I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I thought this was an enjoyable & well written debut novel. The characters were interesting and the mystery plot was engaging.
Definitely will recommend and looking forward to more from this author.

DNF @ 25%. I had a tough time getting into this book, because in the first 3 chapters, so many characters are thrown at you that I couldn't keep track of who was who, not to mention the (usually mean) nicknames that were given to other people. What I could remember about the characters were that they were comically one-dimensional -- there's the blonde pretty reporter who usually competes with Jolene for stories, the murder victim who is a conservative talk radio host (and says all the things you'd expect him to say), Jolene's producer (I think?) who only cares about getting the "sexy" stories, and the social media consultant who wants everyone to post on Twitter and also "have opinions." Which leaves Jolene, the main character, who doesn't really have much of a personality outside of being a journalist. I just couldn't bring myself to care about Jolene, the other characters, or even the murder, so... DNF!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me with an eARC of Off the Air in exchange for my honest review.

I think this would be a great book for the right audience but unfortunately that is not me. I was unable to finish this book.

When a controversial radio host suspiciously dies, the local reporters including Jolene Garcia rush to compete for the story. With the network execs putting the pressure on ratings, Jolene tried to balance the need of “getting it right is more important than getting it first”. I found that this story focused more on the investigative process than the mystery itself. Personally, I enjoy the reporting side of things so although it was a little different than what I was expecting, I found it interesting. But in that aspect, it didn’t read like a typical mystery, even a cozy one. The author also addresses the change in journalism from old school pen and paper note taking to the evolution of needing a presence on social media outlets.
Off the Air was an enjoyable read from an author who knows the ins and outs of journalism. And while I would have preferred more character development of not only Jolene, but of some of the side characters like Nate and Jim, it would be interesting to see if that might possibly occur and a subsequent book. I think more focus on Jolene as an investigative sleuth would have given a faster pace vibe to the book.

Going in I honestly wasn’t sure if this was going to be like a hard core thriller or a cozy mystery.

It wound up leaning more towards cozy but there were signs it just wasn’t for me.

Very heavy on the current politics in this country especially since it takes place in Arizona and covers a lot of border politics and opinions

Also very heavy on reporting/journalism logistics and details that were a lot for someone not in this industry.

There was also what felt like soooo many characters and roles in the story.

It was all going “okay” until we got to the end and there was some really gruesome details (at least to me) that felt like they were thrown in for shock factor.

I’m trying to be as nice as possible here but the writing wasn’t great and the topics weren’t for me.

Thank you netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

I think this book might work better for someone with either some background in journalism or a strong interest in it. I’m neither of those people. The author clearly knows what she’s talking about, but the first quarter had so much info-dumping about journalism as an art and working as a journalist that it took away from the plot. Between that and the jumping around regarding the mystery, I had a hard time getting invested and ultimately DNFed.

After a slow start, this turned out to be a fairly good story. A conservative news host dies, and Jolene, a television news reporter tracks down the killer. Lots of details about the broadcasting business bogged the story down. Some of the background on Jolene seemed to advance the story and flesh out her character, but mostly I felt there wasn’t enough of it to really matter and was added as an afterthought. Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC.

Jolene is a reporter who was the last person to interview Larry Lemon, a famous talk show host, alive. She is now covering his sudden death and is convinced, along with the police, that Larry was poisoned. Jolene is determined to get the inside scoop and be the first to report it.

I am sad to say that this one wasn't for me. I found the main character to lack depth and I had trouble feeling connected to her. She didn't have any personal connections in real life, other than two friends who were less close to her than she was to them, and she seemed to just annoy everyone around her, though I couldn't blame them for being annoyed. The book lightly touched on her childhood but not enough to feel like I understood Jolene at all. She didn't make good judgments in her job and the whole thing felt implausible; the book just felt very surface level overall.

I struggled to get into the book when I tried reading it on my Kindle so I requested the audio to try that method - it was definitely better and I thought the narrator did a good job with it. While I was able to get through the audiobook, I sadly still wouldn't recommend this one. I just wish it was a bit more exciting and that Jolene was a more substantial MC that I could root for.

Thank you Minotaur Books for the copy in exchange for an honest opinion!

After reading the blurb, I had really high hopes for Off the Air. There seemed to be a lot of repetition followed by the comment “as I said”. It really started to drive me crazy. While I was thinking it would be more focused on the crime and mystery, the author focused more on being a reporter and how things have changed in time. It also very heavy in politics.

I feel someone who wants to be a reporter would enjoy it, it’s something that I’m not into.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advance copy in exchange for a honest review.

Off the Air didn’t really do what I had hoped it would. It didn’t feel like a cozy mystery, and the writing was both slow and awkward feeling. There was a lot there that people who are invested in journalism may like, and it has many references to social media and its impact on journalism now. For me, the social media and more current references made it worse to read, just frustrating rather than interesting.

Note: arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for honest review

Thank you, NetGalley and Minotaur Books, for my free digital copy for review.

