A Tangled Web: A Cyberstalker, a Deadly Obsession, and the Twisting Path to Justice

by Leslie Rule, Tanya Eby (Narrator)

It was a bleak November in 2012 when Cari Lea Farver vanished from Omaha, Nebraska. Cari, thirty-seven, was a devoted mother, reliable employee, and loyal friend-not the type to shirk responsibilities, abandon her son, and run off on an adventure while her dying father took his last breaths. Yet, the many texts from her phone indicated she had done just that. While Cari's boyfriend, Dave Kroupa, and her supervisor were bewildered by her abrupt disappearance, they accepted the texts at face value. Her mother, Nancy Raney, however, was alarmed and reported Cari missing. Police were skeptical of her claims that a cyber impostor had commandeered her daughter's phone and online identity. While Nancy was afraid for Cari, Dave Kroupa was growing afraid of her, for he believed Cari was stalking him. Never seen or heard, the stalker was aware of his every move and seemed obsessed by his casual girlfriend, Shanna "Liz" Golyar, often calling her "a fat whore" in the twelve thousand emails and texts he received in a disturbing three-year deluge. There was some truth in the messages, but all of them contained one big lie. The culprit was not Cari-but had killed and planned to kill again.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Audiobook, Mystery, Adult, Biography

Audio CD

First published April 28, 2020

About the author

Leslie Rule's true crime debut, A Tangled Web, covers a frightening Omaha love triangle murder. "I chose this case because I want to warn readers that the female sadistic sociopath may be the most dangerous killer of all."

A veteran author for over three decades, Rule's works include two suspense novels and five nonfiction books on the paranormal, including Coast to Coast Ghosts, True Stories of Hauntings Across America. Rule was only seventeen when she started attending murder trials with her mother, author Ann Rule. "It was my job to shoot the killers, not with a gun, but with my camera," says Leslie. Many of her courtroom photographs have appeared in her mother's books.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a true story. I shudder to think that people like this walk among us. *shivers*

It's the early 90's and technology, social media, dating websites, while still very new, are quickly becoming all the rage. Dave Kroupa finds himself a single dad after a decade long relationship with their mother comes to an end. He's still young, lonely without the kids around, and interested in the dating scene. The last thing he wants is a commitment and he makes that clear to all the ladies he meets on Plenty Of Fish. One lady in particular agrees that commitment isn't in the cards for her either but when Dave tells her he is dating other people this woman loses her ever loving mind.

What follows is a most bizarre and frightening descent into madness that not only took the life of one person but destroyed the lives of so many other people all in the name of love. For a guy she hardly even knew. 😲

"The predator sat smug, smack in the middle of the web that only she could see. She amused herself, spinning lies, entangling her victims as she fed on their confusion and distress. She was so like a spider with her invisible snare, but for the fact the spiders intention is not cruelty. A spider is driven by instinct to survive.

She was deliberately cruel."

This is a peek through your fingers kind of read because you just can't believe that anyone could be so horrible and vindictive. This wasn't a clear cut case for detectives because online stalking was very new and something they were wholly unprepared for which allowed this witch to carry on abusing these people for years. When it is finally discovered by the detectives what is actually happening and who is behind it I turned those pages with a shit eating grin on my face. Finally!!! Justice will be had.

When you read this you will know who is behind this from the get go. It is obvious. As a reader you will think why doesn't any one else see what I'm seeing? That's the rub though. When you are immersed in a situation that is so chaotic it's easy to become manipulated into not seeing what is right in front of your eyes and hindsight can be just as cruel as the perpetrator.

There were some background dumps that I skimmed from time to time but other than that this was a page-turner. 4 stars!

I won a copy of this book on BookishFirst - Thank You!!!

[Luvtoread (Trying to catch up) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relentless Terror In A True Crime Story!

