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.

Unbelievable and impossible but sadly all true.

I could not put this book down! I was mesmerised from start to finish! there's a reason why Ann Rule got me hooked on True Crimes-she's the best! I would say her daughter Leslie has not falling apart from the tree!

Good true story, but tedious telling at times

I'm an avid true crime reader including all Ann Rule and Olson books. I was interested in this story but it was painful at times the way Leslie Rule told it. It seemed like a lot of detail was disconnected and it was frustrating to get through.

Great narrator, Ok writing

The narration for this book was great, imho. The story was kinda of a jumbled mess and I only recognized time/place changes after they were well underway in the story. I enjoyed the story, but found myself having to rewind often because of my losing interest at many points.

Fast Interesting Read

Leslie should be proud. Having grown up reading her moms books I think she did a fabulous job!
I was a little annoyed at how fast the narrator read but there are worse things.

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.