Dead Air follows a radio host who is being stalked by a mysterious individual who knows things about her past. This is a multi perspective story, with the stalker, a detective, and the radio host alternating chapters.

This was actually a really short read, with only about 9 hours a audio, but the narration did almost nothing for the story. The narrator speaks exceedingly slow, even for an audiobook, and I was able to listen to the story at 3 times speed! Usually my max is 2 times, with most audio at 1.5-1.75 speed.

Despite the length, within 1 audio hour I was not even close to interested in the story. If I wasn’t able to listen to it so fast I would definitely have just DNFed it. The story progresses so slowly, with very little actual intrigue and even the action portions went by so quickly I barely even noticed them. Even the creepy moments where the stalker is the POV character were not what I was looking for.

The characters were interesting, but no one was really developed through the novel and there were lots of moments for that development to occur. I also didn’t enjoy the predictability of the novel either, as it became clear very quickly that one character was the stalker perspective and still there were several moments full of intense foreshadowing.

Overall this was just completely uninteresting to me and I didn’t enjoy my time with it at all. The stalker archetype is done better in other books I’ve read (personal favourites are You by Caroline Kepnes or the recent release When I Was You by Amber Garza) I’m sad to say that I found my second one-star book for 2020

1 star

This book was interesting but I had a similar response to it that I do with a lot of books like it. I find male authors trying to write female main characters to be really grating. So many things were said/done by the main character that almost no woman would ever. The subject matter is really fascinating but it left me wanting something else.

After multiple attempts at this I’ve come to the conclusion I’m not going to finish this. Narration isn’t great, my mind keeps wandering out of boredom.

First of all, I want to thank NetGallery and Michael Bradley for allowing me to listen to this book.

Kaitlyn is a popular nighttime radio DJ in Philadelphia whose past is about to catch up to her. She's changed her location and her name, but can she outrun the events that happened on that fateful night? Kaitlyn has been receiving letters from someone talking about "the shallows." Her friends and fiance are concerned for her, but Kaitlyn says she is fine even though she isn't telling the whole truth. Can she keep it together without incriminating herself and reliving the horrors that occurred? As far as Kaitlyn is concerned two people knew what happened in " the shallows" and one of them is dead. Could someone else know her secret?

I really liked this book. I loved the NJ connections since that's where I live, and I loved how Michael kept you guessing who the bad guy was all the way to the very end. I was disappointed to see that sexual violence towards a woman took place on that fateful night. I'm not sure why thriller writers feel the need to include this in so many thrillers? Although this greatly disappointed me I would absolutely read future words from Michale.

Thank you again!

A successful Radio DJ is receiving threatening letters, escalating in malice with every next one, and then the threats become physical. Who is it and why do they want to dig up the secret that has been buried with the dead for so many years.

This was a fun, thrilling ride. I was able to guess to the culprit halfway through, which is obviously not a good thing for murder mysteries, but I guess it was intentional because even with so many giveaways on who it really was, it was very gripping. It did get a bit dull towards the end, but I really liked the ending.

Told in three separate POVs, it’s an easy yet fast-paced popcorn thriller. I thought there were some irregularities with the police procedures mentioned above but I think it makes sense given that it’s set in a small town. I wasn’t much of a fan of the narration though, it was kinda monotonous and boring to hear, but the plot was interesting enough to keep me glued to my earphones. Predictable, but it still makes for a perfect beach read.

thanks to Netgalley, authors, and publishers for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Listened to this book an audiobook compliments of Netgalley.

The narrator was great and kept me glued to this book, and the story line was really good and flowed nicely.

My only complaint about this audiobook was that with about 3hours left to listen I had already figured out who was the bad guy was, otherwise I really enjoyed this book.

Kaitlyn Ashe, a DJ on the prime night slot in Philadelphia, has been getting the same letter every day. A threatening letter, comprising letters cut out from newspapers and magazines, that reminds her of something she did in the Shallows, where she lived when she was 16 years old and her name was Laura Hobson. The letters also ask her to play REO Speedwagon, a band whose music holds memories for her, a band she will never play again.

Having put that event behind her, and having reinvented herself after years of therapy, Kaitlyn is anxious not to have her secret outed. She keeps her past hidden from her boyfriend, Brad Ludlow, a hotshot lawyer, who has no idea that Kaitlyn is not who she claims to be. Meanwhile, her stalker is watching and planning their next move.

Kaitlyn won’t tell her boyfriend a thing. She won’t even tell the police, not even when the stalker murders Brad.

Detective Rodney Shapiro and his partner, Julie Lewis, are assigned the case. Right from the start, Rodney finds himself overtly sympathetic towards Kaitlyn because she is the spitting image of what his own daughter, Carol, might look like when she is older. Julie, on the other hand, suspects Kaitlyn from the start.

Rodney doesn’t question Kaitlyn the way a police office should. His questions, few in number, are posed as though he is a Victorian gentlewoman, utterly genteel. He just takes it for granted that she is innocent, and at one point, even gives her his own gun so she can defend herself.

