The Breaker - series. Books 1 - 3:

 

The Breaker

ISBN: 9781656281517

Description:

How do you know the one you love won’t hurt you?

Or even try to kill you?
In many cases … you don’t.

How do we choose our path and purpose in life?

What makes us who we are?
When Seth Egan starts working as a private detective, he knows he’ll make enemies.
It goes with the territory.
As Seth works on a murder case and hunts down the killers, he becomes the target.
Some people have no conscience, shame, empathy, or remorse.
To get their own way, to get what they want, to take everything, they will do anything.
Even murder.
In the end, they will drag you down to hell with them.
Sometimes, our enemies are those closest to us.

Amazon link:

https://t.co/eKFZ03giKR?amp=1

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Bad Blood

ISBN: 9798682203192

Description:

No one is paying Seth Egan for his latest case.

He keeps this one unofficial.

Pro bono publico.

Off the books.

For him, this one is personal.

A matter of bad blood.

A woman with a grudge of her own leads Seth to a place where people vanish without trace.

Money is the motive.

Greed is the motivator.

Scores that can only be settled in blood.

A dark underworld of illegal gambling, prostitution, drugs, violence and murder.

Amazon link:

 

https://t.co/e0XiS8crAr?amp=1

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Mall Maze

ISBN: 9798729917235

Description:

Friday the 13th.

Unlucky for many.

What should have been a routine adultery case ends with Seth Egan fighting for his life.

Cut off from the world.

With no way to call for help.

Trapped in a place where the walls are coming down around him.

Seth is running out of places to hide.

As chaos reigns and the city burns … the hunters close in.

Amazon link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09244XVYW/

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Themes:

Abuse by proxy, Adultery, C-PTSD, crime, detective, domestic abuse, enabler, flying monkey, gaslighting, hardboiled, heist, infidelity, murder, narcissism, narcissist, narcissistic abuse, neo-noir, personality disorder, psychopath, sociopath, suspense, thriller, vigilante, violence.

Books available in hardcover, paperback and Kindle.

A percentage from sales of my books is donated to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research.

What’s On?

 

What’s On?

A Guide to Movies and TV Shows

Hardcover

ISBN-13: 9798342696098

Paperback

ISBN-13: 9798341177307

Kindle

ASIN: B0DJTZ8T58

Back cover description:

What’s On? … is the timeless question we have all asked ourselves almost every day of our lives, as we reach for the remote control and settle in front of the TV screen.

Jack Kost, a life-long movie buff and coffee addict, offers his choice of favorite movie and television masterpieces.

Providing possible answers to the question of What’s On? with over 1,900 titles, from golden oldies and timeless classics, to more recent releases, all meticulously logged and summarized.

An invaluable and collectable go-to source for discovering new favorites and revisiting old ones.

Perfect for film enthusiasts and casual viewers alike, this guide will spark conversations, bring back memories, and help you navigate the ever-evolving world of screen entertainment.

A wealth of recommendations and insights from a passionate movie buff to enrich your viewing experience, complete with personal reminiscences and nostalgic reflections, told with a world-wise critical eye, sardonic dry wit, a healthy dose of cynicism, biting observations, and a well-founded rant here and there.

Just don’t challenge or get him started on his personal favorites, like The Shining, Point Blank, Jaws, The Exorcist, The Duellists, Romeo Is Bleeding, or The Ninth Configuration. His opinions on these and other iconic titles are as intense and unyielding as the movies themselves.

All compiled by an author who not only watched the movies, but also read the books on which they were based, did his research, drank a lot of coffee in the process, and advocates for the importance and value of reading.

A glimpse into the over-caffeinated mind of a writer with a passion for great stories.

What’s On? is a celebration of the intersection between page and screen, and a reminder that great on-screen adaptations often start with a great book and a strong cup of coffee.

Kick back, grab your coffee, and enjoy the show!

As author Jack Kost says:

“Happy viewing … and do yourself a favor … read the books.”

Slipped Masks:

Slipped Masks

ISBN: 9781719330640

Description:

I can’t call you because if he hears me talking on the phone he’ll hit me again. He scares me. I know sooner or later he’s going to kill me. I’ll text you again when I can. I love you, Casey. I’ll spend the rest of our lives proving to you how much I love you. Please come. Please save me …

With only text messages to guide him, Casey Byrne is on the hunt, racing across five states to save his ex-girlfriend, Madison.

