Murder on the Rails [Hardcover]

William Palmini (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2004

When a down-on-his-luck Vietnam veteran is bludgeoned and stabbed to death in his campsite close to a railroad crossing, Detective Sergeant Bill Palmini has a gut feeling that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Taking command, he swiftly embeds a trusted informant into the shadowy subculture of rail hoppers. What the veteran cop doesn't know, however, is that the murderer is already thousands of miles away and the brutal killing is just one of scores, possibly hundreds, he has committed. Following the killer's bloody trail of death and terror over an eightmonth period, Palmini learns of a violent, predatory pack of criminals: the FTRA. Freight Train Riders of America. This drug-fueled, counter-culture gang from hell lives by a vicious code of robbery, rape and murder on the rails--and Palmini's prey is one of its most feared members. The killer, Robert Silveria, is captured and Palmini begins to interrogate him. A strange, inexplicable bond forms between them. As the relationship deepens, Silveria confesses to a fourteen-year killing spree and murders in twenty eight states. At his trial, the serial killer is sentenced to life in prison and Palmini continues working with the FBI and other law enforcement groups to crack down on the vicious FTRA gang and make the nation's rails safer for all of us.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Retired California police detective Palmini's account of the career murderer Robert Silveria Jr., dubbed the Boxcar Serial Killer, is long on splatter and short on insight. Palmini himself is like a figure from a David Lynch movie—a veteran cop who received a government grant to "do Elvis impersonations to promote traffic safety among California teens and their families" through a group called Elvis and the Lawmen. After a Vietnam vet is brutally slaughtered in a transient camp near Albany, Calif., Palmini's investigation leads him to the vicious underworld community of the Freight Train Riders of America, a little-known national criminal association. His unofficial network of law enforcement contacts probing similar unsolved killings leads him to Silveria, a drug-addicted drifter whose body count may have reached triple digits and who eventually confesses to the Albany murder. Unfortunately, the narrative is less than compelling and helps demonstrate by contrast the skill of writers such as Ann Rule, who more successfully evoke both the lives that have been taken and the inner demons motivating America's long parade of serial killers.
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: New Horizon Press (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0882822438
• ISBN-13: 978-0882822433
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,664,699 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finnished in two days, November 7, 2004

By 

Bella (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder on the Rails (Hardcover)

I couldn't put this book down, I read it in two days...and want to learn more! This book kept me interested on every page. The way the book unfolds, and the amount of information that is in there, keeps the reader entertained! Highly recommended!!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars interesting subject, bad book, July 16, 2006

By 

E. Fuhr "nicodemus" (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murder on the Rails (Paperback)

There are some good insights on FTRA buried in here. It is written by the detective (Palmini) who worked the case. But the book doesn't "flow" like a good true crime book should. And Palmini is not a good writer either. The thing that is REALLY annoying is the way Palmini likes to blow his own horn and talk about his being Elvis impersonator.
The subject of the book is a violent railroad hobo named Silveria who goes around bludgeoning people. There are points in this book where Palmini has a fondness for Silveria and gets to liking the guy. That is kind of creepy if not unprofessional.
A few of the chapters are good. It makes me wonder what a really good true crime writer like Gregg Olsen or John Glatt could have done with it.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved it!, January 23, 2005

By 

Bookwoman (Cape Cod) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder on the Rails (Hardcover)

I am an avid reader, but never before read any "true crime". The story seemed unreal, but I know it is true. I have to admit that the writing was riddled with errors, but the story itself kept the pages turning very fast. I, too, thought it should be made into a movie -- with the characters too odd to be made up. I would recommend it to anyone NOT faint of heart.