Dave Kroupa is a mechanic and a recently divorced father of two who wants to wade his feet in the single life and decides to join a few of the online dating sites. Dave first meets Liz and they enjoy each others company but Dave does not want to get serious and wants to date other women but Liz wants a commitment plus she has a jealous streak and Dave doesn't want all the drama. Along comes very pretty Cari Lea Farber and they seem to hit it off right away even though Liz is still trying to hold onto Dave. Cari and Dave are seeing quite a bit of one another until Cari just up and leaves town without telling Dave or her friends and family. She quits her job and leaves her son without a goodbye. Soon after, Dave starts receiving horrible text messages from Cari blaming him for ruining her life and calling him vicious names and then at the same time she tells him how much she loves him. Dave doesn't know what to make of this or how Cari continues to have access to his personal information after he gets new phone numbers and blocks her online but she continues to access all his online information and sends hundreds of harrassing texts daily so he continues to date other people including Liz and then the women he is seeing start getting text threats and they are reaching a violent level, so Dave goes to the police and the police are baffled since they can't track Cari down while months and months go by and every woman that Dave dates is a potential stalking victim of Cari and as the threats become more violent and sinister the detectives are frustrated and have tried everything to find Cari and put an end to this cyberstalking nightmare before Cari can carry out any of her murderous threats.

This book was wonderful in every way. Mesmerizing with great writing and terrific storytelling that had me on the edge of my seat and biting my fingernails at the same time. This story was so crazy that I had to remember it wasn't fiction but a true crime novel. That was the most frightening thing of all that this was a true story about a sociopath who was able to use the internet as a vicious weapon and as a result many, many victims were terrorized by an unseen monster who created paralyzing fear in almost every person who had the unfortunate timing of crossing Dave Kroupa's path.

I have always been a big fan of Ann Rule who was my favorite true crime author and I couldn't wait wait to see how her daughter's writing would compare. Leslie Rule has definitely made her mother proud with "A Tangled Web" and I am looking forward to many more true crime stories to be written by her. I enjoyed the forward that gave a lovely dedication to her mother and I truly appreciated now she included many pictures at the end of the book starring the key players who were so I intricately involved within this absolutely crazy nightmare of a true story.

I want to thank the publisher "Kensington Booms" and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity of reading this marvelous book and any thoughts and opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I highly recommend to any true crime reader or crime story reader or anyone who just wants to read an incredible and incredulous story and have given this book 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Cyberstalking Nightmare Stars!!

[Misty Marie Harms · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leslie is well on her way in following her mother's footsteps. This is the craziest true crime case I have came across. I seen it featured on Dateline, but it didn't go into everything.

Shanna “Liz” Golyar is a woman obsessed with her on and off again boyfriend, Dave Kroupa. During a breakup Dave starts dating Cari Farver. All of sudden Cari is texting Dave that it is over between them. Then begins an onslaught of emails and texts. While no one saw or spoke to Cari, more than 12,000 sinister emails and texts were sent in her name over the next years. Targeting both Dave and Liz they contact the police numerous times afraid of Carli. In the meantime Liz has what she wants back, Dave in her life. As the stalking continues and the threat rises a smart detective will unravel the sticky web of lies Liz has been spinning.

😻😻😻😻

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited when I saw that there was a true crime book coming out by Leslie Rule, Ann Rule’s daughter, that I was beside myself! Now I just had to get my hands on an early copy to review. I struck out in the first place I tried, then it turned up in another and I got it then. I was really thrilled to get an advance copy of this book folks, Ann Rule was one of my favorite writers and dear people. I still have some books that she signed for me just for sending them to her. She also took the time to respond to emails from people who thought they might have an interest in writing true crime, and had a newsletter with updates on the cases she wrote about, which was really cool.

So on to the book, A Tangled Web. This is an awesome case for a book, I must say. I do recall the case, whether it was in a book or on TV, I’m not sure, it’s been too long ago. But it’s a whopper, and Ms. Rule does a wonderful job with it from start to finish. She lays it out and explains the details in a manner that keep it from getting too confusing, despite the use of some Internet terms and different methods used online to try and cover your tracks. The story kept me engaged and turning the pages until it was over, and I can’t believe I inhaled it all at one go. It’s really a sick, twisted story that I would have doubted had I not already known of it, and that it was certainly true. Advanced electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Leslie Rule, and Citadel.

First published on my WordPress blog as seen here: https://wordpress.com/post/bookblog20...

