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

by Leslie Rule

Overview

In the tradition of her acclaimed mother, Ann Rule, author of The Stranger Beside Me, bestselling author Leslie Rule delivers a riveting true story for our time—as she exposes the trail of a sadistic sociopath, identity thief, and killer at the dark heart of a real-life fatal attraction...

It was a bleak November in 2012 when Cari Farver, thirty-seven, vanished from Omaha, Nebraska.Texts sent indicated that the hardworking mother had quit her job, abandoned her son, and cut ties with everyone—including her dying father. Though Cari's boyfriend, Dave Kroupa, was hurt, he accepted the breakup-text at face value. Her mother, Nancy Raney, however, doubted that kind-hearted Cari had sent the rude texts she received. "I need to hear your voice," Nancy begged. When the texter refused to speak, Nancy reported Cari missing.

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. Police were skeptical of Nancy's claim that an impostor had stolen her daughter's identity, but they believed Dave and his girlfriend, Shanna "Liz" Golyar, when they reported the missing woman was cyberstalking them. The tormentor was eerily aware of Dave's every move, knew when Liz visited and threatened to "slit the fat whore's throat." It never occurred to Dave that Cari was a victim—that the real stalker had killed before, and was planning to kill again.

Now Leslie Rule tracks the heart-pounding path to long-awaited justice—from a twisted past to the deadly deception and the high-tech forensics that condemned the killer to prison.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780806539980
Publisher:	Kensington
Publication date:	03/30/2021
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	70,287
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Leslie Rule is an artist, photographer, and bestselling author of nonfiction and suspense. She is the daughter of Ann Rule, one of the best known American true crime writers of all time, and served as her research assistant and trial photographer beginning from age seventeen. A longtime vegetarian, Leslie Rule is an animal advocate and has participated in the rescue of over a hundred cats and dogs, establishing her own nonprofit animal shelter in 2005. Leslie lives in Seattle and can be found online at AuthorLeslieRule.com.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for A TANGLED WEB
 
“Leslie Rule delivers an incredible story of obsession and deceit, a one-woman campaign of terror that could only exist in our digital age. Harrowing.”
—Maureen Callahan, New York Times bestselling author of American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century
 
“We expect a tangled tale to have an exquisite twist, and Leslie Rule brings it home. In the tradition of her mother, true crime author Ann Rule, she presents a gripping case of fatal obsession and stolen identity so bizarre it's hard to believe it's true. Rule's first true crime book hits the mark.”
—Katherine Ramsland, author of Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader the BTK Killer
 
"The murder was straightforward, but the cover-up was as intricate as the impressive artistry of a garden spider.  In A Tangled Web, Leslie Rule artfully weaves the strands of a monstrous net that ultimately ensnared its evil perpetrator.  A fascinating, incredible read."
—Diane Fanning, Edgar finalist and author of Death on the River
 
"Following in her famous mother’s footsteps, Leslie Rule deftly explores the strange case of a bizarre love triangle, a cyberstalking impostor, and a terrifying fatal attraction that leads to a deadly obsession."
—Kathryn Casey, bestselling author of In Plain Sight
 
“With a journalist’s eye for detail and a storyteller’s compelling voice, Leslie Rule draws readers into the world of a diabolical criminal and her victims. A Tangled Web will leave you with lingering feelings that evil walks among us, in plain sight, even in the idyllic Midwest.”
—Axton Betz-Hamilton, author of The Less People Know About Us: A Mystery of Betrayal, Family Secrets, and Stolen Identity
 
“Leslie Rule's recipe for A Tangled Web takes one depraved killer, adds broken-hearted victims, mixes in cutting-edge crime fighting, and whips it all into a sexy and spell-binding souffle. Bon appétit!”
—Dawna Kaufmann, co-author of A Question of Murder, From Crime Scene to Courtroom and Final Exams: True Crime Cases from Cyril Wecht
 
“In A Tangled Web, Leslie Rule shows that she is truly her mother’s daughter, down to the expert detailing that defined Ann Rule, but with this told in a high-tech world. Rule guides the reader down a slippery slope, with twists and turns of text messaging and online dating, ultimately revealing just how cagey are the deeds of the devious perpetrator.”
—Cathy Scott, author of The Crime Book and the Los Angeles Times bestseller The Killing of Tupac Shakur

From the Publisher

04/10/2020

Rule (Coast to Coast Ghosts: True Stories of Hauntings Across America) carries on the true crime traditions of her mother, the late best-selling author Anne Rule, to deliver an engrossing, bizarre tale of stolen identities that moved between the real and digital spheres. In 2012, a 37-year-old mother named Cari Farver disappeared. Farver's family, friends, and employer received text messages stating that she was taking off and giving custody of her young son to her mother; suspicious, Cari's mother reported her missing. What followed was an investigation into cyberstalking that encompassed years of digital threats, punctuated by real-world violence. Rule's descriptions of the many digital platforms involved and the tactics used to investigate the case can be overwhelming, but she successfully untangles the details and offers in-depth looks into the lives and backgrounds of key figures. She handles sensational elements with care and writes with compassion for the victims. VERDICT A deft, fascinating true crime story of obsession for fans of the genre as well as those who enjoyed John Bloom and Jim Atkinson's Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs.—Kate Bellody, SUNY New Paltz

Library Journal