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91 reviews for:
A Tangled Web: A Cyberstalker, a Deadly Obsession, and the Twisting Path to Justice
Leslie Rule
3.69 AVERAGE
91 reviews for:
A Tangled Web: A Cyberstalker, a Deadly Obsession, and the Twisting Path to Justice
Leslie Rule
3.69 AVERAGE
I kept thinking we would be getting to the arrest but more stuff just kept happening! So crazy
I was not a fan of the writing in this book, but I do think it is a crazy case! There were so many twists and turns, I never knew what was going to happen next.
dark
informative
slow-paced
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
My Rating: 4 stars
Genre True Crime
Review Snapshot : A Tangled Web is aptly named for this insidious true crime novel! Just thinking about the lies and torture this woman caused gives me the chills!
︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙
Ann Rule has always been one of my favorite true crime authors so when I found out she passed I was deeply upset. Not only did we lose a talented writer but one that was extremely passionate about giving victims the stories they deserved. I’ve read nearly all of her novels and have enjoyed each and every one of them. I hope her daughter Leslie Rule (the author of this book) continues in her mothers’ footsteps- she’s talented as well!
A Tangled Web is INSANE!!!! The lies and deceit practiced by this one woman is utterly horrifying and I feel for all the victims who became her pray. The manipulation is baffling, the idea that she got away with it for so long is terrifying, and the tangled web she weaved is so dang insidious that is gives me the creeps. Leslie Rule captured all of this and more in her debut true crime novel and I sincerely hope she continues to write these books. She’s just as talented as her late mother.
One of the main reasons I gave this book 4 instead of 5 stars is that some of it dragged for me. The book is only about 350 pages, but some areas felt a bit repetitive. I understand that we need to hear EVERY SINGLE DETAIL in order to understand this twisted case, but there were times when I was simply tired of hearing it and wanted the author to move on to the case. The actual court aspects only last about 20 pages. I would have loved to see more of that rather than continuous details about this manipulative woman- I got it the first time LOL!
Other than this, A Tangled Web is a solid true crime novel and I enjoyed reading it! As I mentioned, I hope the author writes more because I’ll certainly read them. True crime novels are my kryptonite, and I can’t get enough of them!
Genre True Crime
Review Snapshot : A Tangled Web is aptly named for this insidious true crime novel! Just thinking about the lies and torture this woman caused gives me the chills!
︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙︙
Ann Rule has always been one of my favorite true crime authors so when I found out she passed I was deeply upset. Not only did we lose a talented writer but one that was extremely passionate about giving victims the stories they deserved. I’ve read nearly all of her novels and have enjoyed each and every one of them. I hope her daughter Leslie Rule (the author of this book) continues in her mothers’ footsteps- she’s talented as well!
A Tangled Web is INSANE!!!! The lies and deceit practiced by this one woman is utterly horrifying and I feel for all the victims who became her pray. The manipulation is baffling, the idea that she got away with it for so long is terrifying, and the tangled web she weaved is so dang insidious that is gives me the creeps. Leslie Rule captured all of this and more in her debut true crime novel and I sincerely hope she continues to write these books. She’s just as talented as her late mother.
One of the main reasons I gave this book 4 instead of 5 stars is that some of it dragged for me. The book is only about 350 pages, but some areas felt a bit repetitive. I understand that we need to hear EVERY SINGLE DETAIL in order to understand this twisted case, but there were times when I was simply tired of hearing it and wanted the author to move on to the case. The actual court aspects only last about 20 pages. I would have loved to see more of that rather than continuous details about this manipulative woman- I got it the first time LOL!
Other than this, A Tangled Web is a solid true crime novel and I enjoyed reading it! As I mentioned, I hope the author writes more because I’ll certainly read them. True crime novels are my kryptonite, and I can’t get enough of them!
I had listened to this case on the podcast Casefile. They referenced this book.
I was excited to read this book due to the good reviews. I did not have any prior knowledge of the case. The only information I had was the book description. I typically enjoy true crime as long as it is well written.
