Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur for sending me an early copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this one. I think I came in expecting a funny cozy mystery, since that’s how it was presented to me, and was instead met with an unlikable protagonist, a very procedural storyline, and lots of heavy topics.

The protagonist was ultimately unlikable to me, often complaining about how people around her weren’t willing to bend over backwards just because she had a story to deliver. She’s very rude to most of the people she crosses paths with, slamming the door in her elderly neighbor’s face, saying “they don’t see why this is important to me” while bothering someone at a funeral.
She also had a primary enemy of another female reporter who is prettier than she is, which didn’t feel like a modern storyline. Ultimately I found it unbelievable that a liberal 29 year old would have a lot of the thoughts of this character, for example, typing “c u soon” to her best friends, or caring a lot about Facebook in 2024.

Everything in this book was overexplained, if the author made a simile with Jonestown, we got a full back story on Jonestown. If the character turned down Indian School Road, we got two pages on how the road got its name. If a character appeared, they got a full name and backstory that never came up again. I love little details in mystery novels, but there were too many in this one to pay attention to the ones I needed to solve the case myself. I’m not sure I could have with the given information.

It’s very clear throughout the book that this was written by a journalist, and often reads more like a newspaper article than a murder mystery.

I love reading debut novels, and I wish the author nothing but the best, but as a reader of an advanced copy, I would have DNFd this book early on if it weren’t for the generosity of the publisher.

If you’re seeing this review after the pub date, give it a shot! Maybe some things have changed.

Jolene Garcia is local news reporter who is called to scene of a suspicious death of local conservative radio host. We follow her as she tries to find the killer and stay ahead of her competitors in reporting the story.

The initial intro to the mystery was interesting but the story was constantly bogged down by descriptions of conservative talking points, how local news reporting works and the history of Arizona, which didn’t seem to add to the story. I think more development of Jolene and her background would have made the story more interesting. I would recommend this anyone that is interested in journalism and the tv news industry.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for offering me an advanced eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did not love the story from the beginning. I’m not really into politics and it seemed they played a larger part of the storyline than I would normally enjoy. Jolene was a great character, but it didn’t grab me the way I thought a thriller/mystery would.

Off the Air was an enjoyable read, and the protagonist, Jolene Garcia, is a likeable sleuth. While reporting on the death of famous (or infamous) radio host Larry Lemmon, Jolene is drawn into investigating his death, and does a little (well, a lot) of unauthorized sleuthing to try to solve the murder. I really appreciated the insight into TV journalism, although it was a little depressing to see the perspective that it's all about clicks and likes and not actually reporting the news.

I didn't love this book--the characters weren't as well-developed and multi-faceted as they could have been, and the plot moved slowly at times, but I'm looking forward to see Christina Estes' next book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Off the Air by Christiana Estes was a challenging read. The premise is intriguing: Larry Lemmon, a radio talk show host, dies on air. The reporter who conducted his final interview is eager to cover the story and outdo her competitors. Unfortunately, it is difficult to empathize with the main character, Jolene . She alienates sources, neighbors, and co-workers, and even when handed clues, she fails to utilize them effectively. The story does not follow a conventional whodunit format, and I found myself unable to connect with any of the characters. The author, Ms. Estes, would have benefited from a more thorough beta reading or editing process, as she included a great deal of unnecessary backstory that caused me to skip pages. If the information does not advance the plot, it should be omitted. Why must I know about the mailroom guy’s child? Why am I given so much information about Indian School Road? How does knowing Pat Tillman’s story advance the plot? None of this explains the motive or means of the murder. While I see potential in this author, I cannot recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the drc.

A reporter tries to catch the scoop without crossing lines and while reporting fairly. Can she come out on top and solve the mystery?

To put it simply, this book wasn’t for me.

I couldn’t connect with the characters. I don’t have much empathy for reporters. Especially as the author preached about being neutral, no bias and yet there were paragraphs upon paragraphs of bias and personal opinions. The author, a reporter herself, was letting her own bias show. This book is as exhausting as the current media/reporting we have going on in the real world. I’m trying to escape this when reading, not have more of it jammed down my throat. All of this was so off putting.

In summary, there is potential to be a cute story after some editing.
As always, thank you to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

What intrigues me about Off the Air is what feels like an inside look at TV investigative reporters, balancing humdrum "news" and less-than-challenging assigned projects with breaking stories that catch the attention of news stations beyond the Phoenix, Arizona area. And the fact that author Christina Estes is herself a Phoenix investigative reporter lends authenticity to the story.

