4 out of 4 stars
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They Must Be Monsters by Matthew LeRoy and Deric Haddad is a non-fiction account of the longest and most expensive criminal case in US history. On May 11, 1983, Judy Johnson dropped her two-year-old son Mitchell at the McMartin Preschool in Manhattan Beach. He was not enrolled there and she did not sign him in or tell the staff. She later apologised for her actions but said she had a medical emergency with her eldest son, Mark, who had brain cancer. Despite her misgivings about Judy, Peggy Buckey, director of the preschool, ultimately allowed Mitchell a permanent placement at McMartin.
Three months later, Judy Johnson contacted Detective Jane Hoag of Manhattan Beach Police and accused Peggy's son Ray Buckey, 25, who worked at McMartin, of molesting Mitchell. Judy had noticed redness around her son's anus and presumed the young man working at the preschool was the culprit. Police arrested Ray on September 7 but released him hours later due to insufficient evidence. The next day, Manhattan Beach PD mailed 200 letters to current and former McMartin families, requesting they ask their child if they had been sexually abused. On November 1, Children's Institute International (CII) began videotaped interviews with many of the McMartin children. On January 13, 1984, Virginia McMartin voluntarily closed the preschool. On January 23, Judy Johnson alleged that Ray Buckey took her son Mitchell to another preschool, Manhattan Ranch, to be abused by strangers...
They Must Be Monsters is a compelling story of a community gripped by irrational fear. The prologue promised a tale of good people gone mad in a small town. With no prior knowledge of the McMartin case, I was keen to start reading. The authors delivered the story chronologically from the points of view of the main people involved in the scandal. This logical method of delivery was easy to follow. With barely any foreshadowing used, they reported each development in the case as it happened, which made for plenty of surprises and shocks.
The writing and editing were excellent right from the start. The only negative was eight minor errors in a book of over 400 pages. I must applaud the authors' attention to detail, including quality description, commas in the right places, and the correct use of quotation marks and punctuation throughout the book. Their methodical presentation of the case and their revelations about the characters and events ultimately left me with no doubt about the truth.
I found it frightening how people in the District Attorney's office viewed the McMartin defendants as a "stepping stone" in their own careers, irrespective of their guilt or innocence. They saw their job as to prove the accused guilty, regardless of whether they actually were. It wasn't about justice at all. McMartin Preschool founder Virginia McMartin said: "The United States has the rottenest judicial system in the world. Don't let anybody tell me about Russia or South Africa or anything. We have it right here. You are guilty, and God help you if you try to prove you are innocent. That's the way we've been treated since the first day."
The crusade by police and the District Attorney's office to implicate as many in the case as possible was reckless, irresponsible, and evil. Detective Jane Hoag came across as a vindictive woman looking to cause as much chaos and distress for the accused citizens as possible. The situation itself continued to snowball into ever greater madness. The volume of preschools and residences that Manhattan Beach PD searched with warrants due to hearsay became absurd after a while. Had this book been fiction, I would have to say the plot became ridiculous - but it all really happened!
They Must Be Monsters thoroughly deserves 4 out of 4 stars. It is a frightening tale of a community gone mad, of good people whose better judgement is sacrificed to fear. Well-written, well-edited, and gut-wrenching, this is a must-read for all fans of true crime. However, those who find the theme of child abuse difficult to deal with may want to avoid this one.
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They Must Be Monsters
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