Kaitlyn is a radio show host with an interesting past. Her real name is Laura and in her prior life she was sexually assaulted by her boyfriend and during the altercation he fell into the water and drowned. Fast forward to today and someone has been stalking her and killing people close to her. She has no clue who it is but it scared out of her mind. The police are called and an officer named Rodney with an interesting past as well is called upon to investigate the stalking case. Rodney develops a soft spot for Kaitlyn and will do anything to protect her.
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I enjoyed this story and thought it was overall entertaining. The narrator was fantastic in that she was easy to understand and her inflections were perfect. I was engaged while listening and never felt bored which I sometimes do with mono tone narrators. I would have liked the story to go more into Kaitlyn’s past earlier in the story but in the end things wrapped up nicely. I am also not sure I like the way the GBT story line played out as it wasn’t fully developed in my opinion.

I so wanted to love this book. I know radio - and must say that the office back chat and atmosphere was good, and quite authentic. But the plot -- Oh no! Like many other reviewers I guessed the "bad guys" about 90 minutes in, and just hoped I was wrong and that they weren't so obvious. But they were. The writing was equally obvious. It seemed that every noun was preceded by an adjective, and the business with the "air quotes" really irritated me. I think I heard it used at least 3 if not more times. The big secret that's being hidden all along is also obvious and comes as no shock. All in all, boring.

The narrator grew on me. I really didn't like her style for the first part of the story, but eventually, I grudgingly concede that she's not awful. She deserves better material to work with.

Dead Air was not the thriller I had hoped for. The story was way too predictable and way too unrealistic! The voice of Kaitlyn worked OK, BUT the voice of Julie was way over the top whiny and just too much!! The investigation by the police was ridiculous. This case should have been figured out way before people ended up dying! Every time The Shallows was mentioned it was a bit creepy, but not enough to carry the mediocre plot!

Thank you Netgalley for this audiobook edition of Dead Air, written by Michael Bradley.

On a strictly personal note, I loved "revisiting" Philadelphia, it truly made me pine to go back. The author spared no expense with its descriptions and locations. It's great centered in Bala Cynwyd, an area that I frequented often and miss dearly. I digress...

Kaitlyn is a radio DJ who has been getting threats that are increasing in intensity. Not only is she frightened for her safety, but also because she's keeping a secret that it now threatening to be exposed. But things escalate quickly when the threats begin to be followed through, and Kaitlyn knows that she has to take action.

This was super predictable and very formulaic, but was still written with enough snap that I enjoyed it. The characters had dimension, which to be honest was kind of a problem because they crossed lines that I deem inappropriate. But, the fact that I was invested enough to care made for a decently written book.

Kaitlyn Ashe is running from her past. She has a new job, new identity and new life. That is until her past finally catches up with her looking for revenge!
This book sucked me in right from the beginning. The storyline started off fantastic and I was hooked. Sadly half way through the author made the stalker so obvious, I just wanted to stop there. Also Kaitlyn was so unlikeable to me, she bored me. I also don’t understand why Kaitlyn had to keep her past a big secret only revealing it after way too many people died.

Thank you NetGalley for the complimentary audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I really liked the narrators voice and the inflection she used throughout the book. With that said,, I found the story just alright. I felt it was predictable and the characters didn’t have a lot of depth.. While listening, if you are distracted from listening for a minute here or there, your still going to be able to follow along with what is happening. For an easy listen, I’d say give it a go.

This book was just ok for me.
Laura is a popular Dj that has been holding onto a secret for 16 years, that to me didn’t seem like that much of a secret. I was confused as to why she wouldn’t tell her fiancé about her past or even the fact that she had legally changed her name to Katlyn. A cat and mouse game with a killer who wanted revenge that did leave me guessing yes who was behind it and that kept me listening. But also left me confused as to why she wouldn’t tell the police what the shallows were and why it was so important to her and her past.

Thanks to net galley and cam cat publishing for this audiobook

Dead air
I review this as 3* which for me makes it a good book
A new author to me. A suspense novel, perhaps a chick lit.
The narrator is good and adds atmosphere and tension to the book.
I didn’t engage with the character of Kaitlyn. I think this is because She is self contained and secretive and I felt manipulative so I didn’t get behind her in her predicament.
I found some of the dialogue a little cliched.
In some areas the tension was portrayed well. I would have preferred a slightly faster pace.
I found it too coincidental that Rodney stumbled on the strangler.
I find it a little creepy that Rodney is attracted to some one that strongly reminds me of his daughter.
The final reveal was good, Rodneys action although not so convincing.
I found the end a little drawn out.

A well written thriller read by a fantastic narrator.

Kaitlyn, a now well known radio DJ has it all, a good job and the perfect fiance. But with a hidden past her life cannot stay perfect for long.

An unknown person is set on voicing Kaitlyns past and taking out anyone who gets in the way.

There are a few story lines in this book - all easy to follow but none predictable, its an addictive audiobook that leaves you wanting to continue listening to discover "who done it".

Thank you for the ARC,

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

It is no secret I am proud to be from Philly. I love the people, the sports, the arts, and the energy. Philadelphia is not perfect, but if you want to get my attention, set a novel in my city. I will read it. Michael Bradley, a southern Jersey native, set his third novel in Philly and combined his knowledge of the area and radio broadcasting to write Dead Air: A Novel of Suspense.

