Move over Kinsey Millhone, Jolene Garcia is on the story of her lifetime and won't quit until she gets that Emmy award! Having the "scoop" on other reporters when the suspicious death of controversial radio talk show host Larry Lemmon is announced makes Jolene feel like this is it--the Big story that she's been waiting for to get out of reporting local news and straight into national news reporting. But the other news outlets seem to be getting inside information before Jolene, even though she's got a hunky police detective on her side. Ignoring her news director's instructions and going rogue is the only way Jolene is going to get the story--if it doesn't kill her first!
Fast paced, with well drawn characters. Only lacking in some additional background information about her relationship with the hunky police detective.

My Thoughts

Jolene Garcia, investigative reporter with Channel 4 News, is only one of a multitude in the race to uncover talk show host Larry Lemmon’s cause of death and then who murdered him.

In the midst of finding answers about the murdered talk show host our intrepid Nancy Drew/Lois Lane want to be finds herself pushing boundaries and making waves but not much headway in getting answers to her questions.

However, her dogged persistence pays off in the end with more than she bargained for.

A great who-dun-it with some interesting behind the scenes looks at what a cutthroat and competitive business investigative reporting can be.

A fast, easy, interesting read.
[EArc from Netgalley]

This book was an interesting fun read for me. It was an up close look at what journalists often have to go through while being a fiction read. I enjoyed it a lot and would recommend. I feel like it would be a great discussion book.

loved this mystery that takes place in phoenix and learning about all of the suburbs . Loved that she was able to solve the crime of the on air personality. Loved her neighbor and taffy. There were so many suspects and in the end I was wrong with who did it. Great story and loved learning about something specific to Arizona from Tillman to illegals coming to America.

Jolene Garcia is in the business of tracking down explosive news stories in the cutthroat world of television journalism, always trying to have a leg up on the competition. When the murder of a prominent, controversial newsman takes place at a rival station, Jolene is in the thick of not only reporting the story, but trying to track down what really happened and who the killer is. As she becomes more deeply involved, secrets are revealed and relationships are strained as the guilty party or parties are sought.
The plot moves quickly, and the characters are well developed; the story line keeps the reader engaged. It is a good picture of what happens behind the scenes at newsrooms.
Recommended!

Entertaining book that presents a true picture of the broadcast industry. look forward to others by this author.

In her debut novel, Emmy-winning reporter Christina Estes brings us Off the Air, a mystery that provides great insight to the behind the scenes work done by news stations trying to get the scoop on a big news story. Jolene is sent to cover the death of a made it big political radio host that looks like a case of murder. Think a mash up of Trump and Limbaugh. The problem is, no one is willing to give her a slip of new information that will let her level up over her nemesis, JJ - former child star who now smoozes the news. Her police source doesn’t want to be quoted. A chance interview with the radio host’s first ex wife goes south when she finds his death to be more of an improvement on the world after he got a taste of celebrity and abandoned her and their son. Then there are the mysterious notes being left at Jolene’s apartment. As Jolene tries to find the killer and keep herself alive in the process, she feels the world is battling against her as colleagues and sources freeze her out.

Off the Air is an easy read that won’t tie you all up in knots trying to determine whodunit. It definitely kept me guessing. I did find the notes a thread that wasn’t ever really resolved. I also thought the character of Oliver was an attempt at introducing an added storyline that would just end up complicating the plot. Overall, an impressive debut novel! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur for the advanced copy. Opinions expressed are my own. This book is set for publication on March 26, 2024.

#netgalley #arc #bookstagram #ChristinaEstes #OfftheAir #MinotaurBooks

Thank you #NetGalley and #StMartin'sPress for allowing me to read and review this book.It's an easy read, short little chapters, easy to follow story.

REALLY good debut novel. Was a fun read, and captivating. I enjoyed this one, and will reread and recommend to friends!

Spoilers included ….

I wanted to like this book, but it fell really flat for me. I found Jolene’s personality and demeanor to be incredibly annoying. She continued to make dumb decisions and jeopardize relationships that she had. The fact that she finally got her breaking story was almost frustrating. She didn’t deserve it because I found her to be disrespectful and irritating.

To put it bluntly probably one of the most boring and slow paced thrillers I’ve read. It was also a decent amount of cringy. Jolene was sooooo unbearable

I wanted to love this book. The insight into what goes on in a reporters day was interesting but that was about it. The characters weren't very lovable and I didn't feel a connection with any of them.

Television news reporter Jolene hears of a death at the local radio station, where controversial talking head Larry Lemmon works. She rushes there, not sure if the dead body is his, but sure that there is a hot story here if it is. Her manager at the station is always pushing for her to get a 'sexy' story and to get it out on social media, often even before it is verified. As she isn't comfortable with what she considers questionable ethics, she is not winning points with the boss. She is scooped several times by competitors and feels her job is at risk. It's this fear that compels her to try to solve this murder herself, and get the scoop.

