A Deadly Secret, Matt Birkbeck
A Deadly Secret, Matt Birkbeck
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A Deadly Secret
The Bizarre and Chilling Story of Robert Durst

Author: Matt Birkbeck

Narrator: David H. Lawrence XVII

Unabridged: 9 hr 46 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 04/21/2015


Synopsis

The recent arrest in New Orleans and the HBO documentary The Jinx have put Robert Durst 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.
 
When medical student Kathie Durst vanished in 1982, she was married to Robert Durst, son of a New York real estate magnate. Kathie’s friends had reason to implicate her husband. They told police that Kathie lived in terror of Robert, and that she had uncovered incriminating financial evidence about him. But Durst’s secrets went even deeper. For decades, Kathie’s disappearance remained a mystery.

Then in 2001, Durst, an heir to an empire valued at two billion dollars, was arrested for shoplifting in Pennsylvania. When the police brought him in, they discovered that he was a suspect in the murder of Texas drifter Morris Black, whose dismembered remains were found floating in Galveston Bay, and that Durst was also wanted for questioning in the killing of his friend, Susan Burman, in Los Angeles.
 
Based on interviews with family, friends, and acquaintances of Durst, law enforcement, and others involved in the case, A Deadly Secret is a cross-country odyssey of stolen IDs and multiple identities that raises baffling questions about one of the country’s most prominent families—and one of its most elusive suspected killers. 
 

About The Author

Matt Birkbeck is an award-winning investigative journalist and the author of The Quiet Don, Deconstructing Sammy, and A Beautiful Child. His work has been featured in a host of publications including Reader’s Digest, Playboy, Rolling Stone, the New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and People magazine. He has appeared on a variety of network and cable news programs, including CNN, ABC’s 20/20, NBC, CBS, and Investigation Discovery, among others, and was celebrated by the New York Times Book Review for his “killer leads, gripping kickers, and sensational descriptions.”


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jennie on March 23, 2015

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 fi......more

Goodreads review by ♥ Marlene♥ on April 04, 2008

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......more

Goodreads review by Fishface on October 03, 2021

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 -- ab......more

Goodreads review by Melissa on October 26, 2017

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,......more

Goodreads review by Tracy on May 17, 2016

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 descr......more


Quotes

Praise for A Deadly Secret
 
“A startling inside look at the politics of police work.”—Westchester County Times
 
“Provocative.”—CourtTV.com
 
Praise for the work of Matt Birkbeck
 
“Sensational.”—The New York Times
 
“Epic.”—The Los Angeles Times
 
“A stunning work of  investigative journalism."—Nicholas Pileggi, author of Wiseguy
 
“A beautiful masterpiece.”—TrueCrimeBookReviews.com