What do you think?
Rate this book
Dark Webs True Crime #3
Stalkers: True stories of deadly obsessions
Deluded narcissists. Obsessed fans. Sinister internet trolls.Stalkers who turned deadly
A young Hollywood starlet enjoys rising fame on a smash-hit sitcom, unaware that her greatest fan is an unhinged teenager hell-bent on meeting his crush... until she films a love scene and his adoration turns into a quest to see her punished.
A bookworm teenager is brutally attacked by a vengeful author after she gives him a scathing review. She could never have known that his book was a fictionalised confession of years of pathological stalking of a young woman whose mistake was to smile at him.
A 15-year-old boy is surprised when MI6 approaches him online with a direct order from the Queen to work as a spy. His exciting new life takes a deadly turn when his girlfriend is kidnapped and he is ordered to kill his best friend
A woman is surprised by men turning up on her doorstep expecting to take part in a rape fantasy - one they believed she posted on Craigslist
Dark Webs Book 3 takes you into the twisted world of stalkers and the devastating impact their obsessions can have on their victims
A young Hollywood starlet enjoys rising fame on a smash-hit sitcom, unaware that her greatest fan is an unhinged teenager hell-bent on meeting his crush... until she films a love scene and his adoration turns into a quest to see her punished.
A bookworm teenager is brutally attacked by a vengeful author after she gives him a scathing review. She could never have known that his book was a fictionalised confession of years of pathological stalking of a young woman whose mistake was to smile at him.
A 15-year-old boy is surprised when MI6 approaches him online with a direct order from the Queen to work as a spy. His exciting new life takes a deadly turn when his girlfriend is kidnapped and he is ordered to kill his best friend
A woman is surprised by men turning up on her doorstep expecting to take part in a rape fantasy - one they believed she posted on Craigslist
Dark Webs Book 3 takes you into the twisted world of stalkers and the devastating impact their obsessions can have on their victims
302 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 3, 2020
338 people are currently reading
242 people want to read
About the author
Eileen Ormsby
14 books106 followersEileen Ormsby is a lawyer, author and freelance journalist based in Melbourne. Her first book, Silk Road was the world's first in-depth expose of the black markets that operate on the dark web.
Eileen's gonzo-style investigations have led her deep into the secretive corners of the dark web where drugs and weapons dealers, hackers, hitmen and worse ply their trade. Many of these dark web interactions turned into real-world relationships, entanglements, hack attempts on her computer and even death threats from the dark web's most successful hitman network as she researched Darkest Web. She now lives a quiet life off-grid as much as possible.
Eileen's gonzo-style investigations have led her deep into the secretive corners of the dark web where drugs and weapons dealers, hackers, hitmen and worse ply their trade. Many of these dark web interactions turned into real-world relationships, entanglements, hack attempts on her computer and even death threats from the dark web's most successful hitman network as she researched Darkest Web. She now lives a quiet life off-grid as much as possible.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
August 19, 2020
Dark, disturbing, and near unbelievable - Stalkers by Eileen Ormsby reads like crime fiction at its finest - only it's not. Comprising four stories of seriously creepy stalkers complete with information about each stalkers sub category for added context and insight into the mind of the maddened, author Eileen Ormsby provides a peak behind the curtain of normalcy to showcase a world so twisted it's difficult to comprehend.
Whilst it would've been easy to write a book featuring high profile public figure harassment/stalker cases spattered across mainstream media, Stalkers delves a little deeper, both in timeline and victim. Sure there's one story featuring an up and coming young actress but the others are about normal, everyday people, including a shocking case featuring two teenage boys which, honestly scared the living daylight out of me, as did one about a deluded author who sought out a book reviewer who posted an unfavourable review on Goodreads! (yikes...).
It's been a while since a true crime book has given me serious goose bumps. Not since I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara has a non-fiction book left such a lasting impression and that's exactly what Stalkers has done - especially the fourth story about a young women who falls victim to a Craigslist rape fantasy which honestly feels like it was written for the silver screen and not ripped from police files and public news reports. There's so many twists to this torrid tale I couldn't believe how it turned out.
If you're a true crime junkie and/or a fan of the The Dark Web books by Eileen Ormsby this is a no-brainer
Whilst it would've been easy to write a book featuring high profile public figure harassment/stalker cases spattered across mainstream media, Stalkers delves a little deeper, both in timeline and victim. Sure there's one story featuring an up and coming young actress but the others are about normal, everyday people, including a shocking case featuring two teenage boys which, honestly scared the living daylight out of me, as did one about a deluded author who sought out a book reviewer who posted an unfavourable review on Goodreads! (yikes...).