The events in Kaitlyn’s life play to the backdrop of a larger crime: the killing of gay, bisexual and transmen by a serial killer, known as the GBT strangler, in Philadelphia. Even though this case is not under the jurisdiction of Rodney, it gets more than a little screen time from him.

The book is set in Philadelphia. We know that because the author tells us that. The setting does not come alive for us at all. It might as well be Anytown. Even the fact that Kaitlyn’s house overlooks a cemetery fails to register. Kaitlyn tells us it is eerie, but the mood fails to touch us.

The story is told by a female narrator, mostly in the third-person past tense PoVs of Kaitlyn and Rodney and occasionally from the first-person PoV of the stalker.



The writing was prosaic. The character voice didn’t stand out for any character.

I didn’t like Kaitlyn and couldn’t care less about her romance with the utterly bland Brad. We got details of her life, her work and her dates with Brad, but none of it helped. Kaitlyn remained flat and insipid as a character. The Harley she rides didn’t make her any more appealing. The single tears that flowed down her cheek were annoying. When we finally come to know the secret that she has been holding on to, we find it just as unimpressive. Also, the fear that REO Speedwagon induces is never properly explained.

In fact, not one of the characters in this novel stood out.

Rodney is well read and can quote from the classics. He does too, without the slightest improvement in his overall personality.

When we are first introduced to Rodney, there’s no reason why he should give his colleague, Julie, a “quick once-over” just to give us her physical description and then his own contrasting one. It was extremely clumsy.

I’m no expert on police procedure but there just didn’t seem to be much activity on the part of the police. Rodney asked gentle questions; there was no real probing, no looking for clues. We don’t get an impression of a tight case.

The proceedings were so banal that I didn’t feel involved at all, didn’t even feel compelled to suspect anyone. The stalker was that obvious. But not to Rodney and Kaitlyn.

Even when the stalker escalated their actions, I didn’t get the feeling of a real danger facing Kaitlyn. Then when the stalker started whining about a lost wig, and the DNA that could be gleaned from it, without once worrying about the cigarette stubs left all over the place, I wanted to cry.

The author tells us a lot about Rodney’s daughter, Carol, with whom he is estranged. The most unbelievable thing is that after droning on and on about the resemblance between Kaitlyn and his daughter, and almost minutes after Kaitlyn tells us that Brad made her feel safe and how she now feels miserable with him gone, both Rodney and Kaitlyn break into a passionate kiss.

The case of the GBT Strangler is also resolved, but in the most unconvincing manner imaginable. This killer turns out to be a character known to Kaitlyn, but this subplot peters out. Why was this person killing GBT people? Move on, people, no answers here.

The characters at Kaitlyn’s radio station were often spoken of with their full names, on several occasions. The author seems to forget that we have already been introduced.

This tendency sounded faintly amusing in the case of a character called Justin Case. The repeated mentions sounded like Just In Case.

The narrator’s voice was flat and emotionless. The only time she seemed alive was when she was doing Kaitlyn’s radio voice. When speaking for Kaitlyn, it was boring, turning stilted and monotonous when voicing a male character.

There was plenty of swearing in this novel. That’s always a no-no for me.

Good thing: the chapters are short, and the whole audiobook a quick listen.

Didn’t get into it. Will check out ebook now it is published. Rated 5* as is unfair to rate without reading

Kaitlyn Ashe has a secret and doesn't want anyone knowing about it., even her much loved boyfriend! As the top rated DJ in Philadelphia, Kaitlyn is soon discovered by someone in her past. A past she has been trying to run from for over 10 years. She's been receiving hate mail with references to her past. Who could this be? Nobody even knows what happened at the Shallow's. She's taken so many steps to hide from it, but it truly puts her back to that awful night. She begins having nightmares, the anonymous letters start being sent more frequently. Kaitlyn has to tell the cops about the letters and the other weird things happening. That's the last thing she wants is for the cops to start digging up her past. As the saying goes, the past has a sneaky way of coming back when you least expect it.
First off, I was super excited to have an audible version to listen to for this ARC. I love listening to the different characters and how they interact with each other. Audible books can make or break a story. This was a good audible. However, that being said, there were few things wrong with this book. First off, Kaitlyn, you seriously have this sordid past and you want to marry the guy you finally let into your life? But it's never occured to you that he may want to know why your nightmares are related to this past that you've hidden from him and everyone else? Also, the cops flat out ask you about the Shallow's and you dodge that question like you have no idea what they are talking about. Come on, they're cops, they will find out eventually. Just fess up that you know a bit about the letters and move on. Not only that, but the author tried to tie in a side story about a killer in Philly as well. Could these be related?? Seriously, the way things go down with this other storyline is down right ridiculous, I can't give the details without giving away the ending, but let's just say. I don't think so!!!
If this other storyline was removed I think the book would be fine without it. I know why it's added in, but it just doesn't work for me with the rest of the book. I pretty much figured out who the killer was shortly after things started escalating about 2/3's in. I didn't know the exact details, but i got the gist. For this I would give the book 3 stars. It's still entertaining overall and the plot is decent.
I recieved this ARC from #netgalley for an honest review. Thank you so much!