I feel like this book started off better than it finished. I never got very attached to the characters, and it seemed they were not very complex. There were several side characters with stories that felt like either unnecessary tangents or possible seeds for sequels. Either way, they didn't seem to add much to the story. If you need something lighter, and enjoy a mystery with slight comedic overtones, this could be the book for you.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author and publisher for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Jolene Garcia, a reporter at a local TV station in Phoenix, AZ and Nate Thompson, her cameraman, get a report of a dead man at KFRK radio station. It was the controversial host Larry Lemmon and soon it was discovered that he was murdered.
As Jolene starts to interview some of the people close to Larry she realizes that a number of them disliked him. She was also hoping to get exclusive interviews about his murder and slowly closes in on the would be culprit.
An eye opening look at the behind the scenes of TV reporting and all the social media that goes into being the first to bring important stories to the public.
Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this e-galley of "Off the Air".

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for this advanced copy! You can pick up Off the Air on March 26, 2024.

I was genuinely excited to read this story, and yet I have never put a book down so fast. As a journalist, I thought a reporter murder mystery would for sure be up my alley, but I couldn't even get through the first few chapters.

Right off the bat, we're introduced to knowledge that has no bearing on the story whatsoever (how much do I really need to know about out-of-state car registration and Arizona weather?). The writing didn't capture me, the main character bored me, and I really could not bring myself to read any more of it.

This might be up your alley if you're in the mood for a political, detail-heavy murder mystery in Arizona, but I cannot say it was for me.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I had the amazing opportunity to read and advanced copy of Off the Air by Christina Estes and I'm so excited this was my first read of 2024.

Jolene Garcia is a TV news reporter with strong ethics and journalistic principles. But she finds her entire identity and reputation is at stake when a local Phoenix shock jock is murdered on the air and she's challenged by her leadership to take on the role of a multimedia journalist that's looking for quick Tweets and hits on the like button. Can Jolene balance responsibly reporting the news, protecting her sources, and being impartial and accurate when the value is placed on being first, not necessarily being right?

With this backdrop, you ride along with Jolene as she works to find out who killed DJ Larry Lemmons - and feel her frustration as she's out-scopped and worry for her as she starts taking increasingly risky next steps. Larry was equally beloved and reviled, The list of persons of interest is long, and one of them has taken an (anonymous) interest in Jolene. Letters start to arrive at both her home and office pointing her in the direction of specific suspects, warning her she's much closer to revealing the killer than she knows.

I loved this book. As a new author, Estes is able to balance driving a mystery plot with commentary on our current media situation where opinion often saturates news reports. While I may have had an idea of the ultimate villain, how they were captured and their motivations were a complete mystery. I highly recommend this book and can't wait to see what Estes releases next.

Read For:
Reporters
Murder Mystery
Slow-Paced Thriller
Unlikeable Main Character
Behind the Scenes of Journalism

I hate giving bad reviews but I honestly didn’t enjoy this book. It wasn’t for me. I understand the author has a background of journalism and maybe that’s way it seemed to go into more detail of those aspects of the book but I found it too slow-paced, and the plot felt like it dragged out a bit too much.

From what the synopsis said—I thought I’d like this book. It gave off the impression of a fast-paced race to find the killer. The whole thriller/mystery vibe. But it was actually quite boring. The characters were awful. Jolene, the main character had zero redeeming qualities, she was so unlikeable for no reason.

Then there were lots of backstories that felt like they had no purpose to the actual book. The whole plot of finding out who the killer is—was told mid chapter—no tension, no build up, just casually mentioned.

This felt more like a detailed story time from a reporter. Sure it was interesting to see what it would be like behind the scenes and stuff but that wasn’t what I was really expecting or interested in when reading the summary.

I feel bad that I didn’t care for this like I expected to but thank you nonetheless to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: 26, March 2024
POV: First Person

⚠️ Content Warnings:
Graphic: Death, Murder, Misogyny, Violence, and Sexism
Moderate: Cursing, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
Minor: Animal cruelty and Blood

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing this ARC for my voluntary and honest review!

3.5/5 stars. This novel had a slow start but really picked up after the first 1/4 of the story. An interesting perspective on a murder mystery, from the point of view of a news reporter. This novel really highlighted the ruthlessness/toxic nature of the industry. Some excessive accessory characters that had almost no purpose aside from trying to throw you off the trail. There were also several real-life current events mentioned throughout the book, which I don’t usually prefer.

I liked this novel by Christina Estes. However, it was a little politically charged and I don’t enjoy that in my reading. It was a fun little mystery that I did not solve until the end.

I was asked to review “Off the Air” by Christine Estes. The author is an Emmy-winning reporter, and her knowledge helps this story shine.

Jolene Garcia is a Phoenix TV reporter hoping for her big break. But after she is finally granted an interview with shock jock Larry Lemmon, he is found dead. Can finding his killer be the opportunity Jolene has been hoping for?

The author’s personal experience helps to add depth to this tale. I found this story part thriller and part testament to the questionable-ethical life of a reporter. I found “Off the Air” to be an enjoyable read with plenty of heart-pacing moments.

Four out of five stars.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley.