Absence of Evidence : An Examination of the Michelle Young Murder Case

Title: Absence of Evidence
Author: Lynne Blanchard
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: September 1, 2016
Page Count: 213
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Read book blurb here

Having recently finished Steven B. Epstein's excellent Murder on Birchfield Drive, I came upon this book and felt compelled to get a counterview of the case.

Blanchard was approached by members of Jason Young's family and therefore her book provides information that was not revealed in the court proceedings.  On the other hand, it also clearly has a bias toward Jason Young.

Blanchard reveals that initially the police suspected that Michelle's sister, Meredith, was not truthful about her actions the night of Michelle's death and may have been involved. She also relates that the family hired a private investigator to go through the house and found several things the police had missed. Blanchard also brought to light several oddities about Casssidy and the family dog that were never addressed.

Where Blanchard falters, in my humble opinion, is her slant that everything is a possible conspiracy or a result of a police blunder.  Although upon finishing the book, I was left with the feeling there is a slight chance that maybe, just maybe, the police were too myopic in their quest and too focused on making all the oddities of this case fit into proving that Jason Young killed his wife.

If you read both books, please leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts about this case.  Thanks!

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