August 14 @ 7 pm in Susman Room
Leslie Rule is a Seattle area artist, photographer and bestselling author of two suspense novels, five nonfiction books, and dozens of articles in national magazines, including Reader’s Digest. At seventeen, she began to work with her mother, author Ann Rule, as research assistant and trial photographer. Many of Leslie’s courtroom photos appear in her mother’s books. Visit Leslie’s website: authorleslierule.com.
A TANGLED WEB examines the case of Shanna Golyar, the scorned lover in a lopsided love triangle who murdered her romantic rival, Cari Farver, and impersonated her online to hide her death. When Shanna Goylar was arrested in 2016 and sentenced to life in 2017, her bizarre murder plot made national news. But her victim’s body was never found and her past remained a dark mystery…until now…
With mesmerizing detail and compelling narrative skill, Leslie Rule tracks every step of the heart-pounding path to long-awaited justice—from a sociopath’s twisted past to the deadly deception and the high-tech forensics that condemned the killer to prison, where the tangled web of manipulations still draws trusting souls into danger.
1. Despite horror stories about predators on the Internet, it is very common for couple to meet online. What precautions should be taken to insure safety?
2. Did the killer in A Tangled Web use electronic ruses unfamiliar to you? If you, which devices had you never heard of?
3. Dave Kroupa was unable to see the truth because he suffered from confirmation bias. Have you ever experienced something like this in your life? If so, how did you finally manage to see the truth?
4. What do you think about the fact that Neil Munson was questioned in the back of a police car when he was exhausted?
5. Do you think Liz was the real author of the letters she claimed Neil Munson had sent from jail? If so, why didn't anyone question this?
6. Why did so few people believe Melissa Strom when she told them Shanna was dangerous?
7. Some of the survivors in this story believe they are alive because they trusted their gut instincts. Why do we so often dismiss our own intuition?
8. Do you think the stalked in A Tangled Web was shaped by nature, nurture or a combination of both?
9. Did the stalker possess the willpower to overcome her obsession and become a mentally healthy person?
10. Why didn't the police believe Nancy Raney when she told them her daughter was trouble?
11. In order to solve this case, investigators worked thousands of extra unpaid hours. In what way should investigators be rewarded if they work on their own time to solve a crime?
12. Is it possible that the stalker focused on females to vent her rage because she felt abandoned by her mother? Though she had no conscious memories of her mother, could the fact her mother left her so abruptly at such a young age influence who she became?
Note about pseudonyms
A TANGLED WEB is a true story, and all quotes are verbatim and come directly from interviews or trial transcripts. Witnesses were incredibly generous in sharing very personal and painful details. Some names have been changed to protect privacy. Here is a list of names that were changed:
Pseudonyms were given to most of Liz Golyar’s family members. In some cases, only the actual first names of the deceased were used to conceal the identity of their living relatives. These deceased people are: Dee, Francis, Adela, Sherry and Arianna.
Pseudonyms given to Liz’s other relatives are: Camila, Gary, George, Jean, Henrietta, Isabella, Victoria, Christie, Gillian, Trina, Peter, Patsy, Marcy, Mickey, Ruthie Anne Maples, Fabian Zaragozate and all Zaragozate relatives. Jack, Nannette and Elsie Parsnolls.
The following are also pseudonyms: Alec, Charlie, Craig, Fred, Shelly, Sue, Pam, Jane, Joanne, Kelly, Mary, Kathy, Joyce, Beth, Margaret, Rita, Sandra, Jenna, Diane, Lisa, Marta, Megan, June, Lori, Tracy, Connie, Sally, Frank, Delmar, Calista, Trey, Mason, Celeste, Rachel, Bob, and Gabe. Garret Sloan, Melissa Strom, Phillip Wades, Valerie Ness, Joy Norstrum, Marina Estes, Colleen Whitner, Greg Carowe, Arthur Drune, Dirk Rhodes, Allen Motts, Drake Leeds, and Troy Samuels. Christopher, Benjamin and Jessica McCarthy. Henry, Judy, and Joshua Stemmer. Gloria, Stan, Neil, Larry, and Gavin Munson.
Some working in law enforcement have been unfairly criticized for failing to recognize evil. To spare them possible embarrassment, the following names are pseudonyms: Detective Paul Prencer, Deputy Sheriff Randal Phyllips, Deputy Karl Rhyster, Officer Stone, and prosecutor Karen Ounst. The name of Battle Creek, Michigan, defense attorney, Morris Astene, is also a pseudonym.
Hyatt Tire is not the real name of the repair shop that was vandalized by the stalker in A Tangled Web. Source.
