Five Editorial Reviews In: The Jacklighter Review Roundup
October 15, 2026
12 Days to Launch: What Critics Are Saying About The Jacklighter With 12 days to go until The Jacklighter launches on Oct. 27, I wanted to gather this whole season of reviews in one place, because it’s been a lot to take in, in the best way 🥹 Five professional reviewers have now read the book (with ...THE JACKLIGHTER Launches Oct 27 With Eight Book Signings 🎃
October 11, 2026
Greetings, true crime fans. I’m updating this post with more book launch events—I hope to see you later this month if you’re in Philadelphia or Northeast PA. 🎉 And my update starts with some surprise book news: if you’d like a signed copy of The Jacklighter before its official publication on Oct. 27, 2026, join me at the new Barnes ...Foreword Clarion Review Says The Jacklighter is “A Gripping Account of a Murder Between Friends.”
October 12, 2026
“A gripping account of a murder between friends”—I couldn’t ask for a better highlight from Foreword Clarion Reviews, which gave The Jacklighter 4 out of 5 stars this week 🎉 Likewise, I couldn’t have scripted the reviewer’s opening line any better either: “A thorough and compassionate book, The Jacklighter covers a troubling murder trial at the ...BookLife on The Jacklighter: A Rewarding, Intimate Cold Case Reconstruction
October 10, 2026
Handing my book to a professional stranger and asking for an honest read is always nerve-racking, and so I’m especially delighted to share this one by BookLife Reviews, which took such care with The Jacklighter. Their one-sentence takeaway: “Illuminating investigative account of a 1976 Pennsylvania cold case.” BookLife is Publishers Weekly’s program for independently published books. ...Midwest Book Review Calls The Jacklighter a “Compelling” Prequel/Sequel to Chained Birds
October 5, 2026
Two years ago, Midwest Book Review Senior Reviewer Diane Donovan wrote a review of Chained Birds that still makes me a little teary. This fall, she read The Jacklighter, and her first sentence made me smile, because she nailed something I’ve had trouble explaining to people: “Readers of Carla Conti’s previous crime memoir saga Chained Birds ...Independent Book Review Calls The Jacklighter “A 50-Year True Crime Saga”
October 2, 2026
Independent Book Review was one of the first outlets to champion Chained Birds (its review went live on my launch day in 2024), so I was thrilled to see what reviewer Savannah Brooks made of The Jacklighter. I’ve read her opening line a dozen times now, and I still get emotional. It may be the ...BestThrillers calls The Jacklighter a “Compulsive True Crime Epic That Demands a Screen Adaptation.” 🎥
September 30, 2026
Yesterday, an email landed in my inbox that made me do a little happy dance 🎉. BestThrillers.com, the site that named Chained Birds a Finalist in its 2024 Best Thriller contest, has posted its editorial review of The Jacklighter. Their bottom line: “A powerful and compulsive true crime epic that demands a screen adaptation.” 🥹 The reviewer ...The Jacklighter Preorders Are Live: Ebook, Hardcover & Paperback
September 25, 2026
The wait is almost over: preorders for The Jacklighter are officially live in ebook, hardcover, and paperback, with delivery arriving right on launch day, October 27, 2026. (If audio is more your speed, the author-narrated audiobook is coming Q1 2027—I’ll share details as soon as it’s ready.) And in the “pinch me” column: The Jacklighter briefly ...