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It was somewhat delusional: the idea that we, two undergrads, would leave college to chase the mystery behind the McMartin Preschool case, a criminal proceeding that had steadily become the longest, costliest in United States history. It was the epitome of naiveté--but we were too green to see it. Back then, in 1987, as we examined the case and the community of Manhattan Beach that gave it life, we saw an absence of blunt journalism; that a false narrative had spun tragically out of control. No one, it seemed, was ready to face up to what we'd done. To the general public, the story was uniquely grotesque--a conspiracy of adults who'd sexually abused hundreds of preschool kids, as deplorable as any crime had ever been. But if, as some argued, the case was a hoax, then it was an American tragedy of monumental proportion, where young children were being used and exploited as weapons to persecute innocent citizens, all of it orchestrated by the very people--parents, prosecutors, and clinical professionals--who'd so nobly claimed they were out to protect them. From our perspective, it was not so much a story about ""child molestation,"" but a remarkable account of a community gone mad, a historical event that had been hopelessly misunderstood, and thus, misreported. And so, for three years, we kept going, following one lead to the next, until the day we finally got our hands on the truth. By doing so, it's fair to say, we became experts on the events of Manhattan Beach, the two people uniquely qualified to write They Must Be Monsters. It's not because we took a course, or did an abundance of research, or sat through the trial--frankly, we did all of those things--but because we took it further than anyone else. We went there. We lived it. Having sat on this information for nearly three decades, we're ready to go on the record, to reconcile this forgotten calamity. We're doing it for ourselves, for the people who suffered, and, most importantly, for our great society of fair-minded citizens who never knew that something so unjust had actually occurred in modern America.

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Very, very highly recommended not just for its detailed background research and approach; but for its ability to tailor a wealth of information into a digestible, understandable narrative non-fiction format that will hold readers riveted to the end, highlighting lasting questions about the underlying causes of community hysteria and its implications in modern times. Diane Donovan MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW They Must be Monsters is a true crime story that reads like a work of extraordinary fiction. Matthew LeRoy and Deric Haddad are able to dig deeper than even journalists of the day and present a narrative that is instantly engaging and thoroughly engrossing. I have to admit that this is the first I'd heard of the McMartin Preschool Trial and going in I had no idea what to expect. From the perspective of an uninformed reader, this played to my own advantage as I resisted the urge to search for a summary and, instead, allowed the story to unfold, layer by layer, without any preconceived notions. The result is a masterful, tension-filled tale where art actually imitates life in the most gruesome ways. The authors liken the event to Miller's The Crucible, an apt comparison for the 20th century. I'd recommend this book to lovers of the true crime genre, but also to those who enjoy thrillers, suspense, and mystery. 5 Stars - Congratulations on your 5-star review! Reviewed By Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite In this era of fake news allegations, -- They Must Be Monsters - is a refreshing addition to the realm of real news in that it reveals the untold story of the hysteria that engulfed the McMartin Preschool sexual abuse investigation. Authors Matthew LeRoy and Deric Haddad, by disclosing previously unpublished evidence in the case, offer an important and timeless lesson: that this should never happen again. --Larry M. Edwards, author, Dare I Call It Murder?

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