[Parmida R. A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mystery began shortly after 35-year-old Dave Kroupa divorced his wife. He started dating and soon met a woman named Cari Farver. Though they dated each other for two weeks, they both agreed that they didn’t want a relationship.
One morning Cari texted Dave, “Do you want to move in together?” He said no. That wasn’t the thing they had agreed on. But that was the start of years of stalking and harassment. No matter how childish it may seem, the tangled web is weaved for hiding darker secrets.

I enjoy reading and watching true crime, so I quickly started reading the book after watching 20/20 true crime documentaries by this name from ABC news. I had guessed what had happened from the beginning. Maybe I have to thank Agatha Christie for that.
The story is twisted and bizarre but real and cruel. This is a crazy story of obsession, jealousy, and murder. The crime is so foolish yet so dark that only a jealous sociopath can commit it. The killer killed her victim in cold blood and manipulated her reputation afterward.
The book is written like a novel, but if you like to know the story by facts and better narration, I recommend watching ABC 20/20 documentary before reading the book. Here is the link:
https://abc.com/shows/2020/episode-gu...

If you are a True Crime reader, this is the story you may not want to miss.

[Katie B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read many true crime books over the years and of course a huge percentage of those books were written by Ann Rule. Leslie Rule is Ann's daughter and has written several novels but A Tangled Web is her first time tackling a true crime book.

In 2012, single mother Cari Lea Farver was reported missing by her mother. Dave Kroupa however believed Cari was stalking him and the woman he occasionally hooked up with, Shanna "Liz" Golyar. Dave and Liz received thousands of harassing texts and emails from Cari long after she disappeared. And then things started to get even more weird, but thankfully law enforcement were finally able to piece everything together.

I received a free advance copy from the publisher and it was the author's wishes that reviewers not spoil too much about this case for future readers so that's why I was a bit vague in my synopsis and why I'm not going to go into much detail about the book. To me what was interesting and the author even brought it up, is on the outside looking in everything seemed so obvious but yet it took years for things to come to light. But you have to be mindful of the fact there are numerous reasons why this wasn't an open and shut case from the beginning. Definitely a bizarre case.

This wasn't my favorite true crime book I have ever read because at times I thought the writing dragged on a bit. Perhaps this case would have been better featured as part of a collection of cases as my interest did start to wane after awhile. I thought the in-depth descriptions about Facebook weren't necessary because at this point who doesn't understand how Facebook works? I do wish the conclusion didn't feel so rushed. It was like there was so much build up and then the book just kinda ends on a lackluster note.

This by no means is a bad book, but unfortunately it just didn't hit the absolutely gripping mark for me.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an advance copy. I was under no obligation to post a review here.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

The way the book is written, it was pretty obvious "who done it" Still a compelling story about a woman smart enough to do complicated cyberstalking and ambitious enough to send 10s of thousands of texts and emails to multiple victims. Sad, she didn't choose to actually work at something legal to make a good life for herself and children. I have met sociopathic manipulators like this woman. They are incapable of anything but superficial relationships. In this case it turned deadly.

["Avonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out all my reviews at: https://www.avonnalovesgenres.com

A TANGLED WEB by Leslie Rule is an engrossing true crime account of a cyberstalking sadistic killer’s manipulations carried out over years that destroyed multiple lives and escaped justice until law enforcement used high-tech computer forensics to catch them. While I watched this story on a TV crime show and learned the facts from that, Ms. Rule’s book is a detailed hypnotic account of the facts of the killer’s past, their reign of terror, and the investigation that finally entangled them in forensic facts that sent them to prison.

Dave Kroupa has split from the mother of his two young children. He loves his children, but he refuses any permanent relationship which leads to the split and his dabbling into online dating. He meets Liz, who is also a single parent who claims to want no permanent relationship. It works well for a while, but soon Liz is demanding a commitment Dave is unwilling to give. The back-and-forth drama lasts for months until Dave meets Cari and the two hit it off immediately. Dave begins to spend all his time with Cari until she leaves an out of the blue message that she is leaving town.

Cari is leaving terrible messages not only for Dave and Liz, but also her mother and son who have begun searching for her. Cari is blamed for not only horribly vicious emails and texts, but also arson and violence. Many victims are terrorized for years until web savvy detectives begin to unravel the web of lies.

