Perskin is the executive director of the International Council on Cultism and Ritual Trauma and a lecturer on child abuse.

The book has been called the most reasonable review of the pro-conspiracy version of SRA to date, but was also criticized for being incoherent, inconsistent, uneven, filled with logical fallacies and for citing proven frauds as evidence.

Joel Best, a professor of criminal justice and sociology, described Cult and Ritual Abuse as having the "trappings" of a scholarly book, but as ultimately incoherent.

He pointed out that Noblitt and Perskis cite cases that were known as frauds before the first edition of Cult and Ritual Abuse, such as Michael Warnke's claims to have been involved satanism (debunked in 1991) and the Taxil hoax from the 1890s, without qualification or noting that these examples were faked.

King also pointed to the dubiousness of Noblitt's qualifications and certifications, concluding that what "[Noblit and Perskin] consider "research" is merely a self-serving screed designed to enhance their so-called 'professional' status as treating "satanic ritual abuse.