Jolene is a TV reporter in Phoenix who is looking for her “big break” – a real story to tell, rather than just covering the addition of a newborn giraffe to the zoo’s family. When she learns about a death at a local radio station, she is determined to cover the story herself, especially when the body is identified as that of a controversial talk show host whose death is suspicious. As she vies for the latest breaking news associated with the story, she uncovers information that could put an end to her investigation once and for all.

This book appears to be the author’s first novel, although according to her author bio, she has worked in journalism for quite some time. That is apparent by the details included in the story, which bogged things down more than once. The book was a slow starter, and every time it started to pick up a little, the story would be lost amid the details again. The book contains a content advisory, which is great, but it’s at the end of the book. Wouldn’t it make more sense to put it at the beginning, so readers could take the advisory under consideration?

I liked Jolene and appreciated her efforts to get ahead in her career while trying to keep her bosses happy and maintain good relationships with her co-workers. I realize it’s part of the business, but I was disgusted with her questions and behavior on more than one occasion, and recognized it as the same disgust I feel regarding many real-life TV reporters.

The murder victim was revered by some but repulsive to others, so there were quite a few suspects to consider. I thought I had it figured out, and it wasn’t until it became obvious as the story progressed that I was wrong. Given the identity of the killer, the motive made sense, but I would not have figured it out on my own.

I don’t know if this is a stand alone book or the start of a new series. If it is to become a series, I’m not sure whether I’d continue with it, but I might, just to see what big stories Jolene gets wrapped up in next.

The fact that I wanted to finish the book is an endorsement in and of itself, but this was fluffy reading. I applaud the author for this somewhat cozy mystery as writing a book has to be so very hard. There’s potential here, but I never fully connected with our main character, Jolene. She’s a striving journalist/reporter trying to take the top spot and scoop her competitors on the next big story. The portrayal of JJ, her arch nemesis, is pretty superficial. If you are looking for a light read, something for the airplane for some easy escapism, this should work for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur books.

What happens when a Rush Limbaugh type radio host suddenly dies? Well, if you’re Jolene Garcia, a local reporter, you fight to get to the truth before someone else gets there first.

It’s clear the author is passionate and knowledgeable about journalism and Arizona, and any reader who shares those passions and a murder mystery will likely enjoy this.

While the writing style was fine, this got a little too in the weeds regarding journalism itself. The author took time to give us plenty of details about other aspects of the story or characters, but I walked away feeling like I really knew nothing about the main character, who’s narrated the story. I never became engaged in her or her story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC of “Off the Air” in exchange for an honest review.

I rarely DNF books before giving them an honest chance, but I had to put this down before even hitting the 10% mark. The writing was flat, the dialogue stilted, and there wasn’t enough hook from the first chapter to keep me interested. It felt like I was reading a sitcom script. I think this book could’ve benefited from tighter editing.

The mysterious death of a shock jock radio show host shows how news reporters almost do whatever it takes to get the scoop on the story. Jolene, the MC, feels she is always behind her competitors in getting the sought after interview and she takes some chances, ruffles a few feathers, and jeopardizes some friendships while trying to track down the killer and get the exclusive story. It was an interesting insight into how news stations and their reporters work to get a story. There were quite a few instances where the author gave background on a historical moment or some other fact and it took away from the actual novel in many instances. I wish there was more development on the other news station characters as they started to feel interchangeable because they were a bit one note.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the arc.

Very interesting book!! I really liked it and had the best time reading it, would definitely recommend it!!

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and netgalley for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book is unfortunately a DNF for me. I was very bored and couldn’t connect with any of the characters. I found the writing tedious and couldn’t connect with it. I also don’t like when books are super political and this one was.

I hope others love this book but it wasn’t for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance e-book

Jolene Garcia is a reporter trying to cover a murder story. This book is interesting in an investigative journalism type of way. There is a lot of insight on how cut throat the industry can be. For me, this book was very slow paced and I couldn’t help but feel bad for the main character.

Jolene Garcia is a Phoenix news reporter trying to make a name for herself. No matter what she does, she always seems to be one step behind JJ, a reporter from a rival news station. When a controversial radio host is found dead, Jolene has an advantage as the last person who interviewed him alive. Unfortunately, that advantage doesn’t last long, and she is soon trying to regain the upper hand. Will Jolene be the first to solve his murder? Will she finally win that Emmy she has always dreamed of?

Wow! I really enjoyed this debut novel by Christina Estes. Estes exposes the reader to the pressure that journalists are facing with social media becoming so prevalent. The characters were entertaining and there was an element of humor sprinkled throughout that I truly enjoyed. I grew up in Phoenix and my favorite thing about this novel is how Estes sprinkled in little bits of geography and history of Phoenix throughout the story. I loved the character of Jolene Garcia and hope Estes writes a sequel because this one was good! I give this book 4/5 stars.