I really loved this book and the author’s inclusion of the killer’s entire life history, not just the recent murder and cybercrimes. This is a study of a true sociopath and the destruction they can cause in so many lives. It took years for law enforcement to believe Cari was even a missing person and then they took the word of all involved in the case that she was the person responsible for the terrorism. It is truly terrifying what a sociopath can do with an internet connection. The surprise twists and turns this case took over the years make it the perfect case to keep the reader engaged. It showcases the potential dangers of online personal information and communications in today’s online world.

I highly recommend this true crime story and I hope that Ms. Rule is as prolific as her mother was in this genre.

[Jaidee (lost in Vegas for a few days) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 "who says a five foot woman can't be a sadistic psychopath" stars !!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Kensington Books. This was released April 2020. I am providing an honest review.

I was not familiar with this true crime case of murder, romantic obsession, arson and years of cyberstalking. At the center of it all is a five foot woman with a severe case of psychopathy, sadism and Machiavellianism. Thankfully she is in a Nebraska prison with an over 20 year sentence. A fascinating and dark tale about a community that could not fathom such evil coming from a pint sized female.

Leslie Rule is the daughter of Ann Rule and is an artist and photographer who also wrote some books on the supernatural. This is her first true crime book. I enjoyed her preface as to the admiration she has for her mum and how she came to write this book as well as a bit on her own family history. My own mum was a huge fan of Ann Rule's true crime books and gobbled them up and talked to me about the cases over her delicious Roast Beef roasts. I would often ask her to save the details for later on as I wanted to enjoy my supper.

This is a good first attempt at this genre but I have read hundreds of these books since my teens and I would say this is an average good read.(despite mediocre prose this was fascinating)

Ms. Rule is able to get across huge amounts of convoluted information in an understandable and somewhat interesting fashion. She has only a fair understanding of human nature and a quite poor understanding of personality psychopathology and I would encourage her to really delve into these areas if she wants to become a very good true crime author like her mother. If the case were not so interesting this would likely be two stars but with my interest piqued I am awarding a bonus half star. So this will sit on my average good 2.5 star shelf.

[Alisi ☆ wants to read too many books ☆ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly structured true crime. She does that thing where she goes into tangents on shit that don't matter (ie. "She liked X. X's history is Y.") Meaningless stuff that doesn't matter to the case. She also just put stuff in where ever she felt like it. So, like, she did the childhood history of these people then halfway through she does a more detailed childhood history of the perp, very randomly. I was just like "why is this here? There's a place for this. You already covered this." You could tell she'd already written the first history and didn't want to redo it with the new info she got. LOL.

But the cardinal sin of this book was the shitty trial part. It's like 40 minutes in the audible book. I love the trial coverage in true crime books. That's my jam. To read a 11 hr book and now even 1 hr is spent on the trial? I'd say this book is a hard pass.

[Ruthy lavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really well researched account of the stuff of nightmares - the incessant, obsessive and evil stalking by a jealousy-crazed spurned lover.
Frightening, harrowing, and ultimately very sad.
A really interesting read for true crime fans everywhere.

[Linda Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a true story written by Leslie Rule ... daughter of Ann Rule. My mom was a big fan of true crime and Ann Rule was her favorite author. And because my mom read it, so did I .. under her very close attention.

An everyday man who wants just a casual relationship falls prey to a woman who wants way more than he is prepared to give. When he finally tires of her efforts to rope him in, he decides to date someone else.

And this is where her obsession was born. She's eaten up with jealousy ... and a stalker was born. He and his new girlfriend receive death threats, vandalism, but no one was charged. How does she get his phone number even moments after he has it changed?

The threats were vicious, vile and often obscene, sent mostly via text and always in the old girlfriend's name. There was some truth in the messages, but all of them contained one big lie. This stalker had already killed once and was prepared to do so again. He has received 12,000 emails and texts during a 3-year period.

It's a breath-taking journey through a sociopath's twisted mind to the deadly deception and the high-tech forensics that condemned the killer to prison.

