I really struggled with this book, and if I hadn't gotten an ARC I wouldn't have finished it. It was a slow start and hard to get into, and I didn't really like Jolene or feel like I was rooting for her. There was a lot of unnecessary information and the book was heavily political, which wasn't clear from the synopsis and not what I'm interested in when reading. The book wasn't poorly written, but the content was menial, slow-moving, and didn't capture my attention. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Thank you NetGalley and Publishers for allowing me an opportunity to read this book.

I found it very interesting that the Author of this book is also a reporter. I think that really helped in creating the story and made it seem pretty realistic. Once you start reading you automatically get taken on a ride with these characters until the very end. I enjoyed this book, but it was a little straight forward and easy to predict the ending.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

Off The Air was a murder mystery, and our heroine is a struggling local news reporter determined to get to the bottom of it. I enjoyed the fast-paced world of television journalism, and I also really enjoyed the Arizona history sprinkled in the story. Overall, this was a good read!

Thank you again for the ARC!

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the author for allowing me to review this book. Overall, I found it enjoyable! The book follows a local news reporter as she works on the case of a lifetime- the fatal poisoning of a controversial, talk show host. I would consider the book a cozy mystery in that any deaths or threats are not gruesome or overly intense. Just make for a nice, light read that still has a whodunnit quality. The behind-the-scenes look at modern day local news was interesting and the protagonist, Jolene, was relatable (if not always likable).
The drawback for this book, for me, was that the writing sometimes felt tangential. There were several paragraphs and sometimes pages that felt unnecessary or that didn’t quite tie into the story. While some of these paragraphs were interesting, they did slow down the story a bit and at times I found this frustrating. I actually enjoyed the book more once I started skimming certain pieces.
Pacing aside, I would recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries (especially those who are interested in or enjoy watching the local news!).

I really enjoyed this book! The writing was easy to read and current, and the FMC was both relatable and likeable. I hope there are more books about Jolene to come!

The mystery of who killed controversial talk show host Larry Lemmon is good, with plenty of twists, keeping the reader guessing. The story also has plenty of humorous moments involving the staff of the TV station where the main character, investigator reporter Jolene, works, especially as the station manager wants to boost the station's social media presence and wants tweets, posts, viewer comments, etc., but has not properly thought through how that is going to be accomplished while trying to balance imparting accurate information with the need for rapid responses before accuracy can be determined. There is also humor related to interactions and competition with rival journalists from other news outlets, as well as interactions with the various people connected to Mr. Lemmon. However, Jolene is a somewhat obnoxious character. She is so determined to be the first person to get the "scoop", and especially to "beat" rival reporter JJ, that she repeatedly crosses the line in terms of acceptable behavior, alienates the best camera man at the station (Nate), abuses the trust that sources place in her (especially Jim, her source in the police department), and makes costly and potentially deadly mistakes. While I would consider reading other books by this author, I would not be interested in reading further stories that feature Jolene.

This is a smart, original story featuring a murder mystery that unfolds as a reporter attempts to excel, or at the very least tread water, in her field.

The death of a controversial local radio talk show host with strong opinions leads to a feeding frenzy for TV reporters and multimedia journalists as they all scramble to get the next exclusive interview or break the latest news in the matter. It’s a cut-throat profession, apparently!

The writing was fine and I would definitely read more by this author, BUT dragging my rating of this book down a bit is the fact the feelings it mostly engendered in me were those of frustration and disgust. It turns out I’m not a fan of reporters—the characters in this book were just awful! They were no better than vultures, hounding the bereaved at funerals, absolutely refusing to accept any answer of no to their requests for interviews or sound bites of information, pestering law enforcement to reveal details about an active ongoing investigation. This is a serious problem—had media not leaked the identities of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, after all, then Sean Collier would still be alive.

I had hopes that the main character would learn how atrocious this behavior is and grow as a person, but instead she winds up rewarded for it and yearns to do it all again. There were also a couple of subplots whose necessity I didn’t understand. Maybe they were meant to throw you off the trail in the investigation?

This is not a bad book by any means, but my personal reaction to the way multimedia journalism is apparently conducted these days made it not quite a perfect fit for me.

This was a book about a reporter on the case of an opinionated radio host. I felt like it was a good look at the daily life of a reporter in a pressurized field, but it didn’t really resonate with me.

3.25. Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this early copy! Off the Air follows MC and narrator Jolene Garcia, a news reporter who cannot seem to catch a break, as she works to report on the murder of an ultra-conservative and right leaning podcast host. Noting that the narration tone leans more to the left. There are so many barriers to Jolene doing her job, including other reporters, inability to legally get information quick enough, and simply getting in her own way and making questionable choices. I enjoyed the progression of figuring out what happened and who ultimately did it. I did struggle with the writing. There were tons of unnecessary sentences and paragraphs sprinkled through. Characters were introduced way too rapidly and there are some that I failed to ever really understand their role all the way to the end. I struggled to connect with Jolene and felt like she could have been developed a lot better. It was a fun read overall, but could use some editing. Content warnings include animal abuse, views on immigration, and views on guns.

