Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dying for a Date | 2010 | Cindy Sample | Buy |
| 2 | Dying for a Dance | 2010 | Cindy Sample | Buy |
| 3 | Dying for a Daiquiri | 2013 | Cindy Sample | Buy |
| 4 | Dying for a Dude | 2014 | Cindy Sample | Buy |
| 5 | Dying for a Donut | 2015 | Cindy Sample | Buy |
| 6 | Dying for a Diamond | 2017 | Cindy Sample | Buy |
| 7 | Dying for a Deal | 2018 | Cindy Sample | Buy |
| 8 | Dying for a Double | 2019 | Cindy Sample | Buy |
| 9 | Dying for a Decoration | 2023 | Cindy Sample | Buy |
The Laurel McKay Mysteries by Cindy Sample follow Laurel McKay, a divorced single mother who works as a loan officer at Hangtown Bank in Placerville, California. Laurel has a talent for finding herself in the middle of murder investigations, and her attempts to solve them are complicated by her meddling mother, her busy dating life, and her own tendency to act before thinking.
The series is set in California’s Gold Country, the historic mining region east of Sacramento. Sample draws on her own background in mortgage banking and her knowledge of the Placerville area to give the books a grounded sense of place. The tone is light and humorous, and the “Dying for a…” titles reflect the mix of murder and comedy that runs through the series. The books have received five LEFTY Award nominations for Best Humorous Mystery.