Finding Sharon

By: Matt Birkbeck

Narrated by: Matt Birkbeck

In his international best seller 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 people everywhere and lead to a 10-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 road map, 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.

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)

©2018 Matt Birkbeck (P)2021 Matt Birkbeck

Much appreciated update

I was so happy to find this sequel after finishing the first book. Thank you for the update & follow up! The author did a fine job reading this himself and it was so rewarding to hear the closure & the peace to end the story. RIP you dear, tortured souls.

Her

I think what makes this story very critical and important is the fact that your next door neighbor and bestfriend could be dealing with this. Frankly we had this entire block in our humanity where because “it wasn’t our business” or. “I would have been rude to ask” we never did anything to stop where we saw clear abuse and evidence of horrible things. What stood out for me was the level of voices that got a feeling of what was going on but because it wasn’t “nice” to inquire, they did nothing. For example, Ray baby’s mom? She was a cop and even though she knew something was going on, she didn’t step up? Or Jennie’s parents who seemed to care about her, didn’t wonder why she didn’t want to go back? Heather, she told you about her abuse and fears, she didn’t do anything because Susie told her not to say anything but why? Because it’s not their fault since this was something of that time where people couldn’t or it’ll make them seem crazy or disrespectful. This book is a clear indication and example of how we as humanity just couldn’t talk about things like because it would have been impolite and we still have stuff like this where if we could only speak up and show our love and support, people would not be scared of coming out of the shadows. What’s so heartbreaking is that she could have lived if she just..ran. And yet she was an angel, she still held her head up, she still shines like a golden beam all around her despite the bruises, despite the trafficking, she was too good for this world and frankly I know I’ll never forget her story. Today I leave flowers, white roses, on her grave. I traveled from Arizona after watching the Netflix special, hearing the books and talking to people, this was a journey that I felt I had to make and I’m glad to have met a true angel.

Loved the wrap up

I have been enthralled with this story for a long time, listening to podcasts, documentaries, and reading A beautiful child. This was a good wrap of of Suzanne’s life. Couldn’t help but cry at the end. It’s good to see goodness still in the world. Cliff, was right look at all the good his daughter accomplished in her short time. May God wrap his arms around this sweet sweet girl.

So good!

The author did an amazing job telling this story. It truly shows how kind people can be to someone they never met.

Suzanne

I finished the book in 24 hours! Such a quick read and the service they held for “Sharon” was beautiful.