Serial rapist Bertram Greenberg went on a 700-mile killing spree across three states in two days in early 1971. This one-man California tsunami crashed across the high desert of Northern Arizona, coming to an abrupt end in the badlands of New Mexico. Revolving door prison stays, and an early parole, allowed this career criminal to rape and murder a 13-year-old schoolgirl in the shadow of the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles' Griffith Park and then make his escape along Route 66. He took out everyone who got in his way, including two brave Arizona Highway Patrolmen and a young couple that he kidnapped, hogtied, and shot near an abandoned coal mine near Gallup, New Mexico. The rampage would end with an enthralling police chase that terminated in Bonnie and Clyde fashion in a lava field near Grants, New Mexico. And at its core, the story seeks to restore the memories of the victims Greenberg tried to silence.
Route 66, his chosen escape path, was once considered the lifeblood of America, back when John Steinbeck was writing the Grapes of Wrath. The beloved Mother Road is a sentimental marker for many Americans, filled with memories of family road trips, neon lights, cozy motels, curio shops, and mountainous views of the Old West. But underneath the highway's glossy allure lies a history of criminal activity. Fans of Route 66 will delight with the recognizable locations in this story. Rampage along Route 66 converges two of America's favorites pastimes. . . nostalgia and crime. It is first-rate storytelling that will leave you informed, bewildered, and shaken.