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In 1968, a budding New York City entrepreneur who provided immigrants with jobs took a Florida vacation with his family. Meanwhile, his relative, an employee, is murdered on Long Island.
Upon returning to New York, Sam Sommer learns the fate of his wife’s uncle, Irving Silver, when he doesn’t show up to carpool to work. Three days pass with no clues about his death. Then a recent contractor at Sam’s deli sets up a meeting to share news on the investigation.
Within moments after pulling into a donut shop parking lot to meet, Sam is kidnapped by detectives with the engine still running. While held in custody, he is beaten and allegedly confesses to the murder.
Court proceedings amount to do-overs, appellate victories and overturns, and mysterious documents. Sam is found guilty of murder in 1971. Within short order, his case is highlighted in college law courses. After surviving years of power-hungry guards and often moving from prison to prison for good behavior, Sam is released on parole in 1991. Justice continued to railroad him until 2015, when he found an eerie document in the police archives that proves his innocence. That discovery triggered the re-opening of his case and free legal assistance. What will a momentous turn of events bring next?
Praise for RAILROADED:
"It is so well written and had me hooked from the minute I started reading. Sam has an amazing and tragic story and Christopher does an excellent job telling it. As I read each chapter it had me thinking that something like this can't happen in America. I highly recommend this book." - Gary Gawinski, 5 star review, Amazon
"This is such a tragic story. All that Sam and his family have been through. Hopefully this book puts the spotlight on the cover ups and injustices surrounding this case!" - Tom Thiel, 5 star review, Amazon
"If this can happen to this man and his family, this can happen to anyone. From page one I could not put this but down. It is extremely well written and keeps the readers attention throughout the whole book. It is incredibly sad what this man and his family has been through - yet the strength to persevere to keep the family together, protecting each other from what each other was really going through. I can't believe the ignorance of the justice system that this man has not been exonerated yet. It is simple, clear, and right before your eyes how innocent he is. Shame on Suffolk County for not only this injustice to Sam but for destroying so many lives. I love this book! This is a book that should be in every law library/classroom on how NOT to prosecute a crime. I pray Sam gets the exoneration he so deserves in his lifetime. I cannot recommend this book enough - very eye opening!" - 2horsesthatIlove, 5 star review, Amazon
This is one of the best true crime books I have ever read. From the moment I started to read this I could not put it down. It is a must read for anyone who is interested in true crime. My heart breaks for this man and his family – that they are still going through this. This would be a GREAT Netflix show.
This is one of the best true crime books I have ever read. From the moment I started to read this I could not put it down. It is a must read for anyone who is interested in true crime. My heart breaks for this man and his family – that they are still going through this. This would be a GREAT Netflix show.
Thanks on behalf of the Sommer family to all who’ve helped catapult this book into the top 10 upon its release on Amazon under True Crime/Mystery.
The read has become a powerful tool toward lifting decades of justice off of his shoulders. It’s all about courage, American dreams, faith, and family perseverance.