A Deadly Secret: The Strange Disappearance Of Kathie Durst

by Matt Birkbeck

In 2001, Robert Durst, heir to a two-billion-dollar fortune, was arrested for shoplifting. He was also on the run from a murder indictment-and suspected in the disappearance of his wife, Kathie. What transpired between Kathie's disappearance and the routine arrest was a 19-year, cross-country mystery of multiple identities that raised some baffling questions about one of the country's most prominent men.

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

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published September 2, 2003

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

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Backlist Read A Thon: A recommended title

I love True Crime!

I'm just so fascinated by why people commit crimes. So naturally a couple of years ago I had to watch the HBO docu series The Jinx. If you've never heard of The Jinx, its about the very very very weird life of Robert Durst (former) heir to a billion dollar New York real estate fortune. Everywhere Robert Durst goes people seem to die or mysteriously disappear. His 1st wife Kathie Durst disappeared in 1982, in 2000 his close friend Susan Berman was murdered, and in 2001 a Texas drifter Morris Black was murdered and dismembered. Robert Durst is the #1 suspect in all these cases and he was even tried and acquitted of Morris Black's death. Its also suspected by many in law enforcement as having murdered even more people. When asked in the documentary about all these deaths, Robert Durst said that he was "jinxed".

As those of us who love True Crime, know that Robert Durst is currently on trial for the murder of his friend Susan Berman. Given his past what may seem like an open & shut case is gonna be quite the fight for prosecutors.

A Deadly Secret is a "fun" look at the many many cases of Robert Durst and the crazy people involved. The cast of characters in this book are nuts. I found myself laughing at just how absurd these people are. I can't even explain them you just need to read this book.

If you're interested in Robert Durst but can't find this book, I suggest you watch The Jinx or if you have Court Tv, you can watch the opening statements and get further commentary.

I highly recommend A Deadly Secret.

[Jennie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I watched The Jinx and I got obsessed. Robert Durst is my jam.

This one, just skip it. Unless you are obsessed. Then, visit your library because this author cannot spell...at all. It is painful. And it happens on every single page. The grammar is also painful.

You get some dirt and maybe you can't find it anywhere else, but I doubt it. The Jinx was just on and all of this can be found on the Internet. (Plus, this was released before the conclusion of his trial for the murder of Morris Black.)

A ton of sleazy speculation, which is always awesome. I have a big soft spot in my cold black heart for pulpy true crime, but ladies and gentlemen...proofread. There were years to proofread and edit this book before the Kindle version came out (2010) and not a single soul could be bothered. It matters. Write all the bad trash you want, but your spelling better be on point.

Anyway, this author and/or people he interviewed really couldn't stand a lot of the other people in this book. Loads of hate for Kathie Durst's friend Gilberte (Durst called her "Gilbertie") and Jeanine Pirro. He made a cop look like some homophobic jackass for no good reason (maybe he is, I don't know, but it isn't relevant in the book or the investigation, or if it is, this author put zero effort into making it feel relevant. Actually, I need to stick with that point...)

A lot of things get mentioned but the author never makes them feel relevant to this version of Durst's story. A few transitional sentences would have done wonders. Maybe a little focus?

I sound like I'm ready to write an essay on the suck with this book. That's a waste of my time, so I will just recommend that you read it for free or don't read it at all.

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

on Monday, October 22, 2007 I wrote.....


Well that was a nice surprise after all.
I started reading and to be honest I thought at first it was not going to be a good book, but after a while I really got into it.
So much so I just checked Internet to see what happened with Robert Durst.

The way this author writes, he makes you really get to know the people involved.
To bad there are still so many questions left. I believe he killed and killed more than once.

Reading on court TV the jury acquitted him, unbelievable to most people, including me. Thank God they found ways to get him behind bars after all.

Very interesting book.

9 out of 10...

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Matt Birkbeck has had amazing access to the ongoing story of Robert Durst (as well as being able to keep enough distance to be more confident of when he needs to fact check Durst, unlike in "The Jinx" were more things appeared to be accepted unchallenged). For true crime it skirts the border between sensationalism and information, and the updated edition includes the most recent developments in the case.

Overall a good primer on the history surrounding Robert Durst, but fails to avoid sensationalizing Kathy Durst's disappearance.

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only thing that kept me from giving this book 5 stars is the unfortunate fact that the author had to end us on a cliffhanger, with half a zillion unanswered questions about the suspect. Decades of good sleuthing has led us right up to the precipice of knowing everything -- or maybe nothing -- about this weird guy. Well-written with short, punchy chapters that kept me turning the pages.

[Melissa Van D · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title sums it up. Robert Durst has quite a chilling and very bizarre story, from his tragic loss as a child in New York to his time wearing drag and hiding out in the slums of Galveston Texas. An heir to Durst Real Estate Organization, his behavior is perplexing.

The book documents three crimes, all in which Durst is a suspect but is never convicted. The first and most prominent case is that of his missing wife Kathleen Durst. Twenty years and two detectives later, they still cannot find conclusive evidence. When Detective Joe Becerra contacts Susan Berman, Durst's lifelong friend, to pursue the missing persons case, Berman is shot and killed in her home. Just a year later, a torso is found in Galveston Bay, and the trail leads straight to Durst. However, with the best lawyers in the country, the jury is swayed and declares Durst "not guilty".

Expressed through interviews, news articles and police reports, Durst's story is accurate and intriging. I highly recommend watching "The Jinx" on HBO, the series that began as interview sessions to understand Durst's own point of view, but ultimately exposed him through previously unexplored evidence and a small microphone.

[Tracy Hollen · Rating 2 out of 5]

After watching The Jinx I was intrigued to learn more about Robert Durst. While this book was very informative, I found it extremely sexist. All characters' looks were provided, but we were told if women characters were attractive or not. A main character, who turns out to be untrustworthy, is described as the most unattractive woman the detective has ever seen, and it is speculated that she is a lesbian. Why is this necessary? What does it add to the narrative, which is supposed to be about Robert Durst? At one point the author suggests that it's hard to believe that Jeanine Pirro is such a successful, driven woman because she's so attractive - we even get a detailed description of her makeup and how the light bounces off of her lipstick. Ugh.
From what I understand the author writes/used to write for People magazine. If you're looking for a book-length People magazine quality book maybe you'll like this.

[Antoinette Perez]

I felt an extraordinary urgency to see how this book ended: I started this book last night. I woke up coughing at 2 am and read for another 2 hours and went back to sleep. I finished the book before my first appointment of the day. THAT is how much I wanted to finish this book.

Writing style is OK. Proofreading in this Kindle version is terrible (typos, extra words, verb tense inconsistencies, etc.). BUT THE STORY. What a story. Great reporting. The subtitle does not lie: this story is both bizarre and chilling. This is probably a true crime lover's dream, and when you account for the timeliness -- the recent HBO special, major breaking news on the case from just 2 weeks ago, and the fact that this version of the 2003 book was updated with an epilogue of sorts THREE DAYS AGO -- the story lives up to the hype.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The HBO TV series, "The Jinx..." captured my interest and drew me to seek more information about Robert Durst, so I read this book. The story itself is very compelling, especially now when RD is again in jail on multiple charges, this time with an unprecedented bail amount of one billion dollars.

The writing style is not my favorite, and the typographical errors are telling, in that the book was obviously not well proofread. I'm guessing this was to rapidly distribute the book while there's a great deal of interest.

As with any true story, it's beneficial to have more than one perspective and this book adds some details not found in, "The Jinx." I'm glad I read it.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best true crime tale ever told. I know the author attempted to make the lead character the officers, but I'm not sure it quite worked. It's a shame that nothing ever came of poor Kathie's death. If she truly did die as no body was ever found. And I would have liked to learn more about Bobby Durst and his super-rich family.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book that was given to me. It was interesting, but left you hanging. I still don't know what happened to Kathie. And some of the people in the book were dumb. But they were real, so I can't fault the author.

[Denise Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scary but good read

Having seen the HBO special "The Jinx" I wanted a little more information about the case. This book really fills in the blanks

[Sherry Haning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched and well written book about Robert Durst.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robert Durst was born in New York in 1943. His father was Seymour Durst, a real estate mogul. His mother died by suicide when he was seven. Robert was passed over for inheritance of the family business in favor of his younger brother, which upset him greatly. His wife, Kathleen McCormack went missing and there was much speculation and investigation into her disappearance. Prior to her disappearance, she had been seen by a doctor for facial injuries. She told a friend that she was being beaten by Durst, though she declined to involve police. Not long after she went missing, Durst disposed of her possessions in the trash compactor of their building. He divorced her eight years after she went missing, citing spousal abandonment, but was later charged with her murder. His friend, Susan Berman, publicly defended him amidst speculation about Kathleen, and later found herself murdered as well. A neighbor, Morris Black, also went missing and was found dismembered and Durst in possession of some items belonging to Black.

This book covers the police investigations into Kathleen McCormack, Susan Berman, and Morris Black. The trials of Robert Durst were pretty high profile, so many people are probably familiar with them. I will refrain from commenting on them in case there is someone unfamiliar who is really interested in reading this book to learn about them. I vaguely recall the case being in the news when it originally happened, but I mostly remember Robert Durst from when he was in court trying to get out of trouble because he had contracted Covid. At any rate, this book was pretty good and offered some really interesting information that I was previously unaware of.

[Brit · Rating 2 out of 5]

My friend gave me Matt Birkbeck's A Deadly Secret: The Bizarre and Chilling Story of Robert Durst to read. I had not heard of the Durst case before reading the book and I have not watched any of the documentaries on it. I gave it a low ranking because the case itself is interesting, but this is not a well written or well organized book. There are numerous grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the book. I didn't hate the book, but it was a very forgettable read.

