Finding Sharon

by Matt Birkbeck

NOW A NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY GIRL IN THE PICTUREIn his international bestseller A Beautiful Child, award winning investigative journalist Matt Birkbeck told the heartbreaking story of a brilliant and beautiful young woman known as Sharon Marshall.

Caught in the murderous web of the monster she called her father, Sharon wasn’t her real name. But her horrifying story captured the hearts of readers everywhere and lead to a ten-year search to resolve two great mysteries – what was her true identity, and what became of her young son Michael, who was kidnapped from his first grade classroom and never seen again.

The worldwide interest in Sharon’s story prompted the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to open a new case file enlisting the FBI – and with A Beautiful Child as a roadmap, two FBI agents set their sights on death row interviews with Sharon’s tormentor to learn the shocking truth.

Equal parts memoir and narrative journalism, Finding Sharon picks up where A Beautiful Child left off and brings to a close one of the greatest mysteries in the annals of law enforcement – and a miraculous ending that will leave you in tears.Both books, A Beautiful Child and Finding Sharon, are adapted into the riveting Netflix documentary GIRL IN THE PICTURE.

REVIEWS

“Finding Sharon is a thrilling detective story with a heart of love. Matt Birkbeck shows himself again to be a wonderful storyteller and a most determined investigator as he unravels the final chapter of the tragic and mysterious journey of a gifted young woman.”

Paul Moses, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author of An Unlikely Union and The Saint and the Sultan.

"I will never forget Finding Sharon - and that is a testament to investigative journalist Matt Birkbeck's dedication to an otherwise forgotten soul. Sharon Marshall wasn't a celebrity, she was never going to be famous but her life mattered. Birkbeck’s compelling narrative here – and in A Beautiful Child before it – lays bare seething evil. But this must read also gives value to an otherwise anonymous soul and reveals how the human spirit can flourish even under the worst circumstances."

Diane Dimond, author and journalist.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Crime, Mystery

180 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 16, 2018

About the author

Matt Birkbeck (born Brooklyn, N.Y.) is a bestselling author and journalist.
His debut work of fiction, The Wicked, was published in August 2025.

He is best known for his nonfiction books A Beautiful Child, which told the tragic story of "Sharon Marshall" and Franklin Delano Floyd, and 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.

Both books were adapted by Netflix for the hit 2022 film Girl in the Picture, which Matt served as executive producer.

He is also known for The Life We Chose, about William "Big Billy" D'Elia, the former head of the Bufalino crime family; Deconstructing Sammy, about the life of Sammy Davis, Jr. and efforts to resolve his debts and his legacy; The Quiet Don, about Mafia boss Russell Bufalino; and A Deadly Secret, about New York real estate scion Robert Durst, who was accused of murdering his wife Kathie Durst and two others. A Deadly Secret was adapted in 2017 by Lifetime for the film The Lost Wife of Robert Durst.

He has also authored magazine pieces and features for Boston Magazine, Philadelphia Inquirer, The New York Times, Reader's Digest, Playboy and others, and was a correspondent for People magazine focusing on crime and human interest stories.

Reviews

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like how the author kept talking about his previous book, and who read it.

[Obsidian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great companion to the Netflix documentary “Girl in the Picture.” The entire story of this young woman known as Tonya was heartbreaking.

The main reason why I gave this four stars is that the book drags a bit. And since it’s fairly short, I thought the flow would have been better.

I do agree with some readers and watchers of the documentary that Sharon’s biological mother had way too many red flags in the documentary that this book dives into. I questioned how she didn’t go to the police to report her daughter as missing, and the book lets you know she resisted telling her family what happened or would agree to go to the police.

[Ted Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One could read this little book within a few minutes but somehow the subject requires something close to veneration. This is one of the most heartbreaking narratives I have encountered. I am having trouble holding aspects of it together just now. I received my copy this morning. Anger and pity pierced by admiration for a child, then teenager, and then young adult caught in what sounds impossible overwhelms me. I recommend one read the precursor book before attempting to read this one. I am finding it hard to keep the stories together.

I finally am getting the story together. What a violent, bitter, and heartbreaking life that child lived!

[Vee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sequel delivered on all that was yet unknown at the end of its prequel, A Beautiful Child.

Despite having read the first book and viewing various research on the case, the multilayers of deception surrounding Suzanne’s life are still difficult to comprehend.

Matt Birkbeck successfully treads a fine journalistic line again. Bringing dark facts to the light for further examination, but never veering into sensationalism or judgment, even when it would be far simpler to do so. He weaves together the many, many lives Suzanne touched, and the final pages honor her life and memory in a way that brought tears to my eyes.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short victory lap

After reading Birbeck’s previous book, which was impossible to put down, I was compelled to read Finding Sharon to see how the Sharon Marshall story ended. While informative, this book was somehow as repetitive as it was short. The sections covering Frank Floyd’s confession were fascinating, but I can’t help but feel this could have been added as an epilogue to a updated edition of the previous book.

