A Beautiful Child
by Matt Birkbeck
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THE INSPIRATION FOR THE NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY GIRL IN THE PICTURESharon 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 show more 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. show less
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A Beautiful Child by Matt Birkbeck is a 2004 Berkley publication.
This is a shocking story. A child kidnapped and raised by a predator, all while appearing as normal as could be most of the time!
Sharon was smart, attractive, and seemed well-adjusted, but what nobody knew was that her ‘father’ wasn’t her father and she suffered untold horrors her whole life. As an adult, the ‘father’ became ‘husband’, and her life, so full of promise at one time, took an unimaginable nosedive into exotic dancing, prostitution, and murder.
This is such a disturbing story, and a hard mystery to swallow. It’s also one of the saddest stories of true crime that I’ve read.
Netflix based a very good documentary on this book, and the book also show more has a follow-up epilogue that explains some answers that remained unknown when this book was first published.
Overall, a chilling story- super sad and hard to understand on a psychological level. It will certainly stay in your head for a while. The author did a great job telling Sharon’s story, and while he was very professional, I felt an emotional tone there which suggested it deeply affected him.
4.5 stars show less
This is a shocking story. A child kidnapped and raised by a predator, all while appearing as normal as could be most of the time!
Sharon was smart, attractive, and seemed well-adjusted, but what nobody knew was that her ‘father’ wasn’t her father and she suffered untold horrors her whole life. As an adult, the ‘father’ became ‘husband’, and her life, so full of promise at one time, took an unimaginable nosedive into exotic dancing, prostitution, and murder.
This is such a disturbing story, and a hard mystery to swallow. It’s also one of the saddest stories of true crime that I’ve read.
Netflix based a very good documentary on this book, and the book also show more has a follow-up epilogue that explains some answers that remained unknown when this book was first published.
Overall, a chilling story- super sad and hard to understand on a psychological level. It will certainly stay in your head for a while. The author did a great job telling Sharon’s story, and while he was very professional, I felt an emotional tone there which suggested it deeply affected him.
4.5 stars show less
Very detailed look at the mysterious, sad life of Suzanne Sevakis. Frankllin Floyd kidnapped her as a young child, raised her as his daughter and then later married her. Well written.
Beyond the search for identity of Sharon Marshall, this book chronicles the extraordinary ineptness of the American penal system and our timid efforts as a society to protect our children. My complete review is available at my book review site, http://www.tgblogger.com/?p=1577.
on Tuesday, May 22, 2007 I wrote:
Wow this was such a good read.
Finished reading this on May 12Th 2007
This was such a sad story . it grabbed me from page 1.
It is so shocking and unbelievable. Reading the description of the book you would not know
It is sad they still don’t know who Sharon really was. Where her real parents are , what happened.
I hope that one day this will be solved.Planning to check the authors site so now and then. He keeps us readers updated about the cases in his books.
I Highly recommend this book to True Crime Fans.
10
Wow this was such a good read.
Finished reading this on May 12Th 2007
This was such a sad story . it grabbed me from page 1.
It is so shocking and unbelievable. Reading the description of the book you would not know
It is sad they still don’t know who Sharon really was. Where her real parents are , what happened.
I hope that one day this will be solved.Planning to check the authors site so now and then. He keeps us readers updated about the cases in his books.
I Highly recommend this book to True Crime Fans.
10
My guilty pleasure - true crime novels. This one was very sad because "Sheryl" had so much potential despite the terrible circumstances she lived in.
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True Crime
216 works; 16 members
Author Information
12 Works 451 Members
Matt Birkbeck is an author and journalist who has written articles for The New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Reader's Digest and Boston Magazine. He is a former newspaper reporter who joined business publisher Harrison Scott Publications, covering Wall Street and regulatory issues in Washington, D.C. He has written several books including show more his biography on Sammy Davis Jr., Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, Madness and the Mob. His other title's include: A Deadly Secret, A Beautiful Child, The Quiet Don, and A Deadly Secret: The Bizarre and Chilling Story of Robert Durst. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Common Knowledge
- Alternate titles
- A Beautiful Child: A True Story of Hope, Horror, and an Enduring Human Spirit
- Original publication date
- 2004-09-07
- People/Characters
- Sharon Mitchell (Suzanne Marie Sevakis); Warren Mitchell (Franklin Delano Floyd); Joseph Fitzpatrick; Michael Anthony Hughes
- Important places
- Forest Park, Georgia, USA; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
- Epigraph
- "Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come to me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 19:14 - First words
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
April 1990
The thunderstorms that swept through the southern Plains left the region damp and misty, the spring moisture adding a heaviness to the air and to the darkness of the ear... (show all)ly morning hours, which made driving somewhat more difficult for Delbert Ray Collins and his two companions. (Prologue)
Forest Park, Georgia
November 1983
The wide halls of the Forest Park High School were crammed with teenagers, all moving in slow motion as they bumped and grinded their way to class. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Nance firmly believes that someone searching for a long-lost little girl will come forward, their DNA compared, and the mystery of Sharon Marshall's true identity will finally be revealed
- Publisher's editor
- Rosenstein, Natalee
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir
- DDC/MDS
- 364.152 — Society, Government, and Culture Social problems and social services Crime Criminal offenses Offenses against the person Homicide
- LCC
- HV6533 .G4 .B57 — Social sciences Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology Crimes and offenses
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 126
- Popularity
- 258,098
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (4.16)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 5
- ASINs
- 1