Very well written showing this author's meticulous research into this case. Hard to put down for any reason, it was riveting from start to finish.

In this day and age of internet and social media and even cell phones, this could possibly happen to anyone. Some things will never change. The better our technology becomes, the more some people will go to any length to cause havoc and chaos.

Many thanks to the author / Kensington Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this true crime. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Vonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true crime story that shows in time she can do as well as her mother. The book was so close to the dateline episode it's almost like a manuscript for the show. Shanna (Liz) Golyar met Dave Kroupa on an online dating site, Plenty of Fish. Kroupa makes it clear from the start that he is not interested in any sort of relationship but Golyar has a different idea. Kroupa continues to date other women and meets one he seems interested in, Cari Farver. Golyar gets wind of this and that is when things heat up. Farver disappears and Golyar and Kroupa start to get threatening texts from her, mysterious things start to happen to them and their homes. The story is a rapid page turner that slows grreatly in the middle. Well written!

[Katie (never.ending.reading.list) · Rating 3 out of 5]

As any true crime addict knows, Ann Rule is a master of the genre. When I found out her daughter had written true crime book I had to get my hands on it!
I was lucky enough to win this one as a BookishFirst raffle and I dove right in!

A Tangled Web looks at the true story of the 2012 missing person case of Cari Farver. This one is a WILD ride from start to finish. It's one of those stories where if it were written as fiction I'd put it down as being too far fetched. Some of the people and their actions were just totally unbelievable... makes you kind of anxious about what type of people there are out there.

This one is truly bizarre and its best to go in blind because this is a total twist ending, but it involves online dating, stalking, crazy ex's, and unfortunate murder that is not what it seems.

I was completely engrossed in the story from start to finish. My reason for the meh rating is that, while well told, it was very, very, very repetitive. There was a bunch of unnecessary backstory throughout and I felt that Rule was just reaching for a certain page count.

Worth a read for the story, but there are definitely parts you'll find yourself bored and skimming.

Also for any murderinos out there, this is the murder from episode 208 on My Favorite Murder.

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was all over the place. This should have been a gripping story but the pace is off, there are info dumps all through the book, endless exclamation marks and it is very repetitive.

Gave up a third of the way in after the non-stop messages being shared by the stalker. I got it, the sender was an absolute nut job, I got it the first ten times.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for a review, but all thoughts are my own.

I'm a big true crime buff, so I should be the perfect audience for this book.

The crime itself is fascinating. There is a whole cast of horrible characters, multiple jurisdictions slowing down police work, and the victim's family being ignored by police. There is so much to unpack here and a lot of branches to follow to get the whole story. I love complicated cases and this one was right up my alley.

Even with such an interesting story to tell, the author really let me down with the writing. It was repetitive, confusing, and amateurish. Certain points were hammered home over and over to the point that I was getting angry. Cari wasn't actually the one sending all the crazy messages!? Shocking! Please remind me on every single page for the whole book. And there were so many exclamation points! For emphasis! Sometimes even italics! I didn't mind so much that it was not told in chronological order, but some parts that were confusing because of it.

Overall, it was a good story, but the author either needed to spend more time on the writing or the editor needed to spend more time on the editing. I had high hopes for this book and for Leslie's true crime debut, but overall I was disappointed.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Ann Rule's true crime stories most of my adult life, and I've read them all, I believe. I've missed her distinctive writing style and her books since her death a few years ago. So I was immediately intrigued when I saw that her daughter, Leslie Rule, had taken up the true crime writing mantle with A Tangled Web. I wasn't disappointed.

A Tangled Web tells the story of Shanna Golyar, a twisted, jealous woman who, for years, piled lie upon lie and wove them all together to fool her lover, Dave Kroupa, and many others, including those in law enforcement. She never believed that at some point, her lies and fantastical stories would be her undoing.

Dave Kroupa met Shanna on a dating website, and was instantly drawn to her. However, Dave wasn't looking for a relationship, just a fun time, and he made it clear to her that he would continue to see other women. After the first couple of dates, Shanna became extremely possessive, and despite Dave's continued insistence that he was seeing other women, she still managed to dig her claws in deep enough for him to continue to see her, as well.