I also found it funny that Birbeck clearly misspelled the name of FBI Agent Furr, as Ferr, in one of his drafts, and the error was fixed using CTRL-F, replace. “Ferr” anywhere in the text became Furr including within words such as reFurring!

[Lynn Clemons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matt's portral of someone who was so brave and so protective of her friends. None of us having any clue around the nightmare she was living in everyday. I commend his dedication to her memory. This addition to 'A Beautiful Child's, goes deeper into a story that shows no bottom. The lives not talked about that Floyd took is horrific, to say the least, there were many others and I hope that this monster gets found and the ones forgotten are remembered. Sharon would be so proud. It's a movement. - Lynn (RayBaby)

[Lauren Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Investigative journalist Matt Birkbeck writes the stunning conclusion to A Beautiful Child in his sequel Finding Sharon. A mix of narrative journalism and accounts from the people that knew her, Finding Sharon is a quick read that’s a hopeful end to the tragic story of Sharon Marshall. Readers will absolutely want to read his first book, A Beautiful Child, before picking up this one—it’s the continuing story and without context to the events the first book outlines, readers will be lost and miss the overall importance of finding Sharon’s true identity. The first book was excellent, but as Birkbeck himself points out, it’s hard to end on an unfinished ending. We were left with a big, gaping hole in the story of Sharon and readers wanted to know her true identity. In this follow-up that picks up where A Beautiful Child ended, we are finally given the answers to Sharon’s past. I enjoyed the unique way this sequel is written. There are testimonials from people who knew and loved Sharon, as well as from family members who came forward to give their side of events. Birkbeck also inserts himself into this narrative, which doesn’t always work in true crime, but it does in this case since he became such an integral part of its conclusion. While the ending is still heartbreaking and tragic, there is a hopeful element to Sharon’s story as family reunites, loose ends are tied up and she is finally honored beneath a headstone bearing her true name. 4.5 stars

Thank you to author Matt Birkbeck and team for providing me with my copy

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most heartrending stories I've ever encountered. I will say though, as someone who normally finds the true crime "genre" distasteful, I truly appreciate Matt Birkbeck's commitment to putting the focus on and honoring Suzanne Sevakis, and holding space and giving grace to all those who were touched by her and Michael's lives. You don't see too much of that respect amongst the horde of true crime authors, podcasters, and YouTubers who gleefully revel in the clout that a murderer's infamy gives them.

[Wanda Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read 'Beautiful Child', I wondered about who Sharon really was and what happened to Michael. Birkbeck and the officers involved in the case did not give up and continued to try to find answers to those questions. In 'Finding Sharon' the reader will finally learn who Sharon was and how she came to be with the monster who took her life and that of Michael. This is a very short book that can be read in one sitting but it will leave the reader in tears for these two souls who were so badly treated in life.

[Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart wrenching, bittersweet. This is the final chapter of the story from A Beautiful Child. Matt Birkbeck came together with many others who knew and loved Sharon in an attempt to discover who she really was before she was abducted at the age of 3.

[Burt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Netflix's documentary on "Sharon Marshall" (The Girl in the Picture) was my introduction to the story of the young woman whose lived a tragic life with a serial con man who - presumably- murdered her in 1990. After watching the documentary, I had to read Matt Birkbeck's two books on the case - A Beautiful Child and Finding Sharon.

As luck would have it, my copy of A Beautiful Child got delayed in the mail. Finding Sharon came first, which was a bit unfortunate since - chronologically - Finding Sharon recounts the second part of the Sharon Marshall saga.

But I couldn't wait for the mail & read Finding Sharon the day it arrived. Since I'd seen The Girl in the Picture, out-of-sequence reading didn't make much of a difference.

And what of this book? If you have A Beautiful Child, you'll want to get Finding Sharon to find out how it all ended. The book is short and very compelling and you can read it in a few hours. Unfortunately, Birkbeck didn't do a great of editing, so there are too many mistakes and repetitions. But the story is amazing.

If you like true crime, do yourself a favor and read both A Beautiful Child and Finding Sharon.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been fascinated by the case of "Sharon Marshall" for years, ever since she and her son Michael Hughes were featured during a segment of Unsolved Mysteries in the late 1990s.

I strongly recommend starting with A Beautiful Child, if you have not done so already. That book lays down the timeline regarding the lives of Sharon and Michael, and the crimes perpetrated by her "father". The book shows how Sharon touched so many people during her short life, and how decades later she's still remembered fondly. I suspect there are many gaps remaining regarding Sharon's life that will never be filled, and it's unfortunate that Michael may never be found. I appreciated the details of LE efforts to determine her true identity and what really happened to her son--those details show that it's not like a 40-minute episode of a fictional crime show where everything is wrapped up at the end. It took many years to sift through it all and find out what really happened.

One star removed, due to the misspellings and missing punctuation in my eBook.

