Jolene is a reporter that just wants to catch her next big story… and if she can do it before her rival JJ gets the scoop even better. So when controversial host Larry Lemmon collapses Jolene makes it her mission to get the story first. But no matter what she always seems a second too late. Can Jolene help figure out who killed Larry without compromising her own safety?

I received this book from Netgalley and the publishers for my honest review. While I found some of the information interesting about the world of reporting I found the overall story to drag a bit. Some of the characters were interesting but not enough that I felt really invested in the story. It did pick up some by the end but overall this book fell kind of flat for me.

Off the Air was definitely a slow burn for me. It took me about 1/3rd of the way through before I really started to become interested in the story and the protagonist. Estes did a great job with her characters, and I found each one of them distinguishable from each other. Estes also did an excellent job with world building; I felt like I could picture every single thing that was brought forth to my attention, whether it was a bacon cheeseburger or the ballroom towards the end of the novel filled with firefighters, glitz, and glam. Although written well, I found the killer to be very predictable and not at all shocking. I did, however, like that Jolene's fear of dogs was tied in with how she would later come face to face with Jim.
Overall, I found this story entertaining, but I'm not sure if I would recommend it based on the pacing.

Jolene is a local TV reporter who is looking for a story that will truly make her career. Suddenly she hears news that there is a death at a radio station. That is where the last person she interviewed works. She and her photographer rush to the scene. Hoping to get the big scoop.

They discover that the body belongs to Larry Lemon, who was the man she interviewed last, She is hoping as she was the last person to interview him. It will give her and her station a bit of a boost and a head start on the story.

As the story develops, it is very clear that there is no shortage of people who wish to murder this man which makes it all the more difficult to solve the mystery.

There were several moments in the book that took me out of the mystery itself when it got so heavy and the political aspect or the hard-hitting intense struggle that is dealing with journalism today.

It was still an enjoyable mystery and not unusual for me that at the end of this story I was actually glad the murder victim was murdered. I find that that happens quite a bit with these mystery stories.

I can definitely tell from the writing that this author is in fact a journalist so at times it did feel more like an expose and less like a fictional story. But for a first novel, there is definitely potential and I can see myself reading more from her in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an arc of this book

I enjoyed this debut novel, an amusing 'cozy' mystery. It has minimal graphic content, and the suspense is not intense. The story centers around Jolene, a reporter struggling to be assigned to more exciting stories than, for example, discovering whether gluten-free cupcakes live up to their hype (or indeed actually contain no gluten). The cast of colorful characters is the big strength of the novel: Jolene and her friends (and frenemies) at the TV news station, notably favorite photographer Nate; rival station reporter JJ, a glamorous mean girl; Jolene's police source, Jim; and several suspects with plenty of motive for the murder of conservative talk-show host Larry Lemmon. The novel, set in Phoenix, AZ, has a great sense of place and a good dose of humor as Jolene chases the murder story while risking alienating her friends with her increasingly desperate behavior in search of an exclusive. By the novel's climax, I was invested in seeing her triumph, though the eventual revelation of the murderer didn't come as a huge surprise. Lovers of cozy mysteries should find this one an entertaining light read.

Unfortunately, I did not finish this book.

I lacked a connection to the characters and the story. I felt bored and uninterested. There wasn’t a “hook” to keep me going so I decided to stop.

It’s unfortunate because the plot sounded great but the prose and execution did not work for me.

I will be posting my review to Goodreads only after the book releases.

Phoenix, Arizona. We meet TV news reporter Jolene García as she finds out about the death of controversial talk show host Larry Lemmon at his job in a competing radio station. His death is suspicious but Jolene being the last person to interview him initially gives her station an advantage over other news outlets. However, as more reporters get to the scene, the competition becomes increasingly intense. Never to shy away from a challenge, Jolene is set on solving the murder, even if it means putting her career and her life on the line.

Thoughts:
The premise of this book is intriguing, but I struggled to finish it. The mystery takes a backseat to the amount of commentary and the descriptions of the inner workings of a radio station. And even though these elements display the author’s knowledge of the news business, they rob the plot of a much-needed agility for most of the book. The reader gets more telling than showing. On the other hand, the author’s descriptions of Phoenix make the setting come to life.

In the character front, we sense more depth to Jolene, but her blind willingness to put herself in dangerous situations defies any logic. I wanted to root for her but was disappointed in her choices.

Themes of child neglect, animal abuse, political extremes and ageism are mentioned throughout the story.

Overall, this book was not a hit for me. However, if you are interested in learning more about the ins and outs of the news reporting business, it might be a good fit for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in return for an honest review.

#NetGalley#OfftheAirBook#bookstagram#booktrovert#booklover##bookstagrammer#bookreviews#goodreads

Estes debut felt like I was back in my college days when I worked at a local news station in SoCal. She was uber descriptive of the TV news world, which turned off some readers, but only made me reminisce of crazy times on location. I wasn't too invested in the mystery. It was like a nice little interlude between all the industry shenanigans. Enjoyable read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

If you love news, are fascinated with new reporting, or are into journalism - this book is for you!

It wasn't necessarily my cup of tea, but I did very much like it, just not into journalism as the premise for a story. But hey, props for being super unique!

I was excited to read this debut book because it is based in Phoenix, AZ. Unfortunately, it was really difficult to read. There was something about it that just didn't flow well for me, and the main character, news reporter Jolene, was extremely annoying and stupid. (Hopefully the main character wasn't based on anyone the author knew!)