Shanna set multiple crazy schemes in place, involving thousands of emails and texts, pretending to be other women, including Dave's ex-wife. One woman she became obsessed with was Cari Farver, whom Dave had dated for only two weeks.

The book details Shanna's psychotic behavior, which eventually led to Cari's murder, and her cover-ups through phishing, texting and emailing.

I enjoyed reading what felt almost like another Ann Rule true crime saga.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books and Citadel for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars

[Patricia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just so poorly put together. I'm not sure who to blame, the writer or the editor. I mean who explains Facebook in this day and age. And we really don't need to know how minor characters were brought up and who their parents are. It's just the same chapter after another. Quite frankly, I'm astounded at the high reviews it's getting. We all have our opinions but this is really bad. The author goes out of her way to speak well of the police and detective work when it was obviously shoddy work.

It's just bad all the way around.

Please note, I usually can find something in a book I like. Absolutely couldn't with this. I seriously couldn't find one nice thing to say about this book except that it did eventually end.

[Elle G. Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Rating: 4 stars
Genre True Crime

Review Snapshot : A Tangled Web is aptly named for this insidious true crime novel! Just thinking about the lies and torture this woman caused gives me the chills!

︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙

Ann Rule has always been one of my favorite true crime authors so when I found out she passed I was deeply upset. Not only did we lose a talented writer but one that was extremely passionate about giving victims the stories they deserved. I’ve read nearly all of her novels and have enjoyed each and every one of them. I hope her daughter Leslie Rule (the author of this book) continues in her mothers’ footsteps- she’s talented as well!

A Tangled Web is INSANE!!!! The lies and deceit practiced by this one woman is utterly horrifying and I feel for all the victims who became her pray. The manipulation is baffling, the idea that she got away with it for so long is terrifying, and the tangled web she weaved is so dang insidious that is gives me the creeps. Leslie Rule captured all of this and more in her debut true crime novel and I sincerely hope she continues to write these books. She’s just as talented as her late mother.

One of the main reasons I gave this book 4 instead of 5 stars is that some of it dragged for me. The book is only about 350 pages, but some areas felt a bit repetitive. I understand that we need to hear EVERY SINGLE DETAIL in order to understand this twisted case, but there were times when I was simply tired of hearing it and wanted the author to move on to the case. The actual court aspects only last about 20 pages. I would have loved to see more of that rather than continuous details about this manipulative woman- I got it the first time LOL!

Other than this, A Tangled Web is a solid true crime novel and I enjoyed reading it! As I mentioned, I hope the author writes more because I’ll certainly read them. True crime novels are my kryptonite, and I can’t get enough of them!

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of meeting Leslie and becoming friends while she was doing research for this book. She asked me to help proof read and I happily obliged being a huge fan of her mothers. Leslie follows the same writing formula that Ann did in all her true crime books. This book is a real page turner filled with a lot of twists and turns. I wish Leslie could have added more to the book. Liz Golyar lives a very intricate web of lies that she makes for her life. It makes you wonder about individuals that meet others online.

[Fazila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out my website for a full review . CLICK HERE

REVIEW :

