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. 

Lauri Taylor spent four years investigating her mother’s murder in both the United States and Mexico, but before that she was a marketing and branding expert who worked with professional athletes and premium lifestyle brands.  She worked with NBA professionals developing their unique brand identities through endorsement opportunities, speaking engagements, public appearances and philanthropicassociations. Her work in the field has also included event marketing and implementation, in which she partnered with corporate clients at major sporting events to increase brand awareness and consumer loyalty through advertising, media coverage and social opportunities for customers and employees. Lauri has lived with anxiety, depression and PTSD and has become an advocate for shameless communication about mental health and the stigma of mental illness. The Accidental Truth is her first book. Lauri is a graduate of SMU’s Cox School of Business, holding a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, with a major in Marketing and a minor in Spanish. She lives in Orange County, California and is the mother of two grown children. She is a member of the SMU Alumni Association, the Cox School of Business Alumni Association, and the National Charity League.

Candice DeLong is a former FBI criminal profiler. DeLong was the lead profiler in San Francisco, California, and worked on the Unabomber case. Currently, she hosts the Investigation Discovery programs Deadly Women and Facing Evil with Candice DeLong.