Dying for a Date

Laurel McKay Mysteries

By: Cindy Sample

Narrated by: Pilar Uribe

Unsure if she is looking for Mr. Right, or Mr. Every Other Saturday Night, divorced mother of two, Laurel McKay reluctantly joins THE LOVE CLUB, a popular local dating service. Dressed to kill, she meets bachelor number one at a trendy restaurant. But the date is a bust, literally, when the guy decides Laurel is dessert, and she breaks his nose with her cell phone. It gets even worse when the man is found murdered the next morning, and Laurel has his blood on her clothes.

Despite her now being a person of interest to the police, Laurel bravely ventures out on date number two. When that unlucky bachelor disappears during dinner, Laurel's only alibi is a bottle of Dom Perignon. The sexy investigating detective thinks she's innocent and is worried she may be the next target. That's more than enough motivation for Laurel to find a murderer determined to kill her social life--before dating becomes a dead end she can't escape.

©2010 Cindy Sample (P)2013 Cindy Sample

Disappointing

The premise of the overall story was good and I was looking forward to reading it. However, the narrator's voice sounds like a teenager and the main character is 39. I can't believe the author had the romance get strong so early it was totally unbelievable since the detective assigned to the case against her for murdering 2 men was the romance angle. He should have been taken off the case for a conflict of interest. The kids and their attitudes were very believable. But one thing that really made me not want to continue reading it was that she was going to give up an interview for a new job so she could attend the funeral of the 2nd date guy and her mother, boss and best friend all went with her.

fun

Cindy writes well, and makes a mystery credible, human and fun. I listened while driving around and it kept me alert and interested. The narrator did very well interpreting the different characters. I am waiting for the next Laurel Mckay mistery.

Irma Esponda

Fun cozy mystery, no so wonderful reader

Would you listen to Dying for a Date again? Why?

It was fun and well written, and there were enough suspects to make it interesting.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dying for a Date?

Mom operating heavy equipment

Would you be willing to try another one of Pilar Uribe’s performances?

No. Her performance in this book distracted from what was otherwise an enjoyable cozy. I almost gave up on the audiobook and read the print version, but I made it through to the end. Her voice is pleasant, but her cadence is terrible. She comes across like a seventh grader trying to read out loud in front of the class. Not the worst reader I've ever come across, but still pretty bad.

Any additional comments?

This is a promising writer, but she needs to find a new narrator. I notice Pilar Uribe also narrates the sequel, and I'll be reading it in print.

Entertaining.

When a bank loan underwriter is suspected of murder because two of her only two dates through a dating service wind up dead on the very nights of her dates, life gets interesting. Cindy Sample is a new author for me, and I found her writing to be entertaining and light, yet with enough questions and misdirection to keep it interesting. I will read more from this author. 4.5 stars.

Performance

The performance was too choppy and distracting. Though I stopped listeing, I look forward to reading the book.

Humorous cozy mystery

I’ve listened to several books in the Laurel McKay Mystery Series, but I somehow started in the middle, and I really enjoyed going back to book one to see where it began. I really enjoyed book one, and started and finished in one day! I love the way Cindy Sample writes - so much fun humor! I’m excited to listen to books 2 and 3.

The Perfect Book to listen to on a Roadtrip

If you could sum up Dying for a Date in three words, what would they be?

This book is funny, smart, and entertaining. My experience with crime fiction is limited, so to find a book of this genre that is also funny was a surprise. While the coincidences of the criminal events are quite imaginative, they are grounded in real-world events that make them quite believable.

What did you like best about this story?

The best part of the story is Laurel. Another reviewer used the perfect word: zany. Her Lucille Ball style antics kept me laughing out loud while her initial naiveté about the events around her were endearing.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene is at the beginning where she runs onto the field to defend her son from the bully on the other team. So clueless! That could have been me.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I raced through this book and would have loved to have the time to finishing it all at once.

Any additional comments?

I don't usually listen to books on tape on car trips, because the voices start to sound the same and lull me into a dangerous sleepy mode. The narrator for this book, however, had a great lively voice, that kept things interesting, without overplaying it. Perfect for the title. I hope to hear more from her.

Fun plot, odd narration, irritating character.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The main character is generally frustratingly stupid. It made the book hard to get through, and I found myself HOPING something bad (but maybe not too bad) would happen to her. The story itself is pretty good, though, for the most part.

Would you be willing to try another one of Pilar Uribe’s performances?

No. I'm not sure if she was reading off a poorly timed teleprompter, or what, but the cadence is off-putting and her inflection on the jokes is nonexistent. There are a lot of odd pauses where there shouldn't be any (like if Siri read you a book) and it regularly pulled me out of the story. Her voices were pretty good for the different characters, though.

It's refreshing

Any additional comments?

I like stories that starts good, and slowly gets better and better- this one matched that description. Story:- post divorce-online dating-few murders-humor- has all right masalas.
This is a great summer reading. I highly recommend has good humor with mystery ride.

Fun and Entertaining

This is a fun an entertaining book. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. I passed this book up several times before giving it a try. Now that I have listened to it I plan to listen to the others in the series.