DISCLAIMER : Thank you, Netgalley and Kensington Books for proving me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Leslie Rule's A Tangled Web is one of the most fascinating and horrifying true-crime I have read. I read the synopsis and thought that sounds like an interesting case. Never in my wildest imagination did I think that I would be led into the craziest of cases to have happened. It's unbelievable and simply disturbing. The murderer and the stalker are so engulfed by the jealousy that the person took all the means necessary to achieve the goal. The murderer, in my opinion, had deep-seated psychological issues that never were treated and came out in forms one would never believe to be possible from a human being. The dedication and work the stalker put into building the most convoluted web of lies and deceit are astonishing. The book left me chilled to my bone and frightened. To know that someone who lived with us and had interactions with us is capable of the level of crime this stalker committed is scary to even fathom. I gave the book 5 stars and I recommend it. If you love true-crime and love cases that spanned several years with the intricate details that fooled everyone involved, this book will be for you. The book also talks about the safety of online communications and the dangers that lurk in the shadows of the internet. The case happened in a small town with the stalker playing ghost until getting ensnared by the same trap the murder set up to bring in victims. It's a crazy story and the entire case feels like it's not something real, something that only happens in fiction. I would highly recommend checking it out to educate oneself about the potential dangers of online communications and also learn about a group of wonderful individuals' hard work in bringing justice to the victim. True-crime lovers should definitely check it out.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so bonkers and I was totally sucked into the story. Shanna "Liz" Golyar is a terrifying person, and the lengths she went to to eliminate romantic rivals is chilling. I couldn't help but think the men around her were complete idiots, and none of this would have happened if they hadn't been such complete doormats who didn't ever want to hurt her feelings. But nevertheless, she was clearly adept at manipulating and gaslighting them. By the end she was clearly pretty desperate, because her attempts to frame Amy were pretty inept, especially as she was now trying to fool the police, not just gullible Dave. Anyway, totally engrossing story, but the writing style was just okay for me. I think this could have been shorter--it seemed like there was a lot of filler that was just there to pad out the book to the desired length. I didn't need a several page long explanation of how Facebook works, a whole paragraph about the statistical presence of herpes in the adult population (just because Liz was telling women that Dave had herpes), or tons of history on Cari's family going back to her great-grandparents. Also some instances of speculation by the author or drawing conclusions that would have been better left for the reader to infer that just didn't work for me. But overall an interesting read and a fascinating story for fans of true crime.

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Koren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leslie Rule's mother is Ann Rule, one of my favorite authors. Her books were always on my Christmas wish list up until the time of her death in 2015. This is Leslie's first True Crime book. I was pleased to read the short bio of her mother at the beginning of the book and how her mother influenced her and glad that Leslie embraces her True Crime heritage. Leslie has a similar writing style to her mother. This book was a very interesting case about a woman who met a man through a website and when he didnt want to have a serious relationship she proceeded to stalk him and any woman he saw, including murdering one and then impersonating the dead woman on the web. Not being computer savvy myself, I was fascinated at the depths this woman went to conceal who she was on the net. This continued for some time. The author is adept at keeping us on the edge of our seats and not wanting to put the book down because we want to see what is coming next. The investigation and trial are nicely condensed and not at all repetitive. I hope Leslie continues her mother's tradition.

[Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book murdered any interest I once had in this case.

To be concise (unlike the author): the book is boring, rambling, and insists on forcing unnecessary "information dumps" all throughout.

To be more detailed (but still less than the author): I heard about this case after watching a gripping netflix documentary on it. Of course, as a documentary, it couldn't cover all the finer details of such an elaborate case. Therefore, I searched for a book that would. If I were the author of this book, it would be at this point I would write several pages on my own history of watching crime documentaries. Mercifully, I am not that author and will spare you from all that because, of course, you don't care about that unrelated information. If only the author understood this as well.

The book went off to a bad start when the author went on and on about her mother and grandmother in the prologue. I didn't pick up this book to read about the author's family history. Nonetheless, I decided to labour on hoping it was the only time an unrelated information dump would take place. I was wrong. God, was I wrong.

To name a few of the sins of this book:
- Every time a website is mentioned the author would describe how popular the website was, who its users were, how it worked in excruciating detail, and so on. It was like reading a Wikipedia article. As per the author, Facebook is a website that two thirds of Americans use, but she still felt she had to tell us how exactly each aspect (what people post, friending, unfriending, etc) of Facebook worked. Every time a website was mentioned, I was filled with a sense of dread, knowing a 5-10 minute lecture on it was about to come.

- Repetition, Repetition, Repetition. Did I mention Liz wanted an exclusive relationship with Dave? Did I mention Dave didn't want to be in a monogamous relationship? Yes? Well, let me repeat it several times each chapter, just in case you somehow missed it.

- Information dumps on people's backgrounds that go way beyond what is reasonable. A spectacular example of this was when the author was describing Cari's family history from the 1800s! What led to her ridiculously long description of Cari's ancestors was after a long explanation on all the ways Cari was nice. One short anecdote would be sufficient to explain how someone was kind. But no, this author decided to go on for paragraphs, explaining all the ways Cari herself was nice, then mentioning that there was a study which may have proved there was a kindness gene, and then diving into Cari's detailed family history to explain how that may be the case??? Just awful.