Kaitlyn Ashe, a radio DJ in Philadelphia, receives anonymous letters that threaten the life she built for herself. That life hides secrets she does not want to be revealed but, when the letters escalate, her fiance insists on calling the police. Kaitlyn needs to figure out who knows about the Shallows before her life crashes down around her, and her secrets revealed.

Rachel Fulginiti, an Audie-nominated narrator and veteran of the stage, skillfully narrates the audiobook, allowing us to hear Kaitlyn's "radio voice" and her normal voice. You can imagine Rachel is Kaitlyn conveying the story to us.

I found the audiobook a little slow to listen to at 1.0 speed. Philadelphians do not talk slowly so I played it at a more comfortable, higher rate.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 8/5/20.

Dear Sir is a thrilling book. Katelyn is a radio host. She has secrets from her past. Katelyn is getting threatening letters. Who is ending them? Well Katelyn’s past come back and haunt her.?
#netgalley

**2020 20-word review**

A very heavy-handed thriller, lacking any sense of subtlety or nuance. Not terrible, but definitely not really worth recommending.

This book was a mess. It read like a creative writing student's first attempt at a novel. There was a lot of mundane, repetitive detail (ie "She made air quotes with her fingers." As opposed to?) and the protagonist was extremely unlikable. The characters are flat, I honestly didn’t care what happened to the protagonist and the “bad guy” wasn’t scary or intense at all.

None of this book made sense, the plot was flat and one dimensional and it was a slog to get through it. This book was not a winner for me.

I received a free audio copy of this book in return for an honest review.

**CAUTION- Spoilers below**

I really enjoyed this book. The suspense kept my interest the entire time. The only issue I had with the book is that the end started to get too farfetched. How did no one realize that Julie was the sister? How did Rodney have an issue with his daughter commiting a crime, but had no issue Laura letting someone die. And then he was ok with letting Julie die? There was no real struggle, other than a sentence. How was Julie perfectly ok with what happened to her brother for years, and suddenly was mentally unstable and had to go after Laura years later? How did Laura not recognize her?

Other that, I thought the book was really good. I enjoyed the narrator, too.

I would definitely read books from this author and listen to this narrator again!

Overall, Dead Air was an interesting read, but it does have a few problems.

I liked the Kaitlyn's job. I've never read a book about a radio DJ before, so it added a hint of freshness to the story. I also liked the chapters with the antagonist's POV. Those had a deeply sinister feel.

The antagonist's identity can be figured out pretty quickly. When reading a thriller, I like to be guessing up until the very end, or close to it. If a thriller doesn't have that back and forth guessing game, I like there to be a twist where my very solid-seeming conclusions get turned upside down, but looking back I see the clues were there all along. Having a pretty strong suspect in mind for most of the book, I hoped Dead Air would give me the latter of the two options, but it didn't.

Also, a serial killer subplot gets muddled in with the main plot. I would have been more interesting and unique of a thriller if Kaitlyn hadn't been a direct victim of a nefarious plot, but instead began to suspect this person in her life of these hideous crimes. That book could have really played up on the radio DJ aspect, showing us we may hear them laughing and cheery, but we don't know what's on their faces.

My biggest complaint is how stupid Kaitlyn and the detective, Rodney, were during the last halfish. She's being stalked by someone who definitely has no problem killing her loved ones, but Kaitlyn decides to stay at her best friend's unsecured apartment. She thinks everything will be just fine. Then another time, she's completely unconcerned about unusual noises and someone knocking on the hiding spot's door. She just keeps showering. It's as if someone's not trying to kill her, so she isn't any more scared or paranoid. But a few chapters before, she acted out in extreme paranoia. Her relaxation didn't make sense given the situation.

On to the detective. He brings Kaitlyn back to her house after the antagonist has already struck there, and they get drunk together while he's supposed to be protecting her. What???? Then, get this, she reminds him so much of his daughter, but when she kisses him he kisses back. What the everloving.... There's a lot of other stuff displaying Rodney's incompetence and blindness, but that would require major spoilers. I'm just glad Rodney's not a real law enforcement agent.

I figured out who the stalker was literally half way through the book and still really, truly enjoyed it.

A compulsively readable (or, in this case listenable) revenge thriller. The writing was tight, the plot fast-paced and full of tension. The only thing was, the villain and their motive was obvious almost right from their introduction. It didn't ruin it, but it did take some of the fun out of it. The big "what really happened in The Shallows?" question was the real mystery. The solution was satisfyingly mundane and realistic, and because of that it was genuinely a little sad.
The characters were developed enough to be three dimensional, but it wasn't a 'character driven story,' which I actually enjoy.
I also liked the serial killer subplot and it's grimly comical conclusion.
The narration was good, but I had to listen at 2.5 speed, as I found the pacing particularly slow. But at a higher playback speed, it was perfect.
Overall, an entertaining read.

Successful radio DJ Kaitlyn Ashe is finally ready to out her ugly past behind her and settle down with the man she loves. She wants to believe her secrets are buried and will never be exhumed, but all of a sudden she begins getting letters that let her known someone has not forgotten, and they don’t intend to let her forget either. Someone is out for revenge and they don’t intend to stop until Kaitlyn has paid. Fulginiti’s narration is direct and straightforward, much like Bradley’s story.

The first half of the novel sucked me right in and I couldn't put it down. Once I got to the half way point I kinda figured everything out but then there was another twist I didn't see coming. Overall this was a solid and quick read. Really great narrator, I hope she does some more audiobooks in the future because I would love to listen to her. Thank you netgalley for the audiobook!