A Tangled Web

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

De: Leslie Rule

Narrado por: Tanya Eby

It was a bleak November in 2012 when Cari Lea Farver vanished from Omaha, Nebraska. Cari, 37, 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 12,000 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.

©2020 Leslie Rule (P)2020 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Meh

Definitely not her mother. While it could have been interesting material, it was repetitive and droned on. You knew who did it early on and the investigation wasn't taken up until almost the end. The prim and proper narration was grating. Made it to the end, but barely.

Fascinating and bizarre

Leslie takes after her mother with this one. I kept seeing it come up as a suggestion and I was thinking it didn’t look that interesting. Then I decided to give it a try and wow! The narrator sounded much like an operator on a recorded phone tree at first, but as the book got more intense the narration got better. It was like the narrator was getting into the story with me. When it started I was not impressed with the narration. If you aren’t, don’t give up! I’m not going to get into all the details, you can read that in the summary. Basically it’s insane and fascinating!

Slow it down

The narrator seems rushed and frantic not in a good way. I just started the book and quickly found if you slow the narration down to .9 it makes it listenable. Also the narrator is slightly mechanical in her annunciation, putting too much air between small words. Don't know if I'll make it through but slowing it down has helped tremendously. A bad narrator can ruin a great book.

Really good true crime

4.5 stars. Ms Rule is a worthy successor to her mother. Although the story drags a bit in spots, and I was conscious that she was holding back too long before openly stating that Liz was the killer and tormentor, it’s an engrossing and suspenseful account. And it been thoroughly researched and overall well-written. Much recommended.

Chilling and entertaining

Unbelievable, captivating and tragic story. The reader sounded like a robot but not too distracting.

The story is Interesting

The narration is annoying. I had seen this story on Dateline. Too much back history was given that had too many people to keep track of that were not really relevant to what happened.

Don’t let the bad reviews deter you

I had knowledge of this case from a few podcasts I had listened to. I passed on the book more than once because I thought I knew the story well and because of the negative reviews written.

The podcasts are literally like hors d'oeuvres before a huge seven course meal. There is so much more to this evil woman’s stalking than just Cari. There were other very scary stalking precursors that eventually led to her escalation in murder. She was working up to it again and would have eventually done it to another victim. I think she is still cat fishing from prison. She is wicked beyond belief.

I think Leslie’s writing is as good as her mom. As I stated, do not let the bad reviews deter you from learning the full scope of this crime. It is a doozy.

This book freaked me out!

I met my husband on eharmony. I dated online for a year and went on 20+ dates with different men. This book made me realize how vulnerable I was and how I didn’t take safety precautions. The book was a real eye opener. It was a crazy story. The author wrote it very well and it pulls you in until the last page.

intrigue at it's best!

This book kept me o. the edge of my seat from beginning to end. While I knew who the culprit was from the start I couldn't wait to find out how she would eventually get her just deserts.
She's a very smart woman, imagine what she could've accomplished if she'd put her talent to positive pursuits.

One of my favorite true crime titles from Audible

This book was fantastic! It is a crazy story told very well, without a lot of “filler.” It was really riveting. Leslie Rule should do more books like this.