Casey loves Madison deeply and wants desperately to save her life and rekindle their relationship.

But the closer he gets to her, the more surreal his journey becomes as the dead bodies pile up in his wake.

Clinical Lycanthropy: the delusion that a human can physically transform into a wolf.

If you were insane, would you know it?

How would you see the world if you were convinced you could transform into a wolf?

The hunter … and the hunted.

Slipped Masks is a dark neo-noir thriller about how the need for love and companionship becomes twisted into obsession, possession, jealousy, violence and murder.

A horrifying portrait of Clinical Lycanthropy.

Amazon link:

https://t.co/2Gwb135V3m

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Themes:

Sociopathy, narcissistic abuse, personality disorder, Clinical Lycanthropy, crime, murder.

Book available in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle.

A percentage from sales of this book is donated to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research.

Work in progress:

My next books are Triangulation and Stinger.

Books 4 and 5 in The Breaker series.

Set in the year 2001, the story continues from Mall Maze.

Themes:

Crime, detective, hardboiled, heist, murder, narcissism, narcissistic abuse, neo-noir, psychopath, sociopath, thriller, vigilante.

 

A percentage from book sales is donated to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research.

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The Breaker is an on-going series.

I’m outlining other stand-alone thriller novels.

Several coffee table books on my photography and my wife’s artwork.

A humorous book, based on the antics of our crazy pet Ragdoll cat, entitled: It’s That F****** Cat Again!

Here’s a GIF I made of our cat, settling down for another of his daily naps:

On this day in movie history - John Candy: I Like Me (2025):

John Candy: I Like Me

documentary directed by Colin Hanks,

released at the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada on September 4, 2025.

Music by Tyler Strickland.

Cast: John Candy, Bill Murray, Chris Candy, Jennifer Candy-Sullivan, Steve Aker, Rose Candy, Pat Kelly, Terry Enright, Ennio Gregoris, Tom Davidson, Rita Davidson, Catherine McCartney, Dan Aykroyd, Dave Thomas, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Robin Duke, Andrew Alexander, Catherine O'Hara, Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Conan O'Brien, Mel Brooks, Chris Columbus, Macaulay Culkin, Kelvin Pruenster, Don Lake, John Belushi, Valri Bromfield, Evangeline Candy, Jim Candy, Sidney Candy, Dick Cavett, John Chancellor, Chevy Chase, Roger Ebert, Joe Flaherty, Wayne Gretzky, John Hughes, David Letterman, Peter Mansbridge, Bruce McNall, Marilyn Suzanne Miller, Jack Nicholson, Sydney Pollack, Harold Ramis, Steven Spielberg, Mary Margaret O'Hara

On this day in movie history - Last Night in Soho (2021):

Last Night in Soho

directed by Edgar Wright,

written by Eddie Richey,

based on a story by Edgar Wright,

was released at the Venice Film Festival in Italy on September 4, 2021.
Music by Steven Price.

Cast:

Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Diana Rigg, Matt Smith, Terence Stamp, Aimee Cassettari, Rita Tushingham, Colin Mace, Michael Ajao, Synnove Karlsen, Jessie Mei Li, Kassius Nelson, Rebecca Harrod, Alan Mahon, Connor Calland, Pauline McLynn, Josh Zaré, Jacqui-Lee Pryce, Elizabeth Berrington, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Beth Singh, Paul Brightwell, Will Rogers, Terence Frisch, Celeste Dring, Jeanie Wishes, Andrew Bicknell, Adam Sopp, Richard Corgan, Michael Mears, Tom Hartwell, Paul Hamilton, Wayne Cater, Sam Claflin, Sam Parks, Alan Ruscoe, Margaret Nolan, Christopher Carrico, Kent Goldfinch, Ian Harrod, Ian Hartley, Luke Hope, Daniel Maggott, Richard O’Sullivan, Michael Jibson, Lisa McGrillis, Al Roberts, Derek Lea, Melissa Fox, Jodie Hassell, Stephanie Lamey, Amy Andrea, Alison Parsons, Ashley Shaw.

On this day in movie history - Phoenix (1998):

Phoenix

directed by Danny Cannon,

written by Eddie Richey,

was released in the United States on September 4, 1998.
Music by Graeme Revell.

