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 truest summation of this book anyone has written:
“A 50-year true crime saga that underscores the shocking darkness—and unending lightness—of the human soul.”
Darkness and lightness side by side. After 30 years with this story, I can tell you that’s exactly what it holds: a murder, a betrayal that split a town in two, and a family who refused to give up on justice.
Savannah also did something I loved: she opened her review with the definition of jacklighting, the illegal practice of shining a light on game at night to freeze it in place, and it’s how I opened the book. People ask about the title all the time, and there’s no better way to explain it:
jack·light·ing | ˈjak-līt-iŋ
Noun
1. The hunting method of shining artificial light on game at night to stun or
freeze it in place—exploiting the “deer-in-the-headlights” effect to make it
an easy target.
2. By extension, the kill itself: an amoral killing of defenseless prey, illegal in
most states, including Pennsylvania, where it was outlawed in the late 1800s.
Then she found the moment that, for me, is the heart of the book. She points to a conversation between Marty Dillon and his five-year-old son, Michael, three days before Marty died. Watching a crash on TV during the Indy 500, Michael asks whether everybody just forgets about people when they die. Marty answers that, sadly, sometimes that’s exactly what happens.
I’ve carried that exchange with me since I first heard it in the 1990s. In many ways, The Jacklighter is my answer to Michael’s question 🥹
And here’s how Savannah wrapped it up:
“Spanning 1976 to 2026, this immersive, sharply detailed account walks readers through the entirety of the Dillon-Scher tragedy, outlining the joys and hardships of three generations. For lovers of true crime, police procedurals, and history, it checks all the boxes for a well-worthy addition to your TBR pile.”
A quick word on IBR—it’s a review and discovery site devoted to independently published books. Its reviews are paid, with no guarantee of a positive outcome, and its reviewers are refreshingly candid. I’ve now trusted them with two books.
Thank you, Savannah, and the whole IBR team, for reading so closely and for supporting indie authors ✨
I’ll link to the full review when it goes live on the Independent Book Review website.
The Jacklighter releases Oct. 27, 2026. Hardcover, paperback, and ebook preorders are live now.