I dropped this book after chapter 11. I couldn't take any more information dumps and unnecessary repetition. I figured once I got to the part with the IT expert who had cancer, she would explain in detail what cancer was and his entire employment history to me, instead of summarising it in a paragraph like a normal person. I decided that was a chapter I couldn't deal with.

If you really want to learn more about this case from this book, don't punish yourself and skip through all the information dumps. You will be happier not knowing the inner details of Plenty of Fish.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a devoted fan of Ann Rule and have missed her true crime books immensely so I was thrilled to obtain a copy of this book written by her daughter. Obviously, Leslie Rule had an excellent teacher and mentor with lots of experience alongside her mother and this was excellent. The story is a sordid one and also very scary as it deals with the way the murderess used technology to terrorize and taunt the family and acquaintances of the woman she killed. What a "tangled web" indeed.

So many people were taken in by and fooled by this mistress of mayhem. Shanna (Liz) Golyar destroyed so many innocent lives through her deception and behavior over a 3 year period. Her obsession and madness was way beyond anything I can even comprehend and she takes stalking to a whole new level. The author captures and explains the entire case with interesting background information. I really enjoyed the way the roles of all of the victims as well as those responsible for her capture were detailed. What is truly mystifying is that she got away with murder for so long! Shanna definitely thought she was smarter than everyone and she indeed had some skills with computer technology that kept it all hidden for that length of time. One of my favorite parts of a true crime book is when I see the pictures of the people involved. You'd think you'd be able to see evil there, but you simply can't!

Highly recommended to anyone who loves this genre and I can't wait for Leslie Rule's next book -- she has a new fan here! Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend. The description of the book provided by the publisher gives the overview of the crime and names the characters and is well worth reading.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Tangled Web was another great choice for our #bookishtruecrime Buddy Read! I am an avid lover of anything true crime, so needless to say I was excited to grab Leslie Rule’s debut true crime book. Her mother, Ann Rule, was a beautiful writer and extremely talented at reporting all types of true crime stories. Leslie Rule has continued her mother’s legacy in A Tangled Web, offering a heart-pounding true story of manipulation, gas-lighting, and deceit that affected countless lives. The story is incredibly intricate and there are so many people involved that I almost had trouble keeping track of who was who, and who did what, but Rule lays it all out. A Tangled Web shows what happens when stalking turns extreme and how the internet and technology can be used to deceive even further. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Leslie Rule’s debut true crime book and cannot wait for her to release another!
4.5 stars

[Sharon M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Leslie Rule for the opportunity to read and review her true crime story, following in the footsteps of her infamous mom, Ann Rule. 5 stars for a wonderfully-written story of a very complicated case.

Without revealing much, this is the case of the mysterious disappearance of Cari Farver from Omaha, Nebraska. She was a responsible, single mother close to her family, who knew she would not just leave. Investigating this crime took years and many different detectives/departments to follow the cyber crime trail.

I was so excited to read this book because I have read every one of her mom's books. I used to obsess over the pictures included just looking to see if you could detect the evil in those happy snapshots. This book will not disappoint any of Ann Rule's fans. I hope this is the start of many more to come from her daughter!

[Laura Peden · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fascinating case 😱 The title A Tangled Web fits this book perfectly. What starts out as a classic case of stalking quickly turns into 50 shades of f***** up. It’s so insane I’m not even going to try and explain it. Shanna "Liz" Golyar is crazier than a rat trapped in a tin shithouse my friends.. she even has her own episode on Snapped. I think this would make for a great book club selection because I was dying to talk to someone about it. I highly recommend to true crime fans, especially those that don’t like violent ones.

[KC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obsession, psychosis, and revenge sums up this true crime audiobook, written by the daughter of author Ann Rule. The author’s approach was a bit all over the place which led me to having a bit of trouble following the plot.

[Jeanette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Extremely interesting in psychology of these crimes. Inside/ out telling with long asides about tangent pasts or connections was not the best way to tell it. Photos were 4 stars. Copy 2.5 stars but the dumbing down to teach and preach every second or third chapter shift rounds it down.