The Accidental Truth: What My Mother’s Murder Investigation Taught Me About Life, by  Lauri Taylor

Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction, True Crime

Published: May 2015

Pages: 256

Local OC author Lauri Taylor was at Literary Orange in 2017 and my friend purchased her book after hearing her speak.  I happened to reach out to Lauri recently and she kindly provided a copy for my review.

This was a difficult yet inspirational read. Lauri’s mom disappears and is found dead in Mexico.  She and her three sisters spend the next FOUR YEARS trying to find answers, verify theories and get some kind of closure in their mother’s death.  Lauri takes us through the case and shares very honestly how this affected her personally.  She had so much guilt and so many questions and due to proximity and other factors, she shouldered most of the burden.  But the main thing is, she never gave up.  She was professional and respectful but she was not going to let her mother’s case get swept under the carpet.  As a writer, Lauri is very talented and even though it was non-fiction, there was a reveal at the end that read like any of today’s suspense genre.

Book Synopsis:

Lauri Taylor was just your average suburban PTA mom and marketing exec. Then tragedy struck. When her mother is found dead in Mexico, Lauri finds herself embarking on a journey of discovery. She strives to uncover the identity of her mother’s murderer while struggling against the unbearable guilt of having been powerless to prevent her murder—but what she finds isn’t what she was expecting.

Lauri Taylor’s memoir The Accidental Truth: What my mother’s murder investigation taught me about life tells the true story of a woman’s quest as she seeks understanding and atonement. With the help of famed FBI profiler Candice DeLong, Lauri begins her transformation into a skilled and unrelenting investigator, earning the praise of even the most seasoned cold-case detectives. As she works to unearth the secrets buried in her mother’s life and death, key evidence comes to light and a shocking revelation unfolds.

The Accidental Truth is a profound narrative of true crime, family bonds, and the grief of sudden death. Lauri Taylor’s achingly intimate story chronicles her personal journey as she empowers herself with truth, finds the courage and compassion to forgive her mother and herself, and eventually learns to let go.