This piqued my interest after seeing it won the Tony Hillerman Prize and knowing I love a good investigative journalist mystery. While I enjoyed this, it felt like the mystery was not the main focus. A lot of the story focused on Jolene tracking down the stories and the behind the scenes of being a journalist. It was hard to get into the story at times due to that, but I also learned about what it takes to get the story. It does focus on the murder of a shock jock and the author is very clear on certain political stances which detracted some from the story. I like escaping in a story and that burst the bubble quite often. I would definitely check out the author again and see what Jolene decides to investigate next!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for an "Off the Air" arc by Christina Estes. This was another quick read for me. Before you read, please check your trigger warnings. The story centers around the murder of a prominent conservative radio host. Our FMC, Jolene, is tasked with covering his death. I struggled with her as a character; I found her a tad annoying but to each his own. The premise of the book was overall good, and I enjoyed it.

This story was filled with a lot of behind the scenes and facts about reporting and what it's like to be a reporter. I wasn't able to connect to any of the characters because I felt like I was getting thrown too many facts. Ultimately I had to DNF this book (for now) although I think there is an audience that would enjoy this book.

First I'd like to say that I thought the writing was great. That being said the story really wasn't my cup of tea. I like other reviewers thought that it would be more of a mystery. This story centers to much around a news station for me.

Jolene is a local tv reporter in Phoenix. When a controversial talk show host suddenly dies, news reporters swarm to get to the story first. Jolene is determined to find out the truth behind the radio show host’s death and maybe earn an Emmy while doing it.

OFF THE AIR by Christina Estes is advertised as a mystery, but felt more like a “I’m going to tell you a whole bunch of facts and stories unrelated to the mystery to the point that you forget there even is a mystery” kind of mystery.

So much of this story focuses on our “controversial talk show host’s” opinions (read: very unsettling, problematic, far-right ideas) and on random facts and histories of things brought up within the story, that I lost the thread many times.

Our main character Jolene, who always spouted on about being a reporter of integrity, still seemed to do some unethical things and was extremely power hungry…it was hard to root for her.

I’m sure there is an audience for this book, but it just happened to not be me.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: March 27

Off the Air is Christina Estes' debut book. It's a fiction story that looks at the life of a TV news reporter. Jolene is the last person to do an interview with local radio celebrity Larry Lemmon before he dies on air.

I don't know about other readers of this book, but to me, it seemed more like a behind the scenes look at a newsroom and the job reporters have than a fictional book. It compared how things used to be in reporting the news.to how it is today.

There was mystery in it as you don't know what happened to Larry Lemmon until almost the end. I did like the red herrings, but the book was a very soft 3⭐ for me. I did enjoy some of the characters, I didn't notice much character development.

As I figure this is probably going to be a series, I.will read the next book. I'll give Estes another shot before I give up on her.

Trigger Warnings:
Abandonment, ageism, animal cruelty, child neglect, classism, homelessness, racism, sexism, sexual coercion and substance abuse.

Tentative Publishing Date: March 26, 2024

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for the e E-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

😊 Happy Reading 😊

#netgalley #stmartinspress #minotaurbooks #offtheair #christinaestes #arc #readaway2024

This one just wasn't for me. The writing was great, and I didn't even mind the political issues mentioned. I honestly just got bored, and it didn't keep my interest. I thought this was going to be a mystery, more so a cozy one at that. It was a mystery thought not at all the cozy type, but maybe it was the journalist aspect that turned me off. I can understand that journalism was the main focus as the author was/is also a journalist, so she would be most knowledgeable and passionate on that topic, but I just wasn't into it.
Thank you, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy.

3.5 stars! This novel took a peek behind the curtain at the life of a news reporter, which I thought sounded like an intriguing story. The pacing was a little off but the murder mystery element kept me interested. I'd definitely ready something else by this author (this was her first book). Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review - pub day is 3/26/24!

Thank you to Netgalley for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. This really did not keep my attention. I tried and tried but ultimately I had to “did not finish” it.

Jolene Garcia is a local TV reporter in Phoenix who finds herself in the middle of a police investigation when local radio personality Larry Lemmon dies in the middle of one of his ranting, chauvinistic radio broadcasts. Jolene has his last interview, but she keeps finding herself one step behind now that it is time to investigate his death.

She's dealing with all sorts of work pressure from rival reporters from other stations to big shot journalists coming in from all over the world who also want to find new information for their viewers. And with her own bosses looking for scoops and "sexy" items and with her local contacts unwilling to offer information, Jolene has to dig deep and take risks. She isn't willing to risk getting it wrong though. Not since she was already burned by a contact which cost her a job offer at a bigger station in a bigger market.

The story is filled with the pressures on modern news reporting from the insane presence of social media and bosses who want staff to do more with less. I enjoyed the story but didn't really care for the main character whose major focus seemed to be more about a possible Emmy and showing up her rivals than on getting the story right. I did sympathize with her distressed childhood and time in foster care and her fear of dogs after a childhood encounter with a vicious one.

I also liked Jolene's persistence in her quest to not only find the killer but get an exclusive interview with him. I also liked the look around Phoenix that was provided in the story.

This debut was entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. I really liked the idea of this book but the middle part was just so boring. The end was at least good but you had to really push through the middle.