This book had a lot of promise! I read a snippet of it in a book sampler and was drawn in. But … once I got a few chapters in, it went a bit downhill for me. It got very slow, the main character acted pretty annoying and dumb (I hate when authors do this to female characters!). It seemed quite obvious who the killer ended up being … so, there wasn’t much thrill here, unfortunately.

This review was also posted on Goodreads.

Thank you to Minotaur Press for my arc!

I freaking loved this. I'm a huge fan of whodunits and i couldn't put this down. I loved Jolene and how she stopped at nothing to find the killer. the story was a perfect mystery and I can't wait to read more by this author.

OFF THE AIR follows a local news crew in Phoenix, following the investigation into the death of a well-known Conservative radio talk show host. Reporter Jolene Garcia is always in search of that next great story and this book really captured the pressure reporters are under to get an exclusive, be first to report new information, stay true to their journalist principles and keep station chiefs happy. And with Jolene's own search for that exclusive interview, she may be closer to the suspect than she realizes. The suspects are limitless and the red herrings are abundant (which I love), since Larry angered a lot of people with his obnoxious personality and very vocal conservative “pro border wall” and anti-immigration stances. While seeking interviews from reluctant witnesses and suspects, Jolene has to remind herself of her own humanity while she uses whatever opportunity she can get to corner defensive interviewees. It was a fun and new innovative take on the murder mystery genre and the plot was fast and tense. Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and Sara Beth Haring at St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Jolene Garcia is a news reporter for a station in Phoenix, Arizona. Competition in the local market is fierce and Jolene is under constant pressure from the station management to be the first one on the scene with the inside story and best headlines. When a local radio personality with very controversial and divisive opinions drops dead at his station, it is bound to be the story of the year, but Jolene is beaten to the first scoop by her competition. This makes Jolene determined to be the reporter who cracks this case. But she is embarking on a fraught venture - upsetting suspects, alienating her favourite cameraman, angering her connection on the police force and perhaps even endangering her own safety.

The author of this novel is actually a reporter, which gives the dialogue and narrative an authentic voice. The author knows her subject matter and this definitely comes across. The pace is quick and there is constant action as Jolene launches herself from one scrape to another. The complex battle of left versus right ideologies is on full display and it rings true for this novel set in the Trump era in a state right on the border with Mexico. This is a solid effort for a debut novel, although one aspect that could be improved is character development. Jolene has potential to be developed into a much richer character and it would be nice to learn more about her background and relationships in future novels.

I had high hopes for Off the Air, but unfortunately, I was disappointed. The synopsis says it's a mystery/thriller, but the plot gets bogged down with details about local news reporting, politics, Arizona history. These things made it really hard to get into. Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC.

A TV reporter who usually has mediocre stories finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation.

I loved this my husband was kind of a reporter so it was fun reading about it. The murder was a fun plot point to bring all the reporters in and to report on everything. I liked that it was almost like a treasure hunt for clues

An entertaining read that takes you behind the scenes of an investigative reporter’s big case. I loved how fast paced and action packed the story was and was glued to the pages. This was unlike any book I’ve read recently with its unique story line and thought provoking characters. I’m excited to read more from the author’s future works.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the advanced e copy in exchange for my honest review.

Off the Air is a whole lot of fun! Christina Estes takes us behind the curtain of local TV news with this engaging read. The dog-eat-dog world of television journalism is portrayed in living color as rival reporters race to report breaking news about the death of a controversial radio personality. The war over soundbites and click bait headlines leads to some questionable behaviors, but the mystery is well conceived. The fact there is no shortage of suspects keeps you glued to the page. It's a fast and entertaining read. Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, & NetGalley for the advance reading copy in exchange for my honest opinion. #OffTheAirBook #NetGalley.

I was invited to review this debut by St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books. This book is a little different than my usual genres, but it was good. It's a bit on the lighter side, but had me guessing who did it up until it was revealed. I would recommend this to anyone who likes lighter, funny, mystery books.

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

Reporter Jolene Garcia covers both general and special assignments for the local television station in Phoenix, Arizona. The latter is the result of her success with a report on the dangers faced by Phoenix park rangers; now she is investigating scofflaws who use out-of-state addresses to register their automobiles [and avoid the state’s high registration fees].

Jolene’s lunch with cameraman Nate Thompson is interrupted by a message that someone has been murdered at the radio station. It turns out that Jolene had recently interviewed the victim, controversial talk show host Larry Lemmon.

Who murdered Larry? Or could it be that he wasn’t murdered at all? Can Jolene find the answers?

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Filled with interesting details and insider information about broadcasting, this book draws readers into the telling of the tale as Jolene sets out to solve the murder. Although Jolene is often insufferable, her doggedness is commendable; nevertheless, some of her actions make her less than likable to readers.

The back-stabbing and story-stealing that went on in the mostly cutthroat newsroom was disconcerting and difficult to read. In addition, readers who do not spend their days glued to social media or who find politically charged agendas out of place in a mystery story may feel rather frustrated. However, the focus on media does explain how the media can create difficulties as it involves itself in a story.

Anchored by a strong sense of place, the unfolding story twists and turns and keeps readers guessing right up to the surprising denouement.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
#OffTheAirBook #NetGalley