Yeah…the book definitely weaved in Renner’s obsession with the case and his own addiction issues. It was entertaining to say the least (I read it after listening to a few other podcasts on Maura) but it seemed he took some hard shots at Fred and other family members, possibly due to the fact they told him NOT to write the book. Fred had his sayings “the skunk is on the front porch” and “they couldn’t catch a cold”. He’s an old-timer South Shore father, who pushed his daughters very hard to become D1 runners. He also ran marathons when he was younger and indeed took his kids camping in the White Mountains. As he has stated, the family didn’t have a ton of money and camping was a cheap vacation. Renner really rode him most the book and as a father with daughters, I think he did overstep, unless there’s something I’m missing. I’d point to her relationships (with Bill and a confirmed one with an asst. X-C coach at UMASS), eating disorder, type-A academic / athletic personality, kleptomania (credit card numbers and the incident at Fort Knox), multiple car accidents etc. as the issues that led her to drive up north in the first place.
That said, you can’t deny that Renner brought some massive attention to the case and even dug into the police missteps. He did a documentary (3 episodes) where they pursued the Quebec theory but they obviously did not find her. The Afterword was all about what you mention with Bill. Dark behavior for sure. Criminal sexual assault. There was another piece that came up with Bill’s sister committing suicide and Renner suggests that she had wanted to tell the Sheriff about a crime in a note she left or something like that. True Crime Addict is on Spotify and Renner reads it. She had problems before this with depression and addiction.
The fact that there has been no resolution - or even a strong lead - in twenty years makes me sad. I feel like if there was some conspiracy, someone would talk. My buddy, a journalist and limo driver, who passed away this year, drove a couple from Hanson, MA to Logan one time; he said they were very matter-of-fact the she was still alive and working for the government, living in another country. This guy was a straight-shooter, never made up stories. He was completely shocked to hear this after researching the case for years. Who knows?