I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What do a radio DJ, a philosophical detective and a manic killer bent on revenge have in common? That would be a pretty good cop thriller, I have never read a book by this author before, but I will be sure to keep an eye out for his other books. I found myself easily drawn into the story, and although I did not like all the characters, it did not deter me from finishing it. It was pretty easy to figure out who the stalker was early on in the story, which made me want to shake the main characters, and yell at them to open their eyes. All in all, a pretty smooth and enjoyable experience.

If I actually cared I would go back and check to see if this was supposed to be a mystery... If so did they really think anyone remotely paying attention wouldn’t know who the killer was? I received the audiobook version.. God help me The narrator was so monotone when in 3rd person and so cringeworthy when doing male voices. Other times it was ok then way over the top. The modulated voice was so ridiculous that I laughed my ass off while rolling my eyes. The reason she lied was dumb. The reason behind the death has been played out. The writer seemed to have something against religion, homophobes and an infatuation with cigarettes. The book was boring and too long even with it being short.

This book did not deliver for me.
I found it predictable and at some points unbelievable.
The concept was interesting and had promise. I enjoyed the main character but found the other characters to be flat and under developed.

I like reading books set in places I know and there is nowhere I know better than Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs. Philly girl born and raised this book led me through the streets I grew up on, the cemetery where I taught my daughter to drive and the Cynwyd Heritage trail that I have frequently walked.

Kaitlyn is a late night radio DJ, somewhat of a local celebrity, and she keeps receiving notes that are creeping her out. Long ago her high school boyfriend drowned, to escape the nightmare she changed her name and moved around, now she is back close to where it happened and someone seems to know who she is and what happened that night.

Twisty and windy, I figured this mystery out pretty quickly but rabbit hole of madness the stalker goes down is creepy twisted and devastating. I don't think this is the best written book I've read but it definitely had the creep factor down. The narration on this book was well done and engaging. Definitely kept my interest.

I loved Dead Air, by Michael Bradley! Astmosheric, moody and compelling! Rich, well crafted characters drive a tale of stalking, murder and mayhem. Not to be missed!

Kaitlyn Ashe, a famous radio DJ in Philadelphia, has everything. She is happy, successful, and in love. But deep down, she knows she has been keeping her past a secret from everyone. A secret that someone else knows and is now threatening her with it. First, it starts with weekly anonymous messages, then things escalate, and Kaitlyn is terrified to go back to her own house. When will this stop? After justice has been avenged? Justice for what? What has Kaitlyn Ashe buried in the Shallows?
I received an Audiobook for this particular review and I’m going to be honest and tell you, this was my first Audiobook. I never tried Audiobooks before because I couldn’t settle with the idea of someone reading out my book to me. I found it lacked appeal. But I was wrong. I loved this narration by Rachel Fulginiti that felt like Kaitlyn Ashe was telling her story. The variations in her tone while differentiating between characters were bang-on. I was never confused. My experience couldn’t have been better.
Moving on to the story, Michael Bradley has done a terrific job with the plot. Gradual progressive unlocking of the mystery in every chapter was so exciting. Every chapter ended with a cliffhanging note and made me quickly move on to finding what happens next. I was hooked.
Most chapters were in the third person with Kaitlyn or Rodney, the investigating officer. Some chapters were dedicated to the mysterious stalker and were addressed in the first person. I liked this glimpse into the mind of the stalker. It was very entertaining.
Another bit I liked was the GBT serial-killer sub-plot. It added to the excitement of the main story, kept me guessing about a link between the two. I even liked the whole radio setup that Kaitlyn worked at. It was new and refreshing for me. And it gave the impression that the author was well versed in the working of a radio station.
But the story had some letdowns. The other characters were typical of a novel; a father-figure Scot, a creepy colleague Kevin, a BFF Sammy and a well-to-do and perfect boyfriend Brad, who proposed amid the crisis. The investigative officer, Rodney, was a letdown too. You would expect more from a police veteran. I also wondered why Kaitlyn never revealed her secret to the police even when things came crashing down all around her.
Owing to these pitfalls, I cannot rate the novel a perfect score and give it 4 out of 5 stars. Readers sensitive to creepy stories should avoid this book. But I gladly recommend this book to suspense readers because it is nothing short of a goose-bump giving, hair standing-on-the-edge mystery.
I was thoroughly entertained.

