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Matt Eisenbrandt is a U.S-trained human-rights attorney who has devoted his career to finding legal means to prosecute war crimes. In the early 2000s, he served as the Center for Justice and Accountability’s Legal Director and a member of the trial team against one of Óscar Romero’s killers. Now based in Canada, Matt is a special consultant to Camp Fiorante Matthews Mogerman on the law firm’s business and human rights cases. He is also a special advisor to the Canadian Centre for International Justice, where he previously served as Legal Director.
— The Progressive"Our Favorite Books of 2016: Part detective story, part historical reminiscence, it shows the reader how hard it is to prosecute such cases, and why so many human rights violators go unpunished."
— Vancouver Sun"Fast paced, informative and dramatic. . . . Imagine a report from Amnesty International written by Graham Greene and John LeCarre in tandem and you will have a sense of Eisenbrandt’s exciting and well-written achievement."
— Library Journal"An intriguing story filled with tragic 'if-only’s' and powerful examples of courage."
— New York Review of Books"A tale told well that provides valuable insights into the motives and modus operandi of the death squads in El Salvador, and of the financiers who commissioned and facilitated such crimes. It also highlights the difficulties that face those who pursue such cases many years after the crimes have taken place."
— America"Assassination begins like a crime thriller, complete with a criminal manhunt, before transitioning into a courtroom drama. Ultimately, however, the book’s lasting value is as a work of history."
— National Catholic Reporter"For persons familiar with El Salvador’s painful modern-day history, Matt Eisenbrandt’s Assassination of a Saint: The Plot to Murder Oscar Romero and the Quest to Bring His Killers to Justice connects dots, fills in holes and provides a frontline account of the battle to bring accountability to those who plotted and carried out Blessed Archbishop Oscar Romero’s murder. For those who know the martyr mostly by name and reputation, the 250 pages are a primer on the man and his ministry, as well as a remarkable synthesis of the passions, politics and players at work in El Salvador’s brutal last half century."
— The Catholic Herald"It has taken Matt Eisenbrandt a decade to write this beautifully crafted volume, but it was well worth waiting for."
— TeleSur"Eisenbrandt is the first to craft a detailed narrative of the plan to murder Romero and ensuing efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice."
— Reading Religion“ A remarkable achievement. . . . A must-read for anyone interested in recent Salvadoran history, the life and witness of Óscar Romero, the Catholic Church in Latin America, or the challenge of defending human rights in our world. . . . Assassination of a Saint reads like an engrossing detective story.”
— Latin American Research Review“A sophisticated read for educated laypeople that performs a valuable service.”
