THE JACKLIGHTER : a 50-year Pennsylvania True Crime Saga
THE JACKLIGHTER: Murder, Betrayal, and Justice in Pennsylvania’s Endless Mountains is an investigative true crime book about a decades‑long Pennsylvania cold case, the small town it tore apart, and a murder that refused to stay buried. Like CHAINED BIRDS, THE JACKLIGHTER blends witness interviews, true crime testimony, legal records, and investigative reporting to expose buried truths and systemic injustice.
Read or listen to the 50th anniversary excerpt from the new book
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THE JACKLIGHTER : A Stolen Life. A Buried Secret.
In the shadows of Pennsylvania’s Endless Mountains, attorney Martin Dillon went hunting with his best friend—and never came home. The official story seemed straightforward: a tragic accident during an afternoon of skeet shooting. But when the only witness was Dr. Stephen Scher, the man having an affair with Dillon’s wife, the victim’s family refused to believe it.
Then Scher did the unthinkable: he married Dillon’s widow and raised her children as his own, living a stolen life for 20 years—until Martin’s body was exhumed. Some secrets never stay buried.