Kaitlyn has been carrying a secret with her since she was in her teens. She went so far as to change her name to start anew. Some first loves stay in our hearts forever and we smile when we reminisce Others, well they leave us with dark secrets, broken souls and forever change every moment going forward. Kaitlyn has rebuilt her life and is a successful radio DJ. She is in love with a wonderful man and is finally happy. And then the letters and threats start. Next the bodies start dropping. And so goes the path to discovering who, what, when, where and why. It’s well written and a good listen with terrific narration, but honestly, I figured it out very early on. I do wonder how in the world no one in the police department figured it out before it all hit the fan. Psych exams, background checks etc. or how Kaitlyn didn’t recognize the someone she was so close to for so long. That aside, it was still a good listen. Enjoy it. I certainly did.

The description of the book was intriguing, the execution--not so much. The writing was weak and unpolished. The story was mediocre at best and I lost interest very early on. The narrator played two characters...one was ok but the other seemed very melodramatic and off-putting. The whole experience was kind of a disaster. My advice is to send the story out for professional critique, strengthen the plot and maybe use two different narrators instead of one.

Apart from a couple of odd pauses, I liked the narration of this book. The only thing that put me off a little was that the female police officer sounded just like Lila from Futurama. It made me laugh every time she spoke. The narration was simple with no music or frills of any description. Voices were altered only slightly between characters, which is the way I prefer it.

The story itself was gripping and edgy. Characterisation was good, with the majority of characters memorable enough that I didn’t get too lost. I guessed part of the ending, which is always both aggravating and satisfying. There were a couple of nice twists though: always a bonus. I will definitely look for more books from this author

Kaitlyn is a radio show host with an interesting past. Her real name is Laura and in her prior life she was sexually assaulted by her boyfriend and during the altercation he fell into the water and drowned. Fast forward to today and someone has been stalking her and killing people close to her. She has no clue who it is but it scared out of her mind. The police are called and an officer named Rodney with an interesting past as well is called upon to investigate the stalking case. Rodney develops a soft spot for Kaitlyn and will do anything to protect her.
.
I enjoyed this story and thought it was overall entertaining. The narrator was fantastic in that she was easy to understand and her inflections were perfect. I was engaged while listening and never felt bored which I sometimes do with mono tone narrators. I would have liked the story to go more into Kaitlyn’s past earlier in the story but in the end things wrapped up nicely. I am also not sure I like the way the GBT story line played out as it wasn’t fully developed in my opinion.

I so wanted to love this book. I know radio - and must say that the office back chat and atmosphere was good, and quite authentic. But the plot -- Oh no! Like many other reviewers I guessed the "bad guys" about 90 minutes in, and just hoped I was wrong and that they weren't so obvious. But they were. The writing was equally obvious. It seemed that every noun was preceded by an adjective, and the business with the "air quotes" really irritated me. I think I heard it used at least 3 if not more times. The big secret that's being hidden all along is also obvious and comes as no shock. All in all, boring.

The narrator grew on me. I really didn't like her style for the first part of the story, but eventually, I grudgingly concede that she's not awful. She deserves better material to work with.

Dead Air was not the thriller I had hoped for. The story was way too predictable and way too unrealistic! The voice of Kaitlyn worked OK, BUT the voice of Julie was way over the top whiny and just too much!! The investigation by the police was ridiculous. This case should have been figured out way before people ended up dying! Every time The Shallows was mentioned it was a bit creepy, but not enough to carry the mediocre plot!

Thank you Netgalley for this audiobook edition of Dead Air, written by Michael Bradley.

On a strictly personal note, I loved "revisiting" Philadelphia, it truly made me pine to go back. The author spared no expense with its descriptions and locations. It's great centered in Bala Cynwyd, an area that I frequented often and miss dearly. I digress...

