Review: Murder on Birchleaf Drive: The True Story of the Michelle Young Murder Case

Murder on Birchleaf Drive: The True Story of the Michelle Young Murder Case by Steven B. Epstein
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Overall, this was a very solid and well written true crime novel. I was hooked from the very beginning and all the way through to the end of the second trial (after the first ends in a mistrial). The author did a great job of reporting the facts versus introducing bias. I'll admit at some points I was not sure if the husband did it or not.

In my opinion, the book falls flat afterJason's lawyers begin the appeals process. This isn't necessarily the fault of the author, as he has to work with the real life circumstances. However, he talks a lot about legal theory and specific statutes which makes it a bit hard to follow.

Another point that irritated me was the pictures in the middle. Even though this is true crime, I made an effort not to look into the case ahead of time. The pictures make it clear he is convicted and appeals, well before this is introduced in the book.

Overall, I definitely encourage fans of true crime to check this one out.

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