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The conclusion to A Beautiful Child. No one knew the true identity of the beautiful kind young woman who despite living a horrific life was still kind hearted and loved by all she met. So the author set out to find out her true identity. A young girl Suzanne Sevakis born while her dad was serving in Vietnam, her mom well she's something else. I mean I don't have kids but I can't imagine not doing everything in my power to find my missing child until the day I died. We also learn the sad ultimate fate of her little boy Michael who that evil sick bastard also killed. It was a sweet fitting end and closed up the loose ends left in the first book. Very well written and told the story of the people involved in a sympathetic way except for Suzanne's kidnapper who deserves nothing good and I guess you could say I enjoyable this as much as you can enjoy a book covering such a dark topic.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy to hear how they finally discovered who “Sharon” really was and reunited so many family members. This gave answers about what happened to Suzanne’s brother. The story is pretty heartfelt, hearing the stories of the people who Suzanne touched with her kindness. It’s the overwhelming aspect of this story, is how good Suzanne was in situations of such depravity. Her mother is a piece of work. The movie portrays her more sympathetically than this book. Suzanne would have likely had a difficult childhood and life with that woman, but it would have been infinitely better than what she experienced with Floyd.

This gives more details than the movie did. This is a sequel to Beautiful Child and should be read after reading that to get the full story.

[Nina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story that is told is compelling and respectful. The FBI and other law enforcement agents did amazing work, and Birkbeck did a beautiful job honoring the memory of Suzanne Sedakis… in real life. The book itself suffers from convoluted chronology, reducing the humans involved to two dimensional good or bad caricatures, and a certain amount of self congratulations. It’s not aided by periodic editing errors. A few other reviewers have mentioned this could have been an epilogue to a reprint of A Beautiful Child; I think that would have been a better choice. Kudos to all involved in bringing closure to Suzanne’s story.

[Jane Dennish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so glad that Matt Birkbeck wrote a follow up to his book, A Beautiful Child. I wanted to know what ended up happening, and this book is a perfect companion and sequel. I also like that it follows the different people in Sharon’s life and how they uncovered the truth of what happened to hear. I feel terrible that they all had to go through this horrible hell, and more importantly feel terrible that Sharon went through it. If you haven’t read the first book, go read it now and then read this one! You won’t regret it!

Thanks so much to Matt Birkbeck, the author, for sending both books to me! I can’t wait to now watch the Netflix show on these books!

[Leif C. Crowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

High Praise for author Matt Birkbeck!

Please read A Beautiful Child and then read Finding Sharon. Both books are stirring and reveal the story of a child kidnapped and abused by a pedophile. She touched the lives of many people who admired her ability to function at a high level despite her horrible home life. She was very bright and a model ROTC officer who earned a full scholarship to study aerospace engineering. Her captor denied her this opportunity. He dragged her down, kept her pregnant, and sold her babies.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another incredible crime story by Matt Birkbeck. I'm so grateful to the author for a copy of this book. I was so invested in this search for Sharon that I couldn't read another book till I found out the full story.
You need to read A Beautiful Child first to get the full back story surrounding Sharon's story. The two books are just incredibly told from many perspectives. You will definitely get absorbed in it.

[Nancy Vachon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I watched "The Girl in the Picture" on Netflix and was intrigued so I read the more detailed follow up. I didn't read the prequel "A Beautiful Child" which the same author wrote and referred to constantly. It was such a sad story but the way the author, the FBI. friends and detectives honored "Sharon" was heartwarming.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful to read the rest of the story

I loved this book. Reading "A Beautiful Child" was devastating. It's somehow reassuring to read of the successful efforts of so many people, to give her a name, and restore her go family who loved her.

[Mzfitted · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best books I've read

The book a Beautiful Child and now the follow up that solves the mystery that had touched me deeply .I'm so thankful these books solved and gave a name to s resilient young lady may she forever rest in peace .

[Janel Caruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad story but glad it was told

Good follow up to a beautiful child. Author and detectives are relentless in finding her true identity. So sad to read of abuse she suffered for years.

[pasqualina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful child was such a disturbing book- this book is heartbreaking. So sad-

[Elisa Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was great to find out more about this case and the fbi agents who interviewed Floyd.

[Joye Roberts Fratoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

More satisfying conclusion to “A Beautiful Child”

[Kayla Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

The research was so deep & he actually cared about finding Sharon

[Amy Wohlitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Countless grammatical errors and repetitive passages, but it’s a quick read still worth picking up for the additional information it provides if you’ve followed this case.

[Elizabeth Lamore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read if you’ve read a beautiful child! I didn’t know there was a second book until audible recommended it to me.

[Bren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartbreaking sequel that answers most of the questions left unanswered in the first book.

[LDavis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story, so well told.

Monsters are real, and the one in this book that tops thousands I know of.
Great job Matt.
I thoroughly enjoyed the beautifully told ending.