I think that someone that is more familiar with journalism would find this a fun book to read. I liked all the references to streets, restaurants, and iconic Phoenix places, however the constant history 'telling' was rough and took away a lot from the story. There was also a lot of political commentary that was unnecessary and took away from the mystery.

An interesting cozy mystery debut that wasn't my cup of tea.

Sad to say, this was a DNF for me. Got to 41 percent on my Kindle, and I threw in the towel. Too much inside baseball on TV stations and reporting, and I'm actually in the media. So I should be in the target audience. It's just not a page turner, and the infighting among reporters and the details on news and TV are overwhelming any interesting part of the mystery. Also too basic. I mean, at one point, the main character decides to throw in a paragraph on the first amendment. For goodness sakes, not good.

In this cozy mystery we meet Jolene a sarcastic journalist/reporter working a high profile murder case. This novel is unique with a suspenseful ending. While the beginning and middle part of this book is slow with many added unnecessary details. This debut author provides a great deal of insight into the daily life of a reporter, and with the way the book ended I’m hopeful to read more of Jolene’s adventures in the future.

I want to be honest, I had a very hard time getting into this book.
I received a request to review it and wanted to assist where I could, but I don’t think this book was for me. The genre of mystery is normally something I enjoy, but with such a high focus on tv broadcasting and production, it quick became uninteresting.
I read through the first few chapters with anticipation, and knowing that some books just take a while to get into, but I just found myself skimming and not finding a part I wanted to explore more.

I chose to not finishing this one. I read 30% and I just couldn’t get any further. I was bored with the story and it really didn’t seem to go anywhere. Maybe I’ll give it another try sometime but for now I’m just going to stop. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my review.

When I heard about Off the Air I was intrigued - debut novel by a TV reporter about a local TV reporter who ends up on the case of a dead right wing radio host. I liked the note from the author saying she was following the advice to write what you know. Unfortunately the execution didn’t work for me and I ended up deciding to DNF this one. Thank you to Minotaur for the free book to review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a complimentary copy of this novel!

Jolene Garcia is a 29-year-old reporter working for a local news station in Phoenix, Arizona. She is hoping to up her game with a big news story that will take her career to the next level. So when she hears about a death at a local radio station, she will stop at almost nothing to get the scoop. And Jolene has an advantage…she was the last to interview the deceased, Larry Lemon! Other local news stations compete to get the main scoop, but time is running out. It appears his death was not an accident. With a mysterious woman who delivered cookies just before his death, Jolene is racing to find out her identity. But time is running out and Jolene herself may be getting too close to the murderer. Can she find out the truth and take her career to the next level with getting murdered herself?

Off The Air is Christina Estes’ debut mystery novel. She has years of experience working as a TV reporter in the Phoenix, AZ area. She is currently a journalist for the NPR member station in Phoenix. Reading this novel, I felt I was right there in the story alongside Jolene. Christina knows what she’s talking about. I can see this first novel becoming a series that continues to follow Jolene on future stories as she works to unveil the next mystery!!! 4 stars for me!!! This novel will be available March 26, 2024!

Phoenix talk show host, Larry Lemmon, collapses and dies at the KFRK radio station. Jolene Garcia, the protagonist, is a TV reporter who happens to have conducted Larry Lemmon’s final interview. Is Larry’s death a suicide or a murder? Jolene solves the mystery.

I enjoy reading about Jolene Garcia and her life as a TV reporter. The plot is logical and leads to a satisfying conclusion. The only thing I find off-putting is the political commentary. I understand that the views expressed are those of the fictional character, Larry Lemmon, but writing about current politics and a present-day candidate is ill-advised in my opinion. Thank you, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review OFF THE AIR.

I really had high expectations given the description and cover but I was kind of disappointed with how politically driven this book is. The writing is great, and it is a HEAVY story but it just wasn’t what I expected. I think the cover should be designed differently.

Thank you St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy to read and review.

This is definitely a case of “don’t judge a book by its cover,” for me. The bright colors and illustrations led me to believe this would be a fun, mystery/thriller. It was more of a commentary on journalism and the current state of politics and social media. Which is not an uninteresting topic…but this novel fell flat for me.

It was a slog to get through and the “mystery” element never really piqued my interest. The main character didn’t really develop into someone you’d root for and there were so many side characters.

Definitely a niche read and ultimately just not for me.

What a slightly confusing read! This book was really hard to read for me – I struggled with the back and forth and feeling like I was constantly missing pieces of background or storyline even though I wasn’t. Jolene is a local TV news reporter who is working on covering the murder of a local radio DJ, and while she keeps getting beat out on interviews and releasing information by her main competitor, she is determined to get the facts straight due to some past drama. There is a lot of back and forth but eventually Jolene stumbles on the true murderer and gets herself into some hot water in the process.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

The world of broadcast journalism can be a dog eat dog world’. And in Off the Air it is in spades. Jolene is an investigate reporter for a local news channel in Phoenix AZ. When a local right wing host (Larry Lemon) of a radio show suddenly dies Jolene is sent to investigate. Initially Jolene is feted as she had the last live interview with Larry. Then everything goes terribly wrong. She gets scooped by a rival network’s femmfatale . Her law enforcement source holds back information and several exclusive interviews never happen. The pressure at her network turns mean and nasty. Besides finding Larry’s killer all Jolene wants is to have the “exclusive “ on the final story, beat her rival and earn her first Emmy. Maybe at the cost of her life.
This novel shows the dark side of network news. One obsessed with ratings and getting a huge social media presence at the cost of their personnel’s sanity and possible life. Why anyone would want to work in that environment is beyond me, not my cup of tea. Though the book is well written. Thanks to Netgally and the publisher for this ARC.