It's been a while since a true crime book has given me serious goose bumps. Not since I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara has a non-fiction book left such a lasting impression and that's exactly what Stalkers has done - especially the fourth story about a young women who falls victim to a Craigslist rape fantasy which honestly feels like it was written for the silver screen and not ripped from police files and public news reports. There's so many twists to this torrid tale I couldn't believe how it turned out.
If you're a true crime junkie and/or a fan of the The Dark Web books by Eileen Ormsby this is a no-brainer
August 15, 2023
Stalkers is the third book in the Dark Webs series and, trust me, it beggars belief. It reads like it is straight out of Hollywood, the scene of the first telling of stalker behaviour. In here, we have two stories from America and two from the U.K. They are all horrible in their own way and yet show how easy it is, if you are that way inclined, to become a stalker.
The book itself is well-written with each story almost having a fiction-like quality to it. There are facts and figures, police reports, and verdicts given though, just to prove this actually happened. They will all twist your mind but the Craigslist one is just unbelievable! I felt sorry for all the 'victims' in this book but, mostly, I feel sorry for 'Mark'.
This is the first book by this author I have read but it will not be the last. If you like #TrueCrime then this is one I definitely recommend you don't miss.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 9, 2020
The book itself is well-written with each story almost having a fiction-like quality to it. There are facts and figures, police reports, and verdicts given though, just to prove this actually happened. They will all twist your mind but the Craigslist one is just unbelievable! I felt sorry for all the 'victims' in this book but, mostly, I feel sorry for 'Mark'.
This is the first book by this author I have read but it will not be the last. If you like #TrueCrime then this is one I definitely recommend you don't miss.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 9, 2020
June 18, 2023
A very interesting quick book
October 30, 2021
This is definitely an enjoyable and crazy read that most fans of true crime will enjoy. Focusing on four different true stories of four types of stalkers (most following some path of entitlement, anger, and unrequited love, however) I left the review at 4 stars because I just wasn’t that blown away by the first two stories. I don’t, by any means, intend any disrespect on behalf of the victims or families who experienced these nightmares. However, in contrast to the last two stories, they’re relatively bland and predictable: unstable guy “falls in love” with Hollywood celeb he believes loves him back, another unstable guy falls in love with a fellow college student upon seeing her working at the Student Union. Both men go on to harass these women for as long as they’re permitted by slow response of law enforcement; one take turns deadly and the other, no, but very easily could have - and hopefully the one that didn’t doesn’t end up killing another human being in the future.
I gave it four stars because once I got to the last two stories of John/Matt and then Ian/Michelle/Angela, I literally couldn’t put the book down (when I’ve repeatedly been putting it down for about a week now). The last two are so crazy, so bizarre, so clearly fall under the “when the truth is stranger than fiction” label. It just amazes you how obsessive human beings can be, how delusional, and how these obsessions and delusions can make them entirely unsympathetic monsters when it comes to the damage they inflict onto the lives of an innocent human being.
Ormsby clearly has a fascination with the dark side of the human psyche - which I can certainly appreciate. It’s not that I ENJOY this stuff or that it doesn’t disturb me - but like others who love to research into true crime and the minds of psychopaths, I want to know as much as possible about their motives, and how and when the hell they became evil incarnated. Great storyteller and I may likely check out her book, The Darkest Web, where she provides more case studies of “almost-too-deranged-to-believe” into individuals who rule the creepiest corners of the dark web.
Recommend for sure, and if you’re feeling a bit bored by the first two stories, you can always skim through those to the last two, which I guarantee will leave you guessing until the end (story 4 still wasn’t entirely resolved when the book went to press so I plan on looking more into that one as soon as I post my review in a second!).
I gave it four stars because once I got to the last two stories of John/Matt and then Ian/Michelle/Angela, I literally couldn’t put the book down (when I’ve repeatedly been putting it down for about a week now). The last two are so crazy, so bizarre, so clearly fall under the “when the truth is stranger than fiction” label. It just amazes you how obsessive human beings can be, how delusional, and how these obsessions and delusions can make them entirely unsympathetic monsters when it comes to the damage they inflict onto the lives of an innocent human being.
