Reckon

Dead Stars
Shine Brightest

A Reckoning in Uvalde, Texas

Based on the horrific true story of the Uvalde, Texas school shooting where police surrounded the scene but refused to enter, this story takes a fictional spin asking a very hard-hitting and philosophical question: As a parent, how far would you go to keep your child safe?

Most would die for their child. But would you KILL for them? If police officers, the very lawmen entrusted to protect, refused to act, would you step in and do the unthinkable?

This book asks that question, and many more. At its heart is Derek Jackson, a haunted war veteran and recovering alcoholic whose relationship with his teenage daughter Jade is brittle but rebuilding. When Jade becomes the target of a disturbed classmate and the system turns a blind eye, Derek is forced to confront not just his past, but a new reality in which justice, safety, and morality are far more complicated than right and wrong.

Gritty, emotional, and unflinching, this novel explores how far a parent will go when their child is in danger.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Introducing Sean Dempsey

Sean Dempsey is a historical fiction author whose work reimagines real-world tragedies with unflinching intensity and deeply human storytelling. His breakout novel, Dead Stars Shine Brightest, offers a haunting retelling of the Uvalde school shooting: an exploration of institutional cowardice, moral ambiguity, and the primal instincts of a father pushed to the edge. Dempsey’s fiction is marked by a bold willingness to confront uncomfortable truths, asking not only what happened, but what should have happened, and at what cost. Through richly drawn characters and emotionally charged prose, he forces readers to grapple with the ethical fault lines beneath our society’s most harrowing moments. With each work, Dempsey transforms headlines into harrowing personal sagas, blurring the boundary between history and literature, and cementing his place as a daring new voice in contemporary historical fiction.

Explore Sean's Work

TESTIMONIAL

Reader Reviews

Masterful Triumph! Story is gripping, and I couldn’t put it down. Hooked until the last page. Recommended!

Scott
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2025
This book don’t give you heroes – just a broken man backed into a corner with a gun and a reason. Feels more like a punch to the throat than a story. And I couldn’t look away. And I didn’t want to. Maybe I wanted someone to finally say what we’re all too scared to admit.
Travis
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2025
Ban It. Burn It, Whatever. Just Read It First! This book’s gonna piss people off. Good. It should. It talks about what nobody wants to talk about and makes it personal. The kind of story they don’t teach in schools because it might wake you up. It’s brutal. It’s ugly. It’s honest as hell.
Jeffery T.
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2025
Uvalde Police Had It Coming! ‘Dead Stars Shine Brightest’ doesn’t care about your comfort. It kicks down the door and SCREAMS at the dumb people who stood still while kids bled. It’s not pretty. It’s not polite. But it’s real. And maybe that’s what makes it feel like justice, even if it burns going down.
Tom P.
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2025

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