Well-Researched Retelling of an Evil True Event

Do not skip the Preface to A TANGLED WEB because the background information about the author's mother helps to set the stage for a frightening story. The "web" in the title of the book has many meanings: webs of deceit, minds filled with cobwebs of mental instability, and also the internet with all the possibilities on the World-Wide-Web. After reading this book, people should be much more in tune with those nagging thoughts or "gut instincts." If something tells you to turn and run, you most likely will after reading this book. Another lesson might seem to be a cliche: be cautious with your personal information and respond cautiously when approached online. This is a love triangle that goes totally wrong for everyone. The crime story and what the unsavory main character gets away with seem unbelievable at times, but everything in this book is true. The research and documentation are extensive; however, there are a few places where the background information detracted from the tension in the story. For example, in Chapter 5, the description of what Facebook is and what friending someone means and allows you to do (look at that person's photos, etc.) seemed unnecessary, and then in Chapter 16 as the the threats and psychotic behavior are reaching a fever pitch, the author suddenly inserted a paragraph with her first-person comments about the events. Overall, I enjoyed this book and wanted to keep turning the page because I was incredulous at the extent of deception. As one might expect, this book involves loss and sorrow, but it emphasizes the importance of different states working together with a common system to solve what otherwise might be a cold case at best.