Ormsby clearly has a fascination with the dark side of the human psyche - which I can certainly appreciate. It’s not that I ENJOY this stuff or that it doesn’t disturb me - but like others who love to research into true crime and the minds of psychopaths, I want to know as much as possible about their motives, and how and when the hell they became evil incarnated. Great storyteller and I may likely check out her book, The Darkest Web, where she provides more case studies of “almost-too-deranged-to-believe” into individuals who rule the creepiest corners of the dark web.
Recommend for sure, and if you’re feeling a bit bored by the first two stories, you can always skim through those to the last two, which I guarantee will leave you guessing until the end (story 4 still wasn’t entirely resolved when the book went to press so I plan on looking more into that one as soon as I post my review in a second!).
Read
September 20, 2020Lots of errors
But she calls her editor "legendary". I'd beg to differ. Sorry. 😉 The stories were good, different, unique, ones I've never heard before, which is difficult to find for me.
It flows well. Other than that, the stories are short so not really much you can say about them.
But she calls her editor "legendary". I'd beg to differ. Sorry. 😉 The stories were good, different, unique, ones I've never heard before, which is difficult to find for me.
It flows well. Other than that, the stories are short so not really much you can say about them.
November 13, 2024
Stalkers: True tales of deadly obsessions (tangled webs true crime) By: Eileen Orbsby
This is a book by Eileen Ormsby. Who is a Lawer, author, freelance journalist and Dark Web expert. Her specialty is books, articles and podcast episodes that focus on crime with a tech aspect to them.
I love that the opening of the book gave the definitions of the topics covered. We can all be found guilty of using words that we might not really understand the true meaning of. In the Intro we learn not only the definition of Stalker and Stalking but the 5 main kinds of stalkers.
Stalk = 1. to pursue (game, a person, etc.) stealthily. 2. To proceed through (an area) in search of prey or quarry. Stalker = 1. a person who stalks.
1. Celebrity Stalking - “Celebrity stalking get the most attention as they are of the highest profile and ironically, happen to people we feel we know to some degree.”
2. The rejected stalker - “Many stalking cases involve breakups in which former partners cannot let go of a failed relationship.” This kind of stalking is often seen by law enforcement along with domestic violence.
3. Incompetent suitors and intimacy seekers - “Seek to establish a relationship with another person but are impaired in their social skills.”
4. Cyberstalking – or Catfishing - “Where the stalker lures their victims into a relationship by means of a fictional online persona”.
5. Resentful stalkers – this kind of stalking is often “about retaliation for a perceived injustice.”
Then it goes into multiple true stories of stalkers and their victims.
Rebecca Schaeffer who was a teen actress in a sitcom from CBS in the 80’s that was stalked and eventually killed by Robert Bardo.
Ella Durant and Paige Rolland, Ella who was stalked by and Paige who was assaulted by Richard Brittain in from 2012 to 2019.
2003-2006 MSN Chat room case involving two minors whose names have been suppressed by an indefinite court order (this book calls them Mark and John) where one teenage boy started to communicate with what he thought was a wide ring of different individuals. Only to find out that they were all one other teen boy. The first teen was led to be used by the second teen who made UK history as being by being the first ever charged with incitement to murder himself.
Lastly the 2013-2017 Craigslist Rape Plot. A story on how Angela Diez had used craigslist personal section to create and ad to frame her new husband's ex-fiancé Michelle Hadley of setting it up to have Angela herself raped.
The biggest take away from this book for me is do we ever truly know the other people in our lives. Each of the stories in this book are great examples of how dangerous a stalker is. This book shows a wide timetable of how long stalking has been a major issue not just in the US but all over.
This is a book by Eileen Ormsby. Who is a Lawer, author, freelance journalist and Dark Web expert. Her specialty is books, articles and podcast episodes that focus on crime with a tech aspect to them.
I love that the opening of the book gave the definitions of the topics covered. We can all be found guilty of using words that we might not really understand the true meaning of. In the Intro we learn not only the definition of Stalker and Stalking but the 5 main kinds of stalkers.
Stalk = 1. to pursue (game, a person, etc.) stealthily. 2. To proceed through (an area) in search of prey or quarry. Stalker = 1. a person who stalks.
1. Celebrity Stalking - “Celebrity stalking get the most attention as they are of the highest profile and ironically, happen to people we feel we know to some degree.”
