Matt Birkbeck (born Brooklyn, N.Y.) is an American investigative journalist and author.
Contents
He is best known for several of his books, including A Beautiful Child , which told the tragic story of "Sharon Marshall," who was abducted as a toddler and raised under false identities by her "father" Franklin Delano Floyd, a convicted felon. He also wrote the sequel Finding Sharon , which is a memoir about his ten-year effort, along with the FBI and National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, to find Sharon's true identity, Suzanne Sevakis. [1] The books captivated readers worldwide and were adapted by Netflix for the film Girl in the Picture , which was released in 2022 and became a global phenomenon earning the #1 movie ranking worldwide. It was directed by Skye Borgman , with Birkbeck serving as executive producer. [2]
He also wrote the critically acclaimed Deconstructing Sammy about the life of Sammy Davis Jr. and the efforts to resolve his debts and his legacy following his death in 1990. The New York Times called it "sensational" while the Los Angeles Times said it was "tremendous."
His 2023 bestselling book The Life We Chose told the story of William D'Elia, the former head of the Bufalino Crime Family and the so-called son and confidant to former Mafia boss Russell Bufalino. Birkbeck interviewed D'Elia for over two years and reported on his associations with Jimmy Hoffa, Roy Cohn, Frank Sheeran, Marlon Brando and Donald Trump, among others.
His other notable books include The Quiet Don: The Untold Story of Mafia Kingpin Russell Bufalino (2013), his initial book on Russell Bufalino, and his very first book A Deadly Secret (2002/2015), which is a comprehensive account of real estate heir Robert Durst and the mysterious disappearance of his wife Kathie Durst in 1982, and subsequent murder of a drifter, Morris Black, in Galveston, Texas in 2001. The book drew on extensive interviews, police files, and firsthand reporting, cementing Birkbeck’s reputation for deep investigative work. [3] Birkbeck's reporting on Durst served as a roadmap for law enforcement and other media, with Dateline NBC following up on his reporting connecting Durst to the disappearances of several other women. That program, Robert Durst: The Lost Years (Season 23, Episode 62), aired in June 2015. [4] The book was adapted by Lifetime for the 2017 movie The Lost Wife of Robert Durst.
His debut work of fiction, The Wicked , was published in August 2025.
Birkbeck has written magazine pieces and features for a variety of publications, covering the aftermath of the 2004 Super Bowl riots for Boston Magazine , the cross-country pursuit of a civil rights worker by white supremacists for the Philadelphia Inquirer , features for The New York Times , the Robert Durst investigation for Reader's Digest and People magazine, the U.S. Secret Service and FBI investigation of baseball legend Denny McLain for Playboy , and others.
