A Tangled Web

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

By: Leslie Rule

Narrated by: Tanya Eby

Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

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

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.

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.

Wow what a story

I was mesmerized by this crazy story .
Kept my interest from start to finish . Good read !

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.

Unloving Lover

A Tangled Web is an excellent true crime book. Leslie Rule may well have proven she is as talented a writer as her mother, Ann Rule. She is able to take very tangled crimes and unwind it enough for the reader to grasp how evil the crimes were. I am very impressed and recommend this book.

The crimes in this account are heartless. Ms Rule makes that quite clear by introducing the reader to many of those who were impacted by the criminal. The nature of the crimes are such that this is not a very grizzly read. I was struck by the pain inflicted on so many people (not to mention the murder victim). It is hard to take in all the emotional pain the criminal caused. I was also very grateful that none of my loved ones were entangled by this nasty person.

If you prefer your true crime reads to begin with no idea who the perpetrator is, you may be disappointed with this book. I don’t have that pet peeve.

Tanya Eby, has a very pleasant voice and I would enjoy hearing more books narrated by her. She was tasked with portraying many male voices and there is little difference between characters. That is the only reason I gave the performance four stars. She definitely can deepen her voice and sound masculine, but with so many men to portray she could not vary the voices enough.

Great loved it, well written

When I saw this and found out who her mother was I thought I would give it a try. At first, I didn't know, it started out slow talking about her mother which I have always loved. But that wasn't why I wanted to listen to it. It wasn't long before she got into her story and she knocked me off my feet just as her mother did long ago. She did her mother proud for sure and I know she has and will always be proud of her.

The author lays out the plot, giving you the facts and lets the reader work it out. She goes into wonderful details in a way that holds your attention. She makes the story interesting, holding the listeners attention. I was really impressed with the way she wrote this, how she gives you details at the end and does a follow up. Very impressing, I do hope this will not be that last true crime she writes. I am not really into the other stories she writes so I can't say anything about other stories she has wrote but this one gets top marks.

The narrator did a great job pulling the listener in, giving true emotions that the author wrote about. She makes you feel the pain, sorrow, joy and the chilling facts. There are no repeating of words, no background noise, just a clear smooth flowing audio that you get lost in.

Worth it

Thoughtful, curious and approachable. The author works hard to stay curious—when it would be easy to do otherwise. I will definitely be reading her next endeavor.

Doesn’t Disappoint!

As a “super fan” of Ann Rule, I approached this book with my fingers crossed...really, really wanting to like it.
I didn’t like it...I LOVED IT!
True crime fans LOVED Ann Rule, and now we get to love her daughter Leslie, as well.
Well done, Ms Rule....and THANK YOU! ❤️

Interesting story, tends to expatiate

The story itself is quite interesting; I was surprised I hadn’t heard of the case before. The problem was the detail of certain topics not directly related to the story. For instance, explaining Facebook, Lifetime network, the history of Cornflakes, and my personal favorite, herpes. The majority of adults know enough about these subjects to not need a detailed description within a true crime story. I also didn’t like the narrator, but to each their own.

Very Nice To Listen To

I really enjoyed this book. I had accidentally watched the Dateline to this story, and didn't realize it till I started listening. So I was a little mad at myself for doing that. I hate to watch a story or show before I read the book if I have it. But this book was very much informative on the case more than the episode and rarely repeated itself. Also explained things better in some cases.

Not a huge Ann Rule fan (at least yet, because I haven't read that much of her work). But her daughter seems to be a gifted writer like her mother. I also loved that Leslie has written some paranormal books, and is into that field, as I am a professional paranormal investigator.

As far as the story, holy sh!t, this was a crazy one and unlike anything I have ever read before. Very distinctive case. Liz (the monster) was a freaking nut. It's amazing what lengths people will go to get what they want. Liz went way too far and in the end, it was the web she spun that was the ruin of her. You gotta check out this amazing book. You won't be disappointed.