2. The rejected stalker - “Many stalking cases involve breakups in which former partners cannot let go of a failed relationship.” This kind of stalking is often seen by law enforcement along with domestic violence.
3. Incompetent suitors and intimacy seekers - “Seek to establish a relationship with another person but are impaired in their social skills.”
4. Cyberstalking – or Catfishing - “Where the stalker lures their victims into a relationship by means of a fictional online persona”.
5. Resentful stalkers – this kind of stalking is often “about retaliation for a perceived injustice.”
Then it goes into multiple true stories of stalkers and their victims.
Rebecca Schaeffer who was a teen actress in a sitcom from CBS in the 80’s that was stalked and eventually killed by Robert Bardo.
Ella Durant and Paige Rolland, Ella who was stalked by and Paige who was assaulted by Richard Brittain in from 2012 to 2019.
2003-2006 MSN Chat room case involving two minors whose names have been suppressed by an indefinite court order (this book calls them Mark and John) where one teenage boy started to communicate with what he thought was a wide ring of different individuals. Only to find out that they were all one other teen boy. The first teen was led to be used by the second teen who made UK history as being by being the first ever charged with incitement to murder himself.
Lastly the 2013-2017 Craigslist Rape Plot. A story on how Angela Diez had used craigslist personal section to create and ad to frame her new husband's ex-fiancé Michelle Hadley of setting it up to have Angela herself raped.
The biggest take away from this book for me is do we ever truly know the other people in our lives. Each of the stories in this book are great examples of how dangerous a stalker is. This book shows a wide timetable of how long stalking has been a major issue not just in the US but all over.
March 10, 2023
Terrifying
This book goes really in-depth to tell the stories from all sides without making the reader aware of the guilty party until the very end of each story. The stories of stalking in this book are absolutely terrifying!! The lengths that some people will go to to cause harm, fear, and ruin of others' lives is incomprehensible. To know that people capable of such horrible acts walk around among us, interact with our children on social media, and can sometimes access our every move really makes you stop and think about you and your family's safety. If you enjoy reading true crime, I recommend you read this book.
This book goes really in-depth to tell the stories from all sides without making the reader aware of the guilty party until the very end of each story. The stories of stalking in this book are absolutely terrifying!! The lengths that some people will go to to cause harm, fear, and ruin of others' lives is incomprehensible. To know that people capable of such horrible acts walk around among us, interact with our children on social media, and can sometimes access our every move really makes you stop and think about you and your family's safety. If you enjoy reading true crime, I recommend you read this book.
October 26, 2023
I do love some true crime whether that be in a documentary format or a book and this one was really good’ I love how each of the cases are broken down into its own part and chapters to help build up a picture of the events.
This is the first I’ve read of this authors work and I will have to check out the website and her other works :)
I gave it 4 stars, purely because it’s not one I would read again or have as my own copy (borrowed this from the library) but one I would recommend to other people.
My heart goes out to all the victims in this book and hope that they one day can find peace
This is the first I’ve read of this authors work and I will have to check out the website and her other works :)
I gave it 4 stars, purely because it’s not one I would read again or have as my own copy (borrowed this from the library) but one I would recommend to other people.
My heart goes out to all the victims in this book and hope that they one day can find peace
October 30, 2023
I really enjoyed this work that highlights why stalkers are dangerous and how we got the legislation that we have today regarding stalking and cyberstalking. The laws are still not perfect regarding these matters but it seems there has been some progress since the first case talked about in this book. I really enjoyed that it focused on four different cases involving stalking as it helped to really drive home the point of this book. I enjoyed the way Eileen Ormsby wrote this, focusing on the details and weaving stories together without giving so much detail that the reader lost focus. I would love to read other works by her.
August 6, 2020
You jump down the rabbit hole with this one as you get to see great insight and get to know not only the victim but also the stalker and it is definitely an eye opener in all the cases. The way the people spiral out of control or how in control they are of what they are doing is at times baffling. I think the story of Mark & John blew my mind the most and I can't believe I hadn't heard of it before, but also The Craiglist one was a mind bend and took a bit to wrap my head around.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 20, 2021
Consuming
This book is so good covering stalkers of all types who used many means to harass and sometimes hurt or kill the object of their fantasies. I had to go to Amazon and read the reviews left on Richard Britain's book, " The World Rose". I was happy to stumble onto this book and am about to begin another of her books on the dark web. (Oh yeah, take some time to check out those one star Amazon reviews I mentioned above. They make for humorous reading).