It doesn't matter that Jolene Garcia doesn't undergo much character development throughout the book. What makes the plot memorable is that we see her insinuating herself into every possible situation and trying to interview every person of interest, while negotiating with a high-level law enforcement officer for tidbits that will thrill her boss by clinching exclusives, and interacting with followers on social media at the insistence of management. It's interesting to see how competing reporters garner their own exclusives--some with their sex appeal. The case they are covering is the murder of a recently retired conservative radio host who is beloved to many followers but hated by some with their own agendas.

It all makes for an absorbing, exciting read that kept me in suspense and thoroughly entertained me.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Conservative radio host Larry Lemmon (aka Alex Jones lite) dies suspiciously during his radio show. TV reporter Jolene Garcia and a horde of other reporters flock to the station hoping for exclusive details on this newsworthy death. Some books suck me in and I will read them in one day. Unfortunately, this was not one of those books. It gets a tad mired in the behind the scenes of journalism and Jolene really takes a turn into a stereotypical slimy reporter. After a series of dead ends, but with a determination to crack the case, Jolene finally gets to the truth and is the hero of the day. It felt far-fetched that the cops, who had far more information and resources than Jolene, hadn't already discovered the murderer. While no one would debate the motive was a good one, and one foreshadowed throughout the story, could justice have been done by simply revealing this information to the public...probably.

I thought this was good! It had almost a cozy mystery type feel with it a little more depth and relationship building. I would recommend for fans of Only Murders in the Building.

This book is not for me. I read about 50% of the way, but can't go further. I felt that the writing was a bit forced and just wasn't enjoying the storyline.

*3.5 stars*

Jolene Garcia is a reporter in Phoenix, Arizona, and is eating lunch when she gets the call to head over to the local radio station KFRK. Someone in the building has collapsed and died, and the rumor is that controversial radio host Larry Lemmon is the victim. That rumor is quickly confirmed, as well as the rumor that he was murdered. Jolene works to try to uncover the mystery of who killed him while simultaneously attempting to get the scoop before the other news stations and national networks can.

This book isn't my typical read. It had a lot of background about the inner workings of the media, the different relationships and the different positions within them, the rivalries between competing networks. I've had no interest in attaining a job in the media, and after reading this, I don't think I ever will. It seems STRESSFUL. And if I ever had to work with a David who kept using the word "sexy" in every single sentence, I don't think I'd even last a week.

Jolene really annoyed me throughout the book. I understand that she was under immense amounts of pressure from her team and her own desire to get information before anyone else did (and pretty much failing every time to do so), but she just kept making poor decisions. Her only major break for most of the book was the fact that she got the last interview with him before his death, but it really didn't seem to have much effect on any of the story. Also, the way the police was investigating really didn't make sense, especially when you found out what killed Larry. Why on earth wouldn't they test everything in the studio and only check his tox results?

The Oliver storyline also seemed completely unnecessary. If you took his character out of the book, nothing about the plot would change at all. And I know Norma was meant to be the obnoxious neighbor character, but she was somehow my favorite in the entire book.

It was a decent read, but I don't think investigative journalism type books are my cup of tea. I do appreciate the amount of background information that was put into the job, though. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an ARC of this book!

I really enjoyed this book. I received an ARC, but what a fluke - I’m an asu grad and know the area really well. This was a nice mystery novel, a light beach read. Jolene is a beat reporter who is looking for her big break, and she definitely finds it after radio personality Larry Lemmon dies. You won’t regret spending time trying to solve this one.

This book was a little hard to follow the characters and to keep track of who was who. Don’t feel a lot of buildup to the climax. Overall, it was just ok.

I was very grateful to have been invited to read this book. I’m not sure that the media tops my interests. The first half of this book was a little slow for me. It was more about the different media and news outlets fighting over the latest new bits of information on a controversial radio hosts sudden death. Trying to scoop each other and chasing down any leads. The second half of the book picked up once leads started having more real motive. And one of the reporters may have picked up a stalker who seems to know plenty about the case. It was a good read and if you like the media then you’ll love this book. Thank you for the opportunity!

Honestly didn't really know what to expect going into this read, but I really liked it anyway!

This was a fun read. I downloaded a bunch of other ARCs around the same time, and they were some not-so-good-reads, so this book was a breath of fresh air. I really enjoyed it. It really kept me guessing, which of course had me burning through it to get to the end. Solid debut.