Birkbeck also spent a lot of time describing the women's looks and other weird comments on their behavior ("walked as a woman should?" pg. 111 or Detective Struk crushing Eleanor's hand as an intimidation tactic on pg. 108). None of this was integral to the story itself. While he is focusing on gossip/appearances and Najamy Gilberte (one of Kathie Durst's friends who takes up a lot of space in the book), he is not discussing actual events related to the case. For example, there were several legal battles between Kathie's family and the Durst family. They are hardly mentioned in the book. Nor is the relationship between Robert Durst and the rest of the Durst family investigated. This book came off as very quickly written and more interested in the sensationalism of the Durst case.

I would only recommend this book to someone obsessed with the Durst case who wants to read everything on it.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess that for someone who hasn't read much into Mr. Durst's 'escapades' (that being my absentminded a$$) the development of this imbroglio might come as a shock.

Sifting through the pages of this never ending bulk of scandals became a daunting task. Grasping the timeline was incredibly confusing at times, as Mr. Durst went back and forth many a times with his multiple identities, so the author with the all-over-the-place-accounts. What also irked me to no end, same goes for many other true-crime narrations (surprise, surprise), was the effing tinge of sensationalism; the endless badmouthing and backstabbing accounts...

All in all, I came out with a clearer picture of the extent and repercussions of Mr. Durst's doings which will surely echo long after justice is thoroughly served:


http://www.nbcnews.com/news/investiga...

[Teena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must confess--I haven't watched "The Jinx" but I read Jeanine Pirro's "He Killed Them All: Robert Durst and My Quest for Justice".

I hated Pirro's presentation of the facts and found her arrogant and braggy but the story of Robert Durst was so compelling, I decided to read another book about him.

Matt Birbeck presented the facts in a way that was very entertaining while still maintaining neutrality. I appreciated not having to wade through the author's inflated opinion of himself while attempting to determine my own feelings on the subject.

[Rebecca Haslam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I watched The Lost Wife Of Robert Durst, starring Daniel Gillies and, as I am with most book to TV/film adaptations, I was curious to see how the pages were brought to life on screen. There is a considerable difference between the two however Durst's story and his actions, together with the impact they had on others, are presented in a way which made the book not enjoyable to read, but easy enough and I certainly sympathized with those whose lives, in some form or another, Durst turned upside down.

[Judith]

Utterly captivating! The book flows very well, is in my mind well put together. I found it quite difficukt to get through, and I have a pretty good hanfle on true crime. Having read this genre fir nearly 28 years, I nearly put it down 3 or 4 times for good! Beyond frustrating...that is all will say at this time.
that said, I highly recommend this as a brilliant story and read. Enough said. Self righteous, indignant pig of a man.

[Lisa Baillie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Very informative. Lots of information on Robert Durst. I had seen his latest trial and it made me seek out more. He’s certainly a very interesting character. He’s definitely not lead a boring life. You do have to wonder at some of the choices he’s made in life. But that’s what makes us all so interesting. That pirro seems like a right game hungry cow! Desperate to make a name for herself not really caring who she drags down to get there in the first place

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watch "The Jinx" on HBO and then read this book. It goes into much more detail than the series. Both kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. You can't write true crime like this! If this had been fiction, I wouldn't have believed it. Robert Durst is a fascinating and scary psychological study.

[Michael Springer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well done, meticulously researched, a little creepy. Robert Durst's recent death has put him back in the headlines. Here, from the first reporter to access Durst’s NYPD files, is the authoritative account of a decades-long criminal odyssey—the very book found in Durst’s own apartment when it was searched by police.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you were drawn into this case by The Jinx, this is a must read/listen. Make sure to get an updated version. Matt Birkbeck discusses other aspects of the case and why he didn't participate in The Jinx. The writing isn't stellar but it's still fascinating material.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buy this book

If you are unable to look away from the train wreck that is Robert Durst's life, this is the book to get. I do not advised you to get Janine Pirro's book unless you love her as much as she loves herself.

[Velia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I have a fascination with Robert Durst and this is one of the better books about him. The author focuses on history without making it dry. I will definitely read more by this author.

*I received a paperback copy of this book as a gift from the publisher.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well researched! Even though it's still an ongoing story, this book does bring the case almost to the present day. It is appropriately titled, this is one of the most bizarre cases I've ever read about.

[Nicole D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 --- there are definitely more interesting true crime stories out there, and of course, this one was still ongoing. In fact, just hours before I finished the book Durst was indicted for his wife's murder.

But, engaging none the less.

[amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

what is this author’s issue with gilberte? most of the book is about her looks, personality, and sexuality. he goes harder on her than durst and it’s so gross.

gilberte either told him off or turned him down and he lost his mind.

[Lindsay LaBerge · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was terrible. There was no need to have written this as though it were an actual story. Too much fluff, not enough facts. There was no conclusion, no reason for a book. Too much explaining of why the case didn't work, I wanted more about this man and his crazy doings. Highly disappointed.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Makes me think that Robert Durst really was crazy. He got away with so much. What a shame.