I was disappointed in this book. I had a strong dislike for the main character Dave and was unable to sympathize with him. He was extremely self-centered and immature. Dave continued to make poor decisions throughout the book.
I didn’t find the writing style appealing. It seemed to include too much ridiculous texting. The dialog was immature. I had to force myself to finish the book to write the review. I gave it three stars because it did improve at the very end of the book when they were solving the crime.
I was disappointed in this book. I had a strong dislike for the main character Dave and was unable to sympathize with him. He was extremely self-centered and immature. Dave continued to make poor decisions throughout the book.
I didn’t find the writing style appealing. It seemed to include too much ridiculous texting. The dialog was immature. I had to force myself to finish the book to write the review. I gave it three stars because it did improve at the very end of the book when they were solving the crime.
Okay first the positives. It's clear that Leslie did her research and tried her best to give the reader an accurate feeling for time and place regarding the crime. Her writing is good and she puts everything in simple but effective prose that is easy to follow and get invested in. Her descriptions of people's appearances are honestly some of the best I've read; not overly wordy but enough to give you a clear image of the person in your mind, which I appreciate immensely. But good lord she loves her italics and exclamation marks. Through the first chapter there seems to be at least one italicized word or passage on every page. In some places, like when conveying someone's thoughts, italics are appropriate. But not everything needs to be emphasized with them. It's distracting, as is her constant use of exclamation points for further emphasis. That is honestly grade-school material. And on that note, can we talk about that preface? I get her mom was Ann Rule, crime writer extraordinaire, but hasn't Leslie built enough of a career for herself not to lean on that connection anymore? The preface really doesn't feel like it connects to anything, and its only purpose seems to be for her to say "Hey! Remember my mom? Here's more about her and her taking me to courtrooms to photograph dangerous criminals! See, I'm legit!". By now everyone with even a passing interest in true crime knows that Ann worked with Ted Bundy, so it's incredibly unnecessary for Leslie to chime in with "YES MY MOM MADE SANDWICHES FOR TED BUNDY!". Sadly, it just feels salacious and amateur. More to the point once I got to the actual story the book is supposed to cover, two things really stuck out to me, and not in a positive way. One is that Leslie comes across as incredibly judgmental of women who use dating sites. Not people in general, women. She adopts a tone of "Well what did they expect?". Look, if people go online to look for love yes they might get lied to, but it's entirely reasonable to want an honest person and to want the site in question to protect you from fake profiles, scammers, and the like. It is not a character flaw to both have a dating profile AND some boundaries and standards. And having experienced the dating world as an adult I highly doubt that every single woman that Dave met up with tried to change his mind or became hysterical when he pulled away as he warned them he would. There are in fact women who can respect a man's desires and goals when he voices them. If some of the women thought they were in a real relationship with him, there is every chance that he contributed to that belief and was not being as forthcoming as Leslie seems to think, something I'm inclined to believe given her descriptions of his behavior. Frankly if she wants us to like him (which seems to be the case) she does a piss-poor job because he just ends up seeming like a massive F-Boy. Finally, the whole thing just feels rushed. It seems like in a very short period Leslie has already gotten to the real meat of the story. It would have been nice to get more of a setup for the crime itself at the beginning, as well as more details about the lives of the main players. This isn't the worst true crime book out there, not by a long shot, but it's simply not good enough to stand out amongst the other powerhouses the genre has been giving us in recent years.
I rate simply: 5 = liked it, 3 = meh, and 1 = didn't like it.
Book 38 of 2025
A Tangled Web
By Leslie Rule
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
This is a crazy true story of a woman killing a rival and then impersonating her as a stalker for years.
Leslie Rule is the great Ann Rule’s daughter and she did a great job with this book.
My only complaint is that due to the story being extremely repetitive, the amount of detail got a little annoying.
But that’s how the story really happened, so what can you do?
Either way, I liked it and recommend the audiobook.