Kaitlyn is a radio DJ who has been getting threats that are increasing in intensity. Not only is she frightened for her safety, but also because she's keeping a secret that it now threatening to be exposed. But things escalate quickly when the threats begin to be followed through, and Kaitlyn knows that she has to take action.

This was super predictable and very formulaic, but was still written with enough snap that I enjoyed it. The characters had dimension, which to be honest was kind of a problem because they crossed lines that I deem inappropriate. But, the fact that I was invested enough to care made for a decently written book.

Kaitlyn Ashe is running from her past. She has a new job, new identity and new life. That is until her past finally catches up with her looking for revenge!
This book sucked me in right from the beginning. The storyline started off fantastic and I was hooked. Sadly half way through the author made the stalker so obvious, I just wanted to stop there. Also Kaitlyn was so unlikeable to me, she bored me. I also don’t understand why Kaitlyn had to keep her past a big secret only revealing it after way too many people died.

the audio was great.

The story started pretty solid but I figured it out half way through the book who the stalker was and thay made me lose a bit of my enjoyment of this novel.

But pther then that this was pretty solid.

Thank you NetGalley for the complimentary audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I really liked the narrators voice and the inflection she used throughout the book. With that said,, I found the story just alright. I felt it was predictable and the characters didn’t have a lot of depth.. While listening, if you are distracted from listening for a minute here or there, your still going to be able to follow along with what is happening. For an easy listen, I’d say give it a go.

This book was just ok for me.
Laura is a popular Dj that has been holding onto a secret for 16 years, that to me didn’t seem like that much of a secret. I was confused as to why she wouldn’t tell her fiancé about her past or even the fact that she had legally changed her name to Katlyn. A cat and mouse game with a killer who wanted revenge that did leave me guessing yes who was behind it and that kept me listening. But also left me confused as to why she wouldn’t tell the police what the shallows were and why it was so important to her and her past.

Thanks to net galley and cam cat publishing for this audiobook

Dead air
I review this as 3* which for me makes it a good book
A new author to me. A suspense novel, perhaps a chick lit.
The narrator is good and adds atmosphere and tension to the book.
I didn’t engage with the character of Kaitlyn. I think this is because She is self contained and secretive and I felt manipulative so I didn’t get behind her in her predicament.
I found some of the dialogue a little cliched.
In some areas the tension was portrayed well. I would have preferred a slightly faster pace.
I found it too coincidental that Rodney stumbled on the strangler.
I find it a little creepy that Rodney is attracted to some one that strongly reminds me of his daughter.
The final reveal was good, Rodneys action although not so convincing.
I found the end a little drawn out.

A well written thriller read by a fantastic narrator.

Kaitlyn, a now well known radio DJ has it all, a good job and the perfect fiance. But with a hidden past her life cannot stay perfect for long.

An unknown person is set on voicing Kaitlyns past and taking out anyone who gets in the way.

There are a few story lines in this book - all easy to follow but none predictable, its an addictive audiobook that leaves you wanting to continue listening to discover "who done it".

Thank you for the ARC,

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

It is no secret I am proud to be from Philly. I love the people, the sports, the arts, and the energy. Philadelphia is not perfect, but if you want to get my attention, set a novel in my city. I will read it. Michael Bradley, a southern Jersey native, set his third novel in Philly and combined his knowledge of the area and radio broadcasting to write Dead Air: A Novel of Suspense.

Kaitlyn Ashe, a radio DJ in Philadelphia, receives anonymous letters that threaten the life she built for herself. That life hides secrets she does not want to be revealed but, when the letters escalate, her fiance insists on calling the police. Kaitlyn needs to figure out who knows about the Shallows before her life crashes down around her, and her secrets revealed.

Rachel Fulginiti, an Audie-nominated narrator and veteran of the stage, skillfully narrates the audiobook, allowing us to hear Kaitlyn's "radio voice" and her normal voice. You can imagine Rachel is Kaitlyn conveying the story to us.

I found the audiobook a little slow to listen to at 1.0 speed. Philadelphians do not talk slowly so I played it at a more comfortable, higher rate.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 8/5/20.