Cast:

Ray Liotta, Anthony LaPaglia, Daniel Baldwin, Jeremy Piven, Royce D. Applegate, Xander Berkeley, Tamara Clatterbuck, Vanessa Munday, Al Sapienza, Yvette Cruise, John Henry Whitaker, Glenn Morshower, Brittany Murphy, George Murdock, Kathryn Joosten, Giancarlo Esposito, Ernest M. Garcia, David Dunard, Earl Carroll, Anjelica Huston, Sandra Taylor, George Aguilar, Frank Clem, Tom Noonan, Kari Wuhrer, Maria Stanton, Murphy Dunne, Sibel Ergener, Giovanni Ribisi, Dig Wayne, Simi Mehta, Annie Fitzgerald, Peter Spellos, Gordon Jennison Noice, Carmen Filpi, Margaret Chavez, L. Christian Mixon.

On this day in movie history - Hotel Monterey (1972):

Hotel Monterey

silent documentary directed and written by Chantal Akerman,

released at the Venice Biennale in Italy on September 4, 1975.
Filmed in 1972.

On this day in the Star Trek universe:

Star Trek (1966)
Star Trek: Voyager (1995 & 1996)

Star Trek

Season 1. Pilot episode.

Episode entitled: The Cage.

Released at the Cleveland, Ohio, World Science Fiction Convention on September 4, 1966.

Directed by Robert Butler.

Written by Gene Roddenberry.

Created by Gene Roddenberry.

Music by Alexander Courage.

Cast: Jeffrey Hunter, Susan Oliver, Leonard Nimoy, Majel Barrett / M. Leigh Hudec, John Hoyt, Peter Duryea, Laurel Goodwin, John Burnside, Carol Daniels, Michael Dugan, Joe Evans, Sandra Lee Gimpel, Clegg Hoyt, Anthony Jochim, Bob Johnson, Jon Lormer, Ed Madden, William McCarter, Joseph Mell, Leonard Mudie, William H. O'Brien, Robert Phillips, Janos Prohaska, Adam Roarke, Gene Roddenberry, Serena Sande, Rube Schaffer, Georgia Schmidt, Felix Silla, Malachi Throne, Meg Wyllie.

Star Trek: Voyager

Season 2. Episode 2.

Episode entitled: Initiations.

Released September 4, 1995.

Directed by Winrich Kolbe.

Created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor.

Written by Kenneth Biller, 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, Aron Eisenberg, Patrick Kilpatrick, Tim de Zarn, Majel Barrett, Tarik Ergin, Heather Ferguson, Norman Alexander Gibbs, Julie Jiang, Jordan Monheim, Louis Ortiz, Rob Plaza, Daunette Saunders, Jeff Witzke.

Star Trek: Voyager

Season 3. Episode 1.

Episode entitled: Basics, Part II.

Released September 4, 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, Martha Hackett, Nancy Hower, Simon Billig, Scott Haven, David Cowgill, Michael Bailey Smith, John K. Shull, Russ Fega, Majel Barrett, Tarik Ergin, Heather Ferguson, Jennifer Gundy, Susan Henley, Kerry Hoyt, Donald R. Jankiewicz, Pat Jankiewicz, Emily Leibovitch, Susan Lewis, Dennis Madalone, Linda L.C. Madalone, Mark Major, Lorin McCraley, Tom Morga, Louis Ortiz, Shepard Ross, Charles Spector, John Alex Tampoya.

On this day in movie history - Bodyguard (1948):

Bodyguard

directed by Richard Fleischer,

written by Fred Niblo Jr. and Harry Essex,

based on a story by George W. George and Robert Altman,

was released in the United States on September 4, 1948.
Music by Paul Sawtell.

Cast:

Lawrence Tierney, Priscilla Lane, Phillip Reed, June Clayworth, Elisabeth Risdon, Steve Brodie, Frank Fenton, Charles Cane, Erville Alderson, Bobby Barber, Charles Bedell, Claire Carleton, Jack Carr, Russ Clark, Marcelle Corday, David Cota, Joe Devlin, Ray Dolciame, Jack Ellis, Dan Foster, Ben Frommer, Jack Gargan, Michael Harvey, Jimmy Hawkins, Pepe Hern, John Indrisano, William J. O'Brien, Lucien Prival, Dewey Robinson, Michael St. Angel, Brick Sullivan, David Thursby, Charles Wagenheim.

