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  • Published: 2 August 2005
  • ISBN: 9780425204405
  • Imprint: Berkley
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $19.99

A Beautiful Child

A True Story of Hope, Horror, and an Enduring Human Spirit



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.

  • Published: 2 August 2005
  • ISBN: 9780425204405
  • Imprint: Berkley
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $19.99

About the author

Matt Birkbeck

Matt Birkbeck is an award winning investigative journalist and author. He covered the first Durst trial for People Magazine and Reader's Digest and served as a consultant for CBS News 48 Hours. He has appeared on a variety of news broadcasts and programs, including CNN's American Morning and Anderson Cooper along with The Fox Channel’s Geraldo Rivera show, the CBS Early Show, and CNN’s Headline News Nancy Grace show. Matt's work was the subject of an MSNBC documentary on Durst in 2007 and he also appeared on Dominick Dunne's "Power, Privilege and Justice" program on TruTV.

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