (1975); The X-Files (1999); The Yellow Rose (1984); The Young Lawyers (1970); Then Came Bronson (1970); Thieves (2001); Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage (2008); Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974); Tilt (1979); Time Out (1988); Titus (2001); Tom Horn (1980); Travis McGee (1983); Trilogy of Terror II (1996); Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape (2010); Voodoo Moon (2006); Walker, Texas Ranger (1994); Webster (1988); Welcome Home Soldier Boys (1971); When Every Day Was the Fourth of July (1978); When the Dark Man Calls (1995); White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf (1994); Wicked Little Things (2006); Wild Hearts (2006); Wildside (1985); Wishman (1992).

Born on this day – Mary Munday:

Mary Munday

Actress

July 31, 1926 – September 30, 1997

Credits:

Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1961); Arrest and Trial (1963); Black Saddle (1959); Bonanza (1959); Breezy (1973); Cain's Hundred (1961); Coronado 9 (1961); Death Valley Days (1959); Diana (1973); East Side/West Side (1964); First Monday in October (1981); Ghost Dad (1990); Gunsmoke (1961); Harry O (1975); Have Gun - Will Travel (1961–1962); Kraft Mystery Theater (1962); M Squad (1958–1960); Magic (1978); Marian Rose White (1982); McCloud (1974); Norma Rae (1979); Outlaws (1961); Perry Mason (1963); Peter Gunn (1961); Philip Marlowe (1960); Police Story (1974–1975); Pressure Point (1962); Quincy, M.E. (1979); Route 66 (1963); Science Fiction Theatre (1955); Serpent Island (1954); State Trooper (1958); Stoney Burke (1962); The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970); The Defenders (1964); The Deputy (1961); The Detectives (1960); The F.B.I. (1970); The Golden Hawk (1952); The Golden Horde (1951); The Hawaiians (1970); The Loretta Young Show (1958–1960); The Outsiders (1990); The Rockford Files (1980); The Twilight Zone (1963); Today's F.B.I. (1982); True Confessions (1981); Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (1960).

Born on this day – Barbra Fuller:

Barbra Fuller

Actress

July 31, 1921 – May 15, 2024

Credits:

Adventures of Superman (1953); Alias the Champ (1949); Boston Blackie / Front Page Detective (1951); City of Bad Men (1953); Colgate Theatre (1958); Daniel Boone (1970); Flame of Youth (1949); Four Star Playhouse (1955–1956); Harbor of Missing Men (1950); Lassie (1965); Lonely Heart Bandits (1950); Medic (1955); My Three Sons (1960); Perry Mason (1960–1964); Rock Island Trail (1950); Singing Guns (1950); State Trooper (1958); Tarnished (1950); The Ford Television Theatre (1957); The Jack Benny Program (1958); The Lineup (1955); The Millionaire (1956); The Red Menace (1949); The Roommates (1973); The Savage Horde (1950); Trackdown (1958); Trial Without Jury (1950); U.S. Marshal (1960); Unmasked (1950); Visiting... with Huell Howser (1994); Women from Headquarters (1950); World of Giants (1959).

Born on this day – Mario Bava:

Mario Bava

Director

Cinematographer

Special Effects

July 31, 1914 – April 27, 1980

Credits:

A Bay of Blood (1971); At Dog's Life (1950); I don't have love! But, however... (1951); Flavian Amphitheater (1947); Anthony of Padua (1949); Asesinato desde la Roja Oscuridad (2019); Attack of the Normans (1962); Toys and perfumes (1953); Barber of Seville (1947); Baron Blood (1972); Beautiful But Dangerous (1955); Ben-Hur (1959); Black Sabbath (1963); Black Sunday (1960); Blood and Black Lace (1964); Good night... lawyer! (1955); Caltiki, the Immortal Monster (1959); Spring Song (1951); Captain Storm (1942); Capriccio musicale (1950); City at night (1957); Cops and Robbers (1951); Crazy Things (1954); Danger: Diabolik (1968); Deducoria (2018); Doctor Stein (2019); Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (1966); Dream House (2009); The knight has arrived! (1950); Here is happiness (1940); Elixir of Love (1947); Erik the Conqueror (1961); Esther and the King (1960); Five Dolls for an August Moon (1970); Four Times That Night (1971); Gladiators 7 (1962); The Sunday Heroes (1952); Goya (1950); Grass Hook Massacre (2019); Graziella (1955); Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970); Hercules (1958); Hercules and the Captive Women (1961); Hercules in the Haunted World (1961); Hercules Unchained (1959); High School (1954); The Kiss of Dawn (1953); The lion of Damascus (1942); The Overbearing Turkey (1939); The Avenue of Hope (1953); Nightmare For a White Fly (2015); Inferno (1980); It Happened in the Park (1953); Kill Baby... Kill! (1966); King Ripple (2015); Knives of the Avenger (1966); The Compagnia della Teppa (1941); The Passaguai family (1951); The family Passaguai makes a fortune (1952); The Venus of Ille (1979); The Vispa Teresa (1939); The adventure of Annabella (1943); Legenda Sinfonica (1947); Life Is Tough, Eh Providence? (1972); Lisa and the Devil (1973); The Ear (1946); The Hospital of the Crime (1950); Love of a Clown (1948); Lust of the Vampire (1957); Mad About Opera (1948); Mario Bava speaks (2006); Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre (2000); Mario Bava: Operation Fear (2004); Masks (2011); Minnesota Clay (1964); Miss Italy (1950); Morgan the Pirate (1960); Moses the Lawgiver (1974); Moxina (2012); Mysteria (2016); Naked You Die (1968); Christmas at Camp 119 (1947); Nero's Mistress (1956); No Greater Love (1955); Odyssey (1968); Orlando and the Paladins of France (1956); Dad Becomes a Mom (1952); Forgive me! (1953); Planet of the Vampires (1965); Rabid Dogs (1974 / 2015); Roja Oscuridad (2018); Roy Colt & Winchester Jack (1970); S.O.S. Submarine (1941); Holy Night (1947); Saint Helena, Small Island (1943); Savage Gringo (1966); Scream Creek (2024); Shock (1977); Silver Slime (1981); Sins of Casanova (1955); Son of Samson (1960); Spartacus (1953); Suspiria (1977); The Day the Sky Exploded (1958); The Evil Eye (1963); The Giant of Marathon (1959); The House of Exorcism (1975); The Last Days of Pompeii (1959); The Last of the Vikings (1961); The Old Man in the Rocking Chair (2022); The Road to Fort Alamo (1964); The Taming of Dorothy (1950); The Whip and the Body (1963); The White Ship (1941); The White Warrior (1959); The Wonders of Aladdin (1961); Two Guns and a Coward (1968); Ulysses (1954); Men and Skies (1947); Variations symphonic (1949); War of the Zombies (1964); Waterloo (1970); We Stole a Tram (1954); Winchester Jack (1970); Yellow (2006).

Born on this day – Gerald Butler:

Gerald Butler

Writer

July 31, 1907 – February 1, 1988

Credits:

Books:

Choice of Two Women (1951); Kiss the Blood Off My Hands (1940); Mad with Much Heart (1945); Slippery Hitch (1948); Their Rainbow Had Black Edges (1943); There Is a Death, Elizabeth (1972); They Cracked Her Glass Slipper (1941).

Movies and television:

Kiss the Blood Off My Hands (1948); On Dangerous Ground (1951); The Fatal Night (1948); Third Time Lucky (1949).

Born on this day – Yvonne Howell:

Yvonne Howell

Actress

July 31, 1905 – May 27, 2010

Credits:

George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey (1984); Working Girls (1931); Take Me Home (1928); The Junior Year (1928); Hop Off (1928); The Great Mail Robbery (1927); Somewhere in Sonora (1927); Fashions for Women (1927); The Knight Before Christmas (1927); The Lady of Lyons, N.Y. (1926); A Fraternity Mixup (1926); Flaming Flappers (1925); Transients in Arcadia (1925); Harem Follies (1924).

Recommended reading - The Ivory Grin, by Ross MacDonald (1952):

The Ivory Grin

aka Marked for Murder

By Ross MacDonald.

Published 1952,

ISBN-10: 0307278999

ISBN-13: 9780307278999

Back cover description:

“Archer-Macdonald are working together at their peak, piecing together a most modern American Tragedy, making literature out of the thriller form, gazing more clearly than ever into the future as it rolls through the smog.” – Newsweek.

A hard-faced woman clad in a blue mink stole and dripping with diamonds hires Lew Archer to track down her former maid, who she claims has stolen her jewelry. Archer can tell he's being fed a line, but curiosity gets the better of him and he accepts the case. He tracks the wayward maid to a ramshackle motel in a seedy, run-down small town, but finds her dead in her tiny room, with her throat slit from ear to ear. Archer digs deeper into the case and discovers a web of deceit and intrigue, with crazed number-runners from Detroit, gorgeous triple-crossing molls, and a golden-boy shipping heir who's mysteriously gone missing.

Traveling from sleazy motels to stately seaside manors, The Ivory Grin is one of Lew Archer's most violent and macabre cases ever.

“Ross Macdonald must be ranked high amongst American thriller writers.” – The Times Literary Supplement.

Lemmy Kilmister, on books and reading:

There are a lot of good books around.

People don't read anymore.

It's a sad state of affairs.

Reading's the only thing that allows you to use your imagination.

When you watch films it's someone else's vision, isn't it?

- Lemmy Kilmister.