Born on this day – Annabel Schofield:

Annabel Schofield

Actress

Producer

September 4, 1963 – February 28, 2026

Credits:

A Man Is Mostly Water (2000); Bloodtide (1982); Body Armor (1997); City of Ember (2008); Clifford (1994); Dallas (1988); Dangerous Curves (1992); Dizzyland (1998); Doom (2005); Dragonard (1988); Exit in Red (1996); Eye of the Widow (1991); Flash! (2003); How Do You Know (2010); Midnight Blue (1997); Paradise (date?); Screwball: The Ted Whitfield Story (2010); Solar Crisis (1990); The Brothers Grimm (2005); The Patent Scam (2017).

Born on this day – L.J. Smith:

L.J. Smith

Writer

September 4, 1958 – March 8, 2025

Credits:

Books:

Black Dawn (1997); Bloodlust (2011); Dark Angel (1996); Dark Reunion (1992); Daughters of Darkness (1996); Destiny Rising / aka The Vampire Diaries: Volume 10 (2012); Heart of Valor (1990); Huntress (1997); Midnight (2011); Moonsong / aka The Vampire Diaries: Volume 9 (2012); Night World 1 (2008); Night World 2 (2008); Night World 3 (2009); Nightfall (2009); Origins (2010); Phantom / aka The Vampire Diaries: Volume 8 (2011); Secret Vampire / aka Night World (1996); Shadow Souls (2010); Soulmate (1997); Spellbinder (1996); Strange Fate (2010); The Asylum (2012); The Awakening (1991); The Captive (1992); The Chase (1994); The Chosen (1997); The Compelled (2012); The Craving (2011); The Divide (2012); The Fury (1991); The Hunt (2012); The Hunter (1994); The Initiation (1992); The Kill (1994); The Night of the Solstice (1987); The Night World Collection (2017); The Night World Series Books 1 -6 Collection Box Set (2023); The Passion (1995); The Possessed (1995); The Power (1992); The Ripper (2011); The Strange Power (1994); The Struggle (1991); The Temptation (2013); The Ultimate Fan Guide (2009); The Vampire Diaries: The Return & The Hunters Collection (2014); Unmasked (2012); Unseen (2013); Unspoken (2013); Witchlight (1998); Your Very Own Vampire Diary 2011 (2010).

Movies and television:

Legacies (2018–2022); The Originals (2013–2018); The Secret Circle (2011–2012); The Vampire Diaries (2009–2017); The Vampire Diaries / Video Game (1996).

Born on this day – Michael Schlesinger:

Michael Schlesinger

Director

Producer

Writer

September 4, 1950 – January 9, 2025

Credits:

13 Ghosts: The Magic of Illusion-O (2001); A Stanley Kramer Production (2016); American Frontiers: Anthony Mann at Universal (2019); Battle-Axe: The Making of 'Strait-Jacket' (2002); Beast Wishes (2012); Bride of Finklestein (2015); Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That (2005); Budd Boetticher: An American Original (2005); Complicated Women (2003); Damn Dirty Geeks (2017); Dark and Stormy Night (2009); Film It Again, Sam: The Katzman Chronicles (2015); Footprints (2009); Forces of Nature: Anthony Mann at Universal (2025); Frank Capra's American Dream (1997); Glorious Technicolor (1998); Godzilla 2000 (1999); If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast (2017); Imagining 'Heavy Metal' (1999); Imitation of Wife (2015); In the Picture (2012); It's a Frame-Up! (2013); It's All True: Based on an Unfinished Film by Orson Welles (1993); Monstrkyd Manor (2016); Obey the Lost Skeleton! (2004); Out of Print (2014); Psychette: William Castle and 'Homicidal' (2002); Rita (2003); Rock and Doris (try to) Write a Movie (2024); Schmo Boat (2015); Screen Test / Contestant (1981) (1979–1984); So Funny It Hurt: Buster Keaton & MGM (2004); Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story (2007); Stu's Show (2013–2018); Taking the Punishment Poll (2002); That Guy Dick Miller (2014); The Adventures of Biffle and Shooster (2015); The Biffle Murder Case (2015); The Lost Skeleton Returns Again (2008); They Came from Beyond - Sam Katzman at Columbia (2023); Trail of the Screaming Forehead (2007); Trailers from Hell (2016–2025); Why Be Good? Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema (2007); Yesterday Was a Lie (2009).