A renowned radio personality meets an untimely demise within the station, setting off a suspicious investigation. The story kicks off with a casual scene of a reporter, Jolene the protagonist, and her cameraman having lunch before being summoned for a breaking story. While offering essential character background, the protagonist's occasional introspections may disrupt the immediacy of the narrative.

Jolene, a morally ambiguous TV journalist takes on the role of an amateur sleuth. Readers witness her grappling with ethical dilemmas and justifying her actions when faced with moral gray areas. The protagonist's fear of dogs becomes a crucial clue in unraveling the mystery's underlying motives.

Amidst an anonymous letter left for the protagonist and the suspects' suspicious actions serving as red herrings, pinpointing the villain becomes increasingly challenging.

While the conclusion may be drawn out, it culminates in the most suspenseful and riveting scene, making it a personal favorite.

"Off The Air" unfolds a captivating mystery that delves into the intricacies of a journalist's life while unraveling an intriguing whodunnit story. The narrative adeptly addresses themes of sexism, animal welfare, and the ethical boundaries encountered in the pursuit of success.

I DNF’d at 35%. It was so slow paced there wasn’t much happening, besides getting introduced to one unlikeable character after another. (ie JJ, “Sexy,” “Woman Hater,” and Larry Lemon sounds like the worst). For me to get invested there needs to be at least a few endearing characters and so far the ones who aren’t horrible are just kinda bland. My stopping point was when the MC started trying to guilt a source into giving her his permission to cite him for a news story. She sounds whiney and entitled after he reasonably explained why she couldn’t cite him.

I imagine the target audience for this book being anyone who is invested in the journalism field. The fixation on social media for news definitely sounds current.

I won’t be sharing this review on my socials.

Sadly I DNF’d this book at 10%. The writing was clunky and honestly cringy at times. I’m sure certain people will love this book, but as a millennial the writer just seemed out of touch with people younger than baby boomers.

Off The Air is a cozy mystery murder about the cut throat competitive culture of news reporting. Jolene is a local reporter working on a variety of story types and one day word gets out that a local radio personality dies and all the reporters descend on the station hoping to get the scoop. When it’s discovered who the individual was, Jolene thinks she’s in for a lucky break since she recently interviewed him and giving her station the advantage but that’s not the case. As news stories go everything moves fast and does Jolene have what it takes to stay ahead of the game?

I think this book might be the beginning of a new cozy mystery series the way the characters were introduced leaving the reader wanting more to their stories. I would especially be interested in seeing Jolene team up again with Jim, her police source. I think this would be a great book and potential series for someone interested in journalism or news reporting and is a fan of cozy mysteries.


Thank you @minotaur_books and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

An excellent debut from Christina Estes!

Jolene Garcia isn't a stranger to hard hitting news stories. But, when a local radio personality is found unresponsive and later declared deceased, the hungry reporter smells a story that might make her career. Having been burned before, Jolene starts off by playing it safe. When she keeps getting scooped by other news outlets, the gloves come off and she goes all in. Can Jolene get to the bottom of the case before another reporter takes the glory? Will she make her career or break it? It's hard to tell the way the cookie will crumble.

This was a fantastic novel that I just couldn't put down. I've been in a bit of a reading slump and most books that I pick up are taking me forever to complete, but not this one! With a setting that is all too prevalent for the modern day, Christina does a great job of blending a slew of differing opinions and political views which make the perfect backdrop to this murder mystery.

I feel like the pacing for this novel was excellent. I never once felt bored by the route the characters were taking in their efforts to figure out who the killer was. Breadcrumbs were left at appropriate moments and I felt like I was putting two and two together with Jolene. Though I am both pleased and disappointed that I didn't figure out the identity of the murderer. (Though I did figure out one of the twists!)

As an ARC I wasn't expecting to pick up, "Off the Air" really came out swinging. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Estes in the future!

Off the Air is a gripping murder mystery that also is a story that makes you think about the truth and ethics, and the pursuit of justice. If you enjoy reading about the world of journalism or simply enjoy a well written whodunit mystery, this book is for you

Being in the media world myself, I loved the descriptions of how this murder mystery was handled by the TV crews and the main character. What I struggled with was the pacing of the story. Still a solid, fun read!

Off the Air by Christina Estes was dramatic and entertaining. Although I did find it to be entertaining, it was a much different book than I thought it was going to be. The murder is a minimal part of the story, while life in journalism stood out to me as the predominant theme. Unfortunately I found most of the characters to be annoying and very reminiscent of the characters in the Morning Show. Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jolene is a local TV reporter in Phoenix, Arizona. When word gets out about a death at a radio station, all the journalists in town swarm the scene.

As the story heats up, so does the competition with Jolene determined to win. Can she win? Or will the competition break her first?

I enjoyed this somewhat cozy mystery that was mostly about journalism, but did not enjoy the political undertones. While the story left me guessing, I was not satisfied with the ending and felt there was a few plot holes. This one was also a slooooooowwwwwwwww burn, almost too slow which made it slightly difficult to get through.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is an incredibly quick read. There are a lot of things to keep you guessing, so predicting the ending is impossible because there are so many potential outcomes. Even though there is a lot going on in the story, it is still something simple to read when you need something lighter in tone.