• The Tangled Web

  • The Life and Death of Richard Cain—Chicago Cop and Mafia Hitman
  • By: Michael Cain
  • Narrated by: Clinton Wade
  • Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (195 ratings)

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The Tangled Web  By  cover art

The Tangled Web

By: Michael Cain
Narrated by: Clinton Wade
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Editorial reviews

The Tangled Web is Michael Cain's absolutely fascinating story about his half-brother, Richard Cain, who is part cop and part mobster. After Richard's death, a confused Michael investigates his brother's complex life. The result is this audiobook that delves into the Windy City's history as a mob epicenter of bloodshed and violence. Clinton Wade's performance is cool and direct, a reflection of Chicago's wise guys. His pacing is unhurried so none of the gory facts are lost. For all Al Capone lovers, this honest look at the real-world mafia is unbeatable.

Publisher's summary

The Tangled Web tells the dramatic story of detective Richard Cain's criminal career as revealed by his half-brother, Michael. Cain led a double-life—one as a well-known cop who led raids that landed on the front pages, and the other as a "made man" in one of Chicago's most notorious mob families. Eventually executed by shotgun, Dick Cain lived and died in a world of bloodshed and violence, leaving behind a story so outlandish that he has even been suspected of being involved in the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

©2007 Michael J. Cain (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"One of the most important mob books ever written." (Ray Gibson, Chicago Tribune)

What listeners say about The Tangled Web

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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Reviews

Struggled to finish is an understatement And I was very underwhelmed by the book the plot line

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

awful narration

Narrator was monotone and sounded like he was reading a run on sentence with zero emotion or inflection in his voice at all. It made what could be a great story, unlistenable.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Just not Enjoyable

What would have made The Tangled Web better?

Another narrator. It had no inflection and even seemd like punctuation was ignored. If I had been told that the book was read by a computer, I would have believed it. I think it was an interesting story, but it was certainly lost in the delivery.

What was most disappointing about Michael Cain’s story?

The narrator.

Would you be willing to try another one of Clinton Wade’s performances?

No

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I think the story could have been great, but I couldn't get past the performance.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Riveted information

I am not an American and stand amazed by the information shared in the cause of the storyline of this book. The CIA, FBI, town police and political structures and the power pulls and secrets between them astounded me. I could not put this book down.

I have read more than 700 audiobooks and could not find anything wrong with the narrator. Maybe the good story distracted me from whatever critic is given.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting study of a crooked, killer cop

The underlying story is interesting and there is a lot of information that I didn't know before. The author is the much-younger (17 years) half-brother of Richard Cain, and he has clearly gone to great lengths to research his brother's life and death, and to verify as much of the information as possible. If you're interested in this subject matter, it's worth a read. The narrator was just ok. Not terrible, but he did manage to sound like an amateur doing a cold reading of a new manuscript. I was surprised to see that he has been hired for other audiobooks. His presentation was monotonous, sometimes rushed, sometimes sing-songy. He doesn't ruin it, but he does detract from it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting

Overall it was interesting and I enjoyed it. If you like real stories of crime, corruption & the mob, you’ll enjoy this one.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • DS
  • 12-09-22

Fascinating!

Fascinating and well written book. It's almost unbelievable until you verify it's all actually true and backed up by articles, etc.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Disjointed

Seems to jump around in a strange way. Narration is completely monotone. I kept waiting for the good part and then it was over.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Monotone!!!!

I can't listen to the monotone voice to even k ow if the story is any good.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

OK Book

Book was ok, but narration was not ok! The narrator sounded as if he was in a real hurry to finish.

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