The investigative staff of the Boston Globe received the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2003 for its reporting on the crisis in the Catholic Church. The book was written by Boston Globe reporters Matt Carroll, Kevin Cullen, Thomas Farragher, Stephen Kurkjian, Michael Paulson, Sacha Pfeiffer, Michael Rezendes, and Walter V. Robinson.

With this expose, "The Boston Globe" aims to deliver the most comprehensive account of the cover-ups, hush money and emotional manipulation used by the Catholic Church to keep its long history of sexual abuse secret. The case of Father John Geoghan, who has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and whose 130 victims have been awarded $30 million, has dominated news headlines. The 2000 related civil suits pending against the Church are just the tip of the iceberg. With the same incisive reportage that broke the scandal wide open, "The Boston Globe"'s team of expert investigative reporters also provides important analyses of what's at stake and what this "crisis of faith" means for Catholics everywhere.