The Wicked

by Matt Birkbeck

A star reporter who lost his journalistic edge to a life of glamor and excess attends the funeral of a Catholic priest in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. But when he questions the priest's death, he quickly recovers his investigative skills to learn this charming tourist town - once the coal mining capital of the nation - has secrets so astonishing and unimaginable, he finds himself in a deadly struggle for his new love, his life, and his very soul.

From Matt Birkbeck, a master of narrative non-fiction and author of several bestsellers including The Life We Chose, Deconstructing Sammy and A Beautiful Child, which was adapted by Netflix for the hit 2002 film Girl in the Picture, comes a stunning, debut work of fiction.

272 pages, Hardcover

Published August 19, 2025

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

[Diane Klein · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very lucky to win this book, it is a signed copy. This is a mystery/thriller, historical fiction with a little romance thrown in. I don’t like pure romance, so it being a subplot was great. I did have the main mystery figured out before the reveal. Despite this I was very interested in finishing it and was not disappointed because the writing style was that good. The only thing I was hoping that at the end that Julia was pregnant and this the men still hadn’t disappeared. That could have made for a sequel. That is ok though. Does make me wonder what will happen to the town now.

[Peter Liu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Matt Birkbeck's true crime books A Beautiful Child, Finding Sharon, The Life We Chose, and saw this was his latest book and picked it right up, but didn't realize it was fiction! Doesn't matter. Turned out to be a great story and one of those books you couldn't put down with a wild ending that had me thinking about the book long after I finished. Even made the time to come here to post a review it was that good.

[Kim McCabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a huge fan of Matt Birkbeck’s nonfiction work, I eagerly read his first work of fiction, The Wicked. He did not disappoint! The Wicked is a rollercoaster ride—fun, exhilarating, scary, stimulating, surprising (even educational)—all wrapped up with memorable characters in a picturesque and historic NE Pennsylvania setting. From beginning to end, the story catches the reader off guard with unexpected twists and turns. Bravo, Mr. Birkbeck! Well done!