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for allowing me to listen to this audiobook! I thoroughly enjoyed it. I really enjoyed the narrator's voice and cadence they spoke with and that they didn't overly change their voice when speaking about other characters. The main character Katelyn Ashe has had a secret for a lot of her life and thought she left it in the past. She's got a great job as an evening DJ and has a serious boyfriend, everything seems to be going well until anonymous letters start showing up along with a call into her evening show requesting a song by REO Speedwagon she can't figure out the meaning behind. I really enjoyed the slow unraveling of who Kaitlyn Ashe really is and what happened in her past that has come back to seek revenge.
I wish there had been more into the side plot with the GBT strangler and more of an explanation of the REO Speedwagon song that kept being requested. But overall would definitely recommend this book!

I just didn’t really get into this audio bit which was a shame. Just found it a bit slow for my liking.

I enjoyed the narration, my first audio book from NetGalley. The twists and turns had me on pins and needles.

The best part about this book is the narrator. I truely wanted to add this book to my 'did not finish' pile but I wanted to see if the glaringly obvious killer was really that obvious or if there would have been a plot twist at the end, spoiler there isn't.

The author attempted to seed an air of mystery into the book by dropping references into the book, repeatedly, and annoyingly. He also seemed to be able to develop the male leads much better then the female leads who felt plastic while reading.

The narrator was fine to listen to, personally I sped it up to 1.2x (which is normal for me) and it flowed well. I think the biggest takeaway from this book is foreshadowing doesn't need to be slammed into your face like a custard pie from the very start, small spoonfuls make it more enjoyable and less messy.

Thank you to NetGalley and CamCat Publishing for my copy of Dead Air by Michael Bradley, Narrated by Rachel Fulginiti in exchange for an honest review. It published June 9, 2020.
This is fits right in with other novels of suspense, that you can tell was written by and man and will definitely keep your attention. The narrator did a fantastic job!
TW: Some language and gore.

I have been loving trying new mystery/thrillers on audiobooks - making me use the time I was spending on chores/mundane stuff to actually useful while listening to the audiobooks!

Dead Air is the latest audiobook to join my list of books I listened to on this format - a mystery/thriller told in multiple POVs from the victim as well as the perpetrator and the detective investigating the case - it should have been an intriguing and unputdownable read, but somehow the MC is unlikeable at times, and the plot is predictable at best.

Laura, a mini celebrity; a DJ at a local Radio station has been receiving threatening notes for a few weeks now, hinting that her secret, one she has kept for most of her adult life. She is finally content with her life - a good job that she loves; a boyfriend she is in love with and a life that she loves living.

But like I said Laura as an MC is quite hard to like - as a reader, I couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t be frank with her boyfriend, why she wouldn’t be honest with the detective who are just trying to protect her from a stalker - and even knowing the EXACT reason why she was being g stalked and threatened; it became all the more irritating that she wouldn’t share her past.

I really was excited to read this one - but sadly it did fall short of my expectations.

This thriller originally piqued my interest as I have recently gotten into thriller audiobooks and wanted to read more about woman. I picked out a few, and from those I was disappointed in most. My issues with this one was it was too slow and I didn't feel thriller by it. I think that a lot of people would enjoy this book, but I like more paranormal mystery in my thrillers so it was simply not the right book for me.

Kaitlyn is a late-night radio DJ in Philadelphia. She loves her new job, her new boyfriend. Well, let’s just say her whole new life! But there’s someone from her past that won’t let Kaitlyn move on.

This book just didn’t work for me. The premise was one that has been done repeatedly, providing little originality.
Some of the actions of the characters were so unbelievable, it was a struggle to continue.

I listened to the audio version of this book but sadly the narrator's tone was somewhat flat, unable to pump any life into the story-line..

This was not a good fit for me, hope it will work better for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and CamCat Publishing, LLC for an ARC to listen to🎧 and review

I received an advance reader copy of this book to listen to in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Audio book version.
Laura is a dedication radio host on a popular radio station and has been receiving letters from someone hinting to a past she wants to keep hidden involving something that happened at 'the shallows'. Laura doesn't want to tell her fiance or the police about her past nor why she has changed her name.

I guessed who the stalker was from the first few chapters and was correct in my assumption. I had high hopes for this book but was disappointed. I still can't understand why Laura kept all what happened a secret from the police and her fiance as what it turns out to be wasn't worth her not telling them.

The narrator was lovely to listen to and did a fantastic voice audio of the book, but the book wasn't as great as I expected it to be.

You know how with most thrillers you will be guessing until the end who the "bad guy" is? Well with this book you get the POV of the "bad guy" from the beginning, you just don't know who it is. Then about 50% in you know who the "bad guy" is and you are on pins and needles waiting for them to figure it out. Knowing who the bad guy is does not take away from the suspense/thrill from this book at all. I really loved it!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free audiobook for review!

Great narrator. When notes start appearing and funny things happen on and off the air. This DJ can't understand what's going on and who is trying to drudge up the past.

I enjoyed this audio book and the narrator did a great job