A Beautiful Child

Matt Birkbeck

Aug 2005 · Sold by Penguin

About this eBook

THE INSPIRATION FOR THE NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY GIRL IN THE PICTURE

Sharon Marshall was a brilliant and beautiful student whose future was filled with promise—until her murderous, fugitive father drew her into a lifetime of deception that became one of the most baffling cases in the annals of American true crime.

A student at Forest Park High School near Atlanta, Georgia, popular blonde-haired Sharon Marshall was at the top of her class. Serving as a Lt. Colonel in the ROTC, she earned a full scholarship to Georgia Tech University to study aerospace engineering. She was the ultimate girl next door, sweet, generous, and well-adjusted. But Sharon had disturbing secrets so shocking and unique, they took more than a decade to unravel...

This is the horrifying true story of a mysterious young woman caught in the violent web of the murderous fugitive she called her father—and a heartrending testament to the profound courage and perseverance of one woman trapped in the grip of extreme evil.

Ratings and reviews

This true crime book is a real page turner. The last few chapters were in need of some serious editing as they droned on and slowed the book down to a snail's pace. I was thrilled that she was finally identified in 2014, so I found out via google, but was shocked that there is no update in the book. Note to authot. Do it.

I have watched movie documentary girl in picture on Netflix. based on this child in book. what a endurance harrowing really. I never cried after watching netflix documentaries but this one really made me cry from heart. why suzanne the real name had to stay with that man he was not a kind person she so loved and wished to never leave. he was bad abuser everything a parents are scared of from an abductor feels bad to imagine how all children who get abducted go through. our house help daughter was abducted while she was playing in broad day light she was just 4-5years. her mother couldn't bare that she lost her sanity. nobody knows what happened to the girl. just can't bear to imagine. May God help them both. help all those children Ameen

An update is needed as the true identity of sharon has now been revealed. This book was brilliant, sad, and very disturbing. i just felt like shaking the crap out of floyd....glad he got what he deserved

About the author

Matt Birkbeck is an award-winning investigative journalist and the author of The Quiet Don, Deconstructing Sammy, and A Beautiful Child. His work has been featured in a host of publications including Reader’s Digest, Playboy, Rolling Stone, the New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and People magazine. He has appeared on a variety of network and cable news programs, including CNN, ABC’s 20/20, NBC, CBS, and Investigation Discovery, among others, and was celebrated by the New York Times Book Review for his “killer leads, gripping kickers, and sensational descriptions.”