The author faced 30 years in jail. He had a standing plea offer throughout the trial by which he could have avoided any jail time. Yet he and his wife chose to pay the price of a trial--both psychological and financial--in a effort to clear his name.

This book is not so much a self defense as it is a hindsight-enabled reconstruction of what went wrong in the author's case and why. You'll learn what could happen to you, too, if three bad things converge:

1) some untrusting person accuses you of an unspeakable crime,
2) an authority figure is too quick to take your accuser?s side, and
3) "good people" do nothing.

This 240 page book can be divided into equal thirds as follows:

1. Pre-trial. The author provides detail about himself. This establishes his credibility, but also helps us see things from the state's perspective and from the perspective of his accusers. There?s also enlightening info about polygraph exams, police roles, choosing a lawyer, and courtroom strategy.

2. Trial. The middle third is mainly a reprint of court transcripts. Key testimonies are those of the alleged victim, her mother, and the pastor. As the transcripts represent, the one person who should have been able to shed light evenhandedly--the pastor--wasn?t up to the task. It was as if his church were on trial, and he conciously chose to sacrifice one innocent man to save his life?s work.

3. Post-trial. First the author speculates about what he could have / should have done differently, with an eye toward helping others who may face similar crises. Then he takes a broader look at the state of the American judicial system on the specific issue of "presumed innocence" in light of allegations of sexual misconduct.

The author has a PhD in physics, so his writing is quite organized and readable. Yet, since he's not a psychologist or a lawyer, he treats the subject in a most practical way. Further, Dr. Grey has done a commendable job of showing understanding toward his accusers and being objective about his own shortcomings.

I wish I could give this book 5 stars, but it's just not the kind of thing you want to keep on your coffee table. Yet if I were the head of any organization involved with child care--esp. a pastor with a nursery / sunday school ministry--I would make this book required reading for all associated personnel.