What Did I Just Read?

OK! This book was Terrific and kept me in suspense! I could not turn the pages fast enough!

Off The Air is a great murder mystery….who did it! This story delivered and is unforgettable!

If you like a good Suspense Mystery this book is for you!

You know a book has you hooked when you are thinking about it when your not reading it and can’t get back to reading it quick enough! Well, this is that book!

No spoilers with my review! This is a must read for 2024!

This story had some interesting parts but felt repetitive. I loved the AZ details thrown in but overall just wasn't into it myself.

Jolene Garcia is a local TV reporter, When a controversial talk show host is murdered, Jolene is
competing with other local reporters for information, working her sources to stay a step ahead.
While an unaired interview with the dead host gives her a slight advantage, it doesn't last.
A game changer is when the network reporters show up. Being the first to report on the killer will
be a big career boost for Jolene - will she succeed?
#OffTheAirBook #NetGalley

You know how they say "write what you know"? Well, in the case of this book - about a TV news reporter written by a TV news reporter - I think the phrase should also add "that will make interesting reading." This book could have benefited from some heavy-handed editing in three specific places:

Even without knowing the author was a TV news reporter, I would have absolutely been able to tell that she was. I feel like she put in every anecdotal story of being a reporter in this book. It reminded me of the early aughts comedy movie American Pie where they repeatedly tell stories that begin "This one time at band camp..." Only in this case it was "This one time in the news room..." For me, after the fourth or fifth one in the first 20 percent alone took me out of the mystery and broke up the main story. I had no idea what was important to remember and what was just for side stories.

Every single side character (even the wife of one of the cameramen who never even appears on the page) has a back story and a name and an anecdotal story to go with them. There were so many named characters (some of whom only appeared on page once or were mentioned in passing) that I couldn't keep them straight, and stopped wanting to. Hardly any of these characters were likable. Unless this is going to become a series (which I haven't read anywhere that it will), there is really no need for alllllll these backstories.

Estes over-explains pretty much every reference to anything real. Jonestown, black widow spiders, places in and around Phoenix, the Tylenol poisoning case, illegal immigration, Trump's election campaign, how social media works... like everything. Does she think her readers have been living under a rock for the last 20 years and haven't heard of these things? I'm not sure. And it makes her main character, who is supposed to be a great reporter, seem like an uninformed idiot.

Speaking of the main character, Jolene - she comes across as a brand new reporter. I think she may be the first character with a backward character arc too. She becomes more slimy and ridiculous as the story continues. I wasn't rooting for her. I found her petty and jealous and self-absorbed and whiny and just... not a really good person. She was mean to her well-meaning neighbor for no reason. She accosted and threatened potential interviewees at inappropriate times. She took advantage of her one source and relied on him too heavily and then blamed him for not getting scoops. She is obsessed with a rival reporter. I just - how old is she supposed to be? Because this sounds like teenager behavior.

There is also some HEAVY-HANDED polarized political views in this book as well. The murder victim is a conservative radio host that loves guns, God, and smearing the liberal Government. His views are expressed along with many of his supporters and detractors. There are some heavy themes of immigration, building a wall, etc. While I understand that these are very big and important issues - especially in a border state like Arizona - they often got in the way of the actual story. The murder and the who-done-it.

For a book that was only 320 pages long, this felt much longer. The pace was agonizingly slow with a redundant "I have information but can't use it" - then "boohoo I got scooped so I'm going to be a sleaze-ball to get a better story." Over and over. While this may be realistic in TV news reporting, it did not make for compelling reading. Then the climax/"big reveal" was almost buried under a drivel of other information in the middle of a chapter. It was sooooo slow, and then BAM over. In short (unlike this review) the pacing was off.

I did enjoy the dialogue (some other reviews think there is too much), but I like a lot of white space and dialogue. Some of the behind the scenes of a newsroom was interesting to learn about (the first time it was mentioned). And I did enjoy learning about life in Arizona. Honestly, though, if this weren't an ARC, I probably would have DNFd it around 30-40%. I just didn't care about any of the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for allowing me to honestly review this ARC copy. I sincerely wish the author luck and I know this book will appeal to some - maybe especially those who live in Arizona and/or are in the TV news field.

Jolene Garcia is a feature tv reporter who happens to be the last person to interview a controversial talk show host before his suspicious death. Facing pressure from her station and other reporters, Jolene seeks to figure out the circumstances surrounding his death. Author Christina Estes offers a unique perspective from her journalistic experience.