This book is so good covering stalkers of all types who used many means to harass and sometimes hurt or kill the object of their fantasies. I had to go to Amazon and read the reviews left on Richard Britain's book, " The World Rose". I was happy to stumble onto this book and am about to begin another of her books on the dark web. (Oh yeah, take some time to check out those one star Amazon reviews I mentioned above. They make for humorous reading).
October 23, 2020
Readable and a tale of caution
This book offers several tales of crimes against persons that have only been possible for the last decades of the 20th century. All parents should have to read it just to convince them not to start their child with a computer/phone at age 6, especially since most parents have no idea what some of the web can offer..
This book offers several tales of crimes against persons that have only been possible for the last decades of the 20th century. All parents should have to read it just to convince them not to start their child with a computer/phone at age 6, especially since most parents have no idea what some of the web can offer..
March 4, 2021
Fascinating
For lovers of true crime, these stories with a few twists are fascinating tales of what human brains are capable of-turning fiction into reality, disregarding morality, and justifying behaviors to suit their purposes. A good read.
For lovers of true crime, these stories with a few twists are fascinating tales of what human brains are capable of-turning fiction into reality, disregarding morality, and justifying behaviors to suit their purposes. A good read.
December 1, 2021
As expected, I loved this novel just as much as I loved all of her others. The stories were both shocking and riveting, especially the last two in the novel. I highly recommend Eileen Ormsby for all true crime fans.
January 30, 2022
Frightening. Well-written and compelling; interesting twists, turns, and cliffhangers at the conclusion of each chapter. Author displays detailed knowledge of the laws and evolution of safeguards created to prevent stalking.
October 13, 2022
As a big true crime fan, I absolutely loved this book. All four cases were well researched and laid out. Gripping, almost unreal, the stories read like a fine novel and drew you in with every detail. This is an author to definitely keep your eye on.
January 20, 2024
😱
Some scary sh*t in this book. Especially when one attack is practically on the doorstep. Never heard about it at the time, or I just don't remember about it 🤷♀️.
Interesting and written really well accounts if true events.
Some scary sh*t in this book. Especially when one attack is practically on the doorstep. Never heard about it at the time, or I just don't remember about it 🤷♀️.
Interesting and written really well accounts if true events.
August 26, 2020
The stories in the book are well-paced and suspenseful, using effective fiction narrative techniques, but at the same time written with empathy and heart.
September 8, 2020
True to form
Some great stories that shock but that can easily happen with a person becomes infatuated with another.
This book is full of stalkers with little the lose.
Some great stories that shock but that can easily happen with a person becomes infatuated with another.
This book is full of stalkers with little the lose.
October 31, 2020
Excellent!!!
I really really enjoyed this book, it was so well written and easy to read, now I'll try her others
I really really enjoyed this book, it was so well written and easy to read, now I'll try her others
January 17, 2021
Loved it
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2021
Informative. Good.
The book had some Interesting information. Short and sweet. I would softly recommend. Not the greatest - but, not a waste of time.
The book had some Interesting information. Short and sweet. I would softly recommend. Not the greatest - but, not a waste of time.
March 6, 2021
Twisted true crime!
I think of all the Eileen Ormsby books, this one has been my favorite. That fact that she uses a real editor makes the books even more enjoyable!
I think of all the Eileen Ormsby books, this one has been my favorite. That fact that she uses a real editor makes the books even more enjoyable!
April 10, 2021
Not bad
If you like true crime and not an excessive amount of detail, this book is for you. It makes for a quick read with some very interesting tales.
If you like true crime and not an excessive amount of detail, this book is for you. It makes for a quick read with some very interesting tales.
June 13, 2021
Short but grimly fascinating.
January 6, 2023
A good insight into the motivations and mental state of the crimes committed. It doesn't overload you with information it has the perfect a!out to keep you reading.
May 14, 2023
Sometimes truth is weirder than fiction - how obsessions can become deadly
December 26, 2023
I couldn’t put it down!
I could not stop reading! This book was filled with remarkable, and unbelievable stories, and was continuously engaging—a page-turning delight!
I could not stop reading! This book was filled with remarkable, and unbelievable stories, and was continuously engaging—a page-turning delight!
June 27, 2024
A series of cases covering the subject of stalking in a pretty interesting way. I really enjoyed hearing about it although it had nothing to do with the dark web
January 24, 2025
really really interesting but a little repetitive
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews