Matt Birkbeck

Matt Birkbeck (born Brooklyn, N.Y.) is an investigative journalist and critically acclaimed author. He is best known for his books A Beautiful Child: A True Story of Hope, Horror, and an Enduring Human Spirit (2004), which told the story of "Sharon Marshall" and her "father" Franklin Delano Floyd, and the sequel Finding Sharon (2018), 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.

He is also known for Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, Madness and the Mob (2008) about the life of Sammy Davis, Jr. and efforts to resolve his debts and his legacy; The Quiet Don (2013), about Mafia boss Russell Bufalino; and A Deadly Secret: The Bizarre and Chilling Story of Robert Durst (2015), 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 into the 2017 Lifetime movie The Lost Wife of Robert Durst. The book was originally published in 2002.

He has 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.