Born on this day – Mitzi Gaynor:

Mitzi Gaynor

Actress

Singer

Dancer

September 4, 1931 – October 17, 2024

Credits:

20 to 1 (2010); 2011 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards (2011); A Star Is Born World Premiere (1954); All About Alfred (1998); American Masters (2021); Anything Goes (1956); Bicentennial Minutes (1975); Bing Crosby and Dean Martin Present High Hopes (1959); Biography (1999–2001); Bloodhounds of Broadway (1952); Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion (2024); Ça c'est l'amour (2003); Call the Midwife (2013); Cavalcade of Champions (1973); CBS News Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley (2019); Danny Thomas Special: My Home Town (1966); Down Among the Sheltering Palms (1952); Dream Girl: The Making of Marilyn Monroe (2022); Ed Sullivan Presents: The Beatles (2003); Eye for an Eye (1996); For Love or Money (1963); Frank Sinatra: One More for the Road (2019); Fred Astaire Salutes the Fox Musicals (1974); Funny You Never Knew (2019); George Jessel Show (1959); Golden Girl (1951); Good Morning America (2006); Happy Anniversary (1959); Hello: A Portrait of Leslie Phillips (2013); Hidden Hollywood: Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Film Vaults (1997); Hollywood Heaven: Tragic Lives, Tragic Deaths (1990); Hollywood Screen Tests: Take 1 (1999); It's Your Health (1949); Les Girls (1957); Lykke og krone (1962); Marilyn (1963); Mia, a Dancer's Journey (2014); Mission: Impossible (1989); Mitzi & 100 Guys (1975); Mitzi (1968); Mitzi Gaynor: Impressions of the Fox Years (2007); Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle! The Special Years (2008); Mitzi... A Tribute to the American Housewife (1974); Mitzi... Roarin' in the 20's (1976); Mitzi... The First Time (1973); Mitzi... What's Hot, What's Not (1978); Mitzi... Zings Into Spring (1977); Mitzi's 2nd Special (1969); Monty and the Movies (2024); My Blue Heaven (1950); My Music: A Classic Christmas (2019); Out of My Dreams: Oscar Hammerstein II (2012); Passion, Prejudice and South Pacific: Creating an American Masterpiece (2009); Perry Como's Winter Show (1971); Red Carpet Report (2013); Reflets de Cannes (1956–1958); Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It (2021); Rodgers & Hammerstein: The Sound of Movies (1996); Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968–1969); So You Think You Can Dance Canada (2010); South Pacific (1958); Springtime in Greenland (1981); Surprise Package (1960); Take Care of My Little Girl (1951); That's Entertainment, Part II (1976); The 16th Annual Satellite Awards (2011); The 1974 Annual Las Vegas Entertainment Awards (1974); The 24th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1972); The 25th Annual Academy Awards (1953); The 26th Annual Academy Awards (1954); The 26th Annual Academy Awards (1954); The 27th Annual Academy Awards (1955); The 31st Annual Academy Awards (1959); The 32nd Annual Academy Awards (1960); The 33rd Annual Academy Awards (1961); The 39th Annual Academy Awards (1967); The Birds and the Bees (1956); The Bob Braun Show (1984); The Children of Lindos (1960); The Dick Clark Show (1960); The Donald O'Connor Show (1954–1960); The Ed Sullivan Show (1954–1964); The Fabulous Fox (2004); The Frank Sinatra Show (1959); The George Jessel Show (1953); The I Don't Care Girl (1953); The Interviews: An Oral History of Television (2012); The Jack Benny Hour (1959); The Joker Is Wild (1957); The Kraft Music Hall (1967); The Merv Griffin Show (1970); The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar (1964); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1967–1977); There's No Business Like Show Business (1954); This Is Your Life (1960); Three Young Texans (1954); Vancouver: Focus on Expo 86 (1986); Welcome to Woop Woop (1997); We're Not Married! (1952); Women He's Undressed (2015).

Born on this day – John Cephas:

John Cephas

Blues guitarist

September 4, 1930 – March 4, 2009

Credits:

Albums:

Bluesmen (1993); Cool Down (1996); Dog Days of August (1986); Flip, Flop & Fly (1992); From Richmond to Atlanta (2000); Goin' down the Road Feelin' Bad (1998); Guitar Man (1987); Homemade (1999); Let It Roll: Bowling Green (1985); Living Country Blues USA, vol. 1 (1981); Richmond Blues (2008); Shoulder to Shoulder (2006); Somebody Told the Truth (2002); Sweet Bitter Blues